Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena

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Trucks: USHRA Monster Trucks including Grave Digger® driven by Carl Van Horn, Tasmanian Devil driven by Taryn Laskey, Advance Auto Parts Grinder℠ driven by Nicole Johnson, Superman driven by Sean Duhon, Bad Habit driven by Joe Sylvester, Samson driven by Dan Patrick, and just added: Monster Mutt® driven by Joe Miller, Batman driven by Norm Miller, Avenger driven by Jim Koehler, and Brutus driven by Chris Bergeron!


Friday 7:30 p.m.

Trucks: Batman (Norm Miller), Tasmanian Devil (Taryn Laskey), Bad Habit (Joe Sylvester), Samson (Dan Patrick), Superman (Sean Duhon), Monster Mutt (Joe Miller), Advance Auto Parts Grinder (Nicole Johnson), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger (Carl Van Horn)

Friday 7:30 p.m.

The 2012 Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam season got off to a rocking start at the Nationwide Arena with the first night of exciting action. Fans were treated to the triple dip of wheelies, racing and Service is Our Best Part Advance Auto Parts freestyle.

Taryn Laskey sent an immediate message to the rest of the field when she put the Tasmanian Devil skyward in wheelies to grab the early lead. Several trucks attempted to knock Tasmanian Devil down, but none would succeed. Brutus finished his run, but steering problems forced the truck to be towed off. As the loader came to the floor, so did 2011 World finals Freestyle champion Jim Koehler and Avenger to the surprise and approval of the crowd. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to defend the title, Avenger showed the Columbus crowd a sample of what makes up a champion. Avenger’s 21 took the top position with one truck still waiting. The Bad to the Bone 30 Years Grave Digger gave it a shot, but came up just a point short.

The wheelie competition set the stage for Monster Jam racing. With 10 trucks, fast loser was going to return in each of the first two rounds. Left lane winner dominated the first round with the exception of Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger who used the right lane for a bye run to move on. As the eliminations continued, the semi-finals saw Samson roar out past Advance Auto Parts Grinder to move on. The Batman- Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger match-up saw Batman stay close to the ground and ease ahead for the win. With Samson choosing the left lane for the final, Batman was forced to the right and Samson narrowly picked up a popular win.

The Service is Our Best Part Advance Auto Parts freestyle would see nine trucks with Brutus still sidelined due to a front steering issue. Monster Mutt opened with a 13 and held it until Batman boosted it to a 16 despite a battery issue late in the run. Bad Habit had transmission issues early in the run to stop a promising run. Advance Auto Parts Grinder jumped up to the top with an 18, only to see Superman better that with the next round. The scores kept climbing with Avenger boosting it to 22. A final push by Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger set up a 24 and the win, despite a broken axle.

Team Florida captured the Quad Wars final after Team Ohio took the preliminary win. The show also included the Fearless Flores Family in the Sphere of Fear. The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam presented by Taco Bell returns to the Nationwide Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m. and again at 7:30

Wheelie
Avenger – 21
Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger – 20
Tasmanian Devil – 19
Superman – 18
Brutus – 18
Monster Mutt – 17
Advance Auto Parts Grinder – 16
Samson – 16
Batman – 13
Bad Habit – 7

Racing
Semi-finals: Samson defeated Advance Auto Parts Grinder, Batman bested Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger
UTI Championship: Samson defeated Batman

Service is our Best Part Advance Auto Parts Freestyle
Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger – 24
Avenger – 22
Superman – 20
Advance Auto Parts Grinder – 18
Batman – 16
Samson – 15
Monster Mutt – 13
Tasmanian Devil – 12
Bad Habit - 6

By Larry Jewett

Saturday 2 p.m.

Saturday 2 p.m.

After a capacity crowd attended the Party in the Pits at Nationwide Arena, the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam presented by Taco Bell was enthusiastically received by the afternoon crowd.
The afternoon opened with wheelie competition to see what the drivers would do for today’s show. Batman got the call to start it off and took the right lane for his jump. His 23 would have been good enough to win Friday night, but it set the stage for a number of high scoring challenges. Tasmanian Devil boosted the mark to 24 with the next three trucks scoring at least 17, but unable to eclipse the mark. Monster Mutt slapped the tail on the ground but could only coax a 23 for a score. Grinder, Brutus and Avenger had solid showings, but the score didn’t move the one to beat. Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger was last to take on the challenge. Carl Van Horn put the truck to the sky, coming down heavily on the nose and tipping it, but even that wasn’t enough. Taryn Laskey picked up his first Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam element win by putting Tasmanian Devil in the winner’s circle. The young rookie racer, coming to the Monster Truck world from Sprint Car racing, was clearly excited to best the competition. But knew they would be doing their best to win the upcoming events.
Friday night champion Samson opened the racing competition with a victory over Avenger to start off round one. Batman moved up a round in a quest to return the finals (he was the Friday night runner-up) by taking out Advance Auto Parts Grinder. Bad Habit, who worked all day to install a new transmission, made the work count by advancing to the second round at the expense of Monster Mutt. Superman put away Tasmanian Devil and Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger took care of Brutus.
Tasmanian Devil came back into the second round as fast loser and found herself at the mercy of Samson, who kept his Columbus win streak alive. Bad Habit was on a roll, stopping Batman. Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger edged past Superman.
It would be Superman who would move on to the semi-finals thanks to the fast loser provisional. Like Tasmanian Devil in the round before, the fast loser would go up against Samson and Samson won the match. The other race put Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger on the path to the finals with a win over Bad Habit.
When it came time to bring the trucks to the line for the UTI Monster Jam Racing Championship Round, the fans were in for a surprise. Superman was called out when Dan Patrick informed officials that the Samson truck was broken and unable to continue. Superman got the call as the truck that was defeated by Samson and it set up a rematch of the closest race of the afternoon from round two. The final race was just as close, but again the Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger prevailed for the championship.
In Advance Auto Parts Service is our Best Part freestyle competition, drivers were given 60 seconds to show what they could do. Monster Mutt opened with the Jackpot 21 (7-7-7) to indicate the scores would again be high. Tasmanian Devil took to the floor, ending the run by flipping the truck. That brought a score of 18 with Batman posting a 17, a popular score as a few more trucks would be in that range. Bad Habit matched the Monster Mutt Jackpot 21 with the 7-7-7, but the tie for the lead was short lived thanks to Advance Auto Parts Grinder’s 22. Brutus ended the run early with damage to the truck, but managed a 17. Avenger tied for the lead with a 22 and set the stage for Bad to the bone for 30 Years Grave Digger. It looked bleak, but some last second heroics pumped the score to 23, giving Carl Van Horn the Double Down win.
Team Ohio took the two preliminaries in Taco Bell Quad Wars, but Team Florida won the main. The Fearless Flores Family brought the Sphere of Fear and entertained the crowd.

