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| A NEW YEAR OF MONSTER JAM |
Scott Douglass
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In the USHRA this is the week when we go from "the most wonderful time of the year" to the most exciting time of the year. All of the USHRA monster truck teams are fanning across the North American continent to start the grind of competing virtually every weekend in the first quarter of the year, trying to earn one of the coveted 20 starting positions at the 2005 Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas this March.
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The highest profile of this coming weekend's events has to be the annual war down south, with another star-studded field headed for the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Over the years this stop in the Peach State has built up to one of the year's elite events for a variety of reasons, perhaps the biggest factor being the sold out crowds of more than 60,000 rabid Monster Jam fans who attend each January. The spacious Georgia Dome floor has also proved to be conducive to tremendous excitement and the Atlanta fans have been treated to some of the sport's most amazing performances over the years. Additionally, the Georgia Dome has been the setting of many moments that intensified the biggest rivalry in the sport, Tom Meents vs. Dennis Anderson. In the early part of this decade Meents not only dominated the racing at the Georgia Dome, he also turned in several of his most brilliant freestyle runs. When Meents drove the Goldberg truck it's also worth noting that the vehicle's namesake, pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, is an Atlanta native. The Goldberg truck was debuted in Atlanta to one of the most electric ovations I've ever heard from a live crowd, and Bill would be in attendance at future Atlanta events. When at the events Mr. Goldberg didn't just sit back and watch, He'd get on the public address system and in front of the TV cameras, each time challenging Anderson and his Grave Digger. The verbal war never set well with Anderson and it all just added more fuel to the hottest rivalry in the monster world. The net result has been that Meents and Anderson have staged several memorable duels in Atlanta, a tradition that is sure to continue.
The Atlanta event is always early on the schedule, normally within the first three weeks of each new year, and partially because of that timing it seems like we get a breakout performance from a rising star every time Monster Jam hits the Georgia Dome. Steve Reynolds comes quickly to mind. Here's a driver who came up on the Meents' team, then moved away from Tom and found rides in a variety of other machines including Ragin' Steel and Obsession. Some of Reynolds biggest racing wins and greatest freestyles have come on the floor of the Georgia Dome. Last year the break through freestyle was turned in by Mark Schroeder in Devastator, who came a whisker from beating Grave Digger, Maximum Destruction, and the rest of the incredible field with a riveting freestyle that I think still ranks as his best ever, and was probably one of the most exciting :90 seconds that we were privileged to witness in 2004. I'll be extremely interested to see which new star in the sport will be next to use this huge stage to take another step up in his or her career toward elite status.
Coming off a brief rest for the holidays, this weekend is crucial for every USHRA team, not just the ones in Atlanta, but also those at every event on this weekend's schedule. Of course you can have a bad first weekend and get back on track, but there is something to be said for building the momentum right at the start of the New Year, especially when every team on the circuit is trying to earn an invitation to Las Vegas. There are only 20 of those invites available, which makes getting off to a great start this weekend crucial for so many teams trying to separate themselves from the pack and put their team in the mix for Vegas consideration.
The other factor that plays into this first weekend of the New Year being so awesome is that all of the Monster Jam superstars are refreshed, recharged, and chomping at the bit to get back into competition. For the top level teams in the sport and those working their way up to that level this is the weekend that they get back to the place they love - on the track, in a battle against the best, in front of the most excited and vocal fans in all of motorsports. Every single competitor that I've talked to over the fall months has already been geared up to hit the New Year with even more aggression and spectacular plans, and the fans will be the ones who benefit from that attitude, top to bottom in the USHRA today. Monster Jam is where you leave every thing on the floor, holding nothing back. 2005 promises to be the most incredible year ever in the sport: can Dennis Anderson defend the world racing title that he finally won in '04? Will Tom Meents return to his dominant days? Can Lupe Soza and Madusa take their shares of the freestyle championship and let that propel them to new heights? Will 2003 world titleholders Brian Barthel and Jim Koehler return to top of the mountain? Who among the impressive crop of new stars in the sport will be able to elevate their game and challenge the sport's established kingpins?
This is the weekend we begin to answer those questions and so many more on the road to the 2005 Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas. It's Showtime!
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TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY STATEMENT| COPYRIGHT and TRADEMARK NOTICE
© (2008) Live Nation Motor Sports, Inc.
United States Hot Rod Association®, USHRA®, Monster Jam®, Blacksmith®, Blue Thunder®,
Bulldozer®, Captains Curse™, El Toro Loco®, Grave Digger®, High Roller®, Maximum Destruction®,
Monster Mutt®, Power Forward®, and Ragin Steel® are trademarks of Live Nation Motor Sports, Inc.
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