GIANT Excitement in Giant Country

The crowd was loud and crazy and awe started the action of quickly with the Universal Technical Institute Wheelie Competition. American Guardian had to get the silent judge to give him the win after he tied with Grave Digger. The tail drag did it for American Guardian!

The Torco Cyclone Competition had a close race at first with American Guardian sliding in with a 24. Monster Mutt came out to put in the smack down going round and round with a 27. The last truck to go was Grave Digger and he performed a tight circle to work a score with 30- a perfect score!

In the Advance Auto Parts Head to Head Final, Grave Digger got lane choice over Anger Management and chose the left lane which had been fast all night. The Grave Digger took the win in the final by a nose.

Last on the night was the crowd favorite- the USAF DoSomethingAmazing.com Freestyle Final! It came down to a three way tie between Monster Mutt, American Guardian and Grave Digger who all had 27 points. But Grave Digger pulled through again after he did an extended run after the clock stopped. The fans didn’t mind and in fact Gary Porter told the crowd afterward that they were the reason he did it. He got the nod from the silent judge and took the win.

Two more shows to go here tomorrow and still some great seats left and we have the pit party too!

-Cory Stem

The Meadowlands, home of Super Bowl bound New York Giants, played host to another Monster Jam presented by Advanced Auto Parts and Ford Trucks today.  The drivers still had one more show to do later in the day, but you could not tell by the way they were driving this afternoon.  Cars got crushed and trucks got broke - but the fans went wild!

The Universal Technical Institute Monster Wheelie contest saw the top two drivers pitted against each other- American Guardian and Grave Digger.  American Guardian driver Rick Raab tried to repeat his win from the night before was beaten by a huge vertical roll  that netted a 29 from the judges to take the win over a 26 scored by Rick.

The head to head speed competition was a tight one with Grave Digger and American Guardian once again pitted against each other.  The run was tight and even though I stood at the finish line I could not tell the winner!  The replay showed it was Digger, victorious again by a knobby in the Advanced Auto Parts Final.

Out next was the Xtreme Sportbike Association and Freestyle Motocross who showed the fans what two wheels could do.  Then we crowned out NGK Spark Plugs Lucky Seat winner who won and shared a big box of Monster Jam swag with some free NGK’s tossed in on top.  This is my first Monster Jam weekend and I gotta say- these guys give away so much stuff!  You got NGK and lucky seat, but then you throw in a $20,000 scholarship from UTI, sweepstakes from Advanced Auto Parts and all the free stuff from the U.S. Air Force - OH and the great things you can win from www.monsterjamonline.com like Monsters on Mainstreet, birthday parties and more!

Torco Fuels presented the Cyclone Competition and the Cyclone Lights were in effect spurring the drivers to go round as fast as they could.  This time Grave Digger had his hands full as the score to beat was a 30 (perfect) and the only way for a win was a perfect score, which is hard enough, but he also had to impress the Silent Judge, who I hear is easily swayed by the crowd and noise.  One heavy duty spin cycle later, the Digger came out victorious yet again.

Last up, and always a crowd favorite was the U.S. Air Force DoSomethingAmazing.com Monster Freestyle and the track techs added a van stack obstacle to up the ante. American Guardian went first and caught so much air he blew a tire and cut the side wall on landing ending his run early.  Monster Mutt had a great run started when he blew a hydraulic steering ram and had to stop from going out of control.  Last out and having to beat a 27 set up by a solid run from the Broker who nearly pulled off a win.  Grave Digger came out last and after the clock stopped- he kept going for nearly two more minutes making a mess of the cars for the fans.  Gary Porter, the pilot of Grave Digger, said “I wasn’t looking at the timing lights.  I just kept looking into the stands and saw those skull and cross bone flags- and I just kept going!”  Going was good and he scored a 29 to win the last competition of the afternoon. 

Can it Get Any Louder in Here?

Well, my first Monster Jam show and was I impressed!  From the hard work of the Monster Jam tech crew to the equally hard working fans of New Jersey.  Thanks for breaking me in right Giants fans!

The Advance Auto Parts side by side bracket racing went down to the wire with six trucks starting and only two making it to the last round.  It came down to American Guardian and Grave Digger- so off the start we knew it was gonna be a close one.  Unfortunately one driver spun on the start and got left in the dust and it was not Grave Digger who took a second win on the day!

Torco Fuels ushered in the Cyclone Competition and with hundreds of Cyclone Lights spinning and lit up- American Guardian popped in with a score of 25.  He ended the run breaking an oil line and ending his evening, but he also oiled down the spin pit which made it a little tougher for Grave Digger.  Gary Porter took his turn and got the spin cycle on max before hitting the oil and sliding off the side and nearly into the wall.  It was impressive enough for the judges who awarded him 30 points and the win.

The Universal Technical Institute Monster Wheelie Competition had opening scores that were so close- you would think the drivers were competing for the $20,000 scholarship that UTI is giving away.  But once again- two trucks upped the level of competition and American Guardian two wheeled into a huge lead with 29 points.  Surely that would be a win- that is until Grave Digger took to the line.  He nearly threw if over backwards but kept his foot in the gas anyway and ran it over the cars and away with a score of 30 for the win.

Monster Freestyle is amazing, so it only fits that the U.S. Air Force sponsored the class and called it the DoSomethingAmazing.com Freestyle.  The first three trucks to go o0ut got the crowd on their feet, but the judges were very thorough and scored them low, but well.  Monster Mutt came out and put on a great exhibition of driving skill nailing the big air with some great cyclones thrown in for good measure.  He ripped a 25 from the judges and got a standing ovation from the crowd.  Out next was the man of the evening- Grave Digger.  He went for his 60 seconds and just a bit longer catching more air than anyone all night.  The look on the fans faces said it all, and the judges noticed too.  Twenty-eight points and a win yet again for the Grave Digger!

Next week the crew rolls and rocks into Uniondale, NY for a three day show.  Great tickets are still available but you better be quick - New Jersey is not far from there and I think a lot of these fans are gonna make the trip to get some more Monster Jam action.

-Cory Stem