Blast From The Past: Anaheim, CA 1989 – “Something Broo-ing”

August 2, 2011 by 12 Comments

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the “Blast from the Past’ blog where I, TMB Videographer Colby Marshall, review classic and especially not-so-classic shows from the glory days of monster truck competition. I’ll be doing this in a light-hearted, playfully sarcastic manner so don’t take offense, and let’s all sit back, have a few laughs and remember the way things used to be.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!! Or, I should say OH MY! Look, its Ken Broo! He welcomes us to “The Big A” in Anaheim for USHRA’s 1989 stop (YouTube would be a good place to look if you want to follow along).

Wait, what the holy heck is that thing?!? Its the legendary Orange Blossom Express monster tank train thing. Joining Ken Broo will be Mike Galloway, who is riding shotgun (assistant conductor?) with Allen Gaines. Ken Broo lets loose the most dispassionate “Oh my.” I have ever heard. This was, of course, half a sentence…”Oh my, I am watching my career circle the toilet with this one.” Mike Galloway jumps down and says “HI KEN!” as they embrace. The gaze into each other’s eyes that they share is just long enough to make me VERY uncomfortable. California being a progressive state and what not, I decide to just move on. In the background, Allen Gaines and the greatest hair in the history of the world climb out onto the tracks of OBE. He perches up there like Poe’s Raven or something. “Nevermore will I be taken seriously for building this abomination”. We find out that there will be two brackets of racing…one with Monster Trucks, the other with Monster Tanks. Winners face each other. (Hold on as I flip my sarcasm switch to the on position) OH YAY! Another of THESE battles. Next…wait…no way…OK, I couldn’t make this up. A train passed my house just as OBE pulls away and Ken Broo sends us to a commercial break. It must be a sign that I chose the right event…

Or maybe not.

We come back from commercial as Mike Galloway attempts to explain the complex braking system on the brand-spanking-new AM/PM Rocket. Apparently, the output shaft feeds into this top loader rear end that has a rotor that spins under a caliper…WHAT THE &%$# ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!? Next, he decides it is time to describe the rear steering system. It turns using an extremely sophisticated toggle switch that is an extremely simple solution to turning the rear tires on these trucks. OK, now my head hurts. A lot. Big truck with big tires crushes small car. All I need to know, Mike.

Ken Broo describes the track next. Now, with the history of events in Anaheim, this is no easy task. Ken decides its time to make a play for the Baseball Tonight staff, and he proceeds to tell us that they start at home plate, race up the foul lines over a set of cars, then turn in center field and go over another set of cars.

Two on, two out in the bottom of the third as Hot Stuff and AM/PM Rocket come to the plate. Debbie Rhoden will take on Jim Ries. Rocket was brand new here, and Debbie Rhoden had fairly recently taken over the Hot Stuff ride. Ken Donat, just off screen, seems to have forgotten his flags this time around. He raises his hands and drops them Pinks-style. Unlike last time we saw him here on the Blast From the Past, he has found a relatively safe spot from which to start the trucks. We are progressing. Debbie Rhoden singles into left field and tears off down the first base line. Jim Ries, having never seen baseball, apparently, heads up the third base line. Rhoden gets all squirly as she trips over the first base bag, and gets it up on two wheels. Ries capitalizes and and heads across the large dirt mound out in, well, center field. Guess I shouldn’t have given ol’ Kenny-boy a hard time about that one, eh? They are about even coming into the final turn, but Ries makes one of the best turns I have ever seen, and takes the win as he crosses the final set.

Wait, wait, wait…looks like I spoke too soon about Ken Broo here. Allow me to bring to you his color commentary contributions to the previous race…

“Whoa.”
“Oh my goodness.”
“Oh my goodness.”
“Oh man.”
“Oh man.”
“Oh my goodness.”

All of this, of course, is going on under Mike Galloway’s ramblings about the race. I wonder if Ken Broo, when he goes home at night after his current job as a sports talk guy in Ohio, goes into a full body shudder and has nightmares of calling these shows.

Well, we go back to the batter’s box, and Bigfoot 7 is lining up against…AM/PM Rocket? Apparently, “The Wrangler” was supposed to race Foot here, but broke or something. You know the Wrangler as High Voltage, which was apparently new for this show, or so I have heard. Either way, we go straight to the Monster Truck final, as Jim “Chuck Norris” Kramer takes on Jim Ries. Those amazing on-screen graphics tell us that Bigfoot 7 weighs in at a svelte 23,000 pounds. Bigfoot 5 would like to have a word with you, Mr. ESPN Tech Director. They take off, with Kramer taking the early lead. However, unlike Bigfoot 4, numero 7 can’t handle the awesomeness that is Jim Kramer, and begins to smoke badly. Kramer, apparently hindered by that pesky not being able to see through the smoke thing, has trouble with the final turn. Ries, on the other hand, makes another epic turn in Rocket. Ries clears the cars and….OUCH!!! He augers the truck right into the side of one of the dirt hills and folds up the front end. I am fairly sure that didn’t buff out. Looks like Ramen noodles for a month for everyone at Golden State, because that has to be a rather pricey repair. We cut to a shot of a smoking Bigfoot 7 (say no to smoking, kids) as the announcers tell us that Kramer won the race. We will address that misconception shortly. But first, we dust off the old VOICE BASSIFIER AND REVERBERATOR 9000 , because it is time for…

KEN BROO’S LIFE LESSON OF THE NIGHT!!!

“There’s a lesson. Never give up, even when, ya know, it doesn’t look great.”

There you have it, folks! KEN BROO’S LIFE LESSON OF THE NIGHT!!!

We go the the replay of the last race. Mike Galloway tells us that “Jim Ries made a good jump.” Only if you like $15,000 repair bills, Mike. He then tells us that they have just received word that The Rocket won that race. Keen Broo is incredulous, wondering how that could be if he…but Galloway cuts him off. You see, Mike guesses the finish line must be at the end of the cars. Wow guys, thanks for that information we could have used, oh I dunno, at the beginning of the darn show! Ugh. Lets just go to the bloody tanks…

We have Ernie Brookins in Trak Attack taking on Phil Tonseth in California Gold. Apparently, California Gold was completed at 3PM that same day. Glad to see USHRA booking trucks on speculation. Galloway runs down the list of specs on Trak Attack, including the Lenco Air Shift transmission. Up in Champaign, Illinois, Tim Hall just smiled. Hi, Tim!!! And, like many of Raminator’s contests, this race wasn’t even close. Cali Gold tries to bunt in a home run hitting contest. Brookins just owns him, but not before darn near endo’ing a tank. No easy task. Tons of smoke fills the inside on Trak Attack, as Ernie lifts the body and asks for some Cheetos and a hot dog.

We shows shots of the crush cars next, as Galloway and Broo make the requisite jokes about the first one being Ken Broo’s rental.

Up to bat next are Bigfoot Fastrax and Orange Blossom Express. RBC himself, Bob Chandler, taking on Allen Gaines. Truly a battle of legends in their respective sports. That said, Allen Gaines isn’t participating in his sport, now is he? No, he has a train…with tank tracks. Maybe Ernie Brookins shared some of what he was enjoying in that last race with Allen, and out of his head popped this idea. Only thing that makes sense to me. Well, here we are, many bags of Cheetos later, and the race begins. Any sense of euphoria for Mr. Gaines quickly turns into an absolute terror. It looks like Bobble head night in Anaheim, and he gets tossed around inside. He appears to have no harness and be sitting on top of a recently-sprung Jack-In-The-Box. OH NO!!! OH NO!!! HIS HEAD FLEW OFF!!! THE MAN’S HEAD FLEW OFF!!! Wait, it was just his helmet. Meanwhile, RBC is way out ahead and, despite some trouble on the last turn, takes an easy victory in this race. Mike Galloway chimes in at this point. “I’ve gotta say Allen Gaines is a winner tonight.” Yep, except for the whole losing thing. The ONLY way that Allen Gaines won tonight is if he has stock in Tylenol or something. I have had some pretty abusive hobbies over the years, but that run had to hurt something fierce in the morning. Lets just go to the tank finals, shall we?

