2009 Monster Jam NGK Spark Plugs World Finals brought to you by Series Sponsors Advance Auto Parts and Ford Trucks.

     Sam Boyd Stadium - Las Vegas, NV
     March 27th and 28th, 2009
  

GENERAL PUBLIC ON SALE ? APRIL 22, 2008

Double Down Packages and regular tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.  Double Down packages will only be available online through MonsterJamOnline.com.  Regular tickets will be available through the Thomas & Mack Center box office, all UNLV Tickets outlets, online at UNLVtickets.com or call 866-4JAM-TIX. 

Double Down Package and regular ticket quantities are limited and subject to availability.

     
     Built Ford Tough Party In The Pits is from 12:00PM to 5:00PM
     * Must have a valid Saturday event ticket to attend.
  - Design-a-Sign booth at the Art Zone 12:00-6:00PM
  - Paint a World Finals obstacle at the Art Zone 12:00-6:00PM
  - Monster Jam World Finals Merchandise Superstore and action photo opportunity 12:00-6:00PM
  - Airbrush Tattoos at the Art Zone 12:00-6:00PM
  - Face Painting at the Art Zone 12:00-6:00PM
  - Monster Truck Rides 12:00-6:00PM
  - Monster Jam Birthday Club and Balloon Animal booth 12:00-6:00PM
  - Supercross Craps Table 12:00-6:00PM
  - Speed "On-Air" announcer challenge 12:00-6:00PM
  - Champion face cut outs 12:00-6:00PM
  - Advance Auto Parts Grave Digger Experience 12:00-6:00PM
  - Power Wheels Driving Experience 12:00-6:00PM
  - Activision, Monster Jam The Video Game- Wii interactive 12:00-6:00PM
  - Ultimate Hobbies RC Car Exhibition 12:00-6:00PM
  - Autograph Session 12:00-2:00PM and 3:00-5:00PM
  - Kids Bouncy House 12:00-6:00PM
  - Grave Digger photo op 12:00-6:00PM
  - Bungee Run 12:00-6:00PM
  - Sphere of Fear/ BMX and XSBA Demonstration 1:15PM, 3:15PM, 5:15PM
  - Ford Trucks Power Tour and Sync Tour powered by Microsoft 12:00-6:00PM
  - Universal Technical Institute display 12:00-6:00PM
  - NGK Spark Plugs display 12:00-6:00PM
  - Digger Dungeon Merchandise Store 12:00-6:00PM
  - Herculiner display 12:00-6:00PM
  - Info Booth 12:00-6:00PM
  - Doors open to the stadium seating 5:30PM on Friday and 5:00PM on Saturday

With the biggest event in the sport just days away it is time for me to once again set the odds for all 24 Monster Jam® superstars who will battle for the two World Championships in the 9th edition of the Monster Jam NGK Spark Plugs World Finals Saturday March 29 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.

Before the numbers are unveiled here's a brief explanation of how I come up with these numbers. I take into account many factors, but the two that I deem the most important are: 1) each driver's record during this current season, and 2) each competitor's previous experience at the World Finals, and more importantly, their previous success, or lack thereof, on the fastest race course and the toughest freestyle layout in the sport.

One more thing to note: these odds are not meant to be my personal predictions. They are meant to determine which teams head into Las Vegas as the favorites, and which come in as the long shots. As we've seen before, upsets are likely. The parity is greater in the sport than ever before and this should be the most wide open and exciting battle for the Monster Jam championships ever contested. The odds simply let this amateur handicapper rate the field in advance based on previous performance and other pertinent factors.

We'll begin with the odds for racing, and I want to point out one thing about how this section of the odds is being set. With the current 24 truck bracket the top 8 qualifiers are automatically seeded into round two, with the other 16 trucks set to battle through a bruising first round just to get a shot at the top seeds. So what you will see in the odds for racing is that there is a big jump in the odds from the 8th to the 9th place slot. This is absolutely intentional. I am one who believes that the World Racing Champion almost surely will come from among the eight fastest qualifiers at Friday night's Double Down extravaganza. So the odds get much longer for those teams that have to run the extra round, not just because they have to win an additional race, but because they'll come into the second round with a very tough match-up and they will not have lane choice, which often matters here.

