Monster Photos: Monster Jam – St. Louis, MO 2012

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Edward Jones Dome
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Date: February 4th, 2012
Photographer: Danny Maass

Lineup: Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), El Toro Loco (Becky McDonough), Grave Digger (Carl Van Horn), Grinder (John Seasock), Ice Cream Man (Scott Sweat), Incinerator (Ryan Rice), Iron Man (Lee O’Donnell), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Metal Mulisha (Todd Leduc), Monster Energy (Damon Bradshaw), Monster Magic (Bryan Wright), Razin Kane (JR McNeal), Scarlet Bandit (Dawn Creten), Stone Crusher (Steve Sims), Tasmanian Devil (Taryn Laskey)
[Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster Jam – St. Louis, MO 2012

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Edward Jones Dome
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Date: February 4th, 2012
Photographer: Ross Z. Bonar

Lineup: Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), El Toro Loco (Becky McDonough), Grave Digger (Carl Van Horn), Grinder (John Seasock), Ice Cream Man (Scott Sweat), Incinerator (Ryan Rice), Iron Man (Lee O’Donnell), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Metal Mulisha (Todd Leduc), Monster Energy (Damon Bradshaw), Monster Magic (Bryan Wright), Razin Kane (JR McNeal), Scarlet Bandit (Dawn Creten), Stone Crusher (Steve Sims), Tasmanian Devil (Taryn Laskey)
[Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster Jam – Cincinnati, OH 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Paul Brown Stadium
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Date: July 23rd, 2011
Photographer: Paul M. Harry

Lineup: Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Backdraft (Jeremy Slifko), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Captain’s Curse (Alex Blackwell), El Toro Loco (Marc MacDonald), Grave Digger (Dennis Anderson), Grinder (Lupe Soza), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Monster Mutt (Rod Schmidt), Son Uva Digger (Ryan Anderson) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster Jam – Philadelphia, PA 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Date: June 4th, 2011
Photographer: Jason Miller

Lineup: Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Backdraft (Jeremy Slifko), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Captain’s Curse (Alex Blackwell), El Toro Loco (Marc MacDonald), Grave Digger (Charlie Pauken), Grave Digger The Legend (Adam Anderson), Grinder (Lupe Soza), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Monster Mutt (Carl Van Horn) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster Jam – St. Louis, MO 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Edward Jones Dome
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Date: February 19th, 2011
Photographer: Chris Parrish

Lineup: Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Avenger (Jim Koehler), El Toro Loco (Chuck Werner), Grave Digger (Dennis Anderson), Grinder (Lupe Soza), Gun Slinger (Scott Hartsock), High Maintenance (Jocelyn Perrin), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Neil Elliott), Mohawk Warrior (George Balhan), Superman (Chad Fortune), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

Monster Photos – Monster Jam – Indianapolis, IN 2011

Monster Jam made its annual visit to downtown Indianapolis last weekend as 14 trucks competed in racing and freestyle at the beautiful new palace that is Lucas Oil Stadium. Fittingly, it was Monster Jam driver Linsey Weenk who took the big racing win in Feld’s new Lucas Oil sponsored truck, the Crusader. Freestyle would see strong runs from several drivers but when defending Freestyle World Champion Charlie Pauken is on his game, there is no stopping the Grave Digger as Chuckie took the big win.

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TMB was out in force for the big event in Indy as Chris Parrish, Paul Harry and Michael Harry were all shooting photos. Check out the links below to see all of their great work and a big thanks to all the guys for their efforts!

Photos By Chris Parrish

Photos By Paul M. Harry

Photos By Michael Harry

Monster Photos – Monster Jam – Indianapolis, IN 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Date: January 29th, 2011
Photographer: Michael Harry

Lineup: Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Bad Habit (Joe Sylvester), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Dragon’s Breath (Becky McDonough), Grave Digger (Charlie Pauken), Ground Pounder (Chris Ryan), Iron Outlaw (Ben Winslow), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Michigan Ice Monster (Chris Lagana), Rap Attack (Dave Rappach), Superman (Chad Fortune) [Read more…]

Monster Photos – Monster Jam – Indianapolis, IN 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Date: January 29th, 2011
Photographer: Paul M. Harry

Lineup: Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Bad Habit (Joe Sylvester), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Dragon’s Breath (Becky McDonough), Grave Digger (Charlie Pauken), Ground Pounder (Chris Ryan), Iron Outlaw (Ben Winslow), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Michigan Ice Monster (Chris Lagana), Rap Attack (Dave Rappach), Superman (Chad Fortune) [Read more…]

