Here we go with the second half of my annual “Scotty Awards”, saluting the best of the best during the Monster Jam season. So let’s get on with paying tribute to more moments of excellence and standout seasons during the ‘05-‘06 Monster Jam campaign:

FREESTYLE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Winner: TOM MEENTS, MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis – For the second straight year my choice as the best freestyle was turned in on the massive Edward Jones Dome floor by Meents in Max-D. This huge facility allows Meents to turn the wick up even higher on a floor laden with huge obstacles. Annually he gets some of the greatest air we ever see when he hits the Gateway city. The “King of Air” definitely earned his nickname again during his awesome start to finish freestyle in St. Louis. Meents also earned creativity points here when he had teammate Guy Wood bring the Bob & Tom Ford onto the track to serve as another obstacle that Maximum Destruction soared over, and later in the season he did it again, leaping over Neil Elliot’s machine during his run in the World Freestyle Championship in Las Vegas.

Runner-up: DENNIS ANDERSON, GRAVE DIGGER, Silverdome, Pontiac, MI – Considering not just the history of this storied facility, but the history of the Grave Digger in the Silverdome, you just knew Dennis would pull out all the stops to win the final freestyle ever in that building. Start to finish a classic Digger performance, truly a perfect way to close the Silverdome and it’s absolutely fitting that the man who invented freestyle won the final competition on a floor that has seen many of the greatest freestyle performances ever witnessed.

FREESTYLE MOVE OF THE YEAR

Winner: PAUL COHEN, PASTRANA 199, Metrodome, Minneapolis – We’ve raved on Speed for years about how combination moves raise your freestyle score. This triple combination from Cohen probably won him the televised Metrodome event over the best freestylers in the game. First a huge leap over a double van stack, non-stop into a slap wheelie that he rode the length of the floor, then crashing the Pastrana 199 machine through a mobile home set at the end of the track. Truly a phenomenal combo.

Runner-up: TOM MEENTS, MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION, Olympic Stadium, Montreal – I wasn’t sure if this should be included in the Crash of the Year category instead, but I’m honoring it here because for the longest time it seemed Meents was actually driving the truck while on its side, literally on the rims. Once the truck flipped and scooted across the concrete portion of the Canadian floor all I know is that I’ve never seen a move quite like it, and when you’re talking about a Max-D freestyle, that’s saying something.

RISING STAR AWARD

Winner: LINSEY WEENK – He started the season pretty much as an unknown, made his impressions quickly, and finished the year as the biggest new threat to the sport’s established superstars to emerge in several years. I know he has great equipment, but make no mistake about it; Linsey is a special driving talent and a potential future World Racing Champion.

Runner-up: ADAM ANDERSON – The sky’s the limit for maybe the youngest driver we have ever seen make a major impact on Monster Jam. The first time we saw him compete against the big guns I was most amazed at his poise. He wasn’t intimidated in the least. Not by his legendary father or by his Dad’s biggest rival either. There is just no telling how many records he’s going to set, how many world titles he’s going to win, and what new levels he will help take the sport to.

Winner: CHAD TINGLER – Here’s a driver who has paid his dues, has tremendous respect from the other competitors, and seems to elevate his game with every new opportunity. Don’t be surprised to see Tingler grab one of those breakthrough wins we talk so much about sometime soon.

Runner-up: ALEX BLACKWELL – A dedicated driver who will jump into any truck any time and be successful, Blackwell has been especially impressive during his opportunities to perform on the Monster Jam Europe tour. Look for Alex to continue to rise up the sport’s ladder in 2007 and beyond.

Winner: MARC McDONALD – Get used to hearing this name at major Monster Jam events. He debuted on Speed in Atlanta and drove the Safe Auto Minimizer into the finals in front of the standing room only crowd at the Georgia Dome, and capped off a great first winter season by making it to the quarterfinals of the racing bracket at the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas, being eliminated from that event by no less than Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger. The thing that stands out to me about McDonald is that he just appears to be a natural racer. When Chad Fortune was injured McDonald jumped into Superman for the first time ever and raced that truck into the final four at Ford Field in Detroit. I think McDonald is going to win a slew of races in the coming years. He’s one of those talents that can drive anything, and luckily for Monster Jam fans he’s inside a monster truck rather than a stock car or open wheel machine.