With that said, it's time to reveal the Morning Line Odds for the 2008 Monster Jam NGK Spark Plugs World Finals. And don't forget that these odds ?are for recreational purposes only?.

2008 MONSTER JAM NGK SPARK PLUG WORLD FINALS MORNING LINE ODDS - RACING

3 - 2 DENNIS ANDERSON, GRAVE DIGGER® - It's close at the top, and the nod goes to Anderson based on his recent Vegas success by a narrow margin over the momentum that Tom Meents will bring into the championships. The first few World Finals were major disappointments for the icon, but once he figured out the fast and tricky Sam Boyd Stadium track he has been ?The Man? there. Anderson brings an unprecedented streak of making in into the Championship Race for four consecutive years, and he won the world title in two of those trips to the biggest single race of the year. If you're someone who likes trends, try this one. During his streak of making it to the finale four straight times Anderson has driven Grave Digger to the World Racing Championship in the even numbered years, 2004 and 2006. Last time I checked, 2008 is an even numbered year, so in his 26th year as the leader of Team Grave Digger, Dennis Anderson is the racing favorite.

2 - 1 TOM MEENTS, MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION® -As you can see by the odds, Meents is the closest possible second choice. Tom brings in the momentum, having won the racing trophy in three of the last four major stadium Speed televised events. He has struggled in recent years racing at Sam Boyd Stadium, but one factor that could help Tom is that the entire Team Meents operation is dedicated to Maximum Destruction. For the first time in recent memory Meents does not have a second team truck in the field, which means that Meents will have one of the largest and most talented pit crews in the sport available to him exclusively throughout the weekend.

5 - 2 JIMMY CRETEN, BOUNTY HUNTER - Widely acknowledged as the best driver to not yet win the racing title, Creten is always near the top of the list. He has made it to the Championship Race in Las Vegas four times, the most of any driver not yet to claim the title. We all know about the amazing horsepower that Creten's trucks make, and on a track this long and fast that is a big deal. As noted above, it's also important to qualify well and Creten is almost always near the top. He's been the number one qualifier twice in recent years. Will this be the year Creten breaks through to win his first World Racing Championship? I wouldn't bet against him, which is why he is the 3rd choice in the Morning Line.

4 - 1 LINSEY WEENK, BLUE THUNDER® - The way Linsey started the winter season in his new ride he looked like he would be the favorite coming into the finals, but the second half of the winter has not been quite as strong for Blue Thunder. Still the Ford corporately sponsored machine is as good as it gets, and Linsey has won twice in the big houses on TV, which tells you he knows how to battle on the big stage against the best in the business. He has had some success here in the past, but this may be the year that he finally breaks through to the final four, and if you can make it to the semifinals then anything can happen.

5 - 1 JOHN SEASOCK, BATMAN THE MONSTER TRUCK® - The reigning World Racing Champion returns to defend his title coming off a solid season and is more confident than ever after driving Batman to last year's title. Seasock's got a shot no matter the conditions, but I think his odds improve the worse the track gets. One of the biggest challenges at Sam Boyd Stadium is the track conditions, which can be tricky even if the weather is perfect. If the weather is bad then watch Seasock even closer. The champ is like a Monster Jam version of what's called a ?mudder? in horse racing. Expect Batman to be consistent no matter what the track is like, which means that Seasock is a threat to win it all again.

7 - 1 MARC McDONALD, SAFE AUTO MINIMIZER - The second fastest qualifier at this event a year ago, McDonald has a blazing fast truck and is never afraid to push it to the limit. My concern here is that due to scheduling he hasn't run as much on the big stadium tracks in 2008 as he has in past seasons. Still, I expect McDonald to qualify among the top 8 and as noted before, if you are in the top 8 in qualifying you've got a real shot at the crown.

