The Insider Blog

TMB's Ross Z. Bonar brings you the inside scoop featuring thoughts and analysis on all the latest happenings in the world of monster trucks.

TMB Status Update

Quick update for all you fans of TheMonsterBlog.com as we get ready to start our 10th year in 2014. As you’ve all probably noticed, not a lot of updates here on the site at the end of 2013. We have experienced a lot of technical difficulty with the website and the culprit has been identified as the software that runs our Photo Galleries.

This has been corrected, but has unfortunately broken all the photo galleries on the site. The problem has been fixed going forward and we will be restoring old photo galleries as time allows. With things now working properly and all the technical issues (hopefully) behind us, updates will return to normal.

Remember, even when there are issues with the site itself, you can always keep up with everything we’re doing by following us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheMonsterBlog and there are always new episodes of TMB TV and other videos popping up on our YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/TheMonsterBlog.

Thanks for your continued support and we’re looking forward to another fun year of monster truckin’ in 2014!

Ross Z. Bonar
TheMonsterBlog.com
ross@themonsterblog.com

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard 2012 Final Standings

(Article By Ross Z. Bonar) – The final edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2012 is out following the last weekend of competition this year! Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who the top performing drivers have been in 2012. A total of 256 drivers have competed in monster truck events this year with an incredible 173 different drivers scoring a competition win. See below for the top 25 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

Total Racing Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 24
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 23
3) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 22
4) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 21
5) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 20
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 20
7) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 17
8) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 16
— Ronnie Sturges – Nasty Boy – 16
10) Mark Hall – Raminator – 15
— Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 15
— Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 15
13) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 14
14) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 13
— Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 13
— Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 13
17) Darron Schnell – Vi-Cor Bigfoot #11 – 12
— Mat Dishman – Rammunition – 12
19) BJ Johnson – California Kid – 11
20) Allen Pezo – Predator – 10
— Kyle Doyle – Firestone Bigfoot #14 – 10
— Morgan Kane – Stone Crusher – 10
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 10
— Norm Miller – Batman – 10
25) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 9
— Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 9
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 9
— Mike Vaters – Black Stallion – 9
— Derick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 9
— Bari Musawwir – Spiderman – 9

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 48%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 47%
— Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 47%
4) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 46%
— Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 46%
6) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 45%
— Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 45%
8) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 38%
— Ronnie Sturges – Nasty Boy – 38%
10) Mark Hall – Raminator – 36%
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 36%
— Norm Miller – Batman – 36%
13) Derick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 35%
14) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 35%
15) Allen Pezo – Predator – 30%
16) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 29%
17) Darron Schnell – Vi-Cor Bigfoot #11 – 27%
— Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 27%
— Mat Dishman – Rammunition – 27%
— Mitch Tulachka – Geter Done – 27%
— Bennett Clark – Clydesdale – 27%
22) Morgan Kane – Stone Crusher – 26%
— Bari Musawwir – Spiderman – 26%
— Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 26%
25) BJ Johnson – California Kid – 25%
— Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 25%

(A driver must have competed in 25 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 41
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 36
3) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 32
4) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 30
5) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 24.5
6) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 23
7) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 22.5
— Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 22.5
9) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 22
10) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 19.5
11) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 17
— Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 17
13) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 15
— Allen Pezo – Predator – 15
15) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 14.5
16) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 14
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 14
18) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 13
19) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 12
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 12
21) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 11.5
— JR McNeal – Razin Kane – 11.5
23) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 11
— Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 11
— Steve Hill – Monkey’N Around – 11

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 78%
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 72%
— Bill Payne – Rock Star – 72%
4) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 67%
5) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 65%
6) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 63%
7) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 60%
8) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 48%
9) Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 45%
10) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 44%
11) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 40%
12) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 39%
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 39%
14) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 38%
— Allen Pezo – Predator – 38%
16) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 33%
17) Mitch Tulachka – Geter Done – 31%
18) Derick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 30%
19) Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 29%
— Steven Hill – Monkey’N Around – 29%
21) Rosalee Ramer – Detour – 28%
— Kevin King – Strait Jacket – 28%
23) Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 27%
24) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 26%
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 26%
— Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 26%

(A driver must have competed in 25 freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 59
2) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 55
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 54
4) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 46.5
5) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 45
6) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 40.5
7) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 40
8) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 34.5
9) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 31.5
10) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 30.5
11) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 30
12) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 29
13) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 26.5
14) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 26
— Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 26
16) Allen Pezo – Predator – 25
17) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 24
— Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 24
— Ronnie Sturges – Nasty Boy – 24
20) Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 23
21) Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 22
— Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 22
— Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 22
24) Darron Schnell – Vi-Cor Bigfoot #11 – 20
25) Mark Hall – Raminator – 19
— Morgan Kane – Stone Crusher – 19

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 59%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 53%
3) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 49%
4) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 47%
— Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 47%
6) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 45%
7) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 44%
8) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 39%
9) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 38%
10) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 37%
11) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 35%
12) Allen Pezo – Predator – 34%
— Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 34%
14) Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 33%
15) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 32%
— Derick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 32%
17) Ronnie Sturges – Nasty Boy – 31%
18) Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 29%
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 29%
— Mitch Tulachka – Geter Done – 29%
21) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 28%
22) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 26%
— Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 26%
24) Morgan Kane – Stone Crusher – 25%
25) Steven Hill – Monkey’N Around – 24%

(A driver must have competed in a combination of 50 racing and/or freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Wheelie Wins

1) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 41
2) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 32
3) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 25
4) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 24
5) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 23
6) Greg Winchenbach – Crushstation – 18
— Jim Koehler – Avenger – 18
8) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 16.5
9) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 16
— Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 16
— Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 16
12) BJ Johnson – California Kid – 15
13) Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 14
14) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 13.5
15) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 13
— Mike Vaters – Black Stallion – 13
— Drew Haygood – Desperado – 13
18) Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 12
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 12
20) Jocelyn Perrin – High Maintenance – 11
— Zane Rettew – Stinger – 11
22) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 10
— Derick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 10
24) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 9
— Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 9

Total Donut Wins

1) Jocelyn Perrin – High Maintenance – 15
— Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 15
3) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 10
4) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 8
5) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 6
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 6
7) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 5
— Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 5
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 5
— Chris Ryan – Ground Pounder – 5
— Dave Radzierez – Star Marshal – 5
12) Greg Winchenbach – Crushstation – 4
13) Alex Blackwell – Wolverine – 3
— Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 3
— Lupe Soza – Grinder – 3
16) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 2
— Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 2
— Allen Pezo – Predator – 2
— Charles Benns – Monster Mutt Rottweiler – 2
— Mark Hall – Raminator – 2
— Paul Cohen – Grave Digger – 2
— Candace Jolly – Monster Mutt Dalmation – 2
— Aaron Basl – El Toro Loco – 2

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 15
2) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 12
3) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 10
— Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 10
5) Mark Hall – Raminator – 9.5
6) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 8
7) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 7
— Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 7
9) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6
— Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 6
11) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 5.5
12) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 5
— Darron Schnell – Vi-Cor Bigfoot #11 – 5
13) Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 4
— Mat Dishman – Rammunition – 4
— Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 4
— Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 4
17) Alex Blackwell – Wolverine – 3
— Lupe Soza – Grinder – 3
— Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 3
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 3
— Jim Koehler – Avenger – 3
22) Clive Featherby – Outback Thunda – 2.5
23) Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 2
— John Seasock – Grinder – 2
— George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 2
— Bill Payne – Rock Star – 2
— Kaila Savage – Heart Breaker – 2
— Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 2
— Frank Krmel – Grinder – 2

2012 Series Champions

Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion: Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction
Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion: Cam McQueen, Northern Nightmare
Monster Nationals Racing Champion: Rick Long, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15
Monster Nationals Freestyle Champion: Bobby Holman, Lucas Oil Stabilizer
Monster Truck Thunder Drags Champion: Mark Hall, Raminator
Monster Truck Winter Nationals Champion: Larry Swim, Bigfoot Bad Boy #16
Toughest Monster Truck Tour / Monster Nation Champion: Dan Runte, Summit Bigfoot #18

Great job to all of the drivers on their outstanding performances in 2012. A special thanks to everyone who helps report in the results each week so these stats can be possible!

(Photos By Ross Z. Bonar, Chris Parrish, Lauren Z. Bonar and Stephanie Cotnoir)

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard Update – September 2012

(Article By Ross Z. Bonar) – The fourth edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2012 is out following the last weekend of competition in third quarter! Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who the top performing drivers have been so far in 2012. A total of 250 drivers have competed in monster truck events this year with an incredible 168 different drivers scoring a competition win.

