Friday Night:

(Edmonton, AB) The 2010 Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam roared into the storied Rexall Place on February 5, 2010. Home of the multi-time Stanley Cup Champions Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club, Alberta fans are very accustomed to seeing some wild action here in this building. Tonight, that action went up yet another notch.

Six Monster Jam stars towed up north to Edmonton including Sheer Insanity (Ged Barcroft), Western Renegade (Barry Parkin), Monster Mutt (Ryan Anderson), El Toro Loco (Mark McDonald), Donkey Kong (Kreg Christensen), and Grave Digger, driven by Rod Schmidt.

Mark McDonald in El Toro Loco set the tone early in the night with a big win in the Monster Jam Wheelie Competition. He looked absolutely flawless as he pointed the big bull’s nostrils to the sky, on route to a score of 27 points. Grave Digger was second with 24 points, while Donkey Kong scored 23. Sheer Insanity earned fourth place with a nice 20-point effort, while Monster Mutt scored 18. Western Renegade rounded out the Wheelie Competition with a score of 14 points.

Monster Jam Racing Round One was very competitive on the tight arena course. Track moisture levels were ideal, making for a nice sticky launch pad for all the drivers. Donkey Kong met Western Renegade in the first drag race of the night, with Donkey Kong taking the win. Monster Mutt defeated Sheer Insanity, while Grave Digger tamed El Toro Loco.

The Racing Semi-Final brought back El Toro Loco as Fast Loser. This time, bullfighter Mark McDonald tamed his beast with a nice smooth win over Donkey Kong. The other Semi saw rookie Ryan Anderson in Monster Mutt defeat Grave Digger, the very truck his famous father created over 25 years ago.

The Monster Jam Racing Final paired El Toro Loco against Monster Mutt. Coming off a Wheelie Competition win, Mark McDonald in El Toro Loco could have been considered the favorite, especially considering his competition would be a 20 year-old rookie in Ryan Anderson. But when the lights turned green, Anderson would look more like his famous father than a rookie. Anderson did a tremendous job in steering Monster Mutt down the strip and stole the win from El Toro Loco. Edmonton fans went wild, appreciating every little bit of the young rookie’s efforts.

The stars of Freestyle Motocross flew into Rexall Place tonight and gave the fans a huge dose of their unique motorsports style. Riders Ted Culbertson, Tim Horton, Craig Phillips, and Steve Stine threw every trick in the book including some crazy Dead Bodies. Culbertson looked particularly sharp tonight, as he likely should. The Helena, Montana native is actually in the middle of his season right now as a Freestyle Snowcross competitor, so he is no stranger to big air anytime of the year.

Advance Auto Parts Freestyle Competition came right down to the wire with several incredible performances. A great effort was put forth by Kreg Christensen in Donkey Kong, whose score of 26 points looked like it would be good enough for the win. However, Mark McDonald in El Toro Loco was equal, if not a little better as he sailed his angry bull throughout Rexall Place. He ended his run on his nose, crushing most of the front suspension components. This great run would earn McDonald the Freestyle victory with a score of 27 points.

The drivers earned the following final scores:

SHEER INSANITY 14
WESTERN RENEGADE 16
MONSTER MUTT 22
EL TORO LOCO 27
DONKEY KONG 26
GRAVE DIGGER 26

In other action, Team Edmonton edged out arch-rival Team Calgary in Quad Wars competition.

As we watch Mark McDonald’s El Toro Loco crew gets to work on the damaged bull, it is time to bid farewell for the night from Rexall Place. Don’t forget that there are still two performances to come this weekend here in Edmonton. It all kicks off tomorrow morning at 11:30 A.M. with the Pit Party.

Get your tickets now!

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)

Saturday Afternoon:

The afternoon show would produce a different Wheelie Competition winner than the night before. Although Friday night winner Mark McDonald in El Toro Loco performed a great wheelie, his score of 25 points would not be enough for the win. Today, it would take 29 points for victory and it would be Kreg Christensen in Donkey Kong finding himself on top of the heap. Other Wheelie Competition scores included Sheer Insanity (22), Western Renegade (26), Monster Mutt (25), and Grave Digger (24).

Monster Jam Racing Round One saw Monster Mutt defeat Sheer Insanity, Donkey Kong swing past El Toro Loco, and Grave Digger beat Western Renegade. The Racing Semi-Final brought back Western Renegade as Fast Loser. Unfortunately, Western Renegade would not have quite enough for a very fast Ryan Anderson in Monster Mutt, who won the race in a close finish. The other Semi saw Grave Digger narrowly edge out Donkey Kong.

