Monster Photos: Monster Nationals – Springfield, MO 2015

Event Information

Event: Monster Nationals
Venue: Ozark Empire Fairgrounds
Location: Springfield, Missouri
Date: June 21st, 2015
Photographer: Danny Maass (Check out Maass Media on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Alter Ego (Devin Jones), Lucas Oil Bigfoot #15 (Rick Long), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Retro Bigfoot #14 (Josh Gibson) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster Truck Racing League – Flora, IL 2015

Event Information

Event: Monster Truck Racing League
Venue: Route 45 Raceway
Location: Flora, Illinois
Date: May 23rd, 2015
Photographer: Danny Maass (Check out Maass Media on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Heavy Hitter (Derrick Anson), Monster Medic (Rich Blackburne), Midnight Rider (Tom Herzog), River Rat (Vern House) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster X Tour – Evansville, IN 2015

Event Information

Event: Monster X Tour
Venue: Vanderburgh 4H Center
Location: Evansville, Indiana
Date: June 20th, 2015
Photographer: Danny Maass (Check out Maass Media on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Holman’s Beast (Bobby Holman), Quadzilla (Scott Bryant), Son of Beast (Cody Holman), Summit Bigfoot #21 (Dan Runte), USA-1 (Roger Gauger) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: O’Reilly Outlaw Nationals – Miami, OK 2015

Event Information

Event: O’Reilly Outlaw Nationals
Venue: Ottawa County Fairgrounds
Location: Miami, Oklahoma
Date: June 5th-6th, 2015
Photographer: Danny Maass (Check out Maass Media on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Avenger (Jim Koehler), Barbarian (Devin Jones), Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Ghost Ryder (Larry Quick), Heavy Hitter (Derrick Anson), Over Bored (Jamey Garner), Pony Express (Shannon Quick), River Rat (Vern House), Scarlet Bandit (Dawn Creten), Tail Gator (Doug Noelke), Wild Thang (Doug Charles), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals – Lima, OH 2015

Event Information

Event: 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals
Venue: Allen County Fairgrounds
Location: Lima, Ohio
Date: May 15th-17th, 2015
Photographer: Katelin White (Check out Katelin White Photography on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Avenger (Jim Koehler), General Tire (Steve Koehler), Lucas Oil Bigfoot #18 (Larry Swim), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Retro Bigfoot #14 (Josh Gibson), Summit Bigfoot #21 (Dan Runte), XDP (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

The Allen Report: Off Road Racing & Monster Trucks – Chandler, AZ 2015

(Coverage By Christopher Allen, Photos By Jim Allen)

Weekend Recap

This time on “The Allen Report”, we make a short trip to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona, the former Firebird Raceway, which for over thirty years answered the call to fans of nearly every motorsport from drag racing on asphalt and water to off road racing and yes, monster trucks. Two of the biggest monster truck names in the state were on hand to provide exciting intermission entertainment between races at the sixth round of the Lucas Oil Regional Off-Road Racing Series of Arizona. Sam Sturges came with his classic green and black 1940s Panel Wagon Unnamed & Untamed and right behind him was former Team 2Xtreme and Bad Habit Racing crew member Ben “Bobo” Winslow driving the famous blue and yellow of Nasty Boy.

With the freestyle track consisting of only two construction barriers, one of which was on top of the front straightaway, race track jumps and two junked vans, the drivers had the rare challenge of giving a good show with very little to work with. However, the monster pilots stepped up and had the fans cheering every time.

The first of three rounds of freestyle was essentially a game of “Follow the Leader”, with both trucks hitting every obstacle right after the other. Nasty Boy pulled off wheelies that have made the truck famous in the state of Arizona, much to the crowd’s delight. The man known as “Wildman Sam” often went perfectly vertical going down the frontstretch jump after hitting the construction barriers. In the second round, both monster vehicles went their separate ways, both getting excellent wheelstands and Unnamed even did some donuts to keep the crowd excited. Not to be outdone, Nasty Boy used the lane divider of the Off Road course as a wheelie bump. In the third and final round, both beasts had the crowd cheering on and on as both kept trying to upstage each other any way they could. Both gave great attempts at crushing the two side by side vans, but thanks to internal roll cages the vans held up surprisingly well despite the ten thousand pounds rolling over them. Still, even that couldn’t stop the crowd from cheering on and on as the drivers parked their machines nose to nose as a farewell to the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park fans.