See below for the top 10 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

[column size=”1-3″]

Total Racing Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 24
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 23
3) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 18
— Devin Jones – Barbarian – 18
5) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 17
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 17
7) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 16
8) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 15
— Jon Zimmer – Excaliber – 15
— Doug Noelke – Tail Gator -15
— Mark Hall – Raminator – 15

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 36
2) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 33
3) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 30
4) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 29
5) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 22
6) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 21
7) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 18.5
8) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 18
9) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 17.5
— Jim Koehler – Avenger – 17.5

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 59
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 53
3) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 47
4) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 42
5) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 37
6) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 36.5
7) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 35
8) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 31.5
9) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 29.5
10) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 29

Total Wheelie Competition Wins

1) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 25
— Bill Payne – Rock Star – 25
3) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 24
4) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 22
5) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 20
6) Greg Winchenbach – Crushstation – 18
7) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 16
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 16
— Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 16
10) BJ Johnson – California Kid – 15

Total Donut Competition Wins

1) Jocelyn Perrin – High Maintenance – 15
— Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 15
3) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 10
4) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 6
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 6
6) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 5
— Chris Ryan – Ground Pounder – 5
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 5
— Dave Radzierez – Star Marshal – 5
10) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 4.5
[/column] [column size=”2-3″ last=”1″]

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 54%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 49%
3) Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 48%
4) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 47%
5) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 46%
6) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 45%
7) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 44%
8) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 40%
9) Norm Miller – Batman – 36%
— Mark Hall – Raminator – 36%
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 36%

(A driver must have competed in 25 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 73%
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 72%
3) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 70%
4) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 68%
5) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 67%
6) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 64%
7) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 60%
8) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 45%
— Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 45%
9) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 44%
10) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 42%

(A driver must have competed in 25 freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 59%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 55%
3) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 51%
4) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 49%
5) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 46%
6) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 44%
— Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 44%
8) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 42%
9) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 41%
10) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 40%

(A driver must have competed in a combination of 50 racing and/or freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 15
2) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 10
— Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 10
4) Mark Hall – Raminator – 9.5
5) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 7
6) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6
— Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 6
— Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 6
— Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 6
10) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 5.5
[/column]

Great job to all of the drivers on their outstanding performances thus far in 2012. Stay tuned to the TMB Results Tracker to find out what went down at events all around the country and watch for our final Leaderboard update later this season!

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard Update – June 2012

(Article By Ross Z. Bonar) – The third edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2012 is out following the last weekend of competition in second quarter! Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who the top performing drivers have been so far in 2012. A total of 226 drivers have competed in monster truck events this year with an incredible 155 different drivers scoring a competition win.

See below for the top 10 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

[column size=”1-3″]

Total Racing Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 22
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 21
3) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 16
4) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 14
— Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 14
— Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 14
7) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 12
8) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 11
9) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 10
— Morgan Kane – Stone Crusher – 10
— BJ Johnson – California Kid – 10
— Mat Dishman – Rammunition – 10
— Norm Miller – Batman – 10

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 33
2) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 29
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 26
4) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 22
5) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 18
— Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 18
7) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 15.5
8) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 15
9) Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 14
10) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 12
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 12
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 12

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 54
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 48
3) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 41
4) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 32
5) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 29
6) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 26
7) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 25.5
8) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 25
9) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 24
10) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 21

Total Wheelie Competition Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 21
2) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 20
3) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 18
4) Greg Winchenbach – Crushstation – 17
5) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 15
— Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 15
7) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 13
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 13
— BJ Johnson – California Kid – 13
10) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 12.5

Total Donut Competition Wins

1) Jocelyn Perrin – High Maintenance – 15
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 11
3) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 10
4) Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 6
5) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 5
— Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 5
— Chris Ryan – Ground Pounder – 5
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 5
— Dave Radzierez – Star Marshal – 5
10) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 4.5
[/column] [column size=”2-3″ last=”1″]

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 56%
2) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 53%
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 52%
4) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 47%
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 47%
6) Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 45%
7) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 43%
8) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 39%
8) Norm Miller – Batman – 36%
10) Ronnie Sturges – Nasyt Boy – 32%

(A driver must have competed in 20 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 78%
2) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 76%
3) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 76%
4) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 71%
5) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 67%
6) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 62%
7) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 56%
8) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 46%
9) Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 41%
— Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 41%

(A driver must have competed in 20 freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 60%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 57%
— Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 57%
4) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 53%
5) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 44%
6) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 43%
7) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 42%
8) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 41%
9) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 39%
10) Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 38%

(A driver must have competed in a combination of 40 racing and/or freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 15
2) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 10
3) Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 9
4) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 7
5) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6
6) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 5
— Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 5
8) Mark Hall – Raminator – 4
— Mat Dishman – Rammunition – 4
— Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 4
[/column]

Great job to all of the drivers on their outstanding performances thus far in 2012. Stay tuned to the TMB Results Tracker to find out what went down at events all around the country and watch for another Leaderboard update later this season!

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard Update – March 2012

(Article By Ross Z. Bonar) – The second edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2012 is out following the last weekend of competition in first quarter! Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who the top performing drivers have been so far in 2012. A total of 201 drivers have competed in monster truck events this year with an incredible 137 different drivers scoring a competition win.

The Grave Digger team celebrated their 30th Anniversary in style during 1st Quarter as Dennis Anderson, Pablo Huffaker and Gary Porter combined to lead 6 of our 9 statistical categories on the TMB Leaderboard.

See below for the top 10 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

[column size=”1-3″]

Total Racing Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 20
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 16
3) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 13
4) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 12
5) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 11
6) Norm Miller – Batman – 10
7) Bari Musawwir – Spiderman – 9
— Alex Blackwell – Wolverine – 9
— BJ Johnson – California Kid – 9
— Kyle Doyle – Firestone Bigfoot #14 – 9

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 25
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 24
3) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 22
4) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 16
5) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 13.5
6) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 12
— Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 12
— Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 12
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 12
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 12

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 44
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 41
3) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 29
4) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 23.5
5) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 23
6) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 20
7) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 19
— Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 19
— Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 19
10) Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 18

Total Wheelie Competition Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 16
2) Greg Winchenbach – Crushstation – 15
— Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 15
4) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 14
5) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 13
6) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 12.5
7) Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 12
— Cam McQueen – Northern Nightmare – 12
9) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 11
10) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 10

Total Donut Competition Wins

1) Jocelyn Perrin – High Maintenance – 15
2) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 10
— Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 10
4) Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 6
5) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 5
— Chris Ryan – Ground Pounder – 5
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 5
8) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 4
— Dave Radzierez – Star Marshal – 4
10) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 3
— Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 3
[/column] [column size=”2-3″ last=”1″]

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Kyle Doyle – Firestone Bigfoot #10 – 64%
2) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 63%
3) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 59%
4) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 58%
5) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 57%
6) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 50%
7) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 48%
8) Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 44%
9) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 39%
10) BJ Johnson – California Kid – 38%

(A driver must have competed in 15 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 90%
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 76%
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 69%
4) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 67%
— Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 67%
6) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 64%
7) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 63%
8) Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 60%
9) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 56%
10) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 52%
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 52%

(A driver must have competed in 15 freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 63%
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 62%
3) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 53%
— Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 53%
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 53%
6) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 50%
— Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 50%
8) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 44%
— Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 44%
10) Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 43%

(A driver must have competed in a combination of 30 racing and/or freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 12
2) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 8
— Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 8
4) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 7
5) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6
6) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 5
7) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 4
8) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 3
— Alex Blackwell – Wolverine – 3
— Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 3
— Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 3
— Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 3
[/column]

Great job to all of the drivers on their outstanding performances thus far in 2012. Stay tuned to the TMB Results Tracker to find out what went down at events all around the country and watch for another Leaderboard update later this season!

(Photo By Chris Parrish)

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard Update – January 2012

(Article By Ross Z. Bonar) – The first edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2012 is out following the last weekend of competition in the month of January! Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who the top performing drivers have been so far in 2012. A total of 178 drivers have competed in monster truck events this year with an incredible 98 different drivers scoring a competition win.

Gary Porter is dominating across nearly all statistical categories to kick off the 2012 season.

