The riders get two laps, one practice and one timed, the fastest 16 move into the head-to-head bracket racing.
Next comes moto one where all 20 riders race 8 laps for the final moto's gate picks.
After a FMX exhibition with Travis Pastrana, Mike Mason, Ronnie Faisst, Myles Richmond, Adam Jones and Nate Adams, the head-to-head racing gets underway with a single elimination format; one lap, and the winner moves to the next round. An overall winner is paid for each night in head-to-head racing.
The final event each night will be a 16 lap race between all 20 riders.
To determine the overall winner of the event, the 20-man finals of the two nights are combined like Motocross scores.
Yes, it's confusing when you read it, especially to us `heat, semi, LCQ, main'-minded SX fans. But, if you get to the Home Depot Center this weekend, we're sure it'll all make sense as the action unfolds. Did we mention there are Freestyle friggin' ramps on the friggin' track? Crazy!
In all, there will be 20 riders lined up for Friday and Saturday night's main events. Jeremy McGrath claims the JMI will probably be his "last Supercross, period." The 20 confirmed riders are:
Jeremy McGrath
Travis Pastrana
Kevin Windham
Jiri Dostal
Tyler Evans
Heath Voss
Ryan Clark
Kyle Lewis
Josh Grant
Josh Hansen
Ryan Mills
Nick Wey
Davis Vuillemin
Eric Sorby
Danny Smith
Jason Thomas
Michael Sleeter
Jeff Dement
Robbie Reynard
Chad Johnson
As a special guest announcer, our favorite friend and motocross fanatic Matt LeBlanc will be on hand (burly beard and all) pulling pit-reporting duties, taking rider interviews and making sure the T.V. audience at home is well entertained.
As of last night, tickets were still available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Home Depot Center or Staples Center Box office, so pick up a couple and check it out. We guarantee it won't disappoint. Can't make it? Shame on you. Well, it will air on NBC October 22nd after the NASCAR Nextel Cup Race.
Gates open at 3:00 on Friday, and noon on Saturday. Go to www.jeremymcgrathinvitational.com for more information.