One of our most popular features each year on TheMonsterBlog.com is back for 2013, as we once again rank drivers competing in Monster Jam in our “Road to the World Finals” Power Rankings/Unofficial Point Standings. Fans always wonder exactly how USHRA selects its 28 competitors for the annual Monster Jam World Finals, and so do we. We also often wonder just how all the drivers stack up against each other throughout, and at the end of the Monster Jam season. Without some sort of points system for the Monster Jam series, it is awfully hard to do so as they often run events in up to 10-15 different venues in a single weekend. So for the 7th year in a row, TMB will be operating our “Road to the World Finals” power rankings/unofficial point standings for the Monster Jam series based directly on the results available at MonsterJam.com. This is our way of ranking the drivers based on their performance throughout the season and gives us a good idea of which drivers have most earned a spot in the World Finals, whether they ultimately end up being selected or not.
If you didn’t follow along last year, we’re sure that you have many questions about how we put this together: How does it work? Which events are we including? How are the points awarded? etc. At the bottom of each week’s update, you’ll see the detailed rationale and explanation that should answer most of these questions. Last year Ryan Anderson became the first driver other than father Dennis or Tom Meents to prevail on our “Road to the World Finals”! Who will be tops in 2013? Follow along and let’s find out together!
After one month, “the new guy” to Team Grave Digger, Jon Zimmer, is leading the Road to the World Finals!
Our first rankings for the 2013 season include the early December Minneapolis Monster Jam event and the entire slate of events from the month of January. With all those events in the books, the big surprise is that new Team Grave Digger driver Jon Zimmer is the #1 ranked driver in all of Monster Jam! Zimmer has had a strong start to the season, with a big arena performance to start off the year, two runner-ups in Detroit and freestyle wins in Toronto and Vancouver.
Another driver laying the foundation for one of his best seasons in recent memory is Jimmy Creten in the Bounty Hunter. Creten has put up some big numbers, dominating arena events in Columbus and Uniondale and sweeping two nights of stadium racing in Toronto. The highest Creten has ever finished in our rankings is 3rd back in 2009 – could this be the year that an independent finally manages to finish on top?
Don’t look now however, as the young guns are climbing the rankings. Last year’s Road to the World Finals champ Ryan Anderson has just nailed down two straight double down weekends in Tampa and Orlando, putting Son Uva Digger up to 3rd overall. Former freestyle champs Damon Bradshaw and Adam Anderson have both racked up several stadium wins and they currently round out the top 5.
For the first 5 years we did Road to the World Finals, Dennis Anderson and Tom Meents took the top spot every time. To do it again in 2013, they have some work ahead of them as inconsistency has plagued both drivers to start off the year. Anderson is currently ranked 9th, with Meents in 15th.
With the field expanding to 28 trucks for this year’s World Finals, that opens up a couple more spots for drivers to try and show they merit consideration for an official invite from Feld. Lupe Soza, Chad Fortune and Chuck Werner are currently hanging just inside the top 28, while Steve Sims, Mike Vaters and Norm Miller are just outside. We expect to see some wild competition for those final spots once again this year.
Check out the Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings after January below:
Here is how points were scored in the only Elite Level event held to date:
Week One
12/1 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 20
2nd – Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 15
Semi-Finals – Bari Musawwir – Batman – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 20
2nd – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 15
3rd – Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 10
4th – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Stadium – 5
Week Two
1/4 – Tacoma, Washington
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 10
2nd – Scott Buetow – Hot Wheels Firestorm – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 3.75
Semi-Finals – Chad Fortune – Captain America – 3.75
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 10
Tie 2nd – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 6.25
Tie 2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6.25
4th – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 2.5
1/5 AM – Tacoma, Washington
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 10
2nd – Chad Fortune – Captain America – 7.5
Semi-Finals – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 3.75
Semi-Finals – Scott Buetow – Hot Wheels Firestorm – 3.75
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 10
2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 7.5
3rd – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 5
4th – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 2.5
1/5 PM – Tacoma, Washington
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Chad Fortune – Captain America – 10
2nd – Taryn Laskey – Monster Mutt Dalmation – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Travis Groth – Captain USA – 3.75
Semi-Finals – Scott Buetow – Hot Wheels Firestorm – 3.75
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 10
Tie 2nd – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 6.25
Tie 2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6.25
Tie 4th – Travis Groth – Captain USA – 1.25
Tie 4th – Darren Migues – Iron Outlaw – 1.25
1/6 – Tacoma, Washington
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 10
2nd – Jim Lenhertz – Obsession – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Travis Groth – Captain USA – 3.75
Semi-Finals – Chad Fortune – Captain America – 3.75
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 10
Tie 2nd – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 6.25
Tie 2nd – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 6.25
Tie 4th – Donald Epidendio – Titan – 1.25
Tie 4th – Darren Migues – Iron Outlaw – 1.25
Week Three
1/12 – Detroit, Michigan
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Jon Zimmer – Grave Digger – 15
Semi-Finals – Chris Bergeron – Brutus – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Frank Krmel – Grinder – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Jon Zimmer – Grave Digger – 15
3rd – Jim Koehler – Avenger – 10
4th – Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 5
1/12 – Houston, Texas
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 20