Trak Attack and Bigfoot Fastrax are ready to go. Galloway informs us that both are based on Korean War-vintage M55 Retriever chassis designs…woof. Donat drops the arms and off we go! Immediately, the windshield on Trak Attack fogs up. You are such a hippie, Brookins! Chandler takes a sizable lead, but again has trouble with the final turn. This allows Brookins to groove his way across the final set first, and take a far out win. So, that sets up Teak Attack and Bigfoot 7. AM/PM Rocket is obviously done for the night after that wreck. But wait, it appears that Trak Attack is broken, as well. “Broken”, of course, being slang for arrested for possession. Ken Broo makes the brilliant analogy that this is like the Miss America pageant, where the winner can’t fulfill her duties and the first runner-up takes her place. Ken, I know both Jim Kramer and Bob Chandler. And, while they are fantastic guys and great minds, I swear that if either of them ever won Miss America, I would go ahead and immigrate to Tajikistan.

So, we have an all-Bigfoot final round. RBC pinch hitting for Brookins, taking on Kramer, who is pinch running for Ries. Next is the swimsuit competition. Kramer absolutely eats Chandler alive on the start line, as RBC takes a break to count his millions of dollars from inventing a sport. Despite this, Chandler makes a great run of it, catching up with Jim Kramer. Little known fact about Jim Kramer is that he was born in a log cabin that he built with his own two hands. (Thank you to Mrs. Kramer for that one) It is a close race at the line, with Galloway saying he thought Fastrax took it. Jim Kramer throws his hands up, asking a track official who won the race. He knows…

Its Bigfoot 7 taking the win by the slightest of margins. RBC springs forth from out of nowhere to shake Jim Kramer’s hand. Seriously, he just sort of appeared with some Matrix-style move straight on to the left front of 7. Probably the most impressive move of the night. Ken Broo sends us away, informing us that this was a presentation of Bud Sports through the facilities of ESPN…but that is not watch grabs my attention. No, that honor goes to the Roman numerals telling us the year of broadcast…MCMLXXXVIIII?

Oh, Mr. ESPN Tech Director? Your middle school social studies teacher would like to review your Roman numerals answers with you.

Well, off to the TV station for another day of work for yours truly. Until next time, OLD SCHOOL RULES!!!

Filed Under: Blast From The Past Blog, Feature Articles, Featured News, News Tagged With: , , ,

The Allen Report: WGAS Monster Truck Tour – Del Mar/Pomona, CA 2011

July 12, 2011 by 3 Comments

(Coverage By Christopher Allen, Photos By Jim Allen)

The 4th of July is always an important date on the modern calendar and monster trucks are about as American as they come. That is why six of the best monsters this side of the Mississippi River arrived for the annual show at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, California, followed by the KaBoom show at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. The six combatants are Jimmy Creten and Bounty Hunter, Darren Migues in Iron Outlaw and the father and son duo Rick and Eric Swanson in Obsession and Obsessed. Kelvin Ramer drove Time Flys while Hog Wild ride truck owner Bob Johnson and Chris Etchison shared driving duties in Fired Up.

For three days and two shows a day, the monsters made the Chevrolet Del Mar Arena their stomping grounds. The first day saw decent efforts, but Jimmy Creten had his cyclones down pat and took both shows that day. Business picked up tremendously on the second day when Darren announced through amazing runs that he would lay down to no one, his teammate included. With just a few points separating the two halves of 2Xtreme Racing, the final day saw sold out shows in both the afternoon and evening. In the end, the win was awarded to the Bounty Hunter, having a perfect six-for-six record to wrap up the Del Mar shows for another year.

Independence Day was celebrated with exactly those same monsters at the packed Fairplex in Pomona. The show opened with the high-flying, death-defying Freestyle Motocross riders, including Nikki Danielson and Jimmy Fitzpatrick of the famous Metal Mulisha doing what they do best, despite a close encounter with Mother Nature’s fury. Roundy-Round racing saw Eric Swanson in Obsessed take down Fired Up, but the end for him in racing came when Iron Outlaw, who had knocked off Time Flys, defeated him to take on Bounty Hunter in the finals. Jimmy Creten crossed the finish line first, but in the process, he hit a turning pole handing the win to Migues in Iron Outlaw. However, even that could not stop him from literally jumping over his own team truck to finish freestyle. As always, fireworks closed the incredible KaBoom event.

During the weekend, Kelvin Ramer said he is building a yet to be named third truck that, like Time Flys, will be a 1934 Ford Coupe. However, the body will be roofless and the nose will be slanted banana style. Until next time, thank you for reading, enjoy Jim Allen’s great photos, and a big thanks to John Borba and WGAS Motorsports for their hospitality. Cheer on!

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Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, The Allen Report Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monster Truck Legend Dan Patrick Announces Retirement, Names New Driver of Samson

June 1, 2011 by 4 Comments

The trademark rippling muscles that radiate the immense power of the iconic SAMSON monster truck will soon be under the control of a new master. Dan Patrick, one of the most respected names in the monster truck industry for both his driving and fabrication skills, will be hanging up the driver’s suit at the end of 2011. Dan has been involved in the industry and piloting the SAMSON monster truck for over 20 years. In addition, Dan has been involved in motorsports for over 40 years, virtually his entire life. Dan Patrick and the Samson truck have had quite an impact in the industry and selection of a new driver was no easy task.

As Dan contemplated stepping out of Samson, he was posed with the question of who would pilot the famous muscled truck. After considering many different options, it came to his attention that his youngest daughter, Allison Patrick, 26, was interesting in trying to reel in the powerful beast. “I had heard from everybody else that she wanted to drive,” said Patrick. “So last year I asked her, ‘Do you want to drive?’ and she said “Yeah!” Apparently, she wanted to show me that she was a better driver than me. I thought, we’ll that’s a pretty good challenge, so we’ll see what we’ve got there.”

Allison, 26, is a registered nurse in the ICU unit at a local hospital in Circleville and is looking forward to the challenge. “There’s no way I can fill his shoes, but I’m going to try,” says the new Samson pilot. “I’m just going to go with it. I’ve been around monster trucks since I was three, I’ve always wanted to drive the truck, but the timing was never right. Finally, the time just kind of clicked. With everything else going on…I guess I kind of live a double life now.”

Working the intense daily schedule of a full-time registered nurse, Allison has the necessary scheduling flexibility available to allow her to pursue her new endeavors in the monster truck world as well while maintaining her nursing position. “I only work 3 days, but it is 12 hour days. I want to stay full time as long as possible, but I’ll probably have to go part time eventually.”

Legendary monster truck figure Dan Patrick is ready to turn the driver's seat over to his daughter Allison for the 2012 season and beyond.

When asking Dan about potential hurdles in teaching a new driver, Patrick stated, “It will be a challenge, because she’s got the old man’s attitude, and that’s usually not a good one. I’m hoping that she’ll generally do what I say, but sometimes take those unnecessary risks and show us what is going on (with the truck). We’ll have good equipment for her, the safest that we can put under her.”

Any retirement from something you love is bittersweet. Dan found it hard to step out of the seat and has been considering stepping out of the seat for some time, but it will not be a steadfast retirement from the driver’s seat. “This will be my last full year, but I’m going to pick and choose a few races here and there. I may slip in here and there and beat around on some of the youngsters.” Dan will continue his farewell tour throughout the remainder of 2011, while adding Allison into the mix to gain experience before Dan steps out of the seat at the end of the year and turns the reins over to Allison at the start of the first quarter of 2012.