Runner-up: DEREK EVANS – Another second generation racer, Dan and Lorrie’s son has been around the sport his entire life, finally getting an opportunity to compete this season. Watch for big things for many years to come from the studious, hard working and talented Derek.

Winner: BATMAN – This machine made everyone sit up and take notice, especially the kids, the first time it rolled onto the track and into a pit party. And it’s not just a nice display piece. Jason Childress proved this truck is for real on the track when he drove Batman to victory over Iron Outlaw to snap Linsey Weenk’s 21 race win streak.

Winner: NEIL ELLIOT – Ken Stout and I have talked often on Speed about how talented Neil is, and it was a delight to see him return to the sport this season. Elliott jumped back into Meents’ second Maximum Destruction truck and didn’t miss a beat. One of my favorite moments of the season was in Las Vegas when Tom told an unsuspecting Neil to stay in Max-D and join Charlie Pauken, taking over at Dennis Anderson’s urging in Grave Digger, for the final encore freestyle at the Monster Jam World Finals. Both deserving team players showed why they have the respect of the peers with a duet of freestyles that made sure the event ended with every fan on their feet.

Runner-up: GARY WIGGINS – Anyone who has been around monster trucks since the beginning had to smile to see the driver who made Mopar Magic a real crowd favorite in the 80’s and 90’s return to the sport after a lengthy hiatus. Wiggins went all out every time he hopped in Stonecrusher and here’s hoping we see one of the original Carolina gang continue to compete for several more seasons.

SAVE OF THE YEAR

Winner: CHARLIE PAUKEN, MONSTER MUTT, Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas – We all knew to expect something special when this Team Grave Digger driver was rewarded with a ride at the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas aboard Monster Mutt. Pauken performed at World Championship level to finish third against the world’s best, and many people thought he should have finished even higher. The most spectacular moment came in a nose diving pirouette that somehow saw Monster Mutt land on all four wheels with Pauken not stopping, finishing his crowd pleasing performance in style.

Runner-up: CHARLIE PAUKEN, GRAVE DIGGER, Lebanon Valley Speedway, West Lebanon, NY – I think this is actually a Scotty Awards first, giving recognition to something I did not see live or at least see highlights of on Speed. But USHRA official Brian Welch told me about Chucky’s amazing save in West Leb, and then showed me a series of still pictures sequencing the entire save that were taken at the event by Andrew Palachko, and I had to include this as one of the saves of the year. Unbelievable.

Indoor Winner: SILVERDOME, PONTIAC , MI – One of the most memorable nights in the history of the sport came as Monster Jam ended more than two decades of thrills in the suburban Detroit dome with one final event that sold out every seat in the spacious facility. The USHRA paid some of the most loyal fans in the business the ultimate complement by ending the history of the Silverdome with a World Finals caliber twenty truck field that included the best drivers in the annals of Monster Jam (Anderson, Meents, Jim Creten, Jim Koehler, Allen Pezo, Wiggins, Tony Farrell, Guy Wood, Dan Evans, etc.). Interestingly, the racing event was won by one of the sport’s newest superstars, Linsey Weenk in Iron Outlaw. In freestyle though, to no one’s surprise, Anderson gave his fans one more Silverdome performance to remember (as noted above in the Freestyle Performance of the Year category) and came home the winner.

Outdoor Winner (other than Las Vegas): RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM, TAMPA, FL – The amazing Florida fans once again sold this tradition rich event out well in advance with Anderson and Meents heading an all-star line-up that gave the fans everything they wanted and tons more, including a Maximum Destruction win in racing and the previously mentioned Grave Digger victory in freestyle. A night full of highlights. With the exception of the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas this was the top outdoor event of the year.

There you have it. The latest edition of the Scotty Awards. So let’s get ready for a brand new season, sure to be full of even more spectacular, award-winning Monster Jam moments.