Daredevils descend on Sam Boyd to decide Supercross championship

NASCAR drivers Trevor Bayne and Brian Keselowski have been hospitalized this year.

Kasey Kahne had surgery two weeks ago to repair an injured knee.

But don't be alarmed; big-time stock-car racing is not that dangerous.

Bayne was released from a hospital Thursday after a weeklong stay because of an undetermined illness that was not race-related, and Keselowski, younger brother of Brad, had gallbladder surgery. Kahne's latest hospital excursion resulted from a slip while working out at a gym.

Stock-car drivers no longer are risk-takers. Steel-reinforced cockpits surround them. Energy-absorbing buffers greatly lessen the impact of crashes into guard walls.

The most dangerous job in motor sports is being a Supercross motorcycle rider. Despite helmets and body armor, bikers are not coddled like car racers.

When the season finale for the AMA Supercross season takes place Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium before a sellout crowd of nearly 40,000, it will be one of the first times an injury hasn't affected a championship battle.

In Supercross, it isn't if a rider will crash and be hurt -- it's when.

Stock-car drivers can breathe easy during caution laps; Supercross riders can relax only a little when flying over big jumps and hovering about 70 feet above ground.

Stock-car races start two cars wide; riders start 20 wide in Supercross races.

"These guys are some of the last true daredevils in motor sports," veteran Speed TV race reporter Ralph Sheheen said. "In (Supercross), it's rider, bike and hard ground."

Sheheen covered his first Supercross race in 1989 and has worked the Supercross circuit full time since Speed picked up the series seven years ago. He has covered everything from NASCAR to swamp buggies and Monster Trucks and insists he has no favorite.

But when he talks about Supercross, he is so amped it's as if he's taking an IV feeding with a concoction of Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar energy drinks.

Sheheen seemed like the right dude to ask about the accuracy of the finale being touted as the end to "The Greatest Season in History of Supercross."

Sheheen is convinced it's not hyperbole.

And I concur.

Five riders have won this year. Heading into the finale, four have a chance to win the championship that could be worth up to a couple of million dollars in prize money and sponsor bonuses, according to industry sources.

Ryan Villopoto has a nine-point lead over Chad Reed and needs to finish fifth to lock up his first championship. Reigning champion Ryan Dungey is third, 12 points back, and James Stewart trails the leader by 23 points.

Stewart and Reed, both two-time champions, missed most of last season because of broken bones.

Villopoto and Dungey were battling for the points lead midway through the 2010 season when Villopoto crashed and suffered four breaks to his left leg.

"Right then, I knew it was just my leg, so that was fine," Villopoto said, downplaying the injury that kept him off a bike for five months.

At least he wasn't killed or paralyzed.

"Just" and "fine" are common adjectives riders use to describe injuries that mere mortals would get lightheaded when recalling.

"Racers are all the same," Sheheen said. "They are driven to push themselves beyond what the average person would do to achieve victory."

And no racers have more derring-do -- and healed bones -- than Supercross riders.

Jeff Wolf's motor sports column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247. Visit lvrj.com/motorsports for more news and commentary. Follow Wolf on Twitter: @lvrjwolf.