While Dan will be stepping out of the seat, he will still be travelling up and down the road, attending events, as a crewman for Allison. Dan looks forward to the opportunity to watch the truck perform from the sidelines as this will also offer the opportunity to further develop the fabrication and design side of Patrick Enterprises, Inc. PEI is well known throughout the monster truck industry as one of the premiere companies for monster truck parts and pieces all the way to turn-key monster trucks. “We’re still committed to the future of our industry. It gives me a good chance to watch the truck and get a feel for what it is doing, instead of listening to what other people say it is doing. It will help us develop our product better and service the customers we have. We feel we are a major player in the industry as far as building. I’m not retiring, my job is just changing.”

Although 2011 may be his last season, Dan is going out on top, logging one of his best seasons in recent years.

In reflecting back on a long career in monster trucks, Dan joked, “When I started this, I went in blind. When I drove up to the cars the first time, I thought, ‘What in the heck have I gotten myself into? Can I get a stop payment on the check for the truck?’ But I hit the cars, it hurt when I hit, it hurt when I landed. It has been a good ride, I thought it would only be a few years, and now it has been 23 and the industry is still growing.”

With Allison working as a full-time nurse, there will be a little change in the number of appearances for the Samson truck, but expect plenty of opportunity to see the big Samson Chevy. “We are going to keep this to a 20-25 event season for us. When I used to barnstorm it and do 50 events a year, those days are way behind us,” says Dan Patrick. In recent years, Patrick himself has been gradually reducing the schedule and has typically been running between 25 and 30 events a year.

Allison will make her performing debut in the driver’s seat in Mason City, Iowa at I-35 Speedway on July 1st where Dan and Allison will mix racing and freestyle duties. For more information on the team’s upcoming schedule and on Patrick Enterprises, visit them online at www.Samson4x4.com.

(Article By Chris Parrish, Photos By Paul Harry)

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, In Focus Blog, News

The Allen Report: NAPA Monster Truck Nationals – Chandler, AZ 2011

May 5, 2011 by 2 Comments

(Coverage By Christopher Allen, Photos By Jim Allen)

Six of the top monster trucks in the world arrived at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona for the annual NAPA Monster Truck Nationals and Night of Fire, held on Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st, 2011. Participants included current Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion Jim Koehler in Avenger, with last year’s Firebird runner-up Chris Bergeron in Brutus right behind him. Darren Migues would be filling in for perennial Firebird Champ Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter, Dan Runte would be back in Summit Bigfoot 16 and Travis and Ronnie Sturges would be piloting Unnamed & Untamed and Nasty Boy from just down the road in Tucson. Nasty Boy was even sporting the great looking TMB flag for the weekend’s events. The grand finale would be the return of the 40-foot tall, 60,000 pound car-eating, fire-breathing monstrosity Robosaurus.

Opening each show was a wheelie and donut competition with the brothers Sturges giving wheelies that set the stage for what was to come. Brutus not only surprised the Firebird fans with a 45 degree angle wheelie attempt, but gave cyclones that had yours truly thinking back to Wrecking Crew at the 2010 Monster Jam World Finals encore. Even better, Chris put the wreck from last year behind him with a perfect score of 30, followed it up with an outstanding freestyle, taking the Saturday night championship.

Sunday saw the encore performance for the fans that could not make it the first night. At one of his favorite places to perform, Dan and Bigfoot got the crowd pumped up with his shots at the wheelie and donut win. But it was déjà vu for Chris Bergeron, who found himself tied with Bounty Hunter with just freestyle left to go for the weekend. The judging was close, but Darren kept the Bounty Hunter Firebird legacy alive with a score tallied over wheelies and donuts combined with his freestyle number to oust Brutus for the second year in a row.

To close each show, Shawn Pacheco and Robosaurus fascinated the kids in the crowd by eating, breaking and burning a junk car or, in the case of the big show on Saturday, no less than three. In addition, Sam Sturges gave rides to fans young and old in his team’s “Boogie Monster” ride truck. Will Team Scream ever be able to defeat Bounty Hunter at Firebird? Find out next year. Until then, thank you for reading, thanks to everyone with Firebird Raceway for their hospitality, enjoy Jim’s great photos and cheer on!

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Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, The Allen Report Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Insider: TMB Leaderboard Update – April 2011

May 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The second edition of the TMB Leaderboard for 2011 is out following the completion of the month of April. Based on all of the information gathered through the TMB Results Tracker, we are able to statistically see who some of the top performing drivers have been in 2011. A total of 198 drivers have competed in monster truck events through the month of April with an incredible 151 different drivers scoring a competition win. See below for the top 5 drivers in each of our statistical categories:

Total Racing Wins

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 21
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 20
3) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 16
4) Derrick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 13
5) Frank Krmel – AAP Grinder – 12

Best Racing Win Percentage

1) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 75%
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 61%
3) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 59%
— Derrick Anson – Heavy Hitter – 59%
— Donald Epidendio – Titan – 59%

Total Freestyle Wins

1) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 24
2) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 23
3) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 22
4) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 21
5) Bill Payne – Rock Star – 20

Best Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Larry Quick – Ghost Ryder – 83%
2) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 81%
3) Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 78%
4) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 72%
5) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 71%

Total Combined Racing/Freestyle Wins

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 41
2) Pablo Huffaker – Grave Digger – 35
— Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 35
4) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 30
5) Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 29

Best Combined Racing/Freestyle Win Percentage

1) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 66%
2) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 65%
3) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 60%
4) Rick Long – E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15 – 54%
5) Rob French – Twisted Dragon – 52%

Total Wheelie/Donut/Long Jump Wins

1) Carl Van Horn – Grave Digger – 26
2) Gary Porter – Grave Digger – 20
— Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
— Mac Plecker – Ballistic – 20
5) Rod Schmidt – Grave Digger – 17

Most Wins In Fields of 10+ Trucks

1) Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 10
2) Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 9
3) Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 8
4) Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 5
— Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 5
— Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 5

2011 Series Championships Update

Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion:  Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction
Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion:  Jim Koehler, Avenger
Monster Nationals Racing Champion:  Rick Long, E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #15
Monster Nationals Freestyle Champion:  Bobby Holman, Lucas Oil Stabilizer
Monster Truck Winter Nationals Champion:  Devin Jones, Barbarian
Monster Nation Champion: Doug Noelke, Tail Gator
AMP Tour Racing Champion: Rich Blackburne, Viper
AMP Tour Freestyle Champion:  Larry Quick, Ghost Ryder

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, The Insider Blog

TMB Road to the World Finals Rankings – Final Standings

March 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

After a long first quarter of Monster Jam action, the regular season is officially over bringing a conclusion to TMB’s Road to the World Finals!  As we announced to you last week, Dennis Anderson has once again prevailed this year, taking the top spot by less than 2 points over son Adam in our closest unofficial power rankings battle ever. Tom Meents follows in third, missing the top spot by less than 5 points. Gary Porter finished another year of arena domination with an incredible 46 racing/freestyle wins to finish fourth overall while Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter rounds out the top five.

The final weekend didn’t disappoint as it produced some drama at the battle for the 24th and final spot. John Seasock picked up three wins to vault himself back into the top 24, knocking out Jim Koehler who had stayed in the top 24 nearly all season before slipping out at the last second. Among the drivers who have been battling it out, the final tally sees Seasock, Lupe Soza and Steve Sims in, while Koehler, Jon Zimmer, Mike Vaters and Jeremy Slifko just missed it.

Overall, it’s been another great year of following along with the Monster Jam series as we have highlighted some of the best performances by drivers this year. Thanks to all of you for following along with another year of TMB’s Road to the World Finals and best of luck to all of this year’s competitors in the Monster Jam World Finals coming up this weekend!

