SATURDAY 2:00PM
For more than two decades the monsters have made the trip to Stafford Motor Speedway to race and thrill fans in the northeast. Saturday afternoon they did it again this time bringing some veterans and some new drivers to the legendary facility.
For the first time since 1991 Mike Wine took the wheel of a monster truck. I must be like riding a bike, you never forget because Wine did an incredible job aboard Monster Mutt. “The last time I drove in a race aboard Jersey Outlaw here was in 1987, I am glad to be back and it feels good. The truck lands easier than I remember and there is a bunch more power. I love it”, he told the fans during an interview.
There was also a new driver featured aboard Superman. Quad racer Bobby Parr has been training aboard Superman and made his debut at Stafford this weekend. “Some people say racing is racing but this is a whole different ballgame. I am excited about the opportunity to drive one of the top trucks in the world. I am still learning but I am ready for the challenge”.
The mid summer heat didn’t really kick in till half-way thru the 2pm event but the real heat was on the track. Racing was fast and furious, Pro Trucks gave the fans fast moving excitement and the freestyle competition saw some of the biggest names suffer major damage.
Racing Results
Round One:
Maximum Destruction defeated Superman
Monster Mutt over Stone Crusher
American Guardian beat Hot Wheels
Grave Digger over Eradicator
Semi-Finals:
Monster Mutt over Maximum Destruction
Grave Digger beat American Guardian
Race Final
Grave Digger defeated Monster Mutt
Freestyle Competition:
Hot Wheels 17 Nice fast paced run, no damage
Eradicator 21 some nice air and the first donut of the afternoon
Superman 19 some handling problems for the new driver but a solid performance
Stone Crusher 25 great wheelies, big air, the fans loved it
American Guardian 26 Rick Raab had the truck dialed in for excitement
Monster Mutt 24 great job from the veteran driver
Grave Digger 30 Randy Brown drove the wheels off digger. :90 of excitement
Maximum Destruction 28 Tom did a world class freestyle flipping the truck at the end.
Pro-Trucks and Draco the Dragonator kept things exciting till the end of the more than 2 hour event. Pro-Truck race winner for the afternoon was Colin Dorshimer who vowed to do it again in the 8pm event.
SATURDAY 8:00PM
Between the afternoon event and the night event Saturday Stafford Speedway went from the heat of an over to a mud pit to a steam bath. The heat of the afternoon was cooled by rain immediately after the 2pm show. While it was refreshing it also made it hard on the Pro-Tracks II crew as they worked to get things ready for the evening event and for the crew of Maximum Destruction as they worked to replace the nearly entire front end on the truck. By 6:30 when doors opened both track crew and pits crews were still hard at work.
At 7:45 all was ready for Monster Jam. All trucks in good shape, the track was beautiful and the humidity kept everything hot and sticky. It was time for an exciting summertime outdoor event. The near sell out crowd was in for a treat.
Monster Racing Results:
Round One:
Maximum Destruction over Eradicator
Stone Crusher barely beat Superman
Grave Digger over Monster Mutt
American Guardian defeated Hot Wheels
Semi-Finals:
Max D beat Stone Crusher
American Guardian defeated Grave Digger
Race Final
Maximum Destruction over American Guardian
Pro-Truck Racing saw Chris Smith Jr. score consistently faster times to win the competition. Smith joined Colin Dorshimer as both drivers racked up one win each for the day.
Monster Freestyle Results:
Hot Wheels 15
Eradicator 16
Superman 20 new driver Bobby Parr getting better all the time
American Guardian 27 lots of air, big wheelies and donuts
Stone Crusher 24 with this much air he needs a pilots license
Monster Mutt 20
Grave Digger 29 close to perfect, wheelies, donuts, used the whole track for excitment
Max Destruction 29 cyclones, big air, non-stop action
With a tie score from the judges it was up to the fans to determine the ultimate winner for the evening. The cheer-off was close but went to Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction.
All drivers then signed autographs for almost two hours.
SUNDAY:
The heat and tough competition took it’s toll on the monsters Sunday afternoon at Stafford Motor Speedway. Eradicator blew a motor in racing and American Guardian failed during his high energy freestyle. All this carnage amid some of the fastest racing of the weekend from the big boys of the USHRA. While it may have been tough on the drivers and equipment, the fans saw some great action.
Monster qualifying was the first clue about the action to come with Maximum Destruction turning the fastest time of the weekend at 3.72. That record time lasted less than two minutes as Grave Digger broke new ground with a time of 3.62. The battle was on.
Racing Results were as follows:
Round One
Grave Digger beat Hot Wheels
Superman defeated Eradicator
American Guardian over Stone Crusher
Monster Mutt took out Maximum Destruction
Semi-Finals:
Grave Digger in a close shootout over Superman
Monster Mutt beat American Guardian
Race Finals:
Grave Digger beat Monster Mutt
There were several big stories this past weekend.
- Bobby Parr, former world class quad racer, improved each time he went behind the wheel of Superman. He has the potential to be one great driver.
- Rick Raab continues to take the American Guardian team to new heights. Rick has the experience, mechanical ability, and driving ability to take the team to the World Finals in the next season or two.
- Mike Wine returns to the drivers seat in Monster Mutt after leaving the drivers seat in 1991. In his return this weekend he proved that the old dog still remembers some of his old tricks and can learn some new ones.
- Gary Wiggins, another veteran driver, also continue to improve his Stone Crusher team with his sights set on a championship shot.
If all the above sounds interesting, it should. It is another sign of the growth of the sport and the competitive nature of the competitors.
Freestyle Results:
Hot Wheels 17
Eradicator broke
Superman 21 wheelies and donuts with high flying action
Stone Crusher 25 big air and a blown tire at the end
American Guardian 14 broke :30 into the run
Monster Mutt 20 tail chasing seems to be one of Mikes favorites
Grave Digger 27 great job by Randy Brown, a fan delight
Max Destruction 30 a perfect score by Tom with lots of air and cyclones
Pro Trucks saw the third winner in as many shows. This very competitive division say Eric Overpeck win for the first time. “I really messed up on the track Saturday hitting turn poles and spinning out. But today was different, I was luck and just kept my foot into it and held on”, said the winning driver.
Draco the Dragonator chewed up another car Sunday, displaying his ability to not only crush but to also eat anything in it’s way.