See below for the top 10 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

[column size=”1-3″]

Total Racing Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 9
2) Kyle Doyle – Firestone Bigfoot #10 – 6
3) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 5
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 5
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 5
— Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 5
— Michael Harper – Outlaw – 5
8) Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 4
— Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 4
— Morgan Kane – Stone Crusher – 4

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 11
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 9
3) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 8.5
4) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 8
5) Michael Harper – Outlaw – 6
6) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 5.5
7) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 5
— Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 5
— Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 5
— Kevin King – Strait Jacket – 5

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 20
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 14
3) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 11
— Michael Harper – Outlaw – 11
5) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 10.5
6) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 8.5
7) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 8
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 8
— Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 8

Total Wheelie Competition Wins

1) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 9
2) Greg Winchenbach – Crushstation – 7
— Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 7
— Bill Payne – Rock Star – 7
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 7
6) Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 6
— Michael Harper – Outlaw – 6
8) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 5.5
9) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 4
— Joe Miller – Monster Mutt – 4

Total Donut Competition Wins

1) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 3
— Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 3
— Chris Ryan – Ground Pounder – 3
4) Mark Hall – Raminator – 2
— Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 2
— Aaron Basl – El Toro Loco – 2
— Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 2
— Paul Cohen – Grave Digger – 2
[/column] [column size=”2-3″ last=”1″]

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 82%
2) Kyle Doyle – Firestone Bigfoot #10 – 75%
3) Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 57%
4) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #18 – 56%
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 56%
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 56%
— Michael Harper – Outlaw – 56%
8) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 50%
9) Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 44%
10) Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 43%

(A driver must have competed in 6 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 100%
2) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 94%
3) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 89%
4) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 83%
5) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 75%
6) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 71%
7) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 67%
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 67%
— Michael Harper – Outlaw – 67%
10) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 61%

(A driver must have competed in 6 freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 91%
2) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 61%
— Michael Harper – Outlaw – 61%
4) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 58%
— Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 58%
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #16 – 58%
7) Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 57%
8) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 50%
— Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 50%
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 50%

(A driver must have competed in a combination of 12 racing and/or freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 6
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6
3) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 5
4) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 4
— Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 4
6) Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 3
7) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 2
— Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 2
— Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 2
— Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 2
— Damon Bradshaw – Monster Energy – 2
— George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 2
[/column]

Great job to all of the drivers on their outstanding performances thus far in 2012. Stay tuned to the TMB Results Tracker to find out what went down at events all around the country and watch for another Leaderboard update after the month of February is in the books!

(Photo By Stephanie Cotnoir)

The Insider: Roger Stidell Acquires The Destroyer Monster Truck

(Article by Ross Z. Bonar) – The Destroyer monster truck has a new owner but he’s no stranger to driving monster trucks. Roger Stidell of Bellevue, Washington has driven part time for Jeff Bainter’s Captain USA team for over 6 years and now he’s got his own ride after purchasing Destroyer from Dan Evans last week.

“I’d say the first time I decided I wanted to have my own truck one day was probably back in 1978 when I first saw BIGFOOT,” said an excited Stidell. “It’s been a long road getting here and to pick up the truck the day after Christmas, that’s about the best Christmas present I could ever imagine getting!”

The 42-year-old Stidell first started talking to Evans about purchasing Destroyer nearly 6 months ago, but the deal wasn’t complete until early last week when Stidell flew to Michigan to pick up the truck. After a slow process working the deal to buy the truck, things are now moving very fast as Stidell and his new team are in full thrash mode getting the truck ready for their first event.

“I’m no savvy veteran behind the wheel by any means,” explained Stidell. “I’ve gotten some great experience over the years but I’ve only ever been a part time driver, so I’ve got a lot to learn. I’m probably about as nervous as I am excited about running my own truck, so I’m hoping things go well.”

Roger Stidell will debut his newly purchased Destroyer at the Tacoma Dome January 13th-15th.

With the Houston Monster Jam being pushed back a week and several trucks being pulled from the Tacoma, Washington lineup to fill Reliant Stadium’s new date, the door was open for Stidell. He got the call from Feld and Destroyer will be one of the replacement trucks for the January 13th-15th Tacoma Dome event.

Stidell and his friends have worked as crew help for the Tacoma Dome event for many years, so having the chance to debut his new ride at his hometown show, in front of all his friends and family, is an exciting, although nerve-wracking opportunity.

“I feel incredibly lucky to be able to run my first show in Tacoma,” said Stidell. “I’ve got a great family, amazing friends and I’m very excited about this opportunity. I just can’t express how lucky I really am and there are definitely some nerves about this being my debut with the truck.”

Along with the purchase of the truck, Stidell also acquired a second Patrick chassis, two Patrick axle housings and many other spare parts from Evans. This will eventually be a second team truck to Destroyer. For now though, Stidell’s main goal is to live up to the Destroyer standard Evans has set over the years.

“My biggest goal to start with is to try and keep the truck performing at the same high level Dan always did,” described Stidell. “He has built a great name for this truck and I just want to try to keep it going. He was from Michigan and didn’t get out this way too often, so I am excited about the chance to introduce some of the West Coast fans to the Destroyer.”

Don’t worry though all you Dan Evans fans, he’s not leaving the sport by any stretch of the imagination. Evans has been named as the driver of the new Hot Wheels ride for Feld Motor Sports after having driven for them on the European tours the last few years. This premiere seat should give Evans a great shot at returning to competition at the World Finals after several years not receiving the invite.

For more information on Roger Stidell and the Destroyer monster truck, be watching for their soon to be released new website at www.TheDestroyerMonsterTruck.com. You can also follow them on Facebook to stay up to date with all the latest team news.

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard 2011 Final Standings

(Article By Ross Z. Bonar) – The final edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2011 is out following the last weekend of competition this year! Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who the top performing drivers have been in 2011. A total of 242 drivers have competed in monster truck events this year with an incredible 185 different drivers scoring a competition win. See below for the top 25 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

Total Racing Wins

Jimmy Creten's 27 racing wins were the best in the entire industry in 2011.

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 27
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 24
3) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 23
4) Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 19
— Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 19
6) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 18
— Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 18
8) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 17
9) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 16
10) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 15
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 15
— Allen Pezo – Predator – 15
— Scott Hartsock – Gun Slinger – 15
— Donald Epidendio – Titan – 15
15) Mike Vaters – Black Stallion – 14
— Derick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 14
17) Frank Krmel – Advance Auto Parts Grinder – 13
18) John Seasock – Advance Auto Parts Grinder – 12
— Bill Payne – Rock Star – 12
— Daron Basl – El Matador – 12
21) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 11
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 11
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 11
— Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 11
— Drew Haygood – Desperado – 11
— Bennett Clark – Outlaw Clydesdale – 11

Best Racing Win Percentage

Rick Long's incredible 74% racing win percentage blew away the competition in 2011.

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 74%
2) Donald Epidendio – Titan – 58%
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 56%
4) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 50%
5) Jimmy Creten Bounty Hunter – 47%
6) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 45%
7) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 44%
— Derick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 44%
9) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 42%
10) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 38%
11) Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 37%
12) Nicole Johnson – Tasmanian Devil – 35%
13) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 33%
14) Scott Hartsock – Gun Slinger – 32%
— Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 32%
— Frank Krmel – Advance Auto Parts Grinder – 32%
17) Mike Vaters – Black Stallion – 31%
— Bennett Clark – Outlaw Clydesdale – 31%
— Allen Pezo – Predator – 31%
20) Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 30%
— Doug Noelke – Tail Gator – 30%
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 30%
23) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 29%
24) Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 28%
25) Dan Patrick – Samson – 26%

(A driver must have competed in 25 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Freestyle Wins

Jimmy Creten's astounding 42 freestyle wins was tops in the 2011 season.

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 42
2) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 38.5
3) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 35
4) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 27
5) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 26
6) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 25.5
7) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 24.5
8) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 24
9) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 23.5
10) Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 23
11) Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 22.5
12) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 22
13) Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 21
14) Allen Pezo – Predator – 20.5
15) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 19
16) Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 18
17) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 17.5
18) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 17
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 17
— Devin Jones – Barbarian – 17
21) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 14
22) Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 13
— Steven Hill – Monkey’N Around – 13
24) Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 12
— Travis Sturges – 1/2 Pint – 12

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

When he wasn't backflipping, Larry Quick was dominating freestyle, winning at an incredible 74% rate.

1) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 74%
2) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 69%
3) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 66%
4) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 62%
5) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 59%
— Bill Payne – Rock Star – 59%
7) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 58%
8) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 55%
9) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 52%
10) Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 51%
11) Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 50%
12) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 47%
13) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 46%
14) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 44%
15) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 42%
— Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 42%
17) Allen Pezo – Predator – 40%
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 40%
19) Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 39%
20) Donald Epidendio – Titan – 38%
21) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 36%
22) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 36%
23) Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 35%
24) Steven Hill – Monkey’N Around – 34%
25) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 32%
— Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 32%

(A driver must have competed in 25 freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

Jimmy Creten dominated the racing/freestyle combined wins category, winning 17 more events than the next competitor.

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 69
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 52
3) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 50.5
4) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 49.5
5) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 46
6) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 41
7) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 40
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 40
9) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 38.5
10) Allen Pezo – Predator – 35.5
11) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 35
12) Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 34
13) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 33
14) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 32
15) Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 31.5
16) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 30
17) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 29.5
18) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 28
19) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 27
20) Donald Epidendio – Titan – 26.5
21) Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 25
22) Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco -23
— John Seasock – Advance Auto Parts Grinder – 23
24) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 22
25) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 21

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

Gary Porter turned in another amazing year and his 57% combined racing/freestyle win percentage was tops in the entire industry.

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 57%
2) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 55%
3) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 53%
4) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 52%
5) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 50%
— Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 50%
7) Donald Epidendio – Titan – 47%
8) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 44%
— Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 44%
10) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 43%
11) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 42%
12) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 39%
13) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 37%
— Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 37%
15) Allen Pezo – Predator – 36%
— Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 36%
17) Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 35%
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 35%
19) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 34%
20) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 33%
— Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 33%
— Devin Jones – Barbarian – 33%
23) Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 30%
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 30%
— Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 30%
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 30%

(A driver must have competed in a combination of 50 racing and/or freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Wheelie/Donut/Long Jump Wins

Bill Payne had one of his best years to date in 2011 and his 33 wheelie/donut/long jump wins were the best in all of monster trucks.

1) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 33
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 29
— Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 28
4) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 25
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 25
6) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 22
7) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 20.5
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 20.5
9) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
10) Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 19
— Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 19
12) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 17
— Allen Pezo – Predator – 17
— Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 17
15) Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 16
16) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 14.5
17) Greg Winchenbach – Crushstation – 14
18) Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 14
19) Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 13
— Kreg Christensen – Maximum Destruction – 13
21) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 12
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 12
— Jerry Perry – Brute Force – 12
— Tim Missentzis – Storm Damage – 12
— Whit Tarlton – Spiderman – 12
— Jim Jack – Reptoid – 12

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

Tom Meents is the master of the major stadium event series and he proved that in 2011, racking up an incredible 17 wins in lineups of 10+ trucks.

1) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 17
2) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 15.5
3) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 10
— Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 10
5) Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 8
6) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 7
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 7
8) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 6
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6
10) Pablo Huffaker – Grave digger – 5
— Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 5
— George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 5
13) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 4
14) Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 3
— Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 3
— Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 3
— Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 3
— Mark Hall – Raminator – 3
— Mat Dishman – Rammunition – 3
20) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 2
— Ryan Anderson – Son Uva Digger – 2
— Morgan Kane – Mopar Magic – 2
— Rich Hilgendorf – Spike – 2
— Sam Sturges – Unnamed & Untamed – 2

2011 Series Championships Update

Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion: Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction
Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion: Jim Koehler, Avenger
Monster Nationals Racing Champion: Rick Long, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15
Monster Nationals Freestyle Champion: Bobby Holman, Lucas Oil Stabilizer
Monster Truck Thunder Drags Champion: Dan Runte, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16
Monster Truck Winter Nationals Champion: Devin Jones, Barbarian
Monster Nation Champion: Doug Noelke, Tail Gator
AMP Tour Racing Champion: Rich Blackburne, Viper
AMP Tour Freestyle Champion: Larry Quick, Ghost Ryder
Lone Star Monster Truck Tour Champion – Ben Winslow, Bounty Hunter

Great job to all of the drivers on their outstanding performances in 2011. A special thanks to everyone who helps report in the results each week so these stats can be possible!

The TMB staff will soon begin pouring over stats in search of this year’s standout drivers as we prepare to announce the nominees for the 2011 TMB Industry Awards.

(Photos By Ross Z. Bonar, Chris Parrish, Lauren Z. Bonar and Stephanie Cotnoir)

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard Update – Mid-November 2011

(Article By Ross Z. Bonar) – Another edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2011 is out as we are now halfway through the month of November and there are only a handful of events left in the year. Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who some of the top performing drivers have been in 2011. A total of 242 drivers have competed in monster truck events through the middle of November with an incredible 184 different drivers scoring a competition win. See below for the top 10 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

2Xtreme Racing drivers Jimmy Creten, Ben Winslow and Darren Migues have put together incredible seasons, racking up wins all over North America, leaving them on, and at the top of, several of our Top 10 lists.

[column size=”1-2″]

Total Racing Wins

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 27
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 24
3) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 23
4) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 18
— Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 18
6) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 17
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 17
8) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 16
9) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 15
— Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 15
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 15
— Donald Epidendio – Titan – 15
— Scott Hartsock – Gun Slinger – 15
— Allen Pezo – Predator – 15

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 41
2) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 36.5
3) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 35
4) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 26
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 26
6) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 25.5
7) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 24.5
8) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 24
9) Jon Zimmmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 23.5
10) Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 23

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 68
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 52
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 49.5
4) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 48.5
5) Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 44
6) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 41
7) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 40
8) Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 38.5
9) Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 38
10) Allen Pezo – Predator – 35.5

Total Wheelie/Donut/Long Jump Wins

1) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 31
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 29
3) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 28
4) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 25
— Ben Winslow – Bounty Hunter – 25
6) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 22
7) Devin Jones – Barbarian – 20.5
— Bobby Holman – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 20.5
9) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
10) Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 19
— Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 19
[/column] [column size=”1-2″ last=”1″]

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 74%
2) Donald Epidendio – Titan – 58%
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 56%
4) Jimmy Creten Bounty Hunter – 50%
— Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 50%
6) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 45%
7) Derick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 44%
8) Larry Swim – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 42%
9) Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 41%
10) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 39%
(A driver must have competed in 25 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 74%
2) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 69%
3) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 68%
4) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 64%
5) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 59%
6) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 58%
— Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 58%
8) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 55%
9) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 52%
10) Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 51%
(A driver must have competed in 25 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 58%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 57%
3) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 54%
4) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 53%
5) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 50%
— Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 50%
7) Donald Epidendio – Titan – 47%
8) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 44%
9) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 43%
10) Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 42%
—- Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 42%
(A driver must have competed in 50 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 17
2) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 14.5
3) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 10
— Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 10
5) Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 8
6) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 7
7) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 6
— Darren Migues – Bounty Hunter – 6
— Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 6
10) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 5
— Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 5
— George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 5
[/column]

Bill Payne used a strong weekend in Reno, Nevada to continue climbing the charts with Rock Star, finally taking the #1 spot in the category of Wheelies/Donuts/Long Jump.

2011 Series Champions

Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion: Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction
Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion: Jim Koehler, Avenger
Monster Nationals Racing Champion: Rick Long, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15
Monster Nationals Freestyle Champion: Bobby Holman, Lucas Oil Stabilizer
Monster Truck Thunder Drags Champion: Dan Runte, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16
Monster Truck Winter Nationals Champion: Devin Jones, Barbarian
Monster Nation Champion: Doug Noelke, Tail Gator
AMP Tour Racing Champion: Rich Blackburne, Viper
AMP Tour Freestyle Champion: Larry Quick, Ghost Ryder

Rick Long all but wrapped up the #1 spot for Best Racing Win Percentage, sweeping racing in Redmond, Oregon to finish out his season at an astounding 74%.

Stay tuned for our final update to the TMB Leaderboard after the final competitive event of the year. The TMB staff will soon begin pouring over stats in search of this year’s standout drivers as we prepare to announce the nominees for the 2011 TMB Industry Awards.

(Photos By Danny Maass, Kelly Migues & Paul Harry)

The Insider: Good News for Bad News Fans

After a long search for a new owner to carry on the Bad News Travels fast name, Bruce and Jami Haney have officially announced the sale of the team to Brandon Derrow of Elkton, Virginia.