Check out the Road to the World Finals Final unofficial rankings after Week #11 below:

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

N/A

For results from Normal Level events, check out the 2011 Results Tracker March 18th-20th Weekend Results page (drivers earn 5 points for a racing or freestyle win).

If you haven’t followed along with TMB’s Road to the World Finals in the past, 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.

Stay tuned each week to 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

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, Road to the World Finals Tagged With: , ,

In Focus: Bobby Holman

March 19, 2011 by 1 Comment

In Focus, rockin’ and rollin’ with our third edition of the article featuring Bobby Holman. Bobby has been campaigning the Holman’s Beast for years, has run the Lucas Oil Stabilizer and is in the process of expanding from two trucks to a four truck team. We’ve caught up for a moment to sit down with him and we’re going to talk about some of the highlights, his career and the evolution of the industry. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy it.

Chris Parrish: Bobby, so, you’ve been in the sport for awhile, how long has it been?

Bobby Holman: It will be 26 years, this year.

CP: How did you actually get started in the industry?

BH: It basically started with big trucks, 4 wheel drives and my dad raced mud bogs. Stuff like that. I met Bob Chandler (Bigfoot) down at Gravelrama years ago. Actually, I’ve got pictures of my truck a foot taller than his truck. Once we started getting into this, we kept going down to Gravelrama and seeing him, so kind of went from there to “I can do that and I can do that, too.” So, that’s how we got into it.

CP: You mentioned that the truck was a foot taller than Bigfoot, back in the day, was there actually a purpose to that or was it, “Hey, I can build the bigger truck!”

BH: That’s all it was. My truck is bigger than your truck, I’ve got more shocks, I’ve got more lights, I’ve got this, I’ve got that. That’s what it was all about.

CP: Show and shine.

BH: Exactly. We didn’t know where it would go. If you’d have told me back then that we’re doing the stuff that we’re doing now, I’d have told you that you’re crazy, not in a monster truck.

CP: When did you actually build that first Holman’s Beast?

BH: That was 1984. I built the first truck.

CP: I guess everything was in house design?

BH: Oh yeah, that was originally the truck I drove to high school. A 1973 3/4 ton Chevy truck with a small block. We decided we were going to put a set of 52″ tall tires on and do a car show. Then we’d seen Chandler and those guys had come out with 66’s and decided we needed to do that and we did.

CP: A unique aspect of your truck, you put the Holman’s designation in front of it and made it Holman’s Beast. Why?

BH: There were a couple of other Beasts running around back then. I actually got into a lawsuit with one of the guys, so my attorney told me to put your name in front of it and that’s all you have to do. So, that’s the way Holman’s Beast came about.

CP: Do you remember your first event with the truck?

BH: Oh, absolutely. It was Columbus, OH, the Ohio State Fairgrounds. We did a mud bog out there. We had actually built the truck and never driven it. A buddy of mine had a tow truck company and he pulled two cars down in front of our shop. We ran over them the night before the show. Broke a knuckle off the 2.5 tons we had. We fixed the knuckle, loaded her up went and did the little show at the fairgrounds. That was the first time.

CP: And you didn’t break another knuckle off or anything?

BH: No, but we broke all four axles.

CP: So, when did five-tons come around then?

BH: Oh, right after that. We did two other shows, and said, “We’ve got to get rid of this.” By then, we got a hold of Chandler and the other guys and found out that they were using five-tons. We knew Mark Boyce, so he sent us our first set of five-tons.

CP: You’ve run two trucks for a long time and recently expanded to 4 trucks. What was the reasoning behind that?

BH: We’ve just had the opportunity. We’ve been working with Family Events. They approached us actually wanting to know if we’d be interested in doing something like that. They had a good program, had a good idea, so that’s what we did. Dan and Chris Patrick have helped us out immensely, building the chassis for us. If it wasn’t for those guys, we probably wouldn’t have gotten this thing done. We just didn’t have time to build them ourselves, or we would have built them in house. Patrick’s pieces are great, can’t get much better. A lot of people came together on this to get it done. We still don’t have the other truck done. Its on its way. Once we get the truck done its going to be a really good deal. It was a good opportunity for us. I wanted to have 4 trucks, I just didn’t want to have them this quick. We planned on building one this year and one the year after that. But, when opportunity knocks, sometimes you’ve got to open the door.

 

Two beautiful new Patrick Enterprises chassis ready for delivery to Team Beast (photo courtesy Samson4x4.com).

CP: You’ve mentioned that you had the Patricks build your truck, to what degree did they build the truck for you? Was it a turn key?

BH: No, he built the chassis for us, he built the rear end housings, we’re running his shocks, a lot of his parts – axle shafts, stuff like that. We put the trucks together at the shop. Fowler Engines in Columbus built the motors for us. We built the trannies in house, obviously put the planetaries and stuff together. If it wasn’t for Dan and those guys, we’d have had a hard time doing it this quick.

CP: Tell us a little bit about the new trucks.

BH: Star Marshall and Chalkboard Chuck, the bodies are actually the idea from Family Events. They wanted to do this kind of interactive stuff. The chalkboard truck deal came up, I wasn’t really fond of it at first. I wasn’t really fond of all of them at first, but once we got into it, we knew the bodies were going to be kind of weird that’s what they were kind of looking for. These trucks were geared for the kids, and the kids have responded well to them at each show. You were here last night, and you saw a massive amount of people around Chalkboard Chuck. We didn’t think it would take off like it did, but it has. The bodies are basically my trucks, bodies are theirs, we’re running their concepts. It was just an idea to get the fans more involved in the trucks, to get novelties involved with it. So far, it has worked out great.

 

The new Star Marshal concept truck from Family Events (photo courtesy Paul Harry).

CP: Chalkboard’s got a face only a mother could love, but the fans are eating it up.

BH: Fans are absolutely eating it up. When we did the chalkboard thing, Matthew, that worked for Family Events, said, “Hey let’s put a face on it!” We thought, “Eeehhh?” We didn’t want to get that Mater-looking thing, but we put the eye balls on there and he came up with the tongue, so I said, “Well, you might as well put teeth on it now.” It’s a goofy looking thing, but the kids love it. They absolutely love it!

 

The truck that wants your autograph, Chalkboard Chuck (photo courtesy Paul Harry).

CP: It fits the rest of the character.

BH: When we get the other chassis done, the Chalkboard body is going to go on the new chassis. We’re going to go back with the Iron Man, we’ve got another sponsor for Iron Man. It’s going to be a cool deal when we get done. We’re going to completely revamp the Iron Man deal. These trucks, once they catch on, are going to be really cool. Everywhere we’ve gone so far, the fans love them, kids love them. Everybody’s happy with them.

CP: So, Ironman will remain Ironman?

BH: Right, just a different version of it. We’ve got a sponsor, I can’t really say anything right now, because we’re working on the deal right now. It’s going to be a really cool deal, it will still support our armed forces, all our men and women doing that, but it’s going to be heavily involved with the armed forces now. It’s going to be a neat deal.

CP: Many motor sports teams have tried expansion and you’ve seen it in Nascar frequently, some have had growing pains, some have been really successful right off the bat. How do you try to minimize the issues and maximize the performance?

BH: It’s tough. It’s really been a tough deal transitioning from two trucks to four trucks. The least of the problems is that you’ve got to have four of everything: the man power, getting drivers, getting people to work. It has been tough, we had a pretty good system down for keeping two trucks on the road and keeping it together and now we’re doing four. It’s tough, it really is. Once we get a system down and get all of the bugs worked out of our system, I think we’ll be ok. We’ve got good people. My brother is driving one truck. Unfortunately, he’s sick right now, so we’ve put Dave (Radzierez) in Star Marshall. He’s going to eventually be driving Chalkboard Chuck and Jeff (Hatton) has been working for us for years. Hatton, he’s going to be driving the Iron Man truck when we get that new sponsor and everything set. We’ve got good people in place, we’ve just got to find our groove. Once we get in there, I think we’ll be ok.

