Image: Octopi Media.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo scored a top-10 result with P8 in his 450SX return at Nashville and is looking to regroup and finish the 2023 Supercross season on a high.

After a Q2 mishap ended Cianciarulo’s night in New Jersey, the KX450 rider returned at Nissan Stadium and qualified second fastest behind Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton.

The number nine later finished second in his heat to Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), but a tip over in the first turn of the main event left him to recover from P22. He ultimately took the checkered flag in eighth despite some mistakes throughout the race, showing potential and solid pace in the round.

“I was feeling great in qualifying and happy with how I was riding, but unfortunately I made a small mistake entering the first turn during the main event and had to battle my way through the pack,” recalled Cianciarulo. “I found a good flow early in the race and managed to get into the top 10 and put on a good battle for the fans against my teammate.

“As the track continued to deteriorate, I made a couple of mistakes that cost me some time. Overall, I’m proud of how I was able to fight back and salvage some points with an eighth-place finish. We’ll regroup and come back stronger next race.”

Two races remain in the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, with round 16 to take place this Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.