Weekend Race Recap
A frosty night…a new year…and the first steps down the long road that leads to the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas. That’s what faced competitors at the Thunder Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts in Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena…and perhaps, somewhere in the sky, a full moon was shining…
For Aaron Cromer, driver of Anger Management, the gremlins seemed to get him first. As he was pulling up to the line to begin the U.S. Army Monster Wheelie Competition, something went wrong with his rear steer, forcing him out of the running. While Cromer and crew thrashed in the pits, Bob Robbins took After Shock vertical and brought the crowd to its feet…and the judges too, as they posted a score of 21 for his effort. Ed Eckert hit a power wheelie with Full Boar to score a 14, and Rick Raab blasted American Guardian high to take over the lead with a 21. Courtney Jolly was ready to launch Travis Pastrana’s 199 when an electrical problem also forced her to the sidelines. Chad Tingler brought Grave Digger to the line and wowed the crowd by not only getting vertical, but planting the back end of Digger XIV right into a crush car-and driving out of it! The judges put up a 25 to give Digger the win!
While Jolly’s crew tried to trace the problem on Travis Pastrana’s 199, Grave Digger lined up for a bye run in the opening round of Advance Auto Parts Monster Racing…and without explanation, Digger shut down! You could see the look of surprise in Chad Tingler’s eyes…and the disappointment that Digger had succumbed to a problem that wouldn’t let him race.
With four trucks left, round one became even more critical, as the winners would move directly to the finals. The first contest featured American Guardian facing off against After Shock, with Guardian emerging victorious. In the other contest, Full Boar and Anger Management went head to head, with Anger Management scoring a narrow victory.
That set up an interesting pairing for the finals-teammates going one on one for the championship. Guardian and Anger Management left the line together, and as they streaked across the World Finals Finish Line, it was close…VERY close…but Raab was able to sneak past his young teammate to take the win!
While the monsters were being tended to by their crews, the floor of Blue Cross Arena was filled with a unique, exciting jam session. On one side: BMX freestyle riders, hitting crazy tailwhips and backflips. On the other side: two of the most talented riders from the XSBA doing all sorts of crazy stunts. In the middle: a trio of insane FMX riders throwing down some out of this world tricks! It was mayhem…and it was incredible to watch, if you could keep up with all of the action!
The Monster Donut Competition was next, and that started with Anger Management posting a 15 to open the round. After Shock followed with a score of 23, and Ed Eckert broke in a new set of tires on Full Boar with a tremendous tire smokin’ effort that gave him the lead with a 27…but unfortunately, left him with a damaged front axle that ended his night much earlier than he would have wanted.
The crowd waited in anticipation…they knew the Digger crew had been working feverishly to make repairs, but had they finished in time? As the red headlights glowed, the crowd roared its approval…and Digger rewarded them with a classic cyclone, which the judges thought was the best…perfect, in fact, as they posted a 30.
After the Extreme Kart Tour ran their wild main event, full of side by side racing, the crowd was ready to rock…and it was time for the United Rentals Monster Freestyle! Anger Management came up first and hit some good air to score an 11. After Shock powered through some big air and a nice donut to wrap things up and take the lead with a 14. Digger would be the final competitor, and his run started off with a fantastic monster sized jump over the crush cars…then a turn back around…then nothing. Digger had stopped in its tracks, the front driveshaft dangling down…definitely not the kind of finish Chad Tingler was hoping for! That gave Robbins the freestyle win.
While Thunder Nationals fans headed for home, the monster competitors and their crews got ready for a long night of work…the battle of the night was over, but the march to the World Finals had just begun…
U.S. ARMY MONSTER WHEELIE COMPETITION
After Shock – 21
Full Boar – 14
American Guardian – 21
Grave Digger – 25
Anger Management – DNF (rear steer)
Travis Pastrana’s 199-DNF (electrical)
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MONSTER RACING
ROUND ONE:
American Guardian def. After Shock
Anger Management def. Full Boar
Travis Pastrana’s 199/Grave Digger-DNF (electrical)
FINALS:
American Guardian def. Anger Management
MONSTER DONUT COMPETITION:
Anger Management – 15
After Shock – 23
Full Boar – 27
Grave Digger – 30
American Guardian – DNF (flat tire)
Travis Pastrana’s 199 – DNF (electrical)
UNITED RENTALS MONSTER FREESTYLE
Anger Management – 11
After Shock – 14
Grave Digger – 4
American Guardian – DNF (flat tire)
Full Boar – DNF (front axle)
Travis Pastrana’s 199 – DNF (electrical)
Paul Szmal
USHRA Announcer
After an opening night where it seemed like there were gremlins running all over the place, the competitors assembled for Thunder Nationals brought to you by Advance Auto Parts at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester spent most of Saturday on, in, and under their monsters, working with their crews to get everything together and be good to go come showtime.