Monster Photos – Monster Jam – Indianapolis, IN 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Date: January 29th, 2011
Photographer: Chris Parrish

Lineup: Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Bad Habit (Joe Sylvester), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Dragon’s Breath (Becky McDonough), Grave Digger (Charlie Pauken), Ground Pounder (Chris Ryan), Iron Outlaw (Ben Winslow), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Michigan Ice Monster (Chris Lagana), Rap Attack (Dave Rappach), Superman (Chad Fortune) [Read more…]

Monster Photos – Monster Jam – San Diego, CA 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Qualcomm Stadium
Location: San Diego, California
Date: January 22nd, 2011
Photographer: Susan Clemens Woolley, www.123EventPhotography.com

Lineup: Avenger (Jim Koehler), Batman (Norm Miller), Blue Thunder (Todd Leduc), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), El Toro Loco (Marc MacDonald), Grave Digger (Chad Tingler), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Kreg Christensen), Monster Mutt (Joe Miller), Obsessed (Rick Swanson), Obsession (Jeff Jones), Shocker (Pat Gerber), Spike (Rich Hilgendorf), Superman (Chad Fortune), Terminator (Gary Schott), The Felon (Mark Schroeder), Time Flys (Kelvin Ramer), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

TMB’s “Road to the World Finals” Returns for 5th Season

One of our most popular features each year on TheMonsterBlog.com is back for 2011, as we once again rank drivers week to week in our “Road to the World Finals” Unofficial Point Standings. Fans always wonder exactly how USHRA selects its 24 competitors for the annual Monster Jam World Finals, and so do we. We also often wonder just how all the drivers stack up against each other throughout, and at the end of the year. Without a national points system for the Monster Jam series, it is awfully hard to do so as they often run events in up to 10-15 different venues in a single weekend. So for the 5th year in a row, TMB will be operating our “Road to the World Finals” unofficial point standings for the Monster Jam series based straight from results available at MonsterJam.com. This is our way of ranking the drivers based on their performance throughout the season and gives us a good idea of which drivers have earned a spot in the World Finals, whether they ultimately end up being selected or not.

If you didn’t follow along last year, we’re sure that you have many questions about how we put this together: How does it work? Which events are we including? How are the points awarded? etc. At the bottom of each week’s update, you’ll see the detailed rationale and explanation that should answer most of these questions. Last year, Tom Meents edged out Dennis Anderson in one of the closest point battles we’ve ever seen, eclipsing Dennis by less than 5 points. Who will be tops in 2011? Follow along and let’s find out together!

So far in the 2011 season, the battle for the #1 spot is shaping up to once again be the Dennis and Tom show, with Anderson having the edge after Week 1. Anderson’s huge double down in Houston has him out front over Meents, who picked up a freestyle win in Detroit but was eliminated in the semi-finals of racing. Big performances from Gary Porter and Carl Van Horn in Columbus and Trenton, each winning 5 of a possible 6 competitions has them in the mix as well, tied for third overall with Linsey Weenk in the new Lucas Oil Crusader stemming from his strong performance in Houston.

The legendary Dennis Anderson has the #1 spot after a Double Down performance in Houston.

The battle for the last spot has yet to take shape after only one week of competition as thirteen drivers are currently tied for the 21st overall position. Once a couple weeks of the season are in the books, we’ll have a better picture of who is earning a shot at the World Finals in 2011.

Check out the Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings after Week 1 below:

Here is how points were scored in this week’s Elite Level events:

1/8 – Detroit, Michigan

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 20
2nd – Frank Krmel – AAP Grinder – 15
Semi-Finals – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 15
3rd – Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 10
4th – Frank Krmel – AAP Grinder – 5

1/8 – Houston, Texas

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 15
Semi-Finals – Cam McQueen – Nitro Circus – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Lupe Soza – AAP Grinder – 15
3rd – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 10
4th – Chris Bergeron – Brutus – 5

For results from Normal Level events, check out the 2011 Results Tracker January 7th-9th Weekend Results page (drivers earn 5 points for a racing or freestyle win).

Keep following TMB’s “Road to the World Finals” for all the results and current standings each week. Keep in mind this is all unofficial and is just for fun and enjoy as we track the Monster Jam series all the way to the World Finals in March!

About TMB’s Road to the World Finals:

For some time, fans across the country have wondered why the USHRA does not run a public points system of some kind for their Monster Jam series. We are included in the group that would love to be able to follow the standings of such a series each week. We are of the belief that a berth in the Monster Jam World Finals should be earned based on performance throughout the year in both racing and freestyle. Regardless of what portion of the monster truck industry you favor, there is no denying that the Monster Jam World Finals is the biggest and highest profile event our sport has to offer. A chance to compete at this event is a big deal for many drivers out there, and it is our opinion that they should be able to earn their way in. We’re not saying that Feld Motorsports doesn’t pick the World Finalists based on performance currently–we’re simply saying that we don’t know how they make up the field because the process isn’t made public.