After nearly 15 years in the sport, Bruce and Jami leave monster trucks having created a great legacy as one of the most popular independent teams in the business. Bruce was a great racer, and despite not having the same budget as the bigger teams, you could always count on Bad News Travels Fast to pull off some big wins over the course of a season. More than the success on the track though, Bruce and Jami will be remembered for being some of the best people in the sport to be around, whether it be to lend a hand to a competitor or just shoot the breeze in the pits.

After nearly 15 years in the sport, Bruce Haney will ride off into the sunset.

For Brandon Derrow, the purchase represents an exciting new opportunity for a lifelong monster truck fan. Ever since attending his first event in Fishersville, Virginia in 1989 at the age of just 1 1/2 years old, Derrow’s dream has been to become a monster truck driver. With the love and support of a great family and a great group of friends, that dream will now be realized.

“My family and I had the awesome opportunity to purchase the Bad News Travels Fast monster truck from one of the best, if not the best husband and wife duos in monster truck racing,” said Derrow of the Haney’s. “The transaction went better than I ever could have imagined. Throughout the whole process, they were quick to answer any questions we had about the truck and teach us anything we wanted to know. Their patience and support was invaluable and it meant the world to us. I only hope in the coming years that my family and I can carry on the name and have as much success with the truck as they did.”

The "passing of the torch" - former owner/driver Bruce Haney holds the red Bad News while new driver Brandon Derrow holds the current orange Bad News.

The new chapter in the Bad News Travels Fast legacy begins October 29th in Swainsboro, Georgia where Derrow will compete for the first time against a field of trucks including Ballistic, Strait Jacket, Monkey’N Around and Outtacontrol at the Swainsboro Raceway. As Brandon Derrow prepares for his first on track adventures, he acknowledges all the people who have made it possible.

“Thanks to everybody who has helped my dream become a reality,” said Derrow. “Without the love and support of my parents who I am so grateful for, Sharon and Kent Derrow, my wonderful girlfriend of over 6 years Stephannie Turner, Mike and Ann Breeden, Chris Turner, the town of Elkton, other family, friends, and of course God, it would not be happening.”

The new driver with his new ride, Brandon Derrow and the Bad News Travels Fast monster truck.

All of us at TheMonsterBlog.com would like to thank Bruce and Jami Haney for all their contributions to monster trucks over the years and we certainly wish them all the best in their future endeavors. To Brandon Derrow and his great family, we congratulate you on becoming a part of this great industry and we wish you the best of luck on the track. We look forward to watching Brandon’s progress in 2012 as he competes for Rookie of the Year and we hope to cross paths soon!

(Article by Ross Z. Bonar, Photos by Ross Z. Bonar & the Derrow Family)

The Insider – TMB Leaderboard Update – September 2011

(Article By Ross Z. Bonar) – Another edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2011 is out following the completion of the month of September. Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who some of the top performing drivers have been in 2011. A total of 238 drivers have competed in monster truck events through the month of September with an incredible 182 different drivers scoring a competition win. See below for the top 5 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

Jimmy Creten's annual ascent to the top of the standings is nearly complete after September. Creten now leads in Total Racing Wins, Total Freestyle Wins, Total Racing/Freestyle Wins Combined and Best Combined Racing/Freestyle win percentage.

Total Racing Wins

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 27
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 24
3) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 21
4) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 18
5) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 17

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 72%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 56%
3) Donald Epidendio – Titan – 54%
4) Jimmy Creten Bounty Hunter – 53%
5) Dan Runte – Summit Bigfoot #16 – 50%

(A driver must have competed in 25 racing competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 36.5
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 34
— Bill Payne – Rock Star – 34
4) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 26
5) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 25.5

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 86%
2) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 70%
3) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 68%
4) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 64%
5) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 60%

(A driver must have competed in 25 freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 63.5
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 51
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 49.5
4) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 46
5) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 41

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 59%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 57%
3) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 54%
4) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 52%
5) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 50%

(A driver must have competed in a combination of 50 racing and/or freestyle competitions to be listed in this category)

Total Wheelie/Donut/Long Jump Wins

1) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 28
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 27
— Bill Payne – Rock Star – 27
4) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 25
5) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 22

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 17
2) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 10
— Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 10
4) Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 8
5) Jim Koehler – Avenger – 7

Tom Meents has amassed a jaw dropping 17 wins in fields of 10+ trucks in 2011, easily one of the most eye-popping stats of the year.

2011 Series Championships Update

Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion: Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction
Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion: Jim Koehler, Avenger
Monster Nationals Racing Champion: Rick Long, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15
Monster Nationals Freestyle Champion: Bobby Holman, Lucas Oil Stabilizer
Monster Truck Thunder Drags Champion: Dan Runte, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16
Monster Truck Winter Nationals Champion: Devin Jones, Barbarian
Monster Nation Champion: Doug Noelke, Tail Gator
AMP Tour Racing Champion: Rich Blackburne, Viper
AMP Tour Freestyle Champion: Larry Quick, Ghost Ryder

Dan Runte's 2011 Monster Truck Thunder Drags title, combined with his 5th best Racing Win Percentage and sweep of racing at the Maverik Clash of the Titans have made the veteran a major contender for Racing Driver of the Year.

Stay tuned for more updates to the TMB Leaderboard each month through the end of the year. The TMB staff will soon begin pouring over stats in search of this year’s standout drivers as we prepare to announce the nominees for the 2011 TMB Industry Awards.

(Photos By Ross Z. Bonar, Chris Parrish and Danny Maass)

Indy 4-Wheel Jamboree Championship Weekend Recap

(By Ross Z. Bonar) The weekend marked the 30th Anniversary of the 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana and how better to celebrate than with an incredible battle for the 2011 Monster Truck Thunder Drags season championship. Hall Brothers Racing entered the weekend looking to extend their decade of domination in this series to an unheard of eleventh year in a row, but 2011 would be their biggest challenge yet as legendary BIGFOOT driver Dan Runte entered the weekend 80 points ahead of Mark Hall and Raminator.

In addition to the monster truck championship battle, Jamboree fans would be treated to the usual great lineup of entertainment, from show’n’shine trucks to mud bogs, tough trucks and everything in between. For the 30th Anniversary event, Family Events pulled out all the stops, bringing in 12 race trucks, the young star Kid KJ and the incredibly popular Megasaurus car-eating dinosaur. The monster truck lineup included:  E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16, Raminator, Rammunition, Avenger, General Tire, Lucas Oil Stabilizer, Heavy Hitter, Star Marshal, Stomper, Black Knight, Airdog Diesel and Chalkboard Chuck.

A great 12 truck lineup was assembled to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana.

A slight damper was cast on the weekend’s festivities however as Family Events was forced to make some layout changes due to the ongoing investigation into the Indiana State Fair stage collapse. The main grandstand was still closed and unavailable, so Family Events transported in temporary bleachers to accommodate the great crowds on hand for the event.

The collapsed stage remains as the investigation continues into the cause of the terrible tragedy prior to the Sugarland concert at last month's Indiana State Fair.

Those layout changes fortunately did not stop Head Track Official Lee Collins from putting together a wild S-course racing layout that featured a unique rhythm section not often seen in monster truck racing. This would be sure to present an interesting challenge for the drivers and another exciting twist in the title bout.

With four shows scheduled for the weekend, three of those including side by side racing, the points picture could change in a heartbeat. See below for the standings entering the weeekned:

Point Standings – Entering the Weekend

1st – Bigfoot – 1480
2nd – Raminator – 1400
3rd – Rammunition – 1240
4th – General Tire – 1120
5th – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 880
6th – Avenger – 880
7th – Star Marshal – 800
8th – Chalkboard Chuck – 640
9th – Crushstation – 600
10th – Samson – 440
11th – Black Knight – 240

Also presented here is the Family Events point scale:

How Points Are Awarded

1st – 200 points
2nd – 160 points
Semi-Finals – 120 points
1st Round – 80 points

Action kicked off Friday night with a freestyle-only warm-up to the weekend’s competition and all the trucks put on a great show for the fans in attendance.

The real action got started Saturday afternoon as the trucks took to the S-course for some intense side by side racing. The focus was on the championship contenders in round one as Mark Hall in Raminator made quick work of Bobby Holman in Lucas Oil Stabilizer while Dan Runte in Bigfoot dodged the powerful punch of the Heavy Hitter, taking out the impressive rookie Derick Anson in a close race. Mat Dishman looked strong in Rammunition as he took down Bryan Wright in Black Knight while Dave Radzierez cruised to victory in the Star Marshal when Chris Bergeron in General Tire was unable to make the call.