When not enjoying the monster action, the big crowd on hand witnessed a variety of feature races of various off road classes from side-by-sides to trophy karts, many of which showcased heavy contact, multiple intense attempts to overtake and, in one case, a finish decided by a matter of inches. Also, the American Thunder monster ride truck was on the grounds ready to give the ride of a lifetime to any who wanted. Well, we at “The Allen Report” are about to settle down for a time before packing up again on the 4th of July weekend, bound for the always fun San Diego County Fair on the shores of Del Mar, California. That being said, thank you for reading, an sincere thanks to Ron Leach for giving us another good show close to home, enjoy the photos and cheer on!

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Monster Photos: Monsters on the Beach – Virginia Beach, VA 2015

Event Information

Event: Monsters on the Beach
Venue: Virginia Beach
Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Date: May 8th-10th, 2015
Photographer: Danny Maass (Check out Maass Media on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Heavy Hitter (Derick Anson), Hooked (Steven Sims Jr.), River Rat (Vern House), Scarlet Bandit (Dawn Creten), Stone Crusher (Steve Sims), Summit Bigfoot #21 (Dan Runte), Walking Tall (Bryan Wright) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Summit Racing Equipment Atlanta Motorama – Hampton, GA 2015

Event Information

Event: Summit Racing Equipment Atlanta Motorama
Venue: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Location: Hampton, Georgia
Date: April 16th-17th, 2015
Photographer: Katelin White (Check out Katelin White Photography on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

All the Team BIGFOOT 4×4 trucks gather in Atlanta for Summit Racing Equipment. [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Tri-State Monster Truck Showdown – Troy, PA 2015

Event Information

Event: Tri-State Monster Truck Showdown
Venue: Alparon Park
Location: Troy, Pennsylvania
Date: April 26th, 2015
Photographer: Katelin White (Check out Katelin White Photography on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Odyssey Battery Bigfoot #14 (Josh Gibson), Webslinger (Shawn Oblen), XDP (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: No Limits Monster Truck World Championship – Waco, TX 2015

Event Information

Event: No Limits Monster Truck World Championship
Venue: McLane Stadium
Location: Waco, Texas
Date: May 2nd, 2015
Photographer: Danny Maass (Check out Maass Media on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Avenger (Cory Rummell), Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Freedom Keeper (Matt Clark), Nitro Menace (Darren Migues), Rislone Defender (Zach Adams), Scarlet Bandit (Dawn Creten), Scorpion (Mike Dufrene), Summit Bigfoot #21 (Dan Runte), Wild Thang (Doug Charles), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

The Allen Report: Monster Truck Show – Puyallup, WA 2015

(Coverage By Christopher Allen, Photos By Jim Allen)

Weekend Recap

This time on The Allen Report, we make our way to Puyallup, Washington with the bright lights of Seattle not far away – a city known globally for its coffee, Pike Place Market and no shortage of sporting excitement. On this night, the excitement was in the Washington State Fairgrounds, where a sold out crowd packed the grandstands to watch roundy-round style racing and hot, car crunching freestyle. The trucks and drivers arriving to do battle were headlined by former World Freestyle Champ Jimmy Creten in his traditional Bounty Hunter Yellow. Teammate Russell Steeley was right behind in the new Knucklehead, the official monster truck of heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. From just down the road in Watsonville, California was the father and daughter team of Kelvin and Rosalee Ramer, Kelvin in his usual Time Flys and Rosalee continuing to establish her own identity in Wild Flower. Twins Travis and Tyler Groth stepped up for the home state crowd with Travis piloting Trouble Maker, a truck brand new for this season and Tyler in his bright green Double Trouble. Roger Stidell had double duty tonight as not only did he drive Destroyer in racing but Tony Canedo’s new truck Enforcer in freestyle as well. Tony himself drove Play N’ 4 Keeps as well as his third truck Survivor, having recently bought it from Chuck Jordan. In a rare moment in the sport, there was no dirt on the performance floor, making things interesting for all competitors. With that, the battle began.