So with that in mind, we have created an UNOFFICIAL points system that is simple (although it may seem complicated) and that rewards performance in all Monster Jam events across the country leading up to the World Finals. In our Standings, we will show the cut-off after the 24th truck, indicating that IF entry to the World Finals was based SOLELY on performance, these are the drivers that would be headed to Las Vegas. Keep in mind that this is just for fun and has no actual bearing on the selection of World Finals participants. See below for a breakdown of our points system and our rationale for the decisions we made in creating it.

Elite Level Events

What is an Elite Level event? We define an Elite Monster Jam event as any with a field of 12 of more trucks. We have chosen to award these events the highest amount of points, because these are the highest profile Monster Jam events. These events are the ones held in the major stadiums in front of the biggest crowds, some of which are even televised on SPEED. It is our belief that performance in the highest profile shows should be weighted most heavily toward a World Finals berth because these events are most similar to the World Finals itself. The most points any one driver can score in an Elite Level event (and thus in any event) is 40. If an event meeting all of this criteria holds 3 or more shows over the course of a single weekend, the points for each show are worth half of what is listed below.

Racing Finish – Points Awarded

1st – 20
2nd – 15
Semi-Finals – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Points Awarded

1st – 20
2nd – 15
3rd – 10
4th – 5

Normal Level Events

What is a Normal Level show? The majority of Monster Jam events held around the country are Normal Level shows. These events are typically held in smaller arenas around the country, consisting of multiple shows held over the course of the weekend (anywhere from 2-5), with fields of anywhere from 5-8 trucks. Looking at the points awarded for these shows, you will notice they are much less than the upper levels. We equate the significance level of an entire 4 show weekend of Normal Level events with the significance of one Elite Level show–thus, the maximum points a driver can earn in a weekend at a Normal Level event is 40 (this based on the usual maximum # of shows being 4 (Tacoma being the exception with 5), and an available 10 points per show (10×4=40)).

Racing Finish – Points Awarded

1st – 5

Freestyle Finish – Points Awarded

1st – 5

CP Action Art Cincinnati Monster Jam Photos

TheMonsterBlog.com continues to bring you coverage from this past weekend’s incredible Monster Jam debut at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. You’ve seen all of Paul Harry’s great shots from the event, now Chris Parrish is bringing you all the action from another angle. Check out the link below to see all of Chris’s awesome shots and don’t forget to check out his personal site, www.CPActionArt.com.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CHRIS PARRISH’S CINCINNATI MONSTER JAM PHOTOS

Monster Jam – Cincinnati, OH – 07/10/10

Event:  Monster Jam
Venue:  Paul Brown Stadium
Location:  Cincinnati, Ohio
Date:  July 10th, 2010
Photographer:  Chris Parrish, www.CPActionArt.com

Lineup:  Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Blue Thunder (Linsey Weenk), El Matador (Daron Basl), Grave Digger (Dennis Anderson), Grinder (Lupe Soza), King Krunch (David Smith), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Mopar Magic (Chris Baker), Spiderman (Ryan Anderson), Stone Crusher (Steve Sims), Taz (Adam Anderson), War Wizard (Randy Moore) [Read more…]

Cincinnati Monster Jam Photo Gallery

TMB’s Paul Harry was back at it this weekend as Monster Jam invaded Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, OH for the first time!! A stacked field of 12 trucks competed in racing and freestyle with the legend, Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger winning racing and son Ryan in Spiderman taking freestyle.

Click the link below to see all 12 trucks in action through Paul’s awesome shots from the event, a big thanks to Paul for everything he does for all of us here at TMB.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAUL HARRY’S CINCINNATI, OH MONSTER JAM PHOTOS

Monster Jam – Cincinnati, OH – 07/10/10

Event:  Monster Jam
Venue:  Paul Brown Stadium
Location:  Cincinnati, Ohio
Date:  July 10th, 2010
Photographer:  Paul M. Harry

Lineup: Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Blue Thunder (Linsey Weenk), El Matador (Daron Basl), Grave Digger (Dennis Anderson), Grinder (Lupe Soza), King Krunch (David Smith), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Mopar Magic (Chris Baker), Spiderman (Ryan Anderson), Stone Crusher (Steve Sims), Taz (Adam Anderson), War Wizard (Randy Moore) [Read more…]