TMB TV: MT Unlimited 3.9 – Monster Truck Grand Nationals – Pocatello, ID 2012

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Episode Information

Episode: MT Unlimited 3.9
Event: Monster Truck Grand Nationals
Venue: ISU Holt Arena
Location: Pocatello, Idaho
Date: April 21st, 2012
Videographer: Colby Marshall
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Featured Monster Trucks

Greg Adams in “Bar’s Leaks Eliminator”
Larry Swim in “Bigfoot Bad Boy #14”
Darren Migues in “Bounty Hunter”
BJ Johnson in “California Kid”
Corey Schlichler in “Daredevil”
Larry Quick in “Ghost Ryder”
Zach Adams in “Rislone Defender”
Bill Payne in “Rock Star”
Rob French in “Twisted Dragon”
Chris Rogers in “Wildfire”
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Featured Links

www.2XtremeRacing.com
www.Bigfoot4x4.com
www.CheckeredFlagProductions.com
www.E3SparkPlugs.com
www.QuickMotorsports.com
www.StraightUpRacing.com
www.TrukWurksOffRoad.com
www.WildfireMotorsports.com
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BIGFOOT’s Larry Swim Wins Third CFP Monster Truck Winter Nationals Title

(Hazelwood, MO – BIGFOOT PR) – The Checkered Flag Productions Monster Truck Winter Nationals indoor racing tour wrapped up this past weekend in Pocatello, Idaho at the ISU Holt Arena and, for the third time in four seasons, Team BIGFOOT driver Larry Swim and BIGFOOT Bad Boy #16 walked away as the Series Champion.

Over the course of the 2012 season, more than 20 different teams, trucks, and drivers battled for the right to qualify for the annual Monster Truck Grand Nationals in Pocatello. Part of the field in Pocatello is traditionally reserved for teams that have run the bulk of the 12+ week tour, while the other part of the field is an “invitation only” arrangement, in which trucks that competed well on the tour earlier in the season but did not compete the entire tour are invited to compete for the event win, but not the title itself. So, with a field stacked full of championship contenders and high-powered spoilers, Swim and the BIGFOOT Team had their work cut out for them.

The evening’s race track, featuring a tight 180-degree U-turn, favored the smaller wheelbase trucks in attendance, and, it is worth noting, the bulk of the trucks in the field were considered to be long-wheelbase machines, including Swim’s BIGFOOT #16. This did not stop Swim from marching through the brackets far enough to clinch the 2012 Winter Nationals racing title and the large trophy that goes with it. Although Swim did not capture a win in the final round of eliminations, his string of victories in each event leading up to the Grand Nationals all but secured his place as season champion. Swim would wrap up the night with a stellar freestyle despite the fact that most of the freestyle obstacles had already been smashed into oblivion. And, perhaps most impressive of all, Swim drove #16 off the track under its own power without any significant damage, a feat most drivers that night failed to accomplish!

Larry Swim picked up his third Monster Truck Winter Nationals in four years after a great performance in Pocatello!

“This is what we race for. This is why we try to make every pass count every weekend,” said Swim in a post-race interview. “This is why every guy back in our shop works his tail off every week, why our fleet maintenance guys make sure my hauler covers every mile to every show, and why myself and my pit crew check every inch of this truck over before every run. Everything counts. That’s why we get to head back to St. Louis with this trophy and the bragging rights that go with it. It was a team effort getting to this point, and so this trophy is for our team!”

By winning his third career championship in Pocatello, Swim helped raise Team BIGFOOT’s championship count to a mind-boggling 32, a feat completely unmatched in the monster truck industry. This title also marks the first time a driver other than Dan Runte has piloted the team’s BIGFOOT #16 truck to a championship, as Swim (in his first year driving #16) is the only other driver on the team to have piloted the truck for a complete racing season.

Swim elaborated some on that fact: “Dan and the guys at the shop have had their hands full getting Dan’s new truck (BIGFOOT #18) dialed in, on top of helping to keep the rest of the fleet fixed up and running. So I am very grateful to Dan and the guys in the shop for helping me with the transition from #14 into #16. I think a lot of fans might just assume the rest of us drivers are left to fend for ourselves when a new truck like #18 comes into the mix, but that’s definitely not the case. Every truck receives equal attention, and, because of that, it is possible for three of our trucks to win three different championships this winter!”

Swim added “I just want to say ‘thanks’ to all the fans, all of my team, my wonderful wife Susan, and my kids. I couldn’t have done it without any of them. They’re awesome!”

BIGFOOT #16 and Swim will now catch a very brief breather before heading into the outdoor season, which for him will consist of a variety of event types including races, freestyle exhibitions, and sponsor appearances for Firestone and Summit Racing Equipment, among others. To follow Larry and his teammates, log on to the team’s online home at www.Bigfoot4x4.com to view a complete online schedule. You can also check-out news updates, photos, videos, and an all-new online store!

Monster Truck Radio 04/16/12 – Larry Swim, Larry Quick & Rob French

Monster Truck Radio With Host Ross Z. Bonar
Date: Monday, April 16th, 2012
Guest #1: Larry Swim, driver of Bigfoot Bad Boy #16
Guest #2: Larry Quick, driver of Ghost Ryder
Guest #3: Rob French, driver of Formula 1-noni Iron Horse [Read more…]

Video of the Week – 04/23/11

Week Ending: April 23rd, 2011
Truck(s) Featured: Rock Star (Bill Payne)
Video Type: Fan Video
Courtesy: www.YouTube.com

Description: Absolutely incredible start to Rock Star’s freestyle in Pocatello, Idaho before an unfortunate rollover ends the night early for Bill Payne.

