With a little time to reflect back on the incredible action and festivities that made up the 2006 Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas this column is a collection of my thoughts following the most spectacular weekend this sport has ever seen!

Let’s start with the results. Personally I think it has been great for the sport that the last few years have seen tremendous parity in Monster Jam, and some huge surprises at the finals. Seeing a variety of top stars reach the top of the mountain and earn the right to be called World Champion has been great for them, and has been fantastic for the sport as well. Not only does it ratchet up fan interest, but it shows all of the up and comers that the opportunity is there when you combine hard work and talent you can reach that world title. The past few years have shown that the competition is wide open for the top spot. That space on the championship stage is not reserved for just a couple of the sport’s big guns, once you earn your place in the World Finals field the chance is equal for all. It's time to have the night of your life, turn in a performance for the ages, and you just might be rewarded with the sport’s top prize!

While I think the last few years of Las Vegas stunners have been a good thing, I also think there is an “all’s right with the world” feeling now that the two superstars who have led this sport to the amazing heights it has now reached, Dennis Anderson and Tom Meents, are back on top as the reigning Monster Jam World Champions. Parity is awesome, but dynasties create unprecedented interest both from those who love the front-runners and from those who pull hard for the underdogs. In the Monster Jam world, Team Grave Digger and Team Meents are America’s teams. It is great to see them back on top. I think it will be tougher than ever for each of them to defend those titles next March.

Speaking of Anderson, I think that 2Xtreme Racing may be getting to him a little. Since he and Meents have moved from bitter rivals into an era of mutual respect, the icon seems to be pointing at Jimmy Creten’s team as his new arch-enemy. Anderson’s comments at the season awards banquet while being honored as the new racing champ were repeatedly directed at Creten. Dennis even tossed the gauntlet down for 2007 when he publicly told Creten that this year’s final race was won by a Grave Digger truck with considerably less horsepower than Creten’s Bounty Hunter, saying that next season he will bring a truck to Vegas with a power plant that will be more powerful than Creten’s big Ford engines, and that is saying something.

Off the cuff during our live call of the World Finals Ken Stout and I decided to turn off our microphones for a moment, and it turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the World Finals. We sat back as Dennis Anderson called the freestyle of his son Adam’s first ever WF freestyle run. Adam did a great job but didn’t fill the clock as he wanted to. It was an outstanding run, one of the evening’s best and it was awesome to see and hear Dennis’ pride in Adam’s performance in Taz. Had he filled the clock he might have been right in the mix for the title and if he would have won the title it would have been maybe the most memorable call ever in Monster Jam, (reminiscent of Ned Jarrett calling his son Dale’s final laps in his first Daytona 500 win). Since Adam has clearly shown us this year that he is destined to be a world champion some day, hopefully we’ll be able to have Dad on the mic when and if that day comes.

I had to laugh at some of the comments that David Smith made to me. You may remember that on Speed last year at the finals Ken Stout really made a big deal out of the fact that Smith was miffed over my rating him as a real long shot in my annual odds column. As Smith drove King Krunch into the final four of the 2005 racing bracket my broadcast partner repeatedly chuckled about how “ol’ 40 to 1” was making a mess out of my pre-race rankings. Fast forward to this year. After Smith struggled at race time he came up to me later and asked me to put 40 to 1 odds on him again next year since he had such great success with that number last year. Sorry, David. It’s going to be hard for me to ever put 40 to 1 odds on a team that has made it into a world finals semifinal round.

One of the most visible people in Vegas not competing in the world finals was Courtney Jolly. The upcoming driver seemed to soak in the entire World Finals experience and I can only assume she left there determined to return next season as a competitor, not an observer.

The Freemont Street Experience, new this year as the host hotels for the Monster Jam World Finals, was awesome! Having such a great location where most of the fans and drivers can stay in one area, with such a great monster atmosphere is something I hope will continue for years to come. It’s hard to describe what an awesome feeling it is to be standing on Freemont Street after dark, looking up at the overhead ceiling running the length of the street and seeing Monster Jam videos being played as hundreds, maybe thousands of people stood below looking up and watching some of Monster Jam’s most exciting moments. I think Dan Evans had goose bumps when he looked up and saw himself behind the wheel of the Destroyer creating video carnage overhead.

My final thought goes out to all of the fans who are considering coming to the 2007 World Finals. If you are joining us in Vegas next year, do yourself and your family a favor and get the Double Down package. What a unique, special experience that was for the 5,000 fans who bought the 2006 Double Down. Having the best seats on Saturday was just a bonus for those folks. Spending all day Friday in special interactive festivities with all of the drivers was something those fans will never forget. The Double Down is incredible, and for the most loyal Monster Jam fans it is the ultimate way to enjoy the world finals!!!