2nd – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 15
Semi-Finals – Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 15
3rd – Lupe Soza – Grinder – 10
Tie 4th – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 2.5
Tie 4th – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 2.5
1/12 – Anaheim, California
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Donald Epidendio – Titan – 20
2nd – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 15
Semi-Finals – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Andrew Peckhum – Tropical Thunder – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
Tie 2nd – Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 12.5
Tie 2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 12.5
Tie 4th – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 2.5
Tie 4th – Scott Buetow – Hot Wheels Firestorm – 2.5
1/12 – San Antonio, Texas
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – John Seasock – Grinder – 20
2nd – Michael Harper – Outlaw – 15
Semi-Finals – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Bari Musawwir – Spiderman – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 20
2nd – John Seasock – Grinder – 15
3rd – Bari Musawwir – Spiderman – 10
4th – Devin Jones – Barbarian – 5
1/13 – San Antonio, Texas
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 20
2nd – John Seasock – Grinder – 15
Semi-Finals – Allen Pezo – Predator – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Darren Migues – Iron Outlaw – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 20
Tie 2nd – David Smith – Nitro Hornet – 12.5
Tie 2nd – Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 12.5
Tie 4th – Darren Migues – Iron Outlaw – 2.5
Tie 4th – Jeremy Slifko – Backdraft – 2.5
Week Four
1/19 – Tampa, Florida
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 20
2nd – Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 15
Semi-Finals – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Morgan Kane – Iron Man – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 20
2nd – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 15
Tie 3rd – Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 7.5
Tie 3rd – Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 7.5
1/19 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Bari Musawwir – Spiderman – 20
2nd – John Seasock – Grinder – 15
Semi-Finals – Mat Dishman – Rammunition – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Chris Bergeron – Brutus – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Bari Musawwir – Spiderman – 15
3rd – Becky McDonough – El Toro Loco – 10
Tie 4th – Chris Bergeron – Brutus – 2.5
Tie 4th – Taryn Laskey – Monster Mutt Dalmation – 2.5
1/19 – Houston, Texas
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
2nd – Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 15
Semi-Finals – Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Lupe Soza – Grinder – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Lupe Soza – Grinder – 20
2nd – Dan Evans – Rod Ryan Show – 15
Tie 3rd – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 7.5
Tie 3rd – Chad Fortune – Captain America – 7.5
1/19 – San Diego, California
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 20
2nd – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 15
Semi-Finals – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Scott Buetow – Hot Wheels Firestorm – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 20
2nd – Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 15
3rd – Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 10
Tie 4th – Scott Buetow – Hot Wheels Firestorm – 2.5
Tie 4th – Candace Jolly – Monster Mutt Dalmation – 2.5
1/19 – Toronto, Ontario
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 20
2nd – Norm Miller – Batman – 15
Semi-Finals – Jon Zimmer – Grave Digger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Todd Leduc – Metal Mulisha – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 20
2nd – Jon Zimmer – Grave Digger – 15
3rd – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 10
4th – Todd Leduc – Metal Mulisha – 5
1/20 – Toronto, Ontario
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 20
2nd – Jon Zimmer – Grave Digger – 15
Semi-Finals – Norm Miller – Batman – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Todd Leduc – Metal Mulisha – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Jon Zimmer – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 15
3rd – Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 10
Tie 4th – Dawn Creten – Scarlet Bandit – 2.5
Tie 4th – Chuck Werner – El Toro Loco – 2.5
Week Five
1/26 – Indianapolis, Indiana
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 20
2nd – Chuck Werner – El Toro Loco – 15
Semi-Finals – Chris Bergeron – Brutus – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Jimmy Tracey – Higher Education – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 15
3rd – Chuck Werner – El Toro Loco – 10
4th – Frank Krmel – Grinder – 5
1/26 – Orlando, Florida
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 20
2nd – Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 15
Semi-Finals – Scott Hartsock – Gun Slinger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 20
2nd – Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 15
3rd – Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 10
4th – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 5
1/26 – Phoenix, Arizona
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 20
2nd – Todd Leduc – Metal Mulisha – 15
Semi-Finals – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Scott Buetow – Hot Wheels Firestorm – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 20
Tie 2nd – Todd Leduc – Metal Mulisha – 10
Tie 2nd – Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 10
Tie 2nd – Scott Buetow – Hot Wheels Firestorm – 10
1/26 – Anaheim, California
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Donald Epidendio – Titan – 20
2nd – Dan Evans – Blue Thunder – 15
Semi-Finals – Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Andrew Peckhum – Tropical Thunder – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
2nd – Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 15
3rd – Dan Evans – Blue Thunder – 10
4th – Dan Rodoni – The Patriot – 5
1/26 – Vancouver, British Columbia
Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 15
Semi-Finals – Jon Zimmer – Grave Digger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned
1st – Jon Zimmer – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 15
3rd – Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 10
4th – Kelvin Ramer – Time Flys – 5
For results from Normal Level events, check out the 2013 Results Tracker page (drivers earn 5 points for a racing or freestyle win, 2 points for a wheelie or donut win).
