TMB TV: ActionTracks Episode 2.7 – Lima, OH 2011 Part 2

Event: 4-Wheel Jamboree
Venue: Allen County Fairgrounds
Location: Lima, Ohio
Date: May 20th-22nd, 2011
Videographer: Chris Parrish, Randy Barton

Lineup: Airdog Diesel (Michelle Simpson), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Chalkboard Chuck (Dave Rife), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16 (Dan Runte), General Tire (Chris Bergeron), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Samson (Dan Patrick), Star Marshal (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals – Lima, OH 2011

Event: 4-Wheel Jamboree
Venue: Allen County Fairgrounds
Location: Lima, Ohio
Date: May 20th-22nd, 2011
Photographer: Paul M. Harry

Lineup: Airdog Diesel (Michelle Simpson), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Chalkboard Chuck (Dave Rife), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16 (Dan Runte), General Tire (Chris Bergeron), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Samson (Dan Patrick), Star Marshal (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals – Lima, OH 2011

Event: 4-Wheel Jamboree
Venue: Allen County Fairgrounds
Location: Lima, Ohio
Date: May 20th-22nd, 2011
Photographer: Michael Harry

Lineup: Airdog Diesel (Michelle Simpson), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Chalkboard Chuck (Dave Rife), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16 (Dan Runte), General Tire (Chris Bergeron), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Samson (Dan Patrick), Star Marshal (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

TMB TV: ActionTracks Episode 2.6 – Lima, OH 2011 Part 1

Event: 4-Wheel Jamboree
Venue: Allen County Fairgrounds
Location: Lima, Ohio
Date: May 20th-22nd, 2011
Videographer: Chris Parrish, Randy Barton

Lineup: Airdog Diesel (Michelle Simpson), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Chalkboard Chuck (Dave Rife), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16 (Dan Runte), General Tire (Chris Bergeron), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Samson (Dan Patrick), Star Marshal (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals – Springfield, MO 2011

Event: 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals
Venue: Missouri Entertainment & Events Center
Location: Springfield, Missouri
Date: May 14th-15th, 2011
Photographer: Rajeana Bonar

Lineup: Airdog Diesel (Michelle Simpson), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Chalkboard Chuck (Jeff Bursey), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16 (Dan Runte), General Tire (Chris Bergeron), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Star Marshal (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster Nationals – University Park, PA 2011

Event: Monster Nationals
Venue: Bryce Jordan Center
Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
Date: April 2nd, 2011
Photographer: Jason Miller

Lineup: Chalkboard Chuck (Jeff Hatten), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 (Rick Long), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Star Marshal (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

Video of the Week – 04/02/11

Week Ending: April 2nd, 2011
Truck(s) Featured: Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach)
Video Type: Fan Video
Courtesy: www.YouTube.com

Description: Greg Winchenbach in Crushstation dominated the Monster Nationals tour stop in University Park, Pennsylvania, winning both wheelie/donut and freestyle competitions. Seen here is an incredible donut contest effort from the “Monstah Lobstah”.

Video of the Week – 03/19/11

Week Ending: March 19th, 2011
Truck(s) Featured: Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), Shell Camino (Shelley Kujat)
Video Type: Fan Video
Courtesy: www.YouTube.com

Description: Greg Winchenbach in Crushstation was going hard after a win in a race versus Shelley Kujat in Shell Camino when the truck flopped over onto its lid. Wild ride for the “Monstah Lobstah” in Utica, New York!

Video of the Week – 02/05/11

Week Ending: February 5th, 2011
Truck(s) Featured: Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 (Rick Long), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman)
Video Type: Promoter Highlight Video
Courtesy: www.YouTube.com

Description: While it may be one of the smallest venues in monster trucks, the Champaign, Illinois Assembly Hall never fails to produce some wild action. Watch as Crushstation performs some massive “lobstah tail” wheelies, Raminator throws down some high powered freestyle and Bigfoot takes yet another racing victory!