It was work that was duly rewarded…
With a full house of amped up fans ready to see some action, the first event began: The U.S. Army Monster Wheelie Competition. Aaron Cromer got Anger Management into a nice pop and drop to score a 16, with Bob Robbins besting that effort with After Shock by notching a 21. Ed Eckert lost a little traction getting up on the cars and only scored an 8. American Guardian, with Rick Raab at the controls, stood it up well and notched a 24, only to see Courtney Jolly with Travis Pastrana’s 199 equal his effort…leaving only Grave Digger. After a night of problems, Chad Tingler came out of the box fully loaded, blasting Digger into a tailgate stander in the middle of the crush cars…which got him a perfect 30 and the Wheelie Competition victory.
Next on the agenda: Advance Auto Parts Monster Racing. Anger Management wasn’t able to answer the call in round one, and Grave Digger earned a bye for his victory in the wheelie competition, so four trucks competed. The first pair saw American Guardian begin his quest for another racing win by knocking out After Shock, and in the other head to head contest, Travis Pastrana’s 199 barely edged Full Boar.
On to the Semi Final….Pastrana 199 takes out American Guardian…and Digger bests After Shock…which set up a final between two monsters who couldn’t even make the racing rounds the night before. Both Courtney Jolly and Chad Tingler had some payback in mind after a frustrating Friday night, and when the lights went green to start the final, they both HAMMERED the gas…and BOTH trucks launched nearly vertical as they sailed across the crush cars. If it hadn’t been for a well placed finish line camera, we may have never been able to determine the winner…but the shot told the tale: by the slimmest of margins, Digger had won its second competition of the night!
You could feel the anticipation building amongst the fans…Digger’s back in form, could the famed Digger ‘sweep’ of the night’s competition be far away?
Before the monsters returned for the donut competition, the fans got a chance to see something new…kind of like combining three different flavors into a really cool new drink! XSBA riders pulling stunts on their Kawasakis…freestyle BMX riders doing 360’s, truck drivers, and backflips across their jump box…and 50 feet above the arena floor, FMX riders going into the stratosphere with some absolutely INSANE tricks…ALL at once! The Dinosaur Barbeque Extreme Jam Session had everyone in Blue Cross Arena on their feet, cheering, clapping, and screaming their approval!
Back in the Monster pit area, American Guardian had to join Anger Management on the sidelines with a mechanical problem, which left four trucks for the Donut Competition. After Shock set things up with a great cyclone to score a 24…Travis Pastrana’s 199 posted a 17…and Full Boar screamed its way to a 23…but sometimes, it seems that when Digger gets that winning momentum, you can’t stop it…one tight, tire smoking cyclone later, Tingler stood atop Digger XIV triumphant with another perfect 30 and a third win.
This is where things get a bit….well, unusual. United Rentals Monster Freestyle kicked into gear with Full Boar starting off with some good air…but only got a score of 11. After Shock followed with big air and donuts for a 14. Pastrana’s 199 was next, and Courtney fired off a great run, but her super tight cyclone came after the clock expired, and the judges were aware of it…end result…a 10, a score that could have been better.
Last up: Grave Digger…when Tingler lit up the tires and headed towards the twin stacks, you could tell he was relishing the chance to go BIG…and that’s what he did…HUGE air…HUGER air, if that’s possible…but then, a problem: The front brake rotor, glowing cherry red from heat, burst into flame, and officials had to shut Digger down. Tingler knew what the problem was (he could smell it) and hoped that his run was enough to earn the sweep…he awaited the judges scores…and the judges only gave Digger a 10!
For the second night in a row, After Shock was Monster Freestyle champion!
As the clock slowly rolled into Sunday, you had to wonder…would Digger be able to avenge defeat, or would After Shock pull off an amazing sweep of the weekend’s Monster Freestyle?
U.S. ARMY MONSTER WHEELIE COMPETITION
Anger Management-16
After Shock-21
Full Boar-8
American Guardian-24
Pastrana 199-24
Grave Digger-30
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MONSTER RACING, ROUND ONE:
American Guardian def. After Shock
Pastrana 199 def. Full Boar
Grave Digger-bye to Semi Finals
Anger Management-did not run (mechanical)
SEMI FINALS:
Grave Digger def. After Shock
Pastrana 199 def. American Guardian
FINALS:
Grave Digger def. Pastrana 199
MONSTER DONUT COMPETITION:
After Shock-24
Full Boar-23
Pastrana 199-17
Grave Digger-30
UNITED RENTALS MONSTER FREESTYLE
After Shock-14
Full Boar-11
Pastrana 199-10
Grave Digger-10
Paul Szmal
USHRA Announcer
Sunday afternoon…while some spent the day resting, and others watched football…thousands of fans packed Blue Cross Arena to the rafters for what would be a Thunder Nationals for the ages, brought to you by Advance Auto Parts!
After a first day where it seemed like every competitor was having some type of mechanical gremlin, and a wild Saturday night that saw Bob Robbins in After Shock take his second straight freestyle win…the table was set for the competitors to once again battle it out on the road to Las Vegas and the Monster Jam World Finals!