CP: Tell us about trying to maintain the trucks and also how did you select your new crew and new drivers?

BH: My brother has been wanting to get back in to monster trucks. He drove for me years ago, had some health issues and finally got to a point where he was allowed to drive again. I mentioned that he was in the hospital, this was nothing related to the trucks, just got sick. He’s out of the hospital and everything and taking his time getting better. He wanted to drive, so that’s why I wanted to put him back in there. It’s good to have your family around. Jeff Hatton is a kid I’ve known since he was seven years old. He was always coming around the shop, always working around the trucks, always wanted to have a chance, so we’ve given him a chance. I met Dave about a year ago through the Jamborees and Family Events. I just hit it off with Dave and Michelle, they’re good people, Dave’s a good driver. I thought he’d like to have a chance and he jumped on it, so we’ve got deals going with him, with the diesel trucks. We’ve got some stuff coming up with it too, we’ll let you guys know about it when it comes along, but we’ve got a lot of things coming, a lot of things cooking right now.

CP: You’ve mentioned family, how does the monster truck industry impact your family?

BH: My kids have been around it since they were born, so it’s nothing new to them, but it’s hard on your family. When the kids were young, I’d take them with me, but now they’ve got to stay in school. My daughter is starting college and she’s thinking about joining the Navy. Cody, my boy, he’s only 15, so he’s eating it up, but he’s got to go to school. My wife, she supports us 100%, but it’s tough when you’re away from your family. We don’t do the go-out-for-three-to-four-months stuff or even three to four weeks at a time anymore. We just don’t do it. When you don’t have your family behind you, it gets even harder than what it already is. We try to keep them all involved. My dad still comes into the shop every now and then. We try to keep the family involved on every level.

CP: Does Cody have any plans to continue, follow Dad into the sport?

BH: Absolutely. If he doesn’t, Dad does. Dad’s getting a little old, so we’re going to put next generation in there. Not only do I have him, but I have a nephew that’s interested in driving, too. We’re grooming these kids to know how to work on these trucks. I don’t ever put anyone in these trucks that don’t know how to work them. Everybody that probably owns a truck will tell you that. Some of the best drivers were the best mechanics. So that’s what we’re doing, we’re grooming these kids. They get in there and they know the trucks and then if they want to do it, they do it. If they don’t, they don’t. That’s what we’re giving the opportunity for.

CP: In your works with Family Events, you’ve acquired the Lucas Oil Stabilizer, a great Lucas Oil sponsorship. They seem to get along really well with you. Tell us about that.

BH: They’re great people to work for. Not only the people from Family Events, but the people from Lucas. Lucas is a great company to work for and we’ve never had an issue with them. They sponsor other trucks and everything, but we don’t let that get in the middle of anything because they do so many different things, different levels, different motorsports. They’re happy with us and we’re pleased to death with them. It was a match made in heaven for us.

 

The original Lucas Oil Stabilizer paint scheme, the team has since updated to a brand new scheme for 2011.

CP: Do you find any additional stress trying to perform to a level that really pleases the sponsors?

BH: Oh, absolutely. When you’re a sponsor truck and you’ve got Lucas Oil everywhere, you want to run good. Things happen, stuff breaks, but you’re expected to run at that level whether you’re running Monster Jam, Family Events or whatever. You do your thing, but you’ve got to keep that name out there, you’ve got to keep it up and they expect you to do that.

CP: Switching gears, how many Beast chassis have there been?

BH: There have been 12, this one (Currently the Lucas Oil Stabilizer) is number 12. All of them ran the same name, different steel bodies, fiberglass bodies, but we’ve built twelve different Beast trucks.

CP: Wow, you’ve been busy in the shop. Actually, speaking of the shop, what do you do? You don’t do this full time, you’ve got a job during the week.

BH: We run a 4-wheel drive shop up in Dayton. We build chassis for Jeeps, lift kits, motor work. With Dave(Radzierez) coming on, we’re actually expanding our diesel services now. So, we’re going to get in on that. We’re pretty busy. The ultimate goal is to not have to do that. We’d rather go out and play with our monster trucks. That’s why we expanded the shop. We put 3600 feet in the back of the shop, so that we could put all the monster trucks back in the back and have the 4-wheel drive stuff out in the front. It’s a good thing, even when you’re doing something you love doing, every now and then you get burned out on it. So, sometimes we like to go back to the shop and work on customer stuff. We get our own trucks and our own jeeps and go out and play. It’s relaxing for us and it gives us a break from doing this.

CP: It sounds like you’ve got a lot of busy time. What do you do in your free time?

BH: Most of the time, we just spend it with family. There for a while, we were coaching soccer. Cody was playing soccer. I was actually the president of the SAY Soccer down there. It was pretty cool, we sponsored it, sponsored a soccer team, even brought the truck in to have team photos taken with it. It was awesome, the kids loved it. Right now we’re just kind of in the family thing. Whatever free time we have, we spend it with them.

CP: Do you have any personal hobbies?

BH: The rest of the family hunts, I don’t know what it is with them. I like nature and everything, but I can’t see standing up in a tree having a deer laugh at me. I just say when you do something as long as we’ve done with these monster trucks, it’s kind of like your hobby. I like being out in the shop. A lot of times I just go out in the shop by myself. Lock all the doors, tinker around on the trucks. Think of ideas and stuff we want to change. That’s the way we do it.

CP: Are you a general motor sports fan?

BH: Oh yeah! Absolutely! Anything you can race.

CP: What does monster truck driver, Bobby Holman, drive during the week?

BH: I’ve got a ‘98 Chevy extended cab, it’s got 14″ of lift and 40″ tires. Gets about 12 miles per gallon. I’m all die hard monster truck, one way or another.

CP: One thing we’ve noticed, we’ve never seen you run Monster Jam? Why is that?

BH: We’ve just never been available to do that kind of stuff. I’ve been lucky throughout my career, working with Checkered Flag, Torgersons, all those guys, we’ve always been busy. Not that we wouldn’t want to, but it’s just to the point that we’re comfortable with who we’re working with now. It’s a steady deal. I won’t kid anyone, it would be tough running with those guys. Some of the stuff they do, running with company trucks, it’s hard for an independent to keep up. Guys like (Jim) Koehler and those guys doing that, hats off to them. That’s a big deal all in itself. If it happens one day, it happens, if it doesn’t, we’ll just keep doing our thing.

CP: Do you have a proudest moment in your career, it’s been a long career, so there may be a lot of moments.

BH: One of the proudest moments we had, we actually beat Bigfoot three days in a row and it was Dan (Runte) running. That was a pretty proud moment.

CP: Where was this?

BH: Salisbury, MD. We’ve had a lot of proud moments. Getting to race with a lot of these guys, a lot of our good friends. Rick Long, all these guys (with Monster Nationals). I’ve seen people come and go, we’ve had good friends come and go, we’ve lost some good friends. It’s been a great ride for me. If it ended tomorrow, I couldn’t complain.

CP: We’ve touched on the proud moments, do you have any Bobby Holman blunders?

BH: Oh yeah…I’ll never forget it, we were in Montana, I rolled the truck over doing donuts the first night. It was one of George’s (The late George Eisenhart creator of Monster Nationals) shows. It was right in the beginning when everyone was talking about wheel tethers. We flopped the thing over. It got tore up pretty bad. We flopped it over, came out the next night, made the first big jump, landed, and snap the front wheel off. It’s bad enough to rip the wheel off, but we rolled the truck over again. Then I found out my own wheel smashed my tool box. Brand new toolbox, my wife bought it for me for Christmas. There she lay, as flat as a pancake.

