The return of Monster Jam to Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida occurred on a bright Saturday afternoon that led to a warm evening. The Built Ford Tough Party in the pits brought lots of smiling faces with long lines throughout. One attraction was the first Miami appearance in more than a decade of multiple champion Dennis Anderson in his Grave Digger.
Monsters hit the track for qualifying with Team Suzuki setting the pace with a 28.84 run that stood up through nearly 10 challengers. Pouncer was unable to join the field in qualifying. Round one matchups saw Team Suzuki getting the bye run and moved to the second round. Blue Thunder nipped El Toro Loco, Destroyer earned a pass when Backdraft limped off the line with transmission troubles, Gunslinger stopped Cowboy, Predator topped Eradicator, and Monster Mutt thwarted the Grave Digger run. Second round action saw Blue Thunder advance at the expense of Team Suzuki, Gunslinger slid past Destroyer, and Monster Mutt took out Predator in the cat versus dog showdown. Team Suzuki came out as fast loser to get another shot at Blue Thunder in the semis, but couldn’t pull the magic. Monster Mutt came to the line determined to decision Gunslinger and pulled it off. As Blue Thunder and Monster Mutt pulled to the line for the final, the record crowd of more than 50,000 was evenly divided. It proved to be a close one, but Linsey Weenk’s Blue Thunder proved to be superior.
Monsters were also involved in freestyle with a special twist. Drivers still running at the conclusion of their 90 seconds were given an additional 30 seconds of bonus time, which guaranteed an extra point from each of the judges. Cowboy pulled out first and the truck tumbled shortly into the round, earning him a mere 3 points. Bobby Parr was determined to put a stellar freestyle on the board and he put the Team Suzuki out to do the best. It earned him a 19 and the lead and he took off in the crowd in search of fans. Meanwhile, Pouncer pulled to the line but could only muster a 7. Gunslinger’s efforts drew a 13 from the judges. Allen Pezo and Predator had opened some eyes in freestyle in 2008 and Miami was no different. Predator went hunting and came away with a 20 and the lead. It was short lived as Eradicator raised the bar to a 23, sending a thrilled Andy Slifko into the stands to meet the fans. Slifko’s score held up as Dan Evans’ Destroyer toppled over, but the truck was righted and the freestyle was finished, only to score 17. Monster Mutt attacked the stack, but tumbled onto his top. Driver Mike Wine climbed out unhurt, but his score of 16 added to his dismay. Race winner Linsey Weenk went after the freestyle motocross landing ramp, leading to some high flying action and the score of 24 that brought the lead. El Toro Loco’s 6 was a good indication of the mechanical woes that plagued the popular crazy bull. Dennis Anderson and Grave Digger answered the bell, flipping twice in the course of freestyle and finally tumbling in extra time. His score of 25 gave Anderson a plaque to add to his collection and a successful return after a long hiatus. His first-ever Dolphin Stadium visit led to long lines at the autograph session for the drivers, who sent many fans home with the thoughts of future South Florida shows.
Eddie Lawler won the democross main while JJ Romans shined in the freestyle motocross.