The semi-final round began with Raminator taking on Star Marshal for a trip to the finals and Mark Hall laid down a solid pass to defeat Razeriez. That win put the pressure on Runte as he had to race Mat Dishman in Rammunition. The two waged a great battle but Dishman used the big momentum off the outside lane coming to the line to edge out Runte and knock out Bigfoot. This would effectively close the point gap to 40 as Hall moved on to the finals.

In the all Hall Brothers Racing finale, Hall would have the chance to tie it all up by taking down his teammate. But in monster truck racing, there aren’t any team orders and Dishman would pull out all the stops to try and beat the boss. In another great battle, Dishman used the outside lane once again to carry incredible speed coming to the line, leaving Raminator in the dust and taking his third win of the 2011 General Tire Monster Truck Thunder Drags season. The race would be a missed opportunity for Hall as he exited the first race of the weekend still 40 points behind Runte.

A Hall Brothers Racing showdown in the finals of the Saturday afternoon race would see Mat Dishman in Rammunition in victory lane.

Here is a look at the racing bracket results and points after race #1:

Round One

Raminator def. Lucas Oil Stabilizer
Star Marshal def. General Tire (General Tire unable to make call)
Bigfoot def. Heavy Hitter
Rammunition def. Black Knight

Semi-Finals

Raminator def. Star Marshal
Rammunition def. Bigfoot

Final Round

Rammunition def. Raminator

Unofficial Point Standings – After Saturday Afternoon Race

1st – Bigfoot – 1600
2nd – Raminator – 1560
3rd – Rammunition – 1440
4th – General Tire – 1200
5th – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 960
6th – Star Marshal – 920
7th – Avenger – 880
8th – Chalkboard Chuck – 640
9th – Crushstation – 600
10th – Samson – 440
11th – Black Knight – 320
12th – Heavy Hitter – 80

Kid KJ impressed all weekend as he continues to improve, pulling off some great moves in his mini monster truck, the Monster Bear.

After a great freestyle display from all the trucks to close out the afternoon event, the teams would go to work on the trucks with one race under their belts and a better idea of the adjustments needed to improve on the setups for the evening race. The focus in round one would continue to be on Bigfoot and Raminator with the gap close to just 40 points.

Rich Hilgendorf leads the way in freestyle Saturday afternoon with a great performance from the Avenger.

Round one racing would see Dan Runte in Bigfoot make quick work of Joe Nichter in Stomper while Mark Hall in Raminator would receive a bye run when Rich Hilgendorf in Avenger was unable to make the call due to rear steering issues. Derick Anson in Heavy Hitter made Mat Dishman sweat in their match-up as he was pulling away when the truck swung wide in the final turn, making contact with and knocking over the giant O’Reilly’s inflatable to the delight of the crowd. Dishman would go on to win. “Hillbilly” would be back behind the wheel of the Black Knight and was very solid in his win over Bobby Holman in Chalkboard Chuck.

The semi-finals would see what might have been one of the most important races of the weekend as the two championship contenders went head to head. If Runte could win it, he would move back to 80 points ahead of Hall, while if Raminator won, the points race would be all tied up. Both trucks charged off the line, but Runte made great time through the rhythm section, entering the final turn very close on the inside. With a perfect turn, Runte was able to put the power down and leave Raminator behind, taking a huge win to move on to the finals. In the other semi-final match-up, “Hillbilly” in Black Knight made Mat Dishman work for it but lost it in the final turn as Rammunition powered by for the victory.

With an 80 point lead going into the final round, Runte could effectively wrap up the championship with a win in the finals. If he could carry a 120 point lead into the final race, he would need only to start and even if Hall won the Sunday event, the points would result in a tie for the championship. The tiebreaker would be # of race wins on the season and that would go to Runte and Bigfoot with 5 wins.

Not being exactly aware of the math, Dan Runte did know that a win in the finals would be huge and had Bigfoot on kill, ready to try and take down Mat Dishman and Rammunition. Dishman had looked great all weekend in the outside lane coming to the finish and that is the lane he had for the finals. The trucks stayed near even to the final turn where Runte whipped Bigfoot around in a perfect turn allowing him to get the power down as Dishman came charging hard on the outside. At the line, it was Runte taking the win by about a truck length but Rammunition came flying by in the air leaving the trucks side by side as they landed.

Dan Runte in Bigfoot takes a decisive final round victory Saturday night in Indy, while Mat Dishman charges hard toward the shutdown area.

Both trucks took hard landings but Bigfoot landed sideways, breaking a sway bar and sending the truck towards Rammunition. Runte gave a great effort to gather up Bigfoot but it would be to no avail as the trucks made contact, sending both out of control. There was no saving Bigfoot as Runte went for a hard rollover onto the cab and then back onto the wheels. Dishman continued on trying to save the truck but finally the tires caught in the dirt sending Rammunition over hard onto the cage.

Bigfoot and Rammunition make contact in the shutdown area which would send both trucks out of control and over onto their lid.

Track officials and crew members and drivers ran to the trucks as thankfully both drivers emerged slightly shaken up but otherwise unscathed from the hard crash. Officials made a quick review to ensure the call was correct, and yes it was Bigfoot by a truck length at the finish line taking the win and all but wrapping up the championship.

After a lengthy cleanup on the track and darkness consuming the Indiana State Fairgrounds, the decision was made by track officials to cancel freestyle in the interest of safety. With the layout changes due to the closing of the main grandstand, the big lights atop the grandstand were unavailable leaving much of the track in near complete darkness.

Here are the full results and resulting point standings after race #2:

Round One

Bigfoot def. Stomper
Raminator def. Avenger (Avenger unable to make call)
Rammunition def. Heavy Hitter
Black Knight def. Chalkboard Chuck

Semi-Finals

Bigfoot def. Raminator
Rammunition def. Black Knight

Final Round

Bigfoot def. Rammunition

Unofficial Point Standings – After Saturday Night Race

1st – Bigfoot – 1800
2nd – Raminator – 1680
3rd – Rammunition – 1600
4th – General Tire – 1200
5th – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 960
6th – Avenger – 960
7th – Star Marshal – 920
8th – Chalkboard Chuck – 720
9th – Crushstation – 600
Tie – 10th – Samson – 440
Tie – 10th – Black Knight – 440
13th – Heavy Hitter – 160
14th – Stomper – 80

To clinch the championship title, Runte and the Bigfoot team would at least have to make an appearance in round one in the final race on Sunday. As the team checked over the truck, they found several spots in the chassis that would need welding and immediately sent out calls to team drivers Larry Swim and Darron Schnell to be on standby to bring Bigfoot #14 and Bigfoot #11 from their display events to Indianapolis for Runte to compete in on Sunday. After further review of the damage, the team decided to make the repairs to #16 and working through the night and into the morning, the truck was ready to race on Sunday.

The very first race would see the championship decided without question or need for a tiebreaker as Dan Runte and Bigfoot cruised to an easy victory over Joe Nichter in Stomper. With the teams not 100% of the points math in the pits, all Mark Hall knew was that he needed to win and hope for the best, and he began that quest by marching to victory over Rich Hilgendorf in Avenger. Derick Anson in Heavy Hitter continued to impress as he defeated Mat Dishman in Rammunition, while Bobby Holman scored his first round win of the weekend, driving Chalkboard Chuck to the victory over Black Knight.

Even though the championship math had already been decided, this was still not certain in the pits setting up a huge match-up between Bigfoot and Raminator in the semi-finals. In what was probably the closest race of the entire weekend, Dan Runte edged Mark Hall by less than a tire length to erase any doubt as he moved on to the finals and was officially announced by Family Events to the crowd as the 2011 General Tire Monster Truck Thunder Drags Champion. Derick Anson cruised to the win over Chalkboard Chuck and was looking to really make an impression with a win in the finals.

Dan Runte defeats Mark Hall in the closest race of the weekend in the Sunday semi-finals.

The championship battle started close going into Indy, but Dan Runte like the legend and champion he is, never faltered and now entered the final round with the opportunity to celebrate the title with yet another win on the season. Anson was looking to spoil the Bigfoot party and gave a great effort, giving Runte all he could handle. As they came out of the final turn, Runte began to pull away and took the big win. Bigfoot cruised by the stands as they crowd saluted Dan Runte as the Sunday racing victor and the 2011 General Tire Monster Truck Thunder Drags champion.

