Monster Jam's greatest event was celebrated with two hours of prime time coverage of World Finals 10 on Speed TV last Saturday night, the first chance for many fans to see the round by round racing excitement and the greatest freestyle runs as two new World Champions were crowned at Sam Boyd Stadium. If you missed last Saturday night's two hour special or if you just want to see it again you'll have plenty of opportunities as Speed will add both the racing hour and the freestyle hour to its inventory for re airing throughout 2009.

The decision to make the freestyle show one hour this year rather than the two hour program that was produced last year is great for viewers who watch Speed to catch Monster Jam's weekday rebroadcasts. Because of the viewing patterns of so many fans, many of whom miss our new show debuts on Saturdays, all of our fans should have plenty of chances to see this year's amazing runs and Damon Bradshaw's phenomenal performance in the Air Force Afterburner that culminated in his first world title. As cool as it was to put together a two hour freestyle program from the 2008 World Finals and being able to show every performance start to finish, that program ended up on the shelf after its original airing until the Christmas Day marathon, the only other time a block was made available for a two hour show. That won't happen this year with both one hour programs from WF 10 heading right into the weekday rotation.

A big complement has to be passed along to the show's producers and our team of editors who went through the HD footage shot by each camera person, dozens of hours of video in all, to tie together all of the best angles from both inside and outside of the trucks. To fit into the one hour slot they had to select certain freestyle runs to just show highlights of, and there they did a great job of showing the most spectacular moments from each of those freestyles, while every run that was critical in how the battle for the championship was won was shown in its entirety. And personally I thought that the wide array of on board perspectives used were sensational and added so much to the broadcast.

The racing hour was just so intense on Tom Meents' march to that 8th World Championship. The stunning upsets of previous two-time racing winners Dennis Anderson and John Seasock in the very first round set the tone for one of the most competitive, yet unpredictable World Finals race brackets ever. Another former World Racing Champion jumped on the upset bandwagon when Madusa eliminated fastest qualifier Frank Krmel and Donkey Kong in round two and even though the racing climaxed with Meents' returning to world champ status the entire night of racing was so wide open and the stories that unfolded were so riveting that the racing hour has to be of the most intense broadcasts ever. And don't forget that while Maximum Destruction is always a favorite to win it all he had not won the racing crown in Las Vegas since 2002, and Tom's focus along with the obvious pressure on his crew round by round made for some fantastic television. The mind set each driver has, that desire to rise to the occasion in Vegas and take his or her team to the World Championship is just so intriguing, and those desires manifesting themselves in so many great races including several photo finishes made this one of the most exciting World Finals we've ever seen, start to finish.

It's really satisfying to watch these programs with people who are not Monster Jam "insiders" and see how astonished they are watching what these 24 superstars did at WF10. For Saturday's debut I was at Kentucky Speedway where some of the track personnel and ARCA ReMax series officials were blown away watching the freestyle show on Speed after the racing at that super speedway was completed. Then for Monday's re air I watched with some of my family in Ft. Polk, and again, it was great to see how impressed especially my son-in-law was, and he has witnessed major Monster Jam events live in the past. Watching those reactions just reinforces to me how amazing the World Finals is and the TV coverage brings that home to millions of serious fans and casual fans alike.

Finally, a few of the biggest impressions left on me from the World Finals coverage on Speed are probably different from most other viewers who will remember the great races and biggest freestyle moves most vividly. For me one of the first things that sticks out is the work of our pit reporter. Sara Dayley flat gets it. Her interview with a visibly shaken Adam Anderson after his crash on Thunder Alley was money, one of the most impactful interviews we've ever had on the show.

Next on my list of great moments from the TV coverage was another first for us, getting to go on board and ride the race track with analyst Mark Schroeder. Having a broadcaster who is also a talented Monster Jam driver provided the unique opportunity for viewers to ride along in a Grave Digger truck and hear Mark's impressions as he rode 1500 horsepower down the sport's most famous race course. It was great stuff.

The other biggest impression on me is the technology. This was a small part of the race broadcast but emphasizes how the coverage continues to advance. I'm referring to Damon Bradshaw's first round upset of Dennis Anderson. At the moment that Air Force Afterburner and Grave Digger left the starting line I was convinced that Bradshaw had taken off before the light went green, and in calling the race I asked aloud "did Damon just red light?" I looked at starting line official Jim Ursini and saw no DQ call, nor did I hear one on the official's radios, so I just called the race to the night's closest finish and one of the bracket's biggest upsets. After the event was over and recapping it mentally I was convinced that if I was an official I would have disqualified Bradshaw for red lighting, but Ursini did not make that call and he is one of the best in the business. My question about that race was answered by our cameras and editors on the Speed TV program.

An incredible on board camera angle in slo motion showed that my naked eye impression of a violation was wrong. The replay shows as the starting light just begins to turn green that Bradshaw is into the throttle, cutting as close to a perfect light as maybe we've ever seen. Getting almost a truck length head start over Anderson was the difference as Bradshaw won the race by inches. I don't think that Dennis cut a bad light. Watching the replay clearly shows that Bradshaw had one of the best reaction times possible, leading to the huge upset.

It is that kind of technology that will continue to aid Monster Jam officials in making sure that they get the call right. For our viewers it brings into focus and understanding this amazing sport better than ever. And we've just scratched the surface with what technology will continue to bring both to the sport and to the television coverage.