Only a handful of Monster Jam events are contested in November and December, so for most teams now is a time of preparation for the 2009 season. Most shops that house Monster Jam teams are busy this time of the year, some working on new pieces, but most refreshing and in many cases rebuilding their existing trucks to be ready for the new season, which for some teams begins in just a couple of weeks with Round One of the new Speed TV season at the Minneapolis Metrodome.

Every shop has plenty on the to do list right now but several of the sport's premier drivers and mechanics put down the wrenches last weekend to head to Virginia Beach and take part in the United States Hot Rod Association summit that looks ahead to the new year.

While much of the weekend was devoted to new things for the new season and workshops to help team members improve in various aspects of their jobs in the sport, the summit also looked back at the phenomenal 2008 season and several awards were handed out to recognize excellence in Monster Jam over the past 12 months.

On the drivers side the award for Driver of the Year, voted on by those in attendance at the summit, went to Donkey Kong pilot Frank Krmel. The honor shows just how much respect Krmel has earned among his peers in a relatively short time in the business. Krmel has already established a reputation as a driver who can deliver spectacular performances to Monster Jam fans while at the same time taking care of his equipment and respecting the hard work of his pit crew.

On the mechanical side those attending the Virginia Beach festivities voted Air Force Afterburner Crew Chief Jesse Bearden the coveted Most Valuable Player award, which can be won by a crew member or a driver. It was one of two major awards on the night captured by the popular wrench turner known as Twig by those in the business. Bearden is an inspiration to all the youngsters who hope to work in this industry one day. As a boy Bearden was a huge Monster Jam fan and as he grew older volunteered to help at events both on the track and in the pits, eventually getting his chance to work on these massive machines, and he's risen to the top of his profession quickly. Also winning a major Crew Chief award was Dennis Foltz who will run the pits for Marc McDonald's Safe Auto Minimizer team in 2009.

There were also awards that recognized the newer talent in the sport as the Rising Star award for the drivers was won by Monster Mutt Dalmatian driver Candice Jolly and taking home the Rising Star award among the mechanics were Pastrana 199 Crew Chief Becky McDonaugh and Brandon Lambert, better known as Beaver, whose hard work in 2008 will be rewarded with a promotion to Crew Chief for Tom Meents and his Maximum Destruction machine in the new campaign. Another Team Meents mechanic, Kevin Lewis and Bill Easterly III were among others to be honored with awards for outstanding achievements in 2008 at the ceremony.

By the way, the reason I was on hand at the summit is that the commitment to excellence from today's drivers and crews involves a lot more than flying higher or being able to repair a broken truck between racing and freestyle. So Greg Whitacre, who recently won the Golden Mic award, the most prestigious award available to Monster Jam announcers, joined me to work with all the drivers and crew members on improving their interview skills to allow them to relate their stories to the Monster Jam fans even better in 2009. We even had the services of a talented voice coach throughout the weekend. Because as great as Monster Jam was in 2008, we are all committed to making the sport even greater in 2009!