Countdown to the Silverdome Q&A – Ben Winslow

One week from now monster trucks will return to one of the most historically significant venues in the history of the sport as the Pontiac Silverdome hosts the 1st Annual Monster Truck Fall Shootout!! 11 trucks are scheduled to compete in racing and freestyle including Bounty Hunter, Raminator, Tail Gator, Virginia Giant, War Wagon, Big Dawg, Rammunition, Shell Camino, Bar’s Leaks Eliminator, Airborne Ranger and Rislone Defender.

The return of the Silverdome has been one of the biggest and best stories of 2010 and TMB is excited to return for our 10th and final episode of TMB TV Season 3. We’ll cover all the action with three camera angles and two huge photo galleries. With tickets at only $13 at www.SilverdomeTickets.com, this event will surely be one of the best values of the year.

As we countdown the days of this final week leading up to the big event, we’ll interview one of the big personalities and get their thoughts on the Monster Truck Fall Shootout. Check back every day for another quick Q&A with one of the event’s big stars!

11/11/10: Q&A w/Ben Winslow | Countdown Status: 2 Days to Go!

TMB: The anticipation is building for this weekend’s Monster Truck Fall Shootout as we are less than two days away from the big event!  Another day closer means TMB speaks to another driver in our Countdown to the Silverdome Q&A series. Today that driver is one who is riding an incredible hot streak entering the weekend after being hired on with 2Xtreme Racing – a giant racing win in Montreal and domination of other events driving Bounty Hunter. Bobo, we’ve just premiered the TMB TV episode from Montreal so the fans have just taken in your great racing victory north of the border. Tell us about this new ride with 2Xtreme Racing.

BW: This is an awesome ride and a great opportunity for me to be working for one of the best in the business, Jimmy Creten. The truck he has given me to drive is incredible, it lands great, runs strong and has tons of horsepower. But you know, along with this gig and having that Bounty Hunter name on the side of the truck comes a lot of pressure. But JC keeps telling me, just do your thing man, do your thing and that’s what I’ve been doing – it’s been working out well so far.

TMB: You bring up a great point there about the pressure – this is a big event and there is no doubt that Bounty Hunter is the headliner. Talk about your feelings on the chance to be in the seat of Bounty Hunter for an event of this magnitude, only a couple days out.

BW: People need to remember, I’ve only been in the seat for about a year and a half so I’ve probably got the least experience out of anyone in the lineup. There is a ton of pressure and I’ve been nervous for like two weeks thinking about this weekend. But it’s an excited nervous because I’ve got a lot of good momentum heading to the Silverdome and with this ride and this chassis, the sky is the limit.

TMB: Now let’s talk about a couple advantages you may have over some of the other drivers in the lineup. First, you have had the opportunity to run in two stadium events in just the last month while a lot of the drivers haven’t done a stadium event in several years. After what you saw in Montreal and down in Mexico, stuff at the Silverdome won’t seem quite as intimidating for you as it might for some of the others.

BW: The truck was working great in Canada and in Mexico, made the finals against Jimmy at both so yeah, that may give me a bit of an edge. You saw it in Montreal, ran smooth in racing and was great for big air and slap wheelies in freestyle.

TMB: The other potential advantage I wanted to get your take on is that, you are the only driver in the lineup who participated in the April event here at the Silverdome. You placed in the top half in freestyle there then and really did a great job. What are your thoughts on that?

BW: I think it may work in my favor having been there in April as I had the chance to really be in awe of the place and appreciate the history of just what we were doing there. This time I can focus on running strong and going after a win, while maybe some of the others get caught up in the awe and nostalgia. Ever since that run in Pontiac too, I’ve really tried to step up my freestyle game so hopefully I can improve on that showing.

TMB: Well Bobo, thanks for taking the time to speak with us as you get ready for the big event this weekend. Last question to finish this up, tell us your strategy in racing and freestyle and who you think your top competition will be.

BW: You can’t count out Mark Hall and Doug Noelke in either competition, Shelley Kujat will be one to watch, she is a cool cat and I just had the chance to run with them up in Canada. Jimmy’s trucks always work real well in Chicago-style so I’ve just got focus on being fast and not making mistakes. For freestyle, I just want to be solid and make every hit count. I may try to plan out the first few moves and see how it goes, then really turn it up and go for it towards the end. However it all works out, it’s going to be a lot of fun.

The Monster Truck Fall Shootout is this Saturday, November 13th – 11 of the nation’s top trucks compete in racing and freestyle at the historic Pontiac Silverdome! Advance tickets are only $13, all fees included at www.SilverdomeTickets.com – get yours now!