In side by side racing, Bounty Hunter and Time Flys got off to fast starts, handily dispensing their respective opponents. In the final quarter final race, Destroyer got the best of his home state rival, Double Trouble. In the heavyweight side of the semi-finals, Kelvin Ramer did not hold back but Bounty Hunter was spot on in the turns and low over the straightaway cars, entering the final round. Trouble Maker beat Destroyer to the finish line, avenging his brother’s loss to get a chance against the former World Champion in the finals. The race for all the marbles was one to remember. Halfway home, Bounty Hunter’s lead was not so clear cut anymore. The final jump was too close to call. WGAS officials reviewed the video several times. To rather mixed reaction from the audience, Jimmy Creten was declared the winner by the slimmest margin. But the ultimate excitement of monster truck freestyle was still to come.

Travis Groth and Russell Steeley set the bar early with scores of 26 out of a possible 30. Double Trouble gave the capacity crowd a reason to cheer with a spectacular cartwheel crash after hitting the race lane ramp way off center. Tyler was okay, but no score was given due to finishing his run early. Rosalee Ramer showcased what she could do with very good air, smoke blowing cyclones and continuing on despite a blown right front tire. The judges rewarded her efforts with a perfect score. To ensure there would be only one freestyle winner, the crowd’s applause would be the decision maker in the event of a tie. The second to last competitor was Rosalee’s father in Time Flys, Kelvin threw down the best wheelies of the night and had good air, but he also backed up without hitting anything several times, so he ended up one single point shy of perfection. With only the night’s racing champion left to go, all signs appeared to point to a rare double victory for Jim Creten. But early in his run, an awkward landing bent Bounty Hunter’s four link bar which took out his drive shaft on the very next jump. For safety, event officials shut the truck down. With no score, this meant that Rosalee was declared the event’s freestyle grand champion, which caused the crowd to erupt in applause and cheers. The World’s Youngest Professional Female Monster Truck Driver was ecstatic to receive the win, jumping up and down and waving.

To close the night, a Washington State Fair tradition continued through an epic fireworks show as legendary rock band Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” song played over the stadium loudspeakers. It was a wild night in Puyallup, and we at “The Allen Report” are very confident that the fans got their money’s worth. We are going to take a break now, but we will return to the San Diego County Fair very soon after a year away, and more coverage will follow. Well then, thank you for reading, a special thanks to John Borba and WGAS Motorsports for having us, enjoy the photos and cheer on!

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Monster Photos: Tri-State Monster Truck Showdown – Troy, PA 2015

Event Information

Event: Tri-State Monster Truck Showdown
Venue: Alparon Park
Location: Troy, Pennsylvania
Date: April 26th, 2015
Photographer: Danny Maass (Check out Maass Media on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

Odyssey Battery Bigfoot #14 (Josh Gibson), Webslinger (Shawn Oblen), XDP (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

The Allen Report: Monster Truck Show – Phoenix, AZ 2015

(Coverage By Christopher Allen, Photos By Jim Allen)

Weekend Recap

This time on the Allen Report, we make our way to the Maricopa County Fair, which each year caters to a huge crowd with good food, thrilling rides and
excellent entertainment. On Friday and Sunday of the fair, the big crowd was in the Sanderson Ford Arena for high flying, super fast monster truck action. Tonight’s action would be provided through wheelie contest, roundy-round racing and freestyle. Friday featured Ben “Bobo” Winslow representing Sturges Motorsports in Nasty Boy. Fellow Tucson representatives Rod Wood and McGruff were in the house as well. The father and son team of Rick and Eric Swanson made the trip from California ready to give a show. On Sunday, these four were joined by the other two Sturges monster vehicles, Unnamed & Untamed with “Wildman Sam” Sturges at the controls and good friend Cesar Nunez at the helm of the ’63 Corvette Rat Attack.

On Friday, Nasty Boy and McGruff gave preview freestyle runs to get the crowd pumped up for later action. When the show officially began with wheelie contest, admirable efforts were given by all, but Rod Wood carried a beautiful slap wheelie most of the length of the floor despite little traction to the loudest applause from the crowd.

In side by side racing, officials decreed that not one but two laps would be required to achieve victory. In the heats, Rick Swanson had no trouble against Nasty Boy, punching his ticket to the finals. Son Eric did the same when Rod Wood gave a good race but was just unable to overtake the nineteen year old before the finish line jump. Before the finals, the two runners-up were bound for a third place race. But when mechanical issues prevented McGruff from firing up, the veteran Ben Winslow conserved his truck to make sure he got to the final jump and took third place. In the father and son racing finals, Rick had the lead halfway home but Eric was picking up speed. At the final jump of the bracket, nineteen year old Eric barely pulled out the victory, much to the delight of the audience.