8 - 1 KREG CHRISTENSEN, IRON OUTLAW - Maybe he should be higher because this veteran in a new ride has been outstanding all season in the powerful 2Xtreme Racing Ford Expedition. Then again, he's never competed in the Monster Jam NGK Spark Plugs World Finals before which would normally have me rating him lower in the field. So balancing those factors out puts him at 8 to 1, the 7th overall choice, and a definite threat to make lots of noise in Las Vegas. Another subtle factor in Christensen's favor is that before he was hired by the Cretens to drive Iron Outlaw he put in years of seat time racing mostly in the west, and specifically he has lots of experience dealing with the weather, track conditions, and other unique aspects of competing near the desert.

9 - 1 ADAM ANDERSON, TAZ® MOSNTER TRUCK- Young in years only, Adam already has gained tons of experience and he looked strong at last year's World Finals. Remember, last year he had to change from his fill in roll all season in Grave Digger back into Taz for the finals. This year his team rolled out a brand new piece at the start of the season, and Adam has been getting it dialed in all year. No driver, in my opinion, is more motivated to make his own name based on his own success, and clearly that drives Adam, and he has shown an ability to rise to the occasion at the biggest events on the highest profile stages. Watch qualifying, and if Adam gets into the top 8 he may be around all night long.

15 - 1 CHARLIE PAUKEN, MONSTER MUTT® - You'd think as great of a talent as Pauken is I'd have him higher, and I do have him as one of the top ten going in. But I can't put him any higher, at least not yet, because of the degree of difficulty the truck's unique design adds to racing the big dog. Pauken beat Meents here last year in route to a spot in the semifinals, so he's certainly capable of making these odds look bad. Still, driving a Team Grave Digger truck all winter and then hopping into Monster Mutt for the year's greatest event can be difficult. Sometimes, though, Charlie Pauken can make something difficult almost look easy.

16 - 1 GEORGE BALHAN, AN ESCALADE - Balhan certainly could be a surprise, so if you like someone who's got longer odds but still has a real chance then here's a good choice for you. A fast truck and an exciting driver with lots of experience on the Sam Boyd Stadium race course. Team Escalade is another entrant that will be focusing hard on Friday night, because here's another driver who could pull some big surprises, especially if he can earn one of the top 8 seeds in Friday's time trials.

18 - 1 LUPE SOZA, EL TORO LOCO® - Always a bigger threat to take the freestyle crown, but let's not sell El Toro short is racing. Lupe's years of experience are a plus here, and once again he has one of the most highly regarded Crew Chief's in the sport, R. L. Arace turning the wrenches. R.L. has crewed a World Racing Championship effort before, and if Lupe and his pit boss stay in sync all night it could be Soza's best racing effort ever here.

20 - 1 DAVID SMITH, KING KRUNCH - Well, here's my annual struggle to figure out where to put Smith in this star-studded line-up. I rate him low and give him large odds and he does great, like the year he made it all the way to the racing semifinals. Then I take that into account, move him way up the list the next year and he struggles. So I guess the safest thing to do is place Smith firmly in the middle of the field, so I can't be too far off whether it's a great night or a rough one for King Krunch.

22 - 1 DAMON BRADSHAW, AIR FORCE AFTERBURNER - Last year's Rookie of the Year has understandably been up and down this season. He's had some great runs and has an awesome piece. But the biggest thing going for the former Supercross star is that he has that winning racer mentality, and he loves the spotlight. In this sport Las Vegas is where you shine brightest, and I really believe that someday it's very likely that Bradshaw will be a World Champion. But it will be a major surprise if it happens this year, at least in racing.
25 - 1 DAWN CRETEN, SCARLET BANDIT - Remember that in 2007 Dawn was a huge, pleasant surprise when she qualified her then brand new Scarlet Bandit in the top 8, only to run into a red-hot Pablo Huffaker in round two. With another year behind the wheel of that state of the art piece she is again a threat to qualify well and definitely could win a race or two, but this field is too deep and talented to expect her to be able to go all the way to the championship. Still you know she'll give a strong account of herself, this time as the only female in the field.

30 - 1 JIM KOEHLER, AVENGER - Jim has looked really strong several times in racing this year, so an upset or two is possible. It's just that everyone knows full well that Koehler brings Avenger to Las Vegas in search of the World Freestyle Championship, for which he will be a top contender (the freestyle odds are just ahead in this piece). So Koehler's odds may be high here, but they'll come way down when we start talking freestyle.