If ever there were a driver with plenty on his mind before a race, it would have been Ryan Anderson in Monster Mutt. After winning Friday night’s Monster Jam Racing Final, Anderson would return to the very same opportunity but this time he would face the very truck his father created more than a quarter century ago. Ace pilot Rod Schmidt would be Anderson’s competition, and Schmidt no doubt wanted the win badly. When the lights turned green, it was all Ryan Anderson as he skillfully ran the big dog through its paces. The finish was close, but in the end it would be Monster Mutt for the second time in a row this weekend. Needless to say, Anderson was thrilled with the big victory.

Freestyle Motocross was again a huge hit at Rexall Place. Red Deer, Alberta’s Craig Phillips hucked a crazy back flip which brought the crowd to its feet. The riders ended their performance with an awesome Crazy Train, complete with a Stripper, A Heart Attack, A Dead Body, and a Kiss of Death.

Advance Auto Parts Freestyle Competition produced what may be the “Save Of The Year” for the driver of the black and green wrecking machine. Approaching the Freestyle Motocross landing ramp with good speed, Rod Schmidt Sky-Wheelied his Grave Digger machine to a perfectly vertical position, resting on only the two rear wheels and the rear bumper. Monster Jam fans gasped as the trucked remained in this vertical position for at least ten seconds before Schmidt put the shifter in reverse and backed Grave Digger down the incline. He continued his Freestyle run to the deafening roar of the crowd and the Pizza 73 judges responded with a competition-winning score of 29 points.

The drivers earned the following Advance Auto Parts Freestyle final scores:

SHEER INSANITY 16
WESTERN RENEGADE 18
MONSTER MUTT 21
EL TORO LOCO 24
DONKEY KONG 26
GRAVE DIGGER 29

In Quad Wars Competition, Team Edmonton was once again victorious in the final race, making it two for two on the weekend.

With two performances complete and one to go here in Edmonton tonight, drivers and crews are plenty busy getting things ready for the grand finale at Rexall Place. There is no doubt that tonight’s event will be absolutely awesome as the best in motor sports clash for more Monster Jam!

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)

Saturday Night:

Kreg Christensen started off the night with a huge Wheelie Competition win in Donkey Kong, earning a score of 29 points. Christensen planted the big ape’s tail hard into the crush cars and stuck it there, requiring assistance from the heavy equipment to pull him down from his fully vertical position. Sheer Insanity and El Toro Loco also displayed some great performances as well, each earning a score of 25 points from the Pizza 73 judges. Grave Digger scored 24, Monster Mutt generated 22 points, and Western Renegade rounded out scoring with 17 points.

Round One Racing saw Monster Mutt knock off Grave Digger, Western Renegade defeat Sheer Insanity, and El Toro Loco destroy Donkey Kong.

Western Renegade returned in the Semi-Final but lost to El Toro Loco. The other Semi was a close one, with Monster Mutt knocking off Fast Loser Donkey Kong.

Ryan Anderson in Monster Mutt is a guy that should be watched very closely over the next few years. His raw driving talent is something to behold, and he possesses a competitive spirit that is second to none. Anderson would meet veteran Mark McDonald in El Toro Loco in the Monster Jam Racing Final, and the young rookie was bound and determined to make it three-for-three in Racing on the weekend. And Anderson, in his fifth-ever show, managed just that. When the lights turned green, Monster Mutt tore into El Toro Loco and never looked back. It was all Ryan Anderson in Monster Mutt at the finish line.

Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam Freestyle competition would make history here tonight in Edmonton, and it would all be because of a rookie that goes by a very familiar last name. After dusting everyone off if Monster Jam Racing, Ryan Anderson returned to the track and put on a Freestyle clinic. Anderson sailed Monster Mutt throughout the building and the Pizza 73 judges responded with a score of 27 points. However, Mark McDonald in El Toro Loco had a similarly great run and tied the rookie at 27 points. A crowd cheer-off was used to determine the Freestyle winner, and in their decision the crowd went with youth over experience. Give the Freestyle win to Ryan Anderson in Monster Mutt, his first-ever Freestyle win in his career!

The drivers earned the following Advance Auto Parts Freestyle scores:

SHEER INSANITY 7
WESTERN RENEGADE 17
MONSTER MUTT 27
EL TORO LOCO 27
DONKEY KONG Mechanical
GRAVE DIGGER Mechanical

Freestyle Winner: Monster Mutt!

In Quad Wars Competition, Team Edmonton took the big prize over a hard-charging Team Calgary in an incredible finish.

Without a doubt, the 2010 Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam was a resounding success here in Edmonton. The events combined sick air with some spectacular crashes, which are always near and dear to Monster Jam fans’ hearts. Fortunately for all, Monster Jam returns to the province of Alberta just two weeks from now.

We’ll see you in Calgary!