Keep following TMB’s “Road to the World Finals” for all the results and current standings each week. Keep in mind this is all unofficial and is just for fun, and enjoy as we track the Monster Jam series all the way to the World Finals in March!
About TMB’s Road to the World Finals:
For some time, fans across the country have wondered why the USHRA does not run a public points system of some kind for their Monster Jam series. We are included in the group that would love to be able to follow the standings of such a series each week. We are of the belief that a berth in the Monster Jam World Finals should be earned based on performance throughout the year in both racing and freestyle. Regardless of what portion of the monster truck industry you favor, there is no denying that the Monster Jam World Finals is the biggest and highest profile event our sport has to offer. A chance to compete at this event is a big deal for many drivers out there, and it is our opinion that they should be able to earn their way in. We’re not saying that Feld Motorsports doesn’t pick the World Finalists based on performance currently–we’re simply saying that we don’t know how they make up the field because the process isn’t made public.
So with that in mind, we have created an UNOFFICIAL points system that is simple (although it may seem complicated) and that rewards performance in all Monster Jam events across the country leading up to the World Finals. In our Standings, we will show the cut-off after the 24th truck, indicating that IF entry to the World Finals was based SOLELY on performance, these are the drivers that would be headed to Las Vegas. Keep in mind that this is just for fun and has no actual bearing on the selection of World Finals participants. See below for a breakdown of our points system and our rationale for the decisions we made in creating it.
Elite Level Events
What is an Elite Level event? We define an Elite Monster Jam event as any with a field of 12 of more trucks. We have chosen to award these events the highest amount of points, because these are the highest profile Monster Jam events. These events are the ones held in the major stadiums in front of the biggest crowds, some of which are even televised on SPEED. It is our belief that performance in the highest profile shows should be weighted most heavily toward a World Finals berth because these events are most similar to the World Finals itself. The most points any one driver can score in an Elite Level event (and thus in any event) is 40. If an event meeting all of this criteria holds 3 or more shows over the course of a single weekend, the points for each show are worth half of what is listed below.
Racing Finish – Points Awarded
1st – 20
2nd – 15
Semi-Finals – 7.5
Freestyle Finish – Points Awarded
1st – 20
2nd – 15
3rd – 10
4th – 5
Normal Level Events
What is a Normal Level show? The majority of Monster Jam events held around the country are Normal Level shows. These events are typically held in smaller arenas around the country, consisting of multiple shows held over the course of the weekend (anywhere from 2-5), with fields of anywhere from 5-10 trucks. Looking at the points awarded for these shows, you will notice they are much less than the upper levels. We equate the significance level of an entire 4 show weekend of Normal Level events with the significance of one Elite Level show–thus, the maximum points a driver can earn in racing/freestyle each weekend at a Normal Level event is 40 (this based on the usual maximum # of shows being 4–a couple events being the exception with 5–and an available 10 points per show (10×4=40)). Beginning in 2012, we are also awarding 2 points for wheelie/donut contest wins as that information has become more readily available than when the Road to the World Finals was first started.
Wheelie/Donut Finish – Points Awarded
1st – 2
Racing Finish – Points Awarded
1st – 5
Freestyle Finish – Points Awarded
1st – 5
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