35 - 1 FRANK KRMEL, DONKEY KONG - This is the truck's first run in Vegas, of course, since the video game inspired piece just debuted last December in Minneapolis. Krmel has been in this field before, so he knows the track, but Krmel is one who, at least this year, figures to be a bigger threat in the Freestyle Competition.

40 - 1 CHAD TINGLER, MONSTER MUTT® DALMATIAN - This is just a tough spot for Tingler, a team Grave Digger driver who has had a strong season, but most of that success has come in smaller arenas. Despite Tingler's immense talent it just seems like too much to ask him, like Pauken, to jump into a different piece, once that is extremely difficult to drive because of its limited visibility, and win races against the best drivers and machines in the sport. This is another truck to watch out for in freestyle though.

45 - 1 BOBBY PARR, TEAM SUZUKI - This will just be another great step in Parr's developing career. In just his second year driving the Suzuki sponsored piece and running as a teammate to Soza and El Toro, Parr just keeps getting better each time out. So much so that he is a threat to win just about every time out. Except here, that is. Again, Parr just needs more seat time to keep climbing the ladder.

25 - 1 ?FIELD? - I'm going back to grouping several of the long shots in the finals as a ?field bet? as I did once a few years ago. Before horse racing got really high tech, often the Kentucky Derby would have more horses in the race than there were betting spots available, so the handicappers would group several entries together as a field bet. It was always a popular bet simply because you got more than one horse for that single bet. So I'm grouping six teams as a field bet here, and if we were actually taking action on this event it would be fun to watch this line move during the day, because I'm sure many people would put at least a token bet on the field. Many bettors like quantity, and the field bet gives you six chances for the price of one. So here in the Monster Jam odds the field includes:

MIKE VATERS, BLACK STALLION
ALEX BLACKWELL, CAPTAIN'S CURSE
DAN EVANS, DESTROYER
CHAD FORTUNE, SUPERMAN® Monster Truck
CAM McQUEEN, PASTRANA 199
STEVE SIMS, STONE CRUSHER

What we have in the field is a nice combo of talented newcomers and experienced veterans. The key, I think, to making an attractive field bet is to take long shots, yes, but not necessarily the longest shots in the field, so that the group has the potential for upsets to stir interest in placing this bet. I think we have that in this group, and it would be a fun bet to make.

2008 MONSTER JAM NGK SPARK PLUGS WORLD FINALS MORNING LINE ODDS - FREESTYLE

4 - 1 DENNIS ANDERSON, GRAVE DIGGER® - After looking at all the statistics and intangibles it almost comes down to a coin flip to pick a favorite between Meents and Anderson, but like in racing, by a narrow margin, Anderson is the favorite to win the freestyle title. An assist for this goes to Anderson's son Adam. It was the Taz driver who kept hounding his Dad to go to the Hans device, the modern head and next restraint system that some veteran drivers have resisted. Once Dennis went to the Hans you can see he attacks the track feeling almost invincible. We saw it at the opening event in Minneapolis where Dennis executed the biggest air we've seen all season, and he hasn't missed a beat most of the year, winning three televised freestyle events and several non-televised freestyles. So, for the first time, Anderson comes into the Monster Jam NGK Spark Plugs World Finals as the favorite to ?Double Down?.

9 - 2 TOM MEENTS, MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION® - One thing to mention right here is that odds of 4 to 1 on Anderson and 9 to 2 on Meents are pretty nice payoffs on favorites, and the reason for that is this competition has become so wide open and unpredictable anyone in this field, if the stars line-up the right way, could win the freestyle crown. Looking at the entire body of work, however, means that Maximum Destruction figures to be right there with Grave Digger as the trucks to beat. Meents won four televised freestyles this year, and don't forget, he is the sport's only seven time World Champion. His team's theme of ?number 8 in ?08? does have a ring to it.

5 - 1 CHARLIE PAUKEN, MONSTER MUTT® - Chucky has been close before and it will not surprise a soul if he grabs the championship this year. Pauken has figured out how to still be spectacular while not leaving time on the clock at the finals where drivers have more, bigger obstacles than any place else that they ever perform. And you know when Pauken takes the track at least one ?Wow? moment is coming.