CP: You have 12 chassis, do you have a favorite?

BH: It’s this one, (the current Lucas Oil Stabilizer) without a doubt. This and my personal truck are my best trucks. I feel really good in this truck. When we built these two new chassis, everyone said, “Oh he’s going to jump in that new chassis.” No, I’m going to keep this one. This is my baby, here.

CP: You’ve seen a lot of advancement through your career. What do you think the biggest advancement in the sport has been?

BH: It’s the shocks, no doubt. It’s amazing how far they’ve come from the “I’ve-got-4-inches-of-wheel-travel, I’m-bad” days. I’ve got almost three feet now. It’s amazing the shock technology that’s come along and it’s awesome to see it keep growing, because it’s not done yet. With the chassis we’ve got that can do the stuff we do and the stuff you see on TV. It’s nothing short of amazing.

CP: Where do you see the sport going from here?

BH: You know, everybody asks me that and I don’t know. I’d say 20 years ago, or 15 years ago, if you’d have said we’re going to be doing the jumps we’re doing and doing the crazy stuff we see now, jumping over airplanes, I’d have said, “You’re nuts!” It just keeps getting better and better. The only thing I hope for is that the safety and the driver keeps pace with the technology of the truck. You can build a pretty bulletproof truck, but you can’t do much for a driver. So, with the seats and the harnesses and the HANS device, I hope it keeps in pace with the trucks.

CP: What do you think is the biggest challenge in getting into the sport and staying in the sport is?

BH: The thing about monster trucks now is that it’s almost come to the point where if you have enough money, you can get into monster trucks. That doesn’t mean you have enough sense to stay in monster trucks, but if you’ve got enough money, you can get in it. With guys like Patrick, with Pablo, all these guys building chassis and stuff, it’s easy to get into the sport. I think a lot of people get into it with the misconception that it’s easy to stay in it. One hundred and eighty five thousand to two hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, but get done running it up and down the road for a year and see how much money you’ve got left. That’s the biggest thing.

CP: We’ve talked about Cody entering the sport, how long do you plan being involved in this sport?

BH: I want to keep doing it as long as I can. With things that happen to us, with some of the losses we’ve had, especially with George’s accident, we kind of got burned out on it, I was about done. When Cody came along and I saw what he wanted to do, it just makes you want to keep doing it. We also got involved with Family Events, like I said, they’re good people to work for, they understand what’s going on. It makes it a lot easier when you’re doing this with friends.

CP: He’s a monster trucker through and through. Bobby Holman, thank you for your time, thank you for sitting down with us. It’s always great to catch a little insight from someone who has as much experience in the industry as you do.

BH: No problem, buddy, anytime.

Thanks for reading another edition of In Focus, a big thanks to Bobby Holman for sitting down with us. Stay tuned next month for another in depth interview with one of the sport’s major personalities.

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, In Focus Blog, News Tagged With: , , , , ,

TMB Road to the World Finals Rankings – Week #10

March 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This past weekend was the big showdown to see who would be the #1 driver in TMB’s 2011 Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings – with the top three contenders all having next weekend off to prepare for the World Finals, it would all come down to Syracuse and Baton Rouge. What resulted is the closest finish for the top spot in all five years we’ve doing these unofficial rankings – the winner is Dennis Anderson by less than two points over son Adam Anderson and only five points over Tom Meents!  Dennis and Tom laid down big performances in Syracuse to gain on Adam who swept freestyle in Baton Rouge, but was shut out in racing as Mike Vaters swept the weekend. What an incredible season it has been for these three drivers as they have far and away established themselves as Monster Jam’s top drivers this season.

Meanwhile there is still one week of competition left on the Road to the World Finals, giving all the other drivers competing this coming weekend a chance to gain spots in the rankings. Jimmy Creten picked up a racing and freestyle win in Winnipeg to stay in the #4 spot overall while Gary Porter had another big weekend in Wilkes-Barre to remain in the top 5 overall.

The action continues to be hot and heavy back around the 24th and final spot as the drivers try to prove that they earned a spot in the World Finals this year, whether they ultimately end up getting the invite from Feld or not. Steve Sims’ final round appearance in Syracuse put him back in the top 24, knocking out John Seasock. Lupe Soza also moved up, knocking Jim Koehler back to the bubble spot. Seasock is less than 2 points out of the top 24 while Jon Zimmer is only 5 points out, with a big gap back to Jeremy Slifko and Nick Owens.

This weekend is the last before the World Finals, so next week we will have the final rankings!  Check out the Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings after Week #10 below:

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

3/12 – Syracuse, New York

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 15
Semi-Finals – Chad Fortune – Superman – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 20
2nd – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 15
Tie – 3rd – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 5
Tie – 3rd – Chris Bergeron – Brutus – 5
Tie – 3rd – Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 5

For results from Normal Level events, check out the 2011 Results Tracker March 11th-13th Weekend Results page (drivers earn 5 points for a racing or freestyle win).

If you haven’t followed along with TMB’s Road to the World Finals in the past, 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.

Stay tuned each week to 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

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, Road to the World Finals Tagged With: , ,

TMB Road to the World Finals Rankings – Week #9

March 8, 2011 by 7 Comments

Only two weeks of competition are now left after a great first weekend of March and we have what may be our tightest battle for the #1 spot in the TMB Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings ever!  Adam Anderson is still out front in Grave Digger The Legend, but father Dennis Anderson and Grave Digger has closed the gap to less than 5 points…to make it even more intense, Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction is now only 10 points back.

Adam did what he needed to do sweeping the entire show in Lexington, but only had the one small arena show to score points while Dennis and Tom had two major stadium events in El Paso. They made the most of the opportunity as Dennis knocked off yet another huge racing win while Tom picked up another stadium freestyle, and both were in the top of the field in each of the weekend’s four competitions.

The big showdown for the top spot will come this weekend, as all three of the top drivers have the weekend before the World Finals off from competition. So it will all come down to Syracuse and Baton Rouge to see who can be #1 – Dennis and Tom will be at the inaugural stadium event in Syracuse while Adam will be in Baton Rouge for three big arena shows. That puts the pressure on Adam to sweep it all and hope that Dennis and Tom split the points available at the stadium event.

Looking back to the rest of the top 5, Jimmy Creten has moved back up to #4 with a big performance in El Paso and Charlie Pauken picked up several wins in Tucson to stay in the top five.

Things are staying interesting back around the 24th and final spot as John Seasock in AAP Grinder has taken it and knocked Jon Zimmer back to 25th. Seasock has only a 4 point advantage over Zimmer while Steve Sims and Jeremy Slifko have fallen to nearly 12 points back. Sims and Slifko are both at the final stadium event of the year in Syracuse however, so they definitely have a chance to close the gap with a big performance there.

Check out the Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings after Week #9 below:

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

3/5 – El Paso, Texas

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 15
Semi-Finals – Tony Farrell – Grave Digger The Legend – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 20
2nd – Marc MacDonald – El Toro Loco – 15
3rd – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 10
Tie – 4th – Jon Zimmer – Amsoil Shock Therapy – 1.75
Tie – 4th – Jim Koehler – Avenger – 1.75
Tie – 4th – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 1.75

3/6 – El Paso, Texas

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 20
2nd – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 15
Semi-Finals – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Lee O’Donnell – Iron Man – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Frank Krmel – AAP Grinder – 15
3rd – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 10
4th – Jim Koehler – Avenger – 5

For results from Normal Level events, check out the 2011 Results Tracker March 4th-6th Weekend Results page (drivers earn 5 points for a racing or freestyle win).