Wheelies
Tasmanian Devil = 8-8-8 = 24
Batman = 8-7-8 = 23
Monster Mutt = 8-8-7 = 23
Superman = 7-7-7 = 21
Bad Habit = 6-7-7 = 20
Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger = 7-7-6 = 20
Avenger = 6-6-7 = 19
Brutus = 6-7-6 = 19
Advance Auto Grinder = 6-6-6 = 18
Samson = 5-6-6 = 17

Racing
Round One
Samson defeated Avenger, Batman topped Advance Auto Parts Grinder, Bad Habit slipped past Monster Mutt, Superman slipped by Tasmanian Devil, Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger won over Brutus
Round Two
Samson stopped Tasmanian Devil (First round fast loser), Bad Habit sent Batman to the sidelines, Grave Digger nipped Superman.
Semifinals
Samson won over Superman (second round fast loser); Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger prevailed over Bad Habit
UTI Racing Championship Round
Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger decisioned Superman

Advance Auto Parts Service is our Best Part Freestyle
Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger = 8-8-7 = 23
Avenger = 8-7-7 = 22
Advance Auto Parts Grinder = 8-7-7 = 22
Monster Mutt = 7-7-7 = 21
Bad Habit = 7-7-7 = 21
Tasmanian Devil = 6-6-6 = 18
Batman = 5-6-6 = 17
Superman = 6-6-5 = 17
Brutus = 6-6-5 = 17

By Larry Jewett

Saturday 7:30 p.m.

The final show of the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam presented by Taco Bell showed that the Columbus crowd is ready for the 2012 season. An exciting night included wheelies, racing and Advance Auto Parts Service is our Best Part freestyle.

The wheelies got off to a great start as Norm Miller brought Batman up first. he stuck the truck in perfect vertical formation and it stayed. It appeared to be ready to tip backwards until Miller put the truck in reverse to get it back onto the ground. Batman was rewarded with a score of 25 for the effort, a score that no one could touch. Advance Auto Parts Grind and bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger came closest with 21, but no one could take Batman's score.

In racing, Samson continued his winning ways with a first round victory over Superman. Monster Mutt won out over Bad Habit with Brutus prevailing over Tasmanian Devil. Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger stopped Batman and Advance Auto Parts Grinder got the best of Avenger.

Batman turned as round one fast loser and caught a break when Samson was unable to answer the call, earning a round two bye run. In a true dogfight, Brutus put Monster Mutt in the kennel. Advance Auto Parts Grind couldn't get past Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger.

That final race didn't mean the end for Advance Auto Parts Grinder who came to the semis as round two fast losers, meeting up with round one fast loaner Batman. It would be Batman who moved on with Grave Digger setting aside Brutus.

The UTI Championship saw trucks that had met in the first round getting a rematch. The results we the same as again Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger prevailed over Batman.

In Advance Auto Parts Service is Our Best Part freestyle opened with Monster Mutt showing the crowd he meant business with hi jumps and a spirited run. His score of 20 stayed on the boa as the top score through challenger after challenger. It took the effort of Superman to get a new leader who pushed the points to 21. That lead didn't last with The 2011 World Finals Freestyle Champion Avenge and Jim Koehler chomping at the bit to hit the floor. His effort drew a leading score of 23 with only Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger standing in his way. When it was all said and done, Avenger's mark stood by one point, giving the champion his first freestyle win of 2012.

Wheelies
Batman - 9-8-8 = 25
Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger - 7-7-7 = 21
Advance Auto Parts Grinder - 7-7-7= 21
Bad Habit - 7-7-6 = 20
Superman - 6-6-6 = 18
Avenger - 5-6-6 = 17
Samson - 5-6-5 = 16
Brutus - 5-5-5 = 15
Tasmanian Devil - 4-4-6 14
Monster Mutt - 4-4-5 = 13

Racing
Round One
Samson over Superman, Monster Mutt dropped Bad Habit, Brutus took out Tasmanian Devil, Grave Digger won over Batman, Advance Auto Parts Grinder set down Avenger
Round Two
Batman (round one fast loser) bye run (Samson broke), Brutus caged Monster Mutt, Grave Digger slipped past Advance Auto Parts Grinder
Semi finals
Batman beat Advance Auto Parts Grinder, Grave Digger took out Brutus
UTI Racing Final
Grave Digger won over Batman

Advance Auto Parts Service is our Best Part freestyle

Avenger - 23
Grave Digger - 22
Superman - 21
Brutus - 20
Monster Mutt - 20
Advance Auto Parts Grinder - 19
Samson - 18
Batman - 16
Bad Habit - 15
Tasmanian Devil - 12

By Larry Jewett