6 - 1 ADAM ANDERSON, TAZ MONSTER TRUCK® - Everyone who follows this sport closely believes that Adam Anderson will win multiple World Championships in his career, and despite his youth, he is one of the favorites to take that championship step as soon as this year. Adam brings together the necessary combination of a great truck that looks spectacular freestyling, a no-fear attitude to challenge these huge obstacles, and the experience, despite his young years, to know how to fill the clock to get optimum points from the judges.

8 - 1 JIM KOEHLER, AVENGER - The 2003 World Freestyle Champion is back in search of another title and he will be a player. Another driver who you know will give us a true ?Wow? moment; Koehler must fight the urge to go too big too early. If Mr. Excitement can be strong the first half of the run and then come up with something we will all be remembering for years, as he has done in the past, he can absolutely return to the top of the freestyle mountain.

9 - 1 JIMMY CRETEN, BOUNTY HUNTER - Another former winner of this competition with all the tools to do it again. When Creten drove Bounty Hunter to the freestyle title in 2005 he did it by using the clock and filling it with a clinic on how to freestyle from a technical point of view. Creten shows the judges everything from awesome power wheelies to huge air, and he will methodically take on everything the track builders put on the floor to score big.

10 - 1 DAMON BRADSHAW, AIR FORCE AFTERBURNER - Bradshaw is already a top tier freestyle shoe, so is this the night that he will take the next step and grab the championship trophy? It certainly could be. He finished near the top in his first run on this monster floor last year, and the flamboyant star just keeps getting better in freestyle. If he was the most impressive rookie that we've ever seen, as many called him last year, he's probably the best ever second year talent ever as well, and he could put up a big number again this time out.

12 - 1 LUPE SOZA, EL TORO LOCO - Another driver with World Championship pedigree who is absolutely a threat to win another championship. Lupe has a flair for the spectacular, so El Toro is one truck not to be missed in freestyle just to see what the Texan comes up with. Like so many others here, it may come down to how much time he leaves on the clock in determining where he finishes. If Soza brings his A game and comes close to using all of the time he's got a real shot.

14 - 1 GEORGE BALHAN, ESCALADE - The flamboyant Balhan can be awesome as witnessed by his phenomenal performance last summer in Gothenburg, Sweden, and if he can duplicate that run in Las Vegas watch for Balhan's Escalade to end up near the top in this competition. The Gothenburg freestyle is an excellent example of what George can do with huge obstacles, and they don't come any bigger than all of the challenges that will be on the Sam Boyd Stadium floor March 29th.

15 - 1 DAWN CRETEN, SCARLET BANDIT - Dawn has the capability of scoring big here, thus she's rated as a solid dark horse pick here. She has great equipment and lots of experience here, a couple of big plusses. Dawn also understands the clock and it's rare to see her hit the floor and flip over early. She normally comes close to filling the time period, and I can't emphasize enough that at the World Finals using all of the allotted time is critical to earning a big score. It won't surprise me if Dawn spends some time in the hot seat as the leader at some point at this year's finals.

18 - 1 LINSEY WEENK, BLUE THUNDER - Linsey turned in one of his best freestyles ever at last year's World Finals, so here is another long shot pick that would get much attention with fairly high odds. In moving to Blue Thunder this year Weenk has been outstanding in racing, as expected, but it is his freestyle game that improved significantly. In the college basketball tournament you hear the term ?bracket buster? to refer to teams that pull off upsets that eliminate favorites and thus bust most fans picks. In the championship freestyle competition, looking at the odds here, Weenk has the potential to make Blue Thunder the real bracket buster of this part of the competition.

20 - 1 DAVID SMITH, KING KRUNCH - He's won major stadium televised freestyles in past seasons and he has finished in the top five in this competition before. Smith is a very smart freestyler who normally fills the clock. When he gets that right combination of going big, but yet saving his equipment enough to make sure that no time is left on the clock at the end of his run, Smith has the potential to post another big score for King Krunch at this year's event.