TMB TV: Highlights – Monster X Tour – Cincinnati, OH 2011

Event: Monster X Tour
Venue: US Bank Arena
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Date: January 7th-8th, 2011
Videographer: Colby Marshall

Lineup: Bearfoot (Chris Guzman), Black Knight (“Hillbilly”), Bounty Hunter (Ben Winslow), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), El Bandito (Brian Kiehne), Ghost Ryder (Larry Quick) [Read more…]

Monster Photos – Monster X Tour – Cincinnati, OH 2011

Event: Monster X Tour
Venue: US Bank Arena
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Date: January 7th-8th, 2011
Photographer: Ross Z. Bonar

Lineup: Bearfoot (Chris Guzman), Black Knight (“Hillbilly”), Bounty Hunter (Ben Winslow), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), El Bandito (Brian Kiehne), Ghost Ryder (Larry Quick) [Read more…]

TMB TV Episode 3.9 – Summer Odyssey

Events:  Monster Truck Mayhem & All Star Monster Truck Tour
Venues:  Spud Speedway & Vermont State Fairgrounds
Locations:  Caribou, Maine & Rutland, Vermont
Dates: July 9th-10th, 2010 & July 16th-17th, 2010
Host: Ross Z. Bonar
Videographers: Kaedon Berry, Ross Z. Bonar

Lineup:  Backdraft (Jeremy Slifko), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), Eradicator (Andy Slifko), Razin Kane (Chris Lagana), Screamin Demon (Dave Waple), War Eagle (Mike Barnes) [Read more…]

Introducing Monster-Merch.com

Along with the debut of the all new TheMonsterBlog.com today, the TMB staff is very excited to introduce you to Monster-Merch.com. Monster Merch will be your source to find some of the best independent monster truck team merchandise online. TMB is launching Monster Merch as a vehicle for teams to promote and market their merchandise on one of the most visited monster truck websites online.

The difference between Monster Merch and other past monster truck merchandise ventures in that the goal is simply to connect fans with the teams themselves. Each team or organization has its own individual store on Monster-Merch.com, allowing fans to purchase directly through the teams themselves. Teams collect payment through their own Paypal accounts and ship orders directly to purchasers.

As we launch Monster-Merch.com today, we are proud to introduce our first two featured organizations – Greg Winchenbach’s Crushstation monster truck and TheMonsterBlog.com itself. These two stores are now online at Monster-Merch.com and you can start buying great t-shirts, hats, hero cards, decals and more from these two great organizations.

Purchasing through Monster-Merch.com is the best way for you fans to support your favorite independent teams and organizations – check out each individual online store by visiting Monster-Merch.com and get your MONSTER MERCH today!

TMB TV Episode 3.8 – Montreal, Quebec

Event:  Monster Spectacular
Venue:  Olympic Stadium
Location:  Montreal, Quebec
Date:  October 23rd, 2010
Host:  Ross Z. Bonar
Videographers:  Colby Marshall, Ross Z. Bonar

Lineup:  Aftershock (Bob Robbins), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Bad Habit (Joe Sylvester), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), California Kid (Garrett Ladelle), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), Illuminator (Jay Snyder), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Krazy Train (Roger Cardot), Ms. Bigfoot #11 (Amber Walker), Red Baron (Ben Winslow), Rock Star (Bill Payne) [Read more…]

Montreal Monster Spectacular – The Doug De Nance Report

(Recap By Doug De Nance) “X marks the spot! While that might be a line out of pirate legends, the legend of monster trucks in Canada, Chris Arel made a new high water mark with a monstrous X in Montreal’s Monster Spectacular show that brought out top media reporters like Ross Bonar of TheMonsterBlog.com to report first hand on this incredible event.

The X in question was in the middle of the most unique monster truck racing course ever seen on this continent. The giant floor of the Olympic Stadium was laid out in a huge dirt oval with an X made of up two distinct school bus jumps criss-crossing through the center. To top it off, the trucks would have to race this challenging course side by side.

And what a slate of trucks there were to take on this incredible track. Fourteen of the top trucks on the planet had been assembled for one night in front of 45,000 fans. Just listen to the names: Bounty Hunter, Avenger, Black Stallion, Miss Bigfoot, Bad Habit, Rock Star, Brutus, Aftershock, plus the newest star in monster trucks, the Chris Arel The Red Baron truck and many more all came with guns a blazin’ and engines roaring.

The night began with all 14 trucks pitted in a wheelie contest, hitting the car stacks on either side of the oval portion of the track. It was such rapid fire action that the Big O looked like a Saturday afternoon traffic jam at the local mall – except every vehicle was a monster truck. Like a three ring circus, there was so much air-born action it was hard to keep track as truck after truck soared vertical. Despite many incredible wheelies, Jay Snyder and Illuminator lit up the judge’s scorecards for the win with a 12 o’clock tail stand on the cars that sent him crashing to the concrete like a giant redwood under the lumberjack’s axe.

Racing was exactly what was predicted by the incredible track – wild and crazy. The tacky clay dirt caused many trucks to hook up extra hard. Bad Habit found that out the hard way in the very first round of bracket racing, tumbling the truck over and tearing the body completely off and sending Trey Myers and Iron Warrior to the quarter finals. The driver of The Red Baron was a masked mystery coming into the race, but the respect was fast coming as he made Aftershock his first kill of the night. Black Stallion had an easy time of his race as Chris Bergeron took Brutus over an unintended obstacle, one of the Super 4 racing cars that had been abandoned on the side of the track.