Up first: The U.S. Army Monster Wheelie Competition. The first two competitors, Aaron Cromer with Anger Management and Bob Robbins with After Shock, both earned scores of 20 to share the top of the leader board. Ed Eckert did a power wheelie with Full Boar to break the tie and move into the lead with a 25. Rick Raab stood American Guardian up vertical, but just missed the top spot with a 21. Courtney Jolly did a super pop and drop with Travis Pastrana’s 199 to raise the bar again with a 27. The final competitor was Grave Digger…and Chad Tingler put Digger into the classic tailgate stand in the crush car stack, with a twist…and just when it seemed like he was going to lose control of Digger XIV, he hit the gas and powered away…an amazing feat! It was duly rewarded by the judges as they gave him a perfect 30 and the victory.
Coming into the Advance Auto Parts Monster Racing, there had been two different winners: American Guardian and Grave Digger. You could kinda feel it in the air…the one on one battle between two winners was coming.
Round one started with Digger taking out Anger Management. Travis Pastrana’s 199 beat Full Boar, and Grave Digger knocked out After Shock. Full Boar returned as the fast loser from round one, but fell to Digger in their semi final, while American Guardian bested Pastrana 199 to set up the match between the winners from the previous two shows.
However, as it had several times on Friday night, mechanical problems…or maybe just some bad luck…fell upon American Guardian. As he rolled up to the Advance Auto Parts starting line for the final, the plug that was sealing a hole in his right front tire failed, and within moments, the tire was nearly flat. Dejected, American Guardian had to go back to the pit area.
Meanwhile…Courtney Jolly was taking a moment, working out in her head what she was going to do later in United Rentals Monster Freestyle, when officials came running up to tell her to jump on board Pastrana 199 and report to the track to take Guardian’s place in the finals. Within moments, she was strapped in and staging her truck for battle.
Staged…ready…GREEN…and a couple of seconds later, after getting the holeshot, Pastrana 199 had done the deed, with Digger going down in defeat!
As Courtney celebrated her win, some of the best FMX riders, BMX freestyle riders, and XSBA stunt riders hit the floor for some organized mayhem in the Dinosaur Barebeque Extreme Jam Session. The crowd was on their feet watching them do some wild and crazy tricks!
The monsters returned to the track for the Donut Competition, sans American Guardian. Anger Management was able to do a great cyclone despite not being at 100 percent power due to a cylinder issue, and set the bar pretty high for starters with a 20. After Shock blasted a tight donut for a 23, then the bar was raised again by Travis Pastrana’s 199 with a 29. Full Boar was next, and Ed Eckert finally got the hookup he was looking for, ripping a super cyclone…after tossing his steering wheel out of the truck! The judges gave him a perfect 30 and the pressure was on Digger…who responded with a non stop tight cyclone of his own to match the perfect score and put the decision in the hands of the fans…who picked Digger as the winner!
After the Extreme Kart Tour showed the fans some sideways and side by side high speed action, it was finally time for United Rentals Monster Freestyle. Anger Management made a solid effort to score a 9, and Bob Robbins, looking to pull a sweep of the weekend’s freestyle, laid down a great run to notch a 21. However, Travis Pastrana’s 199 broke through to the top spot and Courtney Jolly jumped and spun her way to a 23.
Back in the pit area, there was a major thrash going on, as Aaron Cromer had hopped out of Anger Management and was working feverishly with his crew and Rick Raab of American Guardian. They had hatched a plan to allow Guardian to compete in freestyle…a good old fashioned tire swap! One wheel off Anger…one wheel on Guardian…and Rick put it to the test with major air and a great cyclone to take the lead with a 25! Would the combined effort that put Guardian on the track be rewarded with a freestyle win?
Digger had something to say about that.
Sixty seconds later, Digger had hit every obstacle on the track every which way…flying, cross cutting, and blasting out a cyclone so high powered that it ended in a haze of smoke from the transmission! Chad Tingler was pumped as he exited Digger, and he waited for his score…and got what he wanted: A 26 and the freestyle win by a single point!
U.S. ARMY MONSTER WHEELIE COMPETITION
Anger Management-20
After Shock-20
Full Boar-25
American Guardian-21
Pastrana 199-27
Grave Digger-29
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MONSTER RACING, ROUND ONE:
Grave Digger def. Anger Management
Pastrana 199 def. Full Boar
American Guardian def. After Shock
SEMI FINALS
Grave Digger def. Full Boar (fast loser from round one)
American Guardian def. Pastrana 199
FINAL
Pastrana 199 def. Grave Digger
(Pastrana 199 subs for American Guardian due to a flat tire)
DONUT COMPETITION
Anger Management-20
After Shock-23
Full Boar-30
Pastrana 199-29
Grave Digger-30
Digger wins by fan vote
UNITED RENTALS MONSTER FREESTYLE
Anger Management-9
After Shock-21
American Guardian-25
Pastrana 199-23
Grave Digger-26
Paul Szmal
USHRA Announcer