22 - 1 CHAD TINGLER, MONSTER MUTT DALMATIAN - Tough to rate this one because I have seen Tingler do some fantastic freestyles over the past year, especially in Europe where he dominated the freestyle competitions in 2007. A majority of his runs in '08, however, have come in smaller arenas, so the team Grave Digger driver has to adapt quickly to getting back into the spotted Mutt and to the magnitude of these obstacles. He's capable of some big moments here but enters the competition as a long shot to win the whole shootin' match.

25 - 1 FRANK KRMEL, DONKEY KONG - Krmel has surprised is in the past with some great freestyle runs on this floor, most notably his blazing performance driving Del Scorcho a few years ago that really set the bar high for the entire night of competition. Again I would expect Krmel to come out in the first half of the competition, and again I expect Krmel to be on his game and push the bar even higher. While it would be a surprise for Donkey Kong to win this championship this year, it will not be a surprise to see Krmel turn in a performance that forces the eventual winner to elevate his or her game to new heights to top what Krmel comes up with.

30 - 1 JOHN SEASOCK, BATMAN - Seasock is an excellent freestyler, but the odds are high on him here as much as anything else because of the incredible depth and quality of this field. And I can't help but believe that Seasock's focus is so centered on trying to defend his World Racing Championship that his effort in that competition is all about winning, and what he does in freestyle is more icing on the cake for his large contingent of Batman fans.

35 - 1 MARC McDONALD, SAFE AUTO MINIMIZER - Another real tough call here. McDonald is another that might just make these pre-event rankings look silly. Just take last year as an example of how this can happen, where he surprised many with one of the night's best performances and the Safe Auto Minimizer finished near the top of the 2007 freestyle standings at the end of last March's freestyle championship tilt. That said, he hasn't been on as many stadium floors this year because of the scheduling for his team, and this floor is too difficult to negotiate without lots of experience and a nice share of luck. McDonald is another who figures to be a bigger factor in racing, just keep in mind that he was one of last year's most pleasant freestyle surprises.

40 - 1 KREG CHRISTENSEN, IRON OUTLAW - In racing the odds on Christensen are better than for probably any Vegas rookie I've ever set, but I can't carry that over to freestyle. The greatest freestylers in the world are on display here and Christensen deserves to be here, no doubt. But I've had so many competitors tell me that you just can't really fathom how difficult the Vegas floor and these obstacles are, so the odds here are higher than they probably should be for Iron Outlaw, something that will change after we see Christensen in action a time or two on the sport's toughest freestyle floor.

45 - 1 BOBBY PARR, TEAM SUZUKI - Remember, Parr is not a Vegas rookie in racing, but he is in freestyle. So much like my comments above about Iron Outlaw, this will be a real learning experience for the second year driver and one that will benefit him for sure. He has the talent and the machine to finish much better than he is rated here; it is just that the odds will always be higher until a drvier actually runs this course.

25 - 1 ?FIELD? - Back to using a field bet this year, and part of the fun would be that you'd get the same combination of drivers for one price in freestyle as you would in racing, another reason I think this would be very popular bet. And in freestyle I think the field bet gives you even more value than in racing. Again, the field bet in freestyle would get you, according to these odds, all six of the following at a big payoff:
MIKE VATERS, BLACK STALLION
ALEX BLACKWELL, CAPTAIN'S CURSE®
DAN EVANS, DESTROYER
CHAD FORTUNE, SUPERMAN® MONSTER TRUCK
CAM McQUEEN, PASTRANA 199
STEVE SIMS, STONE CRUSHER

There's lots of potential for big things in freestyle from this grouping. You get lots of Vegas experience in Vaters, Evans, and Fortune combined with three talented first time World Finals participants who are each capable of big moves. And you get the unique reverse moves that only Evans and Vaters use. So, again, creating a field bet just for fun in these odds would probably translate into lots of action if we were actually using this line in those popular Las Vegas Sports Books.
So there you have it, my Morning Line Odds for Monster Jam NGK Spark Plugs World Finals 9. It won't be long now until we find out if this is a year for the favorites to live up to their rankings, or if it will be a year full of shockers with the long shots coming through. Either way, the best odds you can get are the odds that this year's trek to Las Vegas will result in the greatest night in the history of Monster Jam!