Devin Jones Wins First Series Championship In Barbarian

Another Monster Truck Winter Nationals season is now behind us, but there is a new face hoisting the big trophy as Devin Jones and Barbarian is the 2011 Champion. This represents the first series title for the young man from Miami, Oklahoma and breaks the hold that Team BIGFOOT and driver Larry Swim have had on the championship for the last two years.

 

The ISU Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho is the site for the annual Monster Truck Grand Nationals finale.

The battle would come down to the Monster Truck Grand Nationals finale at Pocatello, Idaho’s ISU Holt Arena where a sold out crowd of over 14,000 people would witness the title bout. Only three drivers would remain in contention for the points title as Swim and the Bigfoot Bad Boy, Jones and Barbarian and Bill Payne in Rock Star would compete with fellow season long points competitor Garrett Ladelle in California Kid.

The lineup would also include such superstars as Bounty Hunter, Titan, Amsoil Shock Therapy, Iron Outlaw and Excaliber, though those five trucks would not be playing the role of spoiler as in years past. The decision was made by CFP officials to have the four points trucks race and freestyle only against each other, and to have the other 5 trucks race in a separate bracket and then close the night with multi-truck freestyles.

The championship racing bracket started out wild as Bill Payne in Rock Star navigated the tight u-turn quickest and took down Devin Jones in Barbarian. A frightening moment would occur in the next race as Bigfoot Bad Boy lost a left front tire upon landing at the finish in his first round defeat of California Kid. The loose tire would careen towards the pit area and impact the arena wall with incredible force before bouncing to a stop. Thankfully the tire impacted in an area of the pits where no track or crew personnel were standing.

The breakage would unfortunately be terminal for the BIGFOOT team, leaving Larry Swim on the sidelines for the remainder of the event and ending his chance at a three-peat. With Swim unable to meet Rock Star in the finals, CFP officials made the call to bring back Devin Jones and Barbarian. Jones would have one more shot at Payne, but the result would be the same the second time around as Payne would pilot Rock Star to the racing victory. In the non-championship bracket, it was Darren Migues in Bounty Hunter picking up the racing victory.

With the remaining title contenders having finished 1-2 in racing, it would all come down to freestyle. Knowing he had no choice but to win, Devin roared onto the floor in Barbarian and proceeded to lay down one of his best runs of the year, with big air, slap wheelies and a wild finishing move that saw Jones attempt to crossthread a bus, only to roll backwards onto his lid. Jones had set the bar very high for Ladelle and Payne to try and beat.

After a solid run that was cut a short with breakage for Garrett Ladelle in California Kid, Rock Star fired up and Bill Payne readied to do what he does best – wow the crowd with an incredible freestyle. Payne started the run with one great wow moment, but on the second hit trouble struck as a bad bounce would send Rock Star onto its lid much too early. The 2-hit effort would only be good enough for third in freestyle, handing the championship to Devin Jones in Barbarian.

 

Devin Jones & Barbarian, the 2011 Monster Truck Winter Nationals Champion.

For the young independent Devin Jones, the title represents an incredible accomplishment for the small family team out of Miami, Oklahoma. After acquiring the old leaf sprung Road Rage machine in 2005, Devin quickly proved to be a natural talent, competing and even winning in a wildly out of date chassis. Bucking the trend in the industry of purchasing a pre-built chassis, Devin and his father set to work in 2006 on building a custom chassis that was made ready for the start of the 2007 season. Ever since, there has been nothing but impressive performances and big wins for the Barbarian.

This year’s title is an exclamation point on what has been an incredible start to this young driver’s career. The accomplishment is made so much more impressive when you consider that this championship has been held for the last 4 years by the multi-truck teams of BIGFOOT and Sudden Impact Racing – in 2011, it was a young man and his father from Miami, Oklahoma who did it their way, beating the big money teams with nothing but hard work and pure talent.

TheMonsterBlog.com congratulates our good friend Devin Jones on his 2011 Monster Truck Winter Nationals Championship!

Video of the Week – 04/16/11

Week Ending: April 16th, 2011
Truck(s) Featured: Bigfoot Bad Boy #11 (Larry Swim), California Kid (Garrett Ladelle)
Video Type: Fan Video
Courtesy: www.YouTube.com

Description: A tire breaks lose from Larry Swim’s Bigfoot Bad Boy #11 during the CFP Grand Nationals in Pocatello, Idaho. While Larry would win the race against California Kid, the broken tire would put him out of competition for the night.

TMB TV Episode 2.5 – Pocatello, ID

Event:  Monster Truck Grand Nationals
Venue:  ISU Holt Arena
Location:  Pocatello, Idaho
Date:  April 4th, 2009
Host:  Ross Z. Bonar
Videographer:  Colby Marshall

Lineup:  Amsoil Shock Therapy (Jon Zimmer), Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 (Larry Swim), Equalizer (Mike Hawkins), Excaliber (Tim Missentzis), Hot Tamale (Isaiah Morales), Miss Behavin (Teri Olson), Rock Star (Bill Payne) [Read more…]

TMB TV Episode 1.1 – Pocatello, ID

Event:  Monster Truck Grand Nationals
Venue:  ISU Holt Arena
Location:  Pocatello, Idaho
Date:  April 5th, 2008
Host:  Ross Z. Bonar
Videographer:  Rajeana Bonar

Lineup:  Bigfoot #11 (Jerry Dalton), Dragonfly (Mark Foulk), Firestone Bigfoot #15 (Rick Long), High Anxiety (Christopher Roy), Shell Camino (Shelley Kujat), Twisted Dragon (Rob French), Sudden Impact (Kevin King), Traxxas T-Maxx (Sean Duhon), Unforgiven II (Josh Patterson) [Read more…]