Jalek Swoll believes he can still have his best Supercross season in 2022

Jalek Swoll entered the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross season with a ton of confidence that came as the result of a career-best effort a year before.

Two hard crashes later, nothing has changed.

Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California was alternatively savage and sublime for Swoll at the start of 2022. In his first attempt there, in the season opener, he crashed and sustained a concussion.

Swoll wanted to race the following week in Oakland, but his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team wanted him to heal for another week, knowing full well that it would take him out of championship contention. It was more important to take care of their rider. In Swoll’s words, they were protecting him from himself.

“We put in a lot of work,” Swoll told NBC Sports. “I sucks to not deliver the results I want, but the team still believes in me, so we are in a good place.

“It’s been a big learning curve this year. I never raced in the West and it didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I believe without that A1 setback I would be pretty good, and right up there with those guys. I’m not dwelling on it too much. I’m just ready to get into this break, put in some work, and rewrite the season for us all heading into outdoors.”

The concussion and two-week break at the start of the season was a setback, but not nearly as much as one might imagine. It should have stalled his momentum, and by the raw results, one might say that is true. Swoll returned to action at San Diego and finished seventh in both his heat and feature.

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“At his point in racing, any little break and you feel it – especially when guys can get those laps and get first race jitters out of the way,” Swoll said. “You can feel (the break) as a