Weekend Race Recap
Saturday 7:30PM -

(Minneapolis, MN) The Advance Auto Parts/Built Ford Tough Trucks Monster Jam returned to this friendly Northern city on February 17, 2007. With the World Finals in Las Vegas just over one month away, the Monster Jam competitors knew very well that tonight’s event would be a great way to take some valuable series points home from Minnesota.

An unbelievably tough field of Monster Jam competitors made the trip up North including Fullboar (Ed Eckert), Renegade (Richard Stevens), High Anxiety (Christoper Roy), Freedom Force (Chad Mathison), Martial Law (Paul Strong), Rolling Thunder (Jim Bendzick), Devastator (Mark Schroeder), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Taz (Lee O’Donnell), Air Force Afterrburner (Damon Bradshaw), and Grave Digger, driven by rising young star Adam Anderson. Part of the Subway Motor Sports Series, this event would prove to have incredible energy from the firing of the first engine right through until the last autograph was signed.

Subway Monster Jam Racing witnessed an all-new racetrack incorporating a long straightaway followed by two sets of crush cars. Qualifying action saw Adam Anderson in Grave Digger set fast time at a blazing quick 18.69 seconds. Moving into Round One, Minneapolis fans watched intently as Grave Digger defeated Avenger, and Freedom Force beat Rolling Thunder. In other Round One action it was Air Force Afterburner over Fullboar, Taz over Martial Law, Brutus over High Anxiety, and Devastator over Renegade.

Monster Jam Racing Round Two saw Grave Digger take out Freedom Force, Air Force Afterburner beat Taz, and Devastator win versus Brutus. However, Brutus would return as Fast Loser in the Semi Final to take on Grave Digger. Adam Anderson would prove red hot, however, as he steered the legend from Kill Devil Hills to victory over Brutus. In the other Semi Final race, it was Air Force Afterburner flying past Devastator at very high altitude.

The Subway Monster Jam Racing Final would be a classic match up between 1989 Supercross Champion Damon Bradshaw in Air Force Afterburner and Adam Anderson in Grave Digger. With father Dennis Anderson watching closely from the Pit Area, Adam knew how important a win in this race would be to his team. Bradshaw, on the other hand, was not about to lay down at the starting line. When the lights turned green, both trucks powered off the Advance Auto Parts starting line and were virtually equal on lap one. It was on the second lap, however, that Anderson began to show a little extra horsepower. This incredible show of strength by Anderson might have caused Bradshaw to make a rare mistake around a turning pole. The Ford Finish Line welcomed Adam Anderson in Grave Digger as the official winner of the Subway Monster Jam Racing Final.

Quad Wars Competition was a wheel-banging affair from green flag to checkered. Team Wisconsin came into Minnesota with one thing on their minds: winning. Competition was very close from start to finish in the heat race with Team Wisconsin stealing the win. But the Twin Cities Area Yamaha Dealers Quad Wars Final came down to the very last corner as Wisconsin and Minnesota laid it all out on the table. In a very close race, it was Team Minnesota taking the Quad Wars Final on a Yamaha.

In the hotly-contested Trailer Race, Monster Jam fans watched while the competitors took part in a demolition derby type competition with the name of the game being “last trailer on the track wins”. Drivers continued to smash each others trailers until the racetrack was completely littered with debris. It was certainly both different and exciting and the win was credited to Dan Goetze of Arlington, Minnesota.

Monster Jam Freestyle Competition featured certainly the most intimidating course ever seen inside the walls of the HHH Metrodome. Monster Jam Technical Officials Keith Speller, Wolf Cox, Al Lamere, Andy Salerno, Bryan Lamere, and Brett Kennedy constructed a monstrous twenty five foot high pyramid made of dirt and sheet metal. As much as the drivers knew this crazy obstacle would be tough on themselves and their equipment, they also knew that hitting it in a big way would mean extra points during Freestyle Competition. Minneapolis fans were on the feet as the drivers worked feverishly trying to get as many points out of the judges as possible. A notable run was offered up by Jim Bendzick in Rolling Thunder as he led the competition with 23 points. This score held for a long time but there were still some of the best in the business strapped into their trucks in the pit area. Jim Koehler in Avenger went huge during Freestyle and coaxed a score of 28 points from the razor-sharp judges. Unfortunately for Koehler, however, the score was not quite a perfect 30. This left the door open for young star Adam Anderson in Grave Digger as he looked for the coveted Double Down award. Anderson stormed out to the course and literally decimated everything from a huge motor home to the huge Mount Minnesota. Grave Digger was virtually out of control the entire run but it was in the last seconds that Anderson would hit Mount Minnesota sideways and turn Grave Digger over on its roof. The crowd went wild, and this great Freestyle driving exhibition from Adam Anderson earned him and Team Grave Digger a perfect score of 30 points. Here’s how the competitors fared in Freestyle Competition:

FULL BOAR 10
RENEGADE 7
HIGH ANXIETY 3
FREEDOM FORCE 10
MARTIAL LAW 17
ROLLING THUNDER 23
DEVASTATOR 18
BRUTUS 7
AVENGER 28
TAZ 22
AIR FORCE 25
GRAVE DIGGER 30
FREESTYLE WINNER: GRAVE DIGGER!

Following Freestyle Competition, Minnesota fans made their way to the autograph session in a great frame of mind. Several enthusiastic people were heard talking about the great lineup of drivers and the huge amount of carnage left on the track here tonight. There is no question that every single driver brought their “A” games to the Metrodome. And when you see a group of drivers with this much talent bury the throttle, only good things happen. Unless, of course, you happen to be a crush car!

We’ll see you down the road.

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)