Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Dean Wilson (Photo: Hoppenworld.com)

It's strange to say, but with Eli Tomac’s clinching of the Supercross Lites West title last weekend, there will be no championships on the line in Las Vegas on Saturday. I would have never thought when these riders returned to action that there was any chance that things wouldn’t come down to Vegas, but with big get offs by both Dean Wilson and Cole Seely, Tomac was able to wrap up his fourth win this year and take home his first career championship.

It’s kind of a bummer to see things end the way they have. Wilson was definitely feeling the effects of his shoulder dislocation in Seattle and actually went down hard on two separate occasions last Saturday. He’s one of the toughest riders in the sport and I’m sure that even when he’s not 100% healthy Dean is still a hard man to beat, but he just didn’t look like the rider we’re accustomed to seeing. You do anything when it comes to winning a championship, but for Wilson it just didn’t play out as he’d hoped.

As for Seely, he wasn’t even able to make it past practice and it looks like he’s pretty banged up. I’m sure this wasn’t the way Tomac envisioned winning the title, but he has been the rider to beat in the class pretty much the entire season. He’s won four of the last six races and save for his nightmare of an evening in San Diego, has been at the front every weekend.

Eli fell short of the title last season after putting forth a similar campaign. He had things locked up in the final main event at Vegas, but faltered in the closing laps to allow Broc Tickle to capture the crown. I’d be willing to bet that Tomac let that simmer for an entire offseason and came out with something to prove this season. He’s been considerably more aggressive than I can ever remember and I think he’s maturing into a hard-nosed racer, only adding to the exceptional depth of the 250 class.

The rivalry between GEICO Honda and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki is a major storyline every season, and 2012 was no different. Pro Circuit is the most successful team in the history of the sport -- viewed more or less is seen as a juggernaut in the Lites division. However, in recent years the competition between these two teams has gotten much closer. With Tomac’s triumph out West, combined with Justin Barcia’s successful title defense back East, the Honda squad made its own bit of history by sweeping the Lites Regional titles for the first time ever.

Mitch Payton’s Kawasaki team doesn’t like to lose and they haven’t come up empty in Supercross since 2008. This is sure to ignite an what will likely be an exceptional outdoor battle between the two teams this summer.

The final weekend of the Supercross season is typically its wildest ones as everyone pulls out all the stops in Las Vegas. Sure, there’s no championship drama to hype up, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t in for a great night of racing on what is typically one of the most entertaining track layouts of the year.

Tune in live on SPEED Saturday night.