Dan Runte takes the final win of the weekend on Sunday, taking down the impressive Derick Anson in Heavy Hitter.

Freestyle would see great efforts from all the trucks and drivers as they closed out a great 30th Anniversary of the 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Chris Bergeron lets it all hang out in the General Tire machine in the Sunday freestyle finale.

Here are the bracket results from the final race and the unofficial final season point standings:

Round One

Bigfoot def. Stomper
Raminator def. Avenger
Heavy Hitter def. Rammunition
Chalkboard Chuck def. Black Knight

Semi-Finals

Bigfoot def. Raminator
Heavy Hitter def. Chalkboard Chuck

Final Round

Bigfoot def. Heavy Hitter

Unofficial Point Standings – After Sunday Afternoon Race

1st – Bigfoot – 2000
2nd – Raminator – 1800
3rd – Rammunition – 1680
4th – General Tire – 1200
5th – Lucas Oil Stabilizer – 960
6th – Avenger – 740
7th – Star Marshal – 920
8th – Chalkboard Chuck – 840
9th – Crushstation – 600
Tie – 10th – Samson – 440
Tie – 10th – Black Knight – 520
13th – Heavy Hitter – 320
14th – Stomper – 160

All of us at TheMonsterBlog.com would like to send a big congratulations to Dan Runte and all of Team BIGFOOT on their 2011 General Tire Monster Truck Thunder Drags title. We would also like to salute Hall Brothers Racing on their incredible 10 year streak of winning that championship. Although the streak may have ended, there is no denying that their decade of domination is one of the greatest feats in monster truck history.

Stay tuned for an incredible amount of TMB coverage coming your way from the 30th Indianapolis 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals. You’ll see photo galleries from Danny Maass and Paul Harry, a highlight video from Colby Marshall and full event coverage in two episodes of Chris Parrish’s ActionTracks. Be sure to check out the TMB Facebook for more teaser photos from the weekend’s action.

A big thanks to everyone with Family Events for their hospitality this weekend and to all the teams and drivers for their great efforts this season, and also a big tip of the hat to new head track official Lee Collins on really taking some of the racing at the Jamborees to the next level this year with some great track designs including the unique S-track this weekend in Indy.

After such an incredible season of General Tire Monster Truck Thunder Drags racing, we’re already counting down to Springfield, Missouri in 2012 where the chase for another championship will begin anew!

(Article by Ross Z. Bonar, Photos By Danny Maass & Bob Chandler, Video Footage By Ross Z. Bonar & Michael Harry)

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard Update – April 2011

The second edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2011 is out following the completion of the month of April. Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who some of the top performing drivers have been in 2011. A total of 198 drivers have competed in monster truck events through the month of April with an incredible 151 different drivers scoring a competition win. See below for the top 5 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

Total Racing Wins

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 21
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 20
3) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 16
4) Derrick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 13
5) Frank Krmel – AAP Grinder – 12

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 75%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 61%
3) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 59%
— Derrick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 59%
— Donald Epidendio – Titan – 59%

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 24
2) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 23
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 22
4) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 21
5) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 20

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 83%
2) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 81%
3) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 78%
4) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 72%
5) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 71%

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 41
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 35
— Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 35
4) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 30
5) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 29

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 66%
2) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 65%
3) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 60%
4) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 54%
5) Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 52%

Total Wheelie/Donut/Long Jump Wins

1) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 26
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 20
— Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 20
5) Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 17

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 10
2) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 9
3) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 8
4) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 5
— Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 5
— Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 5

2011 Series Championships Update

Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion:  Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction
Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion:  Jim Koehler, Avenger
Monster Nationals Racing Champion:  Rick Long, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15
Monster Nationals Freestyle Champion:  Bobby Holman, Lucas Oil Stabilizer
Monster Truck Winter Nationals Champion:  Devin Jones, Barbarian
Monster Nation Champion: Doug Noelke, Tail Gator
AMP Tour Racing Champion: Rich Blackburne, Viper
AMP Tour Freestyle Champion:  Larry Quick, Ghost Ryder

The Insider: Beefcake Design Setting Standard for T-Shirt Design

Ever since we started working in the monster truck industry over six years ago, we have met many incredible people who use their talents to work in the industry they love. That’s really the story of many of the best people working in the industry – a love of monster trucks since childhood and the use of their own personal skill sets to provide useful services to others in the industry.

We at TMB are proud to work with such people and recommend such services, whether it be vinyl wraps and services from our friends at Steel Skinz Graphics, parts from the folks at AA Speed & Custom and even full on chassis and turn key monster trucks from Patrick Enterprises, Racesource Inc and Concussion Engineering. The people behind these organizations are monster truck fans first and they work to provide services that will improve the industry they love.

One area we had yet to run across someone who exceeded all our expectations was in the area of t-shirt design. This is one of the most in demand services in the monster truck industry. Merchandise sales are a huge part of a monster truck owner/operator or event promoter’s revenue streams and historically, there is no bigger seller than the t-shirt.

Every big monster truck fan has the dual purpose collection/wardrobe of monster truck t-shirts they have collected over the years. And let’s face it, the selection of which shirts they end up purchasing is not solely based on who their favorite truck is – it’s very much about the design.

We at TMB have been through the first time client experience in having t-shirts done before and as we are beginning our second project, we thought we would share some of our experiences and make a pitch for a fellow monster truck enthusiast who is doing the work that so many in the industry need done.

Spend Money to Make Money – Don’t Skimp on the Design

One of the biggest mistakes monster truck owner/operator and promoters make is to try and save money by spending less on the design. The cost savings realized from having cheaper, lower quality illustrated artwork instead of using a slightly more expensive professional who understands the monster truck industry may be somewhere in the range of $300-$500 at the time of making the order; however it will end up being the difference between walking away at the end of any given weekend having sold a mere handful of shirts versus having up to several thousand dollars worth of extra income from t-shirt sales.

This one is a no-brainer – the fans may love your truck but if you have a simple or amateurish design, they’re not going to spend the money on one of your shirts. Trying to save a couple hundred dollars on production could cost you thousands in sales later on.

OWN Your Design – Use an Independent Designer Who Loves Monster Trucks

You need to find a designer who knows and loves monster trucks – they will be more passionate about the job and they will work harder to create a design that is unique to your brand. Now we’re not recommending using someone who doesn’t know t-shirt design – there are many ins and outs to designing a t-shirt because of they way they are printed that even a great graphic designer may not handle properly (using proper PMS colors, etc). This could end up costing you more money when you take the design to have it printed.

A general staff designer for the t-shirt printing company you’re using may be very talented and do great artwork, but you are just another job to them and in most cases – this is VERY important to note – they co-own your design with you, so that you will only be able to have that design printed if you use that company. This also allows them to duplicate elements of the artwork you paid to have created in another client’s project! Case in point comes from TMB’s own first time t-shirt design client experience.

Our first project was handled by the $2.95 Guys, who are a great t-shirt printer that we would recommend to anyone for the actual printing of the t-shirts. However, we used one of their staff designers and even chose the most expensive level of design, following the advice above. The designer did a great job on the shirt and we were happy with the experience at the time. But later on, we found out that our design that we paid full price for, which was created directly from a TMB taken photo, had been taken and minimally modified for another client, who was also charged full price!

The lesson is OWN your t-shirt design. Have it done by an independent professional and then take it to the t-shirt printing company of your choice. Go even further and use someone passionate about monster trucks so that you are sure to receive a unique, well thought out design by someone who understands your brand and what your target market wants.

TMB Recommendation – Beefcake Design

In our search for a designer for our second t-shirt project – new TMB TV shirts which will be coming out later this year – we were lucky enough to meet a fellow monster truck enthusiast who is setting the standard by which monster truck t-shirt artwork is measured.

Jason Becker is from Hutchinson, Kansas and has been a monster truck fan all his life. Always having had that “artistic touch”, he went to school for to pursue graphic design and became a school teacher instructing in that field.

As a monster truck fan, he always attended events in his area and as a hobby, would do illustrations of trucks and have them autographed by drivers at the events. While attending a ProMT event at Kansas Speedway, Jason met Team Scream drivers Jim Koehler and Chris Bergeron. They were so impressed with his illustrations that they enlisted his help in coming up with a 3D dog body concept they wanted to do for Chris’ Brutus truck.

