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If anyone wondered if Dennis Anderson still “had it”, they received a definitive answer in Minnesota. Returning to the building where he suffered an injury that sidelined him for most of 2007 Anderson made his triumphant return to the Metrodome in Minneapolis and won the Freestyle Competition with a Grave Digger run that rates with the best he has ever turned in during his illustrious 26 year career in Monster Jam, and Linsey Weenk made his stadium debut for his new team successfully by winning the racing competition in his Blue Thunder Ford Saturday night to start the new season on Monster Jam action on Speed.
The excited crowd was thrilled right from the start with the racing on a newly designed course, called Cyclone racing, for the first time and the drivers were challenged right from the start. The long circuit saw one truck in each end zone where the Advance Auto Parts lines were drawn. When the light turned green the trucks headed for the first turn on the far outside of the track, jumped a roller at the midway point of a long, fast straightaway, then tightened up on the next turn to move inside and fly over the crushed cars. Then the Monster Jam machines had to make another complete lap, featuring two more leaps over the crushed cars to the Ford Finish line in opposite directions. While the crowd loved the track the new circuit got the best of two of the all-time greats as penalties eliminated both Anderson and seven-time World Champion Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction in the early rounds of the racing bracket.
Meents actually looked like he was the man to beat when he set the fast time in qualifying, a full two seconds quicker than second fastest qualifier Dawn Creten in Scarlet Bandit, but a five second penalty for knocking over a turning pole cost him any chance to win his opening round race against Jimmy Creten and Bounty Hunter. Bounty Hunter was seeded last in the bracket when his truck shut down during his run in time trials but the 2Xtreme race crew had the big Ford Expedition fixed for round one, and the win over Maximum Destruction earned Creten a berth in the semi finals against Frank Krmel and the brand new Donkey Kong truck, who beat Chad Fortune and Superman in the first round. The bottom half of the bracket started with a bang when Dennis Anderson and Grave Digger, who’s qualifying time was hurt when he knocked over a pole for a five second penalty, pulled to the starting line and his opponent, 2007 Rookie of the Year Damon Bradshaw in the Air Force Afterburner threw down the challenge to the icon by pulling up to Grave Digger at the starting line, giving the Digger a nudge and revving the engine in a man to man challenge. Anderson just gave Bradshaw a thumbs up but later said he was thinking “man, you just cut your own throat”. With the crowd now really anticipating this high profile race event more, Anderson won the race but lost control after the finish line and flipped Grave Digger onto its side. The damage was minimal and Digger was ready for his semifinal race against Blue Thunder, a first round winner over Scarlet Bandit.
In the first semifinal Bounty Hunter edged Donkey Kong setting up yet another match-up between Anderson, the icon of the sport, and Weenk the younger challenger who has had his share of success one on one against Dennis in the past. This time the race was another close, intense battle with Anderson bringing Grave Digger across the line first but Weenk gaining the win due to a five second penalty called on Anderson when officials ruled that he missed a jump, not getting both front wheels up the ramp and onto the crush cars. Weenk’s strategy, which he talked about after the racing was done, to put a premium on avoiding penalties on the tricky track paid off and Weenk earned his first shot at his former boss, and in the first Championship Race of the season no less. Weenk and Creten had a great battle in the finale with Linsey bringing Blue Thunder across the finish line a winner, the margin of victory being less than a truck length.
In freestyle Krmel pulled onto the floor first and immediately set the bar high with a huge air performance in Donkey Kong. Krmel would get very accustomed to the hot seat as the leader as truck after truck failed to top his score until Weenk brought his big Ford out in search of a Double Down trophy. Weenk, fast becoming a freestyle contender to complement his already big time racing reputation, fired the crowd up with a huge run to take the lead. But then it was Digger time, and Anderson, who said he owed his Minneapolis fans because of his shortened performance in the Metrodome last December due to the injury, paid back any possible debt to those fans in full, and then some. One of the best freestyles ever from Anderson had the crowd standing throughout, among the highlights: Anderson launched Grave Digger over one of the large stacks, flying so high that it may have been the highest leap ever seen in a Monster Jam machine, four or five stories in the air, and just as amazing was that while the drop from that high in the air damaged the truck, Anderson did not stop; after that a leap over the double bus stack saw Grave Digger land, barrel roll all the way back onto all fours and Grave Digger still didn’t stop; a little later Anderson flipped again, this time an end over end roll, and again he landed on all four tires and was able to continue. By the time the run was over Anderson was basking in the glow of a lengthy standing ovation and a perfect score of 30 from the judges. Meents knew he had almost an impossible task in front of him to equal one of Anderson’s all time great runs, still he brought the fans to their feet again as well with a wild Max-D freestyle, but after the event Meents admitted that on this night, Dennis Anderson was a no doubt winner in freestyle.
The new Pro Stadium Truck racing format saw Jerry Conrad drive the Mama’s Pain Ford Explorer to the win in the main, with Charles Woock finishing second in Atomic.
RACING RESULTS
Fast Qualifier – Maximum Destruction
1st Round – Bounty Hunter def Maximum Destruction; Donkey Kong def Superman; Grave Digger def Air Force Afterburner; Blue Thunder def Scarlet Bandit
Semifinals – Bounty Hunter def Donkey Kong; Blue Thunder def Grave Digger
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE – BLUE THUNDER DEFEATED BOUNTY HUNTER
FREESTYLE RESULTS
GRAVE DIGGER 30
Blue Thunder 26
Maximum Destruction 24
Donkey Kong 21
Bounty Hunter 20
Air Force Afterburner 18
Scarlet Bandit 16
Superman 16