If you haven’t followed along with TMB’s Road to the World Finals in the past, 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.

Stay tuned each week to 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

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, Road to the World Finals Tagged With: , ,

TMB Road to the World Finals Rankings – Week #8

February 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Two months of the 2011 Monster Jam season are complete and one driver has established himself solidly as the #1 driver so far this year – that driver is Adam Anderson who has held the top spot in the TMB Road to the World Finals Rankings ever since Week #3. With a huge freestyle win and semi-final racing appearance in Oakland this past weekend, Anderson has extended his lead to nearly 30 points over 2nd place Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction. Meents took home a major stadium freestyle win himself in Arlington after one of the wildest saves and crashes we’ve seen in a long time.

The Icon, Dennis Anderson remains 3rd overall but is making a late charge for the top spot, closing the gap on son Adam to 40 points. However it will be a tall task for Dennis to run down Adam with only 3 weeks of competition left before Vegas. Gary Porter brought his 2011 win total to a jaw dropping 38 racing and freestyle victories which keeps him in the 4th spot this week. Damon Bradshaw’s massive performance in Arlington – a racing victory and a runner-up in freestyle – has the Air Force Afterburner team back up to 5th while Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter falls to 6th.

Lupe Soza was the big mover near the 24th and final spot this past weekend, as his freestyle runner-up in Jacksonville vaulted him back into the top 24, knocking out Steve Sims who fell into a tie with Jeremy Slifko in Backdraft for 25th. Jon Zimmer officially received his World Finals invite from Feld this weekend (congrats Jon!), but has fallen to the bubble spot in the rankings, holding a slim 8 point lead over the aforementioned drivers tied for 25th. John Seasock continues to lurk 10 points back, tied with a driver making a late push for the top 24 – Nick Owens in Iron Outlaw, who is having a great Monster Jam rookie season and is coming off a huge racing victory in Oakland.

Check out the Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings after Week #8 below:

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

2/26 – Arlington, Texas

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 20
2nd – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 15
Semi-Finals – Mike Vaters – Safety-Kleen Black Stallion – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Dana Creech – Monster Mutt – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 15
3rd – Chad Tingler – Grave Digger – 10
Tie – 4th – Alex Blackwell – Captain’s Curse – 1.75
Tie – 4th – Tony Farrell – Grave Digger The Legend – 1.75

2/26 – Jacksonville, Florida

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 15
Semi-Finals – Chuck Werner – El Toro Loco – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Lupe Soza – AAP Grinder – 15
3rd – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 10
4th – Jim Koehler – Avenger – 5

2/26 – Oakland, California

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Nick Owens – Iron Outlaw – 20
2nd – Darren Migues – Stone Crusher – 15
Semi-Finals – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 15
3rd – Darren Migues – Stone Crusher – 10
4th – Nick Owens – Iron Outlaw – 5

For results from Normal Level events, check out the 2011 Results Tracker February 25th-27th Weekend Results page (drivers earn 5 points for a racing or freestyle win).

If you haven’t followed along with TMB’s Road to the World Finals in the past, 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.

Stay tuned each week to 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

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, Road to the World Finals Tagged With: , ,

The Allen Report: Monster Jam – Anaheim, CA 2011

February 28, 2011 by 2 Comments

(Coverage By Christopher Allen, Photos By Jim Allen)

The Monster Jam superstars lowered the curtain on a triad of shows in the home of the Anaheim Angels Saturday, February 12th, 2011. The stacked 16 truck field featured the following top names in monster trucks: Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger, Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction, Adam Anderson in Grave Digger The Legend, Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter, Cam McQueen in Nitro Circus, Candace Jolly in the Monster Mutt Dalmatian, Becky McDonough in Dragon’s Breath, Scott Buetow driving Iron Man, Pat Gerber in Shocker, Don Frankish with Maniac, Scott Anderson in Jurassic Attack, Kelvin Ramer in Time Flys, Nick Owens driving Iron Outlaw, Mark Schroeder in The Felon, Dan Rodoni and The Patriot and Mike Pappas in Tropical Thunder.

The track of choice was an appropriate one for the locale and venue, the very popular so-cal style. That means they fall off a tabletop jump, turn away from each other, fly down a straightaway and race back the way they came. Early racing highlights saw Bounty Hunter advance with a bye after Jurassic Attack suffered fatal engine trouble during intros and Time Flys upset new World Finals qualifier Nitro Circus in the opening race, free of qualifying. In one of the semis, the blue and gray Digger and Max D crossed the finish line side-by-side with Grave Digger The Legend winning by an inch or two, if that much. The other Digger outraced Bounty Hunter to setup a history making Digger vs. Digger final. In the end, Adam proved himself more than just a freestyler by taking the huge racing win.

Freestyle started off a little slow, with most of the first half the field slowly strutting their way around the track with little air. Nick Owens in Iron Outlaw would hold the lead for the longest time with a score of 22. Even the young Anderson and Owen’s boss Jimmy Creten could not outscore him. But then, there were two. Tom Meents has four World Freestyle championships to his credit and showed why, finishing his run with an upside-down cyclone on the tabletop. With a score of 29, Meents looked to see a trophy for the first time at the Big A in a few years. To close the show, the reigning freestyle champion of the world Charlie Pauken gave the fans a potential winning freestyle in Grave Digger, but he only impressed the judges enough for second place, giving Meents the victory.

Although the Anaheim Monster Jam season was over, two weeks later Monster Jam would make its debut at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium. With Monster Jam, a great show is always guaranteed. On that note, thank you for reading, enjoy Jim Allen’s great photos and cheer on, we’ll see you down the road!

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All content copyright TheMonsterBlog.com 2011.

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, The Allen Report Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Allen Report: Monster Jam – Phoenix, AZ 2011

February 27, 2011 by 2 Comments

(Coverage By Christopher Allen, Photos By Jim Allen)

Chase Field in downtown Phoenix once again played host to Monster Jam on Saturday, January 29th and it all kicked off as the most famous on-track rivalry in monster truck racing roared out of the tunnel. The most decorated lineup Phoenix has ever seen included Chad Tingler behind the wheel of Grave Digger, Kreg Christensen returning to Maximum Destruction, Madusa in her Phoenix debut, Norm Miller driving Batman, Alex Blackwell in Captain’s Curse, Todd Leduc in Blue Thunder, the “voice of Monster Jam on SPEED” Mark Schroeder in The Felon, all four members of Team Scream and local favorite Rod Wood driving McGruff. Throughout the night, both Norm Miller and Alex Blackwell were announced as Monster Jam World Finals qualifiers.

The style of course for UTI Racing was Southern California, or, so-cal style. The trucks start by racing each other off a large tabletop before turning away from each other, flying down a straightaway, making a u-turn and racing back the way they came. Max D would take the top spot in qualifying with a time of 25 seconds flat, but it proved useless as he fell to Grave Digger in the quarter finals. Also advancing to the semis were Captain’s Curse, Blue Thunder and Avenger as the fastest loser even after a mid-air collision with Madusa back in Round 1. Grave Digger and Blue Thunder were even through most of the finals, but then the slippery track finally bit Tingler and spun him out in the final turn, giving Todd Leduc his first ever racing victory!

For the third consecutive year, the 30 second bonus time rule was in place. Of the first six of the twelve truck field, Blue Thunder was one of only three drivers who could make it to bonus time with a score of 22. Chris Bergeron in Brutus tried to do a back flip of his own off the side of the tabletop, but the wheelie bar caught the dirt and Brutus went belly-up with a full minute left in the run. Avenger nailed cross threads, big air and did not roll until just moments before his time was up. But after falling short of a racing win, Chad Tingler clearly had blood in his eyes and gave the fans a vintage Grave Digger freestyle, never rolling over and flying long after his time was finished. With a score of 26, Grave Digger saw the Phoenix victory lane for the first time since 2008.