Never having had experience with such a thing, Jason worked with them and came up with a concept drawing for the new body. They were so pleased with the concept, they then enlisted Jason’s help in building it. An S10 body was sent to Jason’s house and with the help and advice of the folks at GTS Fiberglass and lots of collaboration with Team Scream, Jason was able to create what is now one of the most recognizable 3D bodies in all of monster trucks.

Jason Becker works on transforming an S10 body into one of the most recognizable 3D body styles in all of monster trucks.

After creating several t-shirt designs for Team Scream, Steve Koehler recommended Jason to the folks at Feld Entertainment, as they were looking for an additional designer for some of their t-shirt projects. After creating a well received Blue Thunder design, Feld also used Jason’s talents to create t-shirts for trucks including Air Force Afterburner, TMNT, Captain’s Curse, Donkey Kong, El Toro Loco, Maximum Destruction, Taz and Superman.

Jason has also worked with independent teams, doing t-shirt designs for Equalizer, Amsoil Shock Therapy, Excaliber and Bad News Travels Fast.

Examples of some of the great t-shirt designs done by Beefcake Design.

Now Becker has started his own design company and is looking to expand his work to more clients in the monster truck industry. The Beefcake Design philosophy is that each design is much more than just artwork, its a branding of what your team is all about and how you run. Jason strives to create artwork that is unique to each client and communicates the driver or team’s personality and attitude. Becker would also be open to working on another 3D body concept project and is even expanding his services to include designing full truck wraps.

We are very excited to unveil the new TMB TV t-shirt that Beefcake Design is currently working on for us and we are very happy to have found a monster truck t-shirt designer we can recommend to all our friends in the industry. Check out their portfolio at www.BeefcakeDesign.com and feel free to give Jason a call at (316) 648-8165 or shoot him an email at jason@beefcakedesign.com for more information how he can work with you on your next project.

Check out the full Beefcake Designs portfolio at www.BeefcakeDesign.com.

We hope you’ve found this edition of The Insider to be an informative look at the monster truck t-shirt design process and that some of the tips included will help you avoid a bad experience in your t-shirt projects. Whether you end up using our friends at Beefcake Design or not, remember not to skimp on the design and to use someone who will create a design unique to you and your team – it will pay off in the end!

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard – January 2011

The first edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2011 is out following the completion of the first month of the new year. Based on all of the information gathered through the Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who some of the top performing drivers have been in 2011. A total of 174 drivers have competed in monster truck events in the month of January with an incredible 102 different drivers scoring a competition win. See below for the top 5 drivers in each category:

Total Wheelie/Donut/Long Jump Wins

1)  Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 14
2)  Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 11
3)  Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 9
—-Eric Tack – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 9
—-Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 9

Total Racing Wins

1)  Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 10
2)  Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 8
—-Rodney Tweedy – Bigfoot #10 – 8
4)  Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 7
—-Derrick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 7

Racing Win Percentage

1)  Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 91%
2)  Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 80%
3)  Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 78%
4)  Rodney Tweedy – Bigfoot #10 – 73%
5)  Donald Epidendio – Titan – 67%
—-Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 67%

Total Freestyle Wins

1)  Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 9
—-Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 9
3)  Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 8
—-Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 8
—-Bill Payne – Rock Star – 8
—-Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 8

Freestyle Win Percentage

1)  Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 100%
2)  Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 90%
3)  Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 83%
4)  Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 80%
—-Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 80%

Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1)  Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 18
2)  Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 17
3)  Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 13
4)  Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 12
—-Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 12
—-Rodney Tweedy – Bigfoot #10 – 12

Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1)  Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 85%
2)  Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 83%
3)  Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 82%
4)  Eric Tack – Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 – 69%
5)  Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 61%

Several driver names pop up continuously on the above list, including Gary Porter who is once again dominating the Freestyle Mania tour for Monster Jam. Carl Van Horn and Adam Anderson have been nearly unstoppable in their respective events so far this year as well. The only non-Feld driver running Monster Jam full time to appear on this list is none other than Jimmy Creten in his amazing new Bounty Hunter machine, as he has been dominating in freestyle so far in 2011.

Branching out to the rest of the industry, Bigfoot drivers Rodney Tweedy, Rick Long and Eric Tack also appear several times on the above list. Tweedy and Long have been on fire in racing as Tweedy has spent time on the Monster X Tour and the AMP Tour while Long is defending his Monster Nationals Racing Championship. Tack has simply decimated the competition on the CFP tour but will now step out of the seat as 2-time champion Larry Swim returns to begin February.

Mac Plecker with Ballistic has once again had an incredible start to the season on the TBO tour but rookie driver Derrick Anson in Heavy Hitter has given him a run for his money and made the list with an impressive 7 racing victories. Rob French is the only driver running a full schedule to be unbeaten in freestyle as he has won all 7 events in which he and the Twisted Dragon have competed, running primarily for Outlaw Monster Trucks and the Road 2 Destruction Tour.

Championship Updates

Monster Nation – The championship battle for 2011 is wide open as the tour only has Beaumont, Texas left in the middle of this month. Devin Jones in Barbarian and Doug Noelke in Tail Gator have the most wins but with Barbarian not attending the finale Beaumont, Noelke would seem to have a slightest of edges over Mike Hawkins, Isaiah Morales and JR McNeal. Essentially it will come down to whichever driver has the best overall performance in the three show Beaumont weekend as they enter neck and neck.

Monster Nationals -2011 is all Rick Long versus Bobby Holman for both Monster Nationals titles. Long has taken a nearly insurmountable lead in the racing category with 6 wins to Bobby’s 1 so far. Freestyle however will be a tight battle as Holman has taken 4 wins in the Lucas Oil Stabilizer to 3 wins for Long and Bigfoot.

Checkered Flag Productions – Have yet to see any point standings posted out of the CFP camp, but that doesn’t much matter as Eric Tack has won nearly every competition he has run in Bigfoot Bad Boy #14. With points going to the truck rather than the driver this year, it’s all but a certainty that Eric Tack/Larry Swim will combine to give Bigfoot Bad Boy the best point total by a massive margin going into the finals in Pocatello.

AMP Tour – In the past couple years, AMP has awarded championships for both racing and freestyle. We have yet to hear their plans for this year, but if they do so once again, there will be quite the battle for those titles as the Monster Truck Thunder Drags has been very competitive this year. In racing, Rodney Tweedy in Bigfoot #10, Travis Sturges in Unnamed & Untamed and rookie driver Travis Petri in Toxic each have 2 wins a piece to lead that category. In freestyle, Larry Quick and Ghost Ryder and rookie driver Darron Schnell in Bigfoot #10 are tied with 3 wins each.

Rookie of the Year Update

After no surprise that Ryan Anderson ran away with Rookie of the Year honors in 2010, this season is different in that it is completely wide open. Monster Jam has many candidates for Rookie of the Year including:  off-road champion Todd Leduc, former rockcrawler Nicole Johnson, and long time crew chief Becky McDonough, along with Bari Mussawir, Joey Parnell and Scott Buetow. In addition to the new Monster Jam drivers, established teams are bringing new blood into the spot including: Darron Schnell with Bigfoot, Jaff Hatten with Team Beast, Morgan Kane for Steve Sims and Jimmy Tracey for Mike Vaters. Several new independent owner/drivers are in the race as well, including: Travis Petri in Toxic, JR McNeal in Razin Kane, Jeff Murphy in Fatal Attraction and Derrick Anson in Heavy Hitter. Take a look at some of each drivers’ accomplishments thus far in 2011:

– Todd Leduc, Blue Thunder – first ever major stadium racing win in Phoenix, Arizona this past weekend.
– Nicole Johnson, Tasmanian Devil – three arena racing victories
– Darron Schnell, Firestone Bigfoot #11 – three wheelie wins, 1 racing win and 3 freestyle wins along with being a candidate for save of the year after an incredible save in Fayetteville
– Derrick Anson, Heavy Hitter – seven racing victories on the TBO Tour
– Becky McDonough, Dragon’s Breath; Travis Petri, Toxic; Jimmy Tracey, Black Stallion; Morgan Kane, Mopar Magic; and JR McNeal, Razin Kane – each of these drivers have also found victory lane in at least one racing/freestyle competiton.

The new season is very young but the early leaders have to be Leduc, Schnell, Johnson and Anson as they are finding victory lane with regularity in just the first month of their first full season in monster trucks.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this look around the monster truck industry with January completed, stay tuned to the TMB Results Tracker to see what drivers are putting wins on the board each week. Watch for an updated TMB Leaderboard article following the completion of each month as we bring recognition to outstanding performance all throughout 2011!