Weekend Race Recap
FRIDAY:
Wheelie Results:
Storm Damage 17
Killer Bee 8
Sudden Impact 16
Backdraft 15
T-Maxx 14
Eradicator 18
El Toro Loco 19
Grave Digger 16
In Racing T-Maxx knocked off El Toro Loco in the Finals.
Freestyle Results:
Storm Damage 15
Killer Bee 21
Sudden Impact 16
Backdraft 20
T-Maxx 20
Eradicator 24
El Toro Loco 27
Grave Digger 30
SATURDAY 2PM:
Saturday afternoon would have to have a near perfect performance to top Friday nights!
The Superstars of Monster Jam would deliver right from the start. The wheelie contest set the bar for the remainder of the evening. Each truck hit the crush cars with the intent to stand their truck straight up and down but the judges would prove to be tough as a 26 was the highest score awarded. Sudden Impact and Kevin King would put a target on his back as the man to beat in this event for the weekend.
Wheelie Results:
Storm Damage 18
Killer Bee 23
Sudden Impact 26
Backdraft 19
T-Maxx 25
Eradicator 22
El Toro Loco 23
Grave Digger 24
In the racing it would be a near identical showing from Friday Night. Yes El Toro Loco with Nathan Weenk behind the wheel would beat his traveling partner Randy Brown and Grave Digger. That win would send El Toro Loco to the finals to meet T-Maxx once again. But In repeat fashion Sean Duhon and T-Maxx would knock off El Toro Loco in the racing finals.
The fans favorite freestyle was still to come and with the limited room here in the Mellon Arena would make the drivers get a little creative. The judges once again proved to be tough in this competition; even home state man Andy Slifco and Eradicator would only muster a 19 from the judges. It all came down to Grave Digger only needing a 24 to beat El Toro Loco and win his second Freestyle. Digger was once again the only truck able to brake his back end lose and pull a doughnut out to a perfect 30.
Freestyle Results:
Storm Damage 16
Killer Bee 16
Backdraft 15
T-Maxx 22
Eradicator 19
El Toro Loco 23
Grave Digger 30
SATURDAY 7PM:
A sold out Mellon arena was set for the superstars of Monster Jam to keep them on the edge of their seats.
The wheelie contest once again gave the crowd a pre cursor of what was to come for the evening. Once again the judges were a little stingy in the scoring. Sudden Impact had to nearly put the truck over on its lid to only receive a 29. I thought it was one of the best wheelies I had seen.
Wheelie Results:
Storm Damage 18
Killer Bee 21
Sudden Impact 29
Backdraft 18
T-Maxx 22
Eradicator 26
El Toro Loco 18
Grave Digger 23
In racing the capacity crowd watched a near mirror image performance of the first two go rounds. The only difference this time was a different opponent for T-Maxx to take down in the final. Grave Digger would get sweet revenge over his traveling partner El Toro Loco and advance to the finals. Sean Duhon and T-Maxx would make it 3 in a row in racing.
I have to give some attention to our 3 FMX Superstars Jake Goodyear, Rob Sheehan and Dan Newth. These three men have put it all on the line all weekend thus far. Jake with his Heart attack, Rob with his Rock solid and Dan with the Back Flip. Something different was in the air this night. The crowd was buzzing with anticipation so Dan delivered with a sick combo to end his run. Dan thanked the sold out crowd with a no footed back flip and the crowd came unglued!
In the freestyle Sean Duhon and T-Maxx would raise the bar for Grave Digger this time he hit the FMX landing ramp first. That run would put T-Maxx in the lead with 26 points. The rest tried to take the lead but the closest anyone would come was Nathan Weenk and ETL with a 24. Grave Digger would have to do something different now that they had been taken. Digger was the only truck to once again get his back end loose for a doughnut and if that wasn’t enough he hit the FMX hill both directions to his third perfect 30.
Freestyle Results:
Storm Damage 13
Killer Bee 15
Backdraft 16
T-Maxx 26
Eradicator 20
El Toro Loco 24
Grave Digger 30
Sunday:
Well the crowd was better than ever in 2008 here in Pittsburgh. You could feel in on the arena floor as well. The trucks had been through 3 grueling performances prior to entering the Mellon arena on Sunday afternoon but you could just feel that the best was yet to come.
Coming into the Safe Auto Wheelie competition Sudden Impact had won the last two and was looking for a third in a row. The judges once again looked to be pretty stingy with points as they had a hard time getting out of the teens. Killer bee could only muster a 14 but Sudden Impact was up now... we'll see what he has in store for them today. He stood the truck straight up in the air repeating his previous 2 rounds but the judges were clearly saving room for their favorites. Sudden Impact would head back to the pits with only 23 points. The 232 point run would prove to be enough as Eradicator was the closest competition with 22 points and was the only other truck to be in the 20's.
Wheelie Results:
Storm Damage 8
Killer Bee 14
Sudden Impact 23
Backdraft 14
T-Maxx 17
Eradicator 22
El Toro Loco 16
Grave Digger 19
In the racing T-Maxx was looking to make it 4 in a row but the other 7 trucks would have something to say about that. So far T-Maxx has beaten both Digger and ETL in the finals so would anyone else step up to challenge T-Maxx? One after the other fell by the wayside except for Sudden Impact who was on a quest to prove that he could do more than just wheelies... But Sudden Impact couldn’t slow down T-Maxx as he inched out another finals win.
In the Monster Freestyle as like T-Maxx in the racing Grave Digger was looking for a clean sweep in Pittsburgh. With most of the trucks saving their best for the last performance Grave Digger would have a hard time winning his fourth in a row. T-Maxx raised the bar early on with his highest marked run of the weekend and the 2nd highest total next to Diggers 30's with a 28 point run. Eradicator and ETL also turned in solid runs but couldn’t overtake the 28 points turned in by T-Maxx. The first 3 rounds Digger didn't need his 30 but tonight he did. Knowing what he had to do it was done in true Randy Brown fashion and the man who should have been home recovering from the Flu as he had a 102 temp all weekend turned in the best freestyle run of the weekend and his fourth 30 in a row!
Freestyle Results:
Storm Damage 5
Killer Bee 16
Sudden Impact 21
Backdraft 15
T-Maxx 28
Eradicator 24
El Toro Loco 25
Grave Digger 30