In Freestyle, Nasty Boy soared through the Arizona sky and finally got the wheelies he had been seeking to much positive response from the crowd. Rod Wood was a man on a mission about not being able to race for third place and carried high speed, big air and superb cyclone donuts to put himself in the hunt for the freestyle win. Rick Swanson had had cross thread moves, huge air and great sky wheelies off the construction barriers, attempting to win over the fans. But Eric Swanson shot for the moon, duplicated his father’s sideways moves and put his truck into the spin cycle to the loudest cheers of all to sweep racing and freestyle the first night. With two shows to go on Sunday, the game was far from over.

On the first show Sunday, every driver gave good attempts, but Rod Wood did not rest on his laurels from two nights earlier, taking the second straight wheelie win, going straight up and down and riding it out for most of the arena floor. It wasn’t an easy win though, as Nasty Boy, Rat Attack and Unnamed & Untamed all gave the Tucson native a run for his money.

On to racing, where only one lap, not two, was needed to win. Rick Swanson buried the throttle to the floor to beat Nasty Boy coming to the finish line jump in the first round. He got the biggest air of the weekend, but a slap wheelie sent him into the concrete barriers at the the end of the track, heavily damaging the front differential. When only two trucks remained, Eric Swanson was looking to defend his Racing win streak, but Sam Sturges in Unnamed & Untamed had other ideas. When the checkered flag flew, Eric’s trophy truck monster was was just ahead of his veteran opponent, going two for two in Racing. In freestyle, every driver threw caution to the wind, hoping to get the loudest response from the spectators possible. But once more, the second generation driver Eric Swanson put big air, high speed and dusty cyclones all into the mix to a clapping and cheering crowd, clearly sweeping the Racing and Freestyle again.

In the fair closing show late Sunday, Racing was cut from the program to make room for the filler acts. For freestyle, some of the losing democross cars were made into a seven car jump and two vans were put in place as well to be crushed. In the final wheelie contest, the man behind McGruff picked up where he left off with perfect verticality and superb distance in two of his three tries to sweep wheelies for the weekend. In the final freestyle competition of the Maricopa County Fair, every driver gave it all. Nasty Boy was first to hit the two vans which gave way underneath him, sending him on his side. Driver and former bullfighter Ben Winslow was just fine. Cesar Nunez performed well in the Rat Attack vehicle, hitting every jump with gusto before a blown front tire ended his run early. But the driver behind the wheel of Obsessed was a kid on a mission. Big air over the cars, dirt slinging cyclones and high speed all through the run erased any doubt who the winner was.

The other acts alongside monster trucks were side by side tuff truck racing, which was won by John Davis in vehicle number 1495, an off road style pickup truck. John was actually behind until the final lap, where his opponent started to celebrate his victory one lap too early. And the last man standing democross had the audience both cheering and laughing with intentional spinning out, thunderous contact and vehicles coming down from the jumps on top of opposing cars’ trunks. A timed event, this race went on and on until one car was still running. That car was number 86 with Tim Randall at the wheel.

Well, monster truck fans, we at “The Allen Report” are just getting started with a busy summer and autumn schedule coming up fast and we look forward to keeping you updated from throughout the west coast, among other places. Thank you for reading, a sincere thanks to Zack and Grand Canyon State Promotions for having us, enjoy the photos and cheer on!

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Monster Photos: Monster Nationals – Columbus, OH 2015

Event Information

Event: Monster Nationals
Venue: The Schottenstein Center
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Date: April 11th, 2015
Photographer: Paul M. Harry

Truck Lineup

Birthday Bigfoot #14 (Josh Gibson), Lucas Oil Bigfoot #15 (Rick Long), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Retro Bigfoot #11 (Kevin Koszala) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster X Tour – Jonesboro, AR 2015

Event Information

Event: Monster X Tour
Venue: ASU Convocation Center
Location: Jonesboro, Arkansas
Date: March 13th-14th, 2015
Photographer: Danny Maass (Check out Maass Media on Facebook)

Truck Lineup

American Muscle (Pierce Knight), Ballistic (Mac Plecker), California Kid (Tehvyn Goodwin), Firestone Bigfoot #19 (Darron Schnell), Rock Star (Bill Payne) [Read more…]