Last week we made a point of talking about Dean Wilson finishing in ninth at Glendale. Putting it in the top ten had been a goal of his this season and it was nice to see him make it happen. Well, in Atlanta he was even better, placing eighth! Everybody loves Wilson and seeing him do well is always a feel-good kind of thing, especially when we aren’t sure how much longer he’ll be racing. Can he keep getting better in East Rutherford? –Hansel

Roczen’s been great this season but hasn’t always been able to hang onto spots deep into the races. Well, that didn’t seem to be a big issue for him in Atlanta, where he got back on the box with a third place. It’s especially noteworthy considering the two riders in front of him were Sexton and Justin Barcia, not Tomac and Webb. If you’re counting, that’s three podiums for Roczen (including his win) so far this season. We’ll see if he can add to that tally in East Rutherford. –Hansel

Another race, another podium for Barcia. After running third for much of the race Barcia took second from Roczen to rack up another great finish. That’s three podiums in a row for the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas rider, who’s been on a serious hot streak lately. His pass on Roczen didn’t just move him up in the race either, it put him into fourth in points by a single point over Roczen. Who will own fourth place when the checkers fly this weekend? –Hansel