Ryan Dungey has chance to expand Supercross lead

Rookie Ryan Dungey enters tonight’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series race at Angel Stadium as the surprise leader in the standings. With one of the top riders in the series out because of a broken hand and the reigning AMA Supercross champion nursing a collection of injuries, Dungey has a chance to take a commanding lead in the standings.

Chad Reed, a two-time AMA Supercross champion, is expected to miss the next six weeks after breaking his hand in a crash with reigning AMA Supercross champion James Stewart during a race at Chase Field in Phoenix last Saturday. Stewart suffered injuries to the right side of his body, his shoulder, wrist and ankle, and spent the week in Florida being examined and evaluated by doctors, but said he will race at Angel Stadium in Round 3 of the AMA Supercross Series.

Stewart is in seventh place in the Supercross standings, 16 points behind Dungey. Dungey won the race at Phoenix, finished second to Stewart in the season-opening race at Angel Stadium and has a nine-point lead over Ryan Villopoto in the Supercross standings.

With all the rain in recent days, the race at Angel Stadium will be much different from the first. The track has been covered with a tarp since Monday, but Dungey said he expects the recent deluge will lead to challenging conditions.

“Mud is weird,” Dungey said. “One second you feel like, ‘I’m winning and I’m doing good,’ and then the next second you’re face first in the mud. It’s tricky to ride in it.”

sports@latimes.com