In the waning rounds of the 1983 Supercross season, Mark Barnett stood atop the points standings, a commanding 27-point lead over David Bailey as the series rolled into Foxborough’s Schaefer Stadium for its inaugural event on April 16. The penultimate clash promised drama, and Barnett delivered early, seizing Heat 1 with the precision of a veteran title contender. But in the unforgiving crucible of 1980s Supercross—where qualification demanded survival through Heat Races, Semi-Qualifiers, and the Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQs)—fate intervened. A catastrophic transmission failure on his Suzuki during the Semi-Qualifier relegated Barnett to a Did Not Qualify (DNQ), a ruling that echoed the merciless standards of the era: fail to finish, and your night is over. David Bailey capitalized, claiming victory in Foxborough and, a round later at the Rose Bowl, the championship itself. Barnett’s collapse remains a defining moment, prompting a question four decades on as Gillette Stadium prepares for its latest Supercross chapter: was this the most calamitous DNQ in the sport’s 50-year history? To answer, we revisit 10 of the most infamous qualification failures in Supercross lore.
10. Jeff Willoh – 1996 250SX Class, Houston
Jeff Willoh’s 1996 season was a study in extremes. The second-year rider stunned the 250SX (then 125cc) field with a San Diego triumph, only to etch an ignominious footnote in Houston. Starting every qualifier but faltering in each, Willoh became the first—and to date, only—athlete to DNQ the round following a victory. Eleven other 250SX winners have missed subsequent Main Events, but nine were sidelined by injury—Nate Thrasher in 2021 wrecked in his heat race post-win, while David Pingree’s 2002 Phoenix bid ended with a mangled bike in the LCQ. Willoh’s failure stands alone: a collapse of execution, not circumstance.
9. Tony DiStefano – 1977 450SX Class, Houston
The 1977 Houston double-header tantalized Tony DiStefano with promise. Reeling from a pointless Daytona, “Tony D” roared back with a Heat Race clinic in Houston that outpaced the field. Bob Hannah loomed as an untested threat, but veterans like DiStefano seemed poised to dominate. Night one delivered—a commanding win in the Astrodome for Tony D. Night two unraveled. A track-cutting infraction in his Semi-Qualifier triggered a disqualification, costing him a shot at the LCQ. Four zero-point rounds plagued his ten-race campaign, yet he finished a mere 20 points shy of third—an agonizing testament to lost potential.
8. Chad Pederson – 1993 250SX Class, Daytona
Chad Pederson’s 1993 campaign peaked early with a Tampa Bay victory, but Daytona exposed his fragility. One of only ten 250SX Championship runners-up to miss a Main Event, Pederson limped to 20th in his Heat Race and 17th in the LCQ, watching helplessly as Doug Henry ignited a seven-race win streak to claim the title. Pederson’s DNQ was less calamity than capitulation—a runner-up undone by his own inconsistency.
7. Kent Howerton – 1977 450SX Class, Atlanta
Kent Howerton, the “Rhinestone Cowboy,” was an ironman of early Supercross, missing just three Main Events from 1974 to 1981 amid brutal tracks and stricter rules. The 1977 Atlanta opener tested that resilience. A shattered gas tank in Heat 3 sidelined him, enforcing the era’s unforgiving DNQ mandate. Meanwhile, a little-known Mark Barnett, yet to debut in AMA competition, finished fourth in the consolation race—a quiet prelude to his later dominance.
6. Marty Tripes – 1978 450SX Class, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Marty Tripes, a Supercross titan, met misfortune in the 1978 penultimate round at the Coliseum. A bike locked in fourth gear forced him off track, rendering him the only 450SX championship runner-up to DNQ. One of nine such runners-up to miss a race, Tripes’ exit underscored the mechanical roulette of the era—a single failure could erase a season’s work.
5. Ryan Dungey – 2007 250SX Class, Daytona
Few questioned Ryan Dungey’s speed in the 2007 Eastern Divisional 250SX Class. An opening-round win marked him as a contender, but a three-race spiral—18th in St. Louis, a Daytona DNQ after crashes in his Heat and LCQ, and 21st in Orlando—torpedoed his title hopes. Ben Townley, despite a 21st in the opener, seized the crown, edging the steady Ryan Morais. Dungey’s late surge—two wins in the final three rounds—left him 35 points adrift, a victim of his own midseason chaos.
4. Johnny O’Mara – 1983 450SX Class, Seattle
The 1983 Seattle LCQ ranks among the fiercest ever assembled: Johnny O’Mara, Kent Howerton, Scott Burnworth, Danny Chandler, and Goat Breker—all titans battling for the final transfer spot. Broc Glover, a sixth luminary, had already DNF’d his Semi-Qualifier. O’Mara’s broken shifter ended his night early, while Breker and Chandler’s collision opened the door for Burnworth’s improbable victory. Ninth in the Main Event from the last gate pick, Burnworth turned chaos into triumph; O’Mara simply watched.
3. Ryan Villopoto – 2011 450SX Class, Jacksonville
Ryan Villopoto’s 26-point lead entering the 2011 Jacksonville round seemed secure—until it wasn’t. A rare right-hand first turn flummoxed him, leading to crashes in both his Heat and LCQ. Trey Canard won, while Chad Reed (second) and Ryan Dungey (third) carved into Villopoto’s advantage, shrinking it to seven and 18 points, respectively. James Stewart’s 18th offered little relief. Reed closed to within four points by season’s end, nearly transforming Villopoto’s DNQ into a title-deciding disaster.
2. Jeff Ward – 1986 450SX Class, Anaheim
Jeff Ward’s pursuit of a third 450SX title in 1986 crumbled at the opener. A snapped throttle cable in Anaheim sidelined him, and his bid to re-enter for a top-14 in the semi for an LCQ berth failed. Ward rallied with two wins over the next five rounds, but late stumbles in Phoenix and Pontiac buried his season—a championship dream derailed by a single, stubborn wire.
1. Mark Barnett – 1983 450SX Class, Foxborough
No DNQ reverberates like Mark Barnett’s 1983 Foxborough collapse. A 27-point cushion evaporated when his Suzuki’s transmission betrayed him in the Semi-Qualifier, handing David Bailey the night, the points lead, and ultimately the title. The stakes—championship implications at a venue’s debut—elevate this above all others. It’s the gold standard of Supercross calamity.
Today’s riders enjoy reprieves unavailable to their predecessors—DNFs no longer end nights, and top factory stars like Justin Barcia and Ken Roczen have turned LCQs into showcases of dominance. Yet, as Gillette Stadium gears up for its fifth Foxborough Supercross on April 5, 2025—40 years after Schaefer Stadium’s demolition—the ghosts of 1983 linger. Barnett’s DNQ isn’t just a memory; it’s a monument to an era when the rulebook was as ruthless as the racetrack.