McElrath got the night off to a decent start with a second-place finish in his Heat but the Main Event, didn’t go as smoothly. The North Carolinian locked bars with the competition going into the first turn creating a small technical issue that made for a challenging race. He was still in the fight, though in third place. A few laps later he was able to pass his championship rival right before the tabletop, but lost the position in the sand shortly after. He kept fighting but ultimately third was the best result on the day in the challenging conditions and a good result for the title fight.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing rider leaves Atlanta second in the standings, trailing by five points. Next up is Round 10 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday, March 7.