After what happened here in 2011, how can the monsters do better still next year?  They will try and we will be there for all of it. Until next time, check out some of Jim Allen’s great photos from the event and thanks for reading!

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All content copyright TheMonsterBlog.com 2011.

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, The Allen Report Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

TMB Road to the World Finals Rankings – Week #7

February 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

After seven weeks of Monster Jam competition, Adam Anderson keeps a hold of his grasp on the #1 spot in the TMB Road to the World Finals power rankings. Anderson was also officially announced as a qualifier for the World Finals by the folks at Feld as he took the big freestyle win at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. Tom Meents continues to hold on to the #2 spot as his racing win in Los Angeles keeps him within 20 points of the lead.

Dennis Anderson rode a wild performance in St. Louis to the freestyle win which has vaulted him into the third spot overall, while Gary Porter’s continued domination of the Freestyle Mania tour has him back up to fourth. Jimmy Creten slips back to fifth overall this week after a tough weekend in Spokane.

Jim Koehler and Jon Zimmer are tied for the 22nd spot with a fairly comfortable margin back to Steve Sims who is just barely hanging onto the 24th and final spot. Grinder drivers John Seasock and Lupe Soza are just outside the top 24, nipping at Sims’ heels as we head into Week #8.

Check out the Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings after Week #7 below:

 

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

2/19 – Los Angeles, California

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 15
Semi-Finals – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 7.5
Semi-Finals – David Smith – King Krunch – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
2nd – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 15
3rd – Candace Jolly – Monster Mutt Dalmation – 10
Tie – 4th – Dan Rodoni – The Patriot – 1.75
Tie – 4th – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 1.75
Tie – 4th – Cam McQueen – Nitro Circus – 1.75

2/19 – St. Louis, Missouri

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 20
2nd – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 15
Semi-Finals – Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Damon Bradshaw – Air Force Afterburner – 15
3rd – Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 10
Tie – 4th – Linsey Weenk – Lucas Oil Crusader – 2.5
Tie – 4th – Lupe Soza – AAP Grinder – 2.5

For results from Normal Level events, check out the 2011 Results Tracker February 18th-20th Weekend Results page (drivers earn 5 points for a racing or freestyle win).

If you haven’t followed along with TMB’s Road to the World Finals in the past, 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.

Stay tuned each week to 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

Filed Under: Feature Articles, Featured News, News, Road to the World Finals Tagged With: , ,

Wow Moments: Monster Nation Title Still Up For Grabs

February 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Monster Nation tour has been nothing short of spectacular in 2011. Some of the top, independent names in monster trucks including  Equalizer, Tail Gator, and Barbarian have put on impressive performances thus far in Southaven (Rounds 1-2) and Bossier City (Rounds 3-4). That great level of competition has left the points chase up for grabs going into the final weekend in Beaumont, Texas. After the first 4 shows on tour, Devin Jones and Barbarian hold the #1 position going into rounds 5,6, and 7, but Union, Missouri’s “Big” Doug Noelke in Tailgator and rising star J.R. McNeal piloting Razin’ Kane are hot on his heels. With the absence of Barbarian in Beaumont this coming weekend, the door is wide open to steal the title away from Jones.

“There are still a lot of points to be had,” said Monster Nation’s Ryan Seddon. “With three shows left, It comes down to who boasts the best, overall performance. Our point’s system breaks down as follows: a racing or freestyle winner is awarded 5 points while a second place finish in racing earns 3 points. A donut or wheelie contest winner is awarded 3 points. We encourage racing at Monster Nation. The guys will go out and freestyle on their own, but we really like to see them get after it in the racing portion.”, said Seddon. Below is the Monster Nation Point Standings going into the final weekend in Beaumont.

The Chase for the 2011 Monster Nation Title

As you can see, the quest for the 2011 championship is anyone’s game. Barbarian’s 18 points will be in danger as Noelke in Tailgator and McNeal in Razin’ Kane are in the best position to steal the title with 13 and 11 points, respectively. With so many points still left, one cannot rule out Mike Hawkins in Equalizer and Isaiah Morales in Hot Tamale, who both sit tied for 4th with 8 points each. Can Doug Noelke earn another title for the team? Can rookie J.R. McNeal earn his first title among the titans of the monster truck industry? Will it be Isaiah Morales in Hot Tamale making a repeat from 2010 and claiming his second Monster Nation title in a row? We at TMB will be anxious to find out how the weekend shakes down and wish Monster Nation and the competing teams the best of luck.

For those in the Beaumont area, this event will not be one to miss! Beaumont’s Ford Park will host the final 3 shows beginning Friday, February 18 at 8:00 p.m., again on Saturday, February 19 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, February 20 at 3:0o p.m. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday Nights and Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. For ticketing information, visit the Ford Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at (800)-745-3000. For more information regarding Monster Nation or further event information, visit their website at www.Monster-Nation.com.

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TMB Road to the World Finals Rankings – Week #6

February 15, 2011 by 3 Comments

The Road to the World Finals is just over halfway complete and Adam Anderson continues to lead the power rankings after a big stadium racing win in Grave Digger The Legend this past weekend in Anaheim. Adam’s lead has been narrowed to just over 25 points however, as new #2 ranked driver Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction is climbing the ladder. Meents semi-finals appearance in Anaheim and freestyle victory have lots of momentum on his side as the tour continues through February.

Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter slips to the #3 spot after some tough competition in Anaheim, while Dennis Anderson moves up to #4 after a runner-up in racing and a big freestyle victory in Atlanta. Gary Porter continues to be strong in 2011, racing up several wins in Grand Rapids to crack the top 5 overall.

Several drivers were able to solidify their positions in the top 24 this week, leaving the battle for the final spot between Lupe Soza in AAP Grinder and Steve Sims in Stone Crusher, with Lupe holding the edge by a couple of points. Rookie driver Nicole Johnson is starting to make some noise in the Tasmanian Devil as she is moving into contention after a weekend sweep of racing in Denver.

Check out the Road to the World Finals unofficial rankings after Week #6 below:

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

2/12 – Anaheim, California

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Adam Anderson – Grave Digger The Legend – 20
2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 15
Semi-Finals – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Jimmy Creten – Bounty Hunter – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Tom Meents – Maximum Destruction – 20
2nd – Charlie Pauken – Grave Digger – 15
3rd – Nick Owens – Iron Outlaw – 10
4th – Dan Rodoni – The Patriot – 5

2/12 – Atlanta, Georgia

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Frank Krmel – AAP Grinder – 20
2nd – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 15
Semi-Finals – Jim Koehler – Avenger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Chad Fortune – Superman – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Dennis Anderson – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Neil Elliott – Maximum Destruction – 15
3rd – Randy Moore – War Wizard – 10
4th- Chuck Werner – El Toro Loco – 5

2/12 – Miami, Florida

Racing Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 20
2nd – Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 15
Semi-Finals – Scott Hartsock – Gun Slinger – 7.5
Semi-Finals – Chris Lagana – Michigan Ice Monster – 7.5

Freestyle Finish – Driver – Truck – Points Earned

1st – Randy Brown – Grave Digger – 20
2nd – Lupe Soza – AAP Grinder – 15
3rd – George Balhan – Mohawk Warrior – 10
Tie – 4th – Steve Sims – Stone Crusher – 2.5
Tie – 4th – Allen Pezo – Predator – 2.5

For results from Normal Level events, check out the 2011 Results Tracker February 11th-13th Weekend Results page (drivers earn 5 points for a racing or freestyle win).

If you haven’t followed along with TMB’s Road to the World Finals in the past, 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.

Stay tuned each week to 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

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