Already in its ninth year, the Monster Energy Cup still can provide a few surprises. At the Oct. 19 event in Las Vegas, it was the 450cc debut ride for Eli Tomac’s new Kawasaki teammate Adam Cianciarulo, who put the sport on notice that he’s in it to win it for 2020 AMA Supercross.

While the field was missing some of the sport’s top stars, several of the best in the world were on hand to gauge how their 2020 AMA Supercross preparations were going. Cianciarulo was a force throughout the night, pulling away with a win in the first main event before a bobble set him back.

Eventually the rookie’s 2-2-1 finishes beat his teammate’s 1-3-2 and Malcolm Stewart’s 3-1-3.

—Jeff Kardas