The wildest and craziest race of the first bracket series saw the wild man from Washington, Bill Payne and Rock Star matched up against the pretty petite Amber Walker in Miss Bigfoot. Payne had said that this was the final night for the original Rock Star truck as he is busy designing a brand new version from the ground up. That should have been the tip off to Amber Walker that Payne would do what he does the very best – destroy everything in his path. The two trucks were bumper to bumper as they launched off the start line and over the first bus stack through the center X of the track. When they came to the first turn something had to give. So Payne gave it a little extra and ran up the rear tire of Miss Bigfoot, sending Payne up onto his back wheelie bar and Amber Walker wobbling from side to side. Somehow she kept the rubber side down but stalled out. Payne managed to get Rock Star back down to earth upright and finished the lap to move on to the quarter finals.

The story of the Red Baron is the stuff of legend from World War I. But a new legacy to that legend was been written during the subsequent rounds of racing by the unknown driver of the new Red Baron truck. Former world champions like Bounty Hunter and Avenger were expected to be able to adapt to the full contact that this new track created. A racing legend like Mike Vaters in Black Stallion would have been a good bet to make to the finals, but lost out to Jimmy Creten. However, it was the Red Baron astounded all who watched the masked driver win again and again to eventually face Bounty Hunter in the final race.

From a truck perspective, it was a draw. Both trucks were Ford Expeditions with 572 cubic inch engines kicking out more than 1800 horsepower. That wasn’t a surprise since Chris Arel had commissioned Jimmy’s 2Extreme Racing Team to design the new Red Baron truck. So the wild card was unknown track record of the driver of the new truck versus the legendarycompetiveness of Jimmy Creten.

Time seemed to slow down to slow motion as the trucks took off from the starting line. Side by side they launched off the bus stack and into the first turn. The only advantage seemed to be the inside lane as it gave the Red Baron a bumper width lead. It was the thinnest of margins but they say racing is a game of inches. The Red Baron only needed an inch to defeat Bounty Hunter for the racing win.

The Red Baron driver kept the mask on to keep the mystery intact as the trucks headed into freestyle. There was even a red plane as an obstacle that looked tailor made for the racing winner. But Joe Sylvester lived up to his trucks name as the Bad Habit driver tore up everything on the track. Sylvester has set the new world record for the monster truck longest jump in September of this year, sailing the Cadillac 208 feet and besting the 202 foot record held by Bigfoot for many years. Well, Sylvester looked like he was trying to beat his own record as he flew through the air off every obstacle he could hit. While the Red Baron and trucks like Black Stallion, Bounty Hunter and Avenger all had spectacular runs; it was Bad Habit making a habit of rocking freestyle – just like he had done at the Monster Spectacular finals in June.

The mystery of the Red Baron was solved at the conclusion of freestyle as the driver wearing the Mexican wrestler mask took to the mic. The southern charm and soothing accent of Ben “Bobo” Winslow didn’t require the driver to be unmasked to be recognized. The former driver from the Sudden Impact team, who had dazzled fans on the Monster Spectacular tour during the summer, had continued to wow the crowd behind the wheel of the new Red Baron. Winslow looks to fly high in his new ride.

As is always the case with Monster Spectacular, Chris Arel treated fans to much more motorsports entertainment, ranging from autocross with Baja styled racers culminating in a champagne soaked trophy presentation to a street style Super 4 series with supped up 4 cylinder customs to a full contact tough truck battle to welcoming back Kamikaze the jet quad and Felix Famlard and his incredible sport bike freestyle team. Perhaps the biggest treat was the introduction of Arel’s newest venture with Vic Theriault, The Legends of the Fighting Arts. Many stars from the fight game, including Jean-Yves Theriault witnessed the kickoff of the program with awards going to such famous fight names as Michel Jette, JF Bergeron, Regis Levesque and Jacques Rougeau. There will be much more to come next year with Legends of the Fight Arts.

It’s always a sad moment when the crowd has left the building in Montreal in October because it means the last Monster Spectacularshow of the year is over. But the good news is that a new season of Monster Spectacular is just around the corner in 2011. Watch for the biggest monster truck show in Canada to rumble into your area soon.”

A huge thanks to Monster Spectacular Tour Announcer Doug De Nance for another great season of keeping TMB posted on all the happenings with the Monster Spectacular tour!