San Antonio, TX - Alamodome

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Trucks: USHRA Monster Trucks including Grave Digger® driven by Pablo Huffaker, El Toro Loco® driven by Aaron Basl, Maximum Destruction® driven by Kreg Christensen, Advance Auto Parts Grinder℠ driven by Nicole Johnson, Superman driven by Sean Duhon, Iron Man driven by Lee O'Donnell, Avenger driven by Jim Koehler, Wrecking Crew driven by Steve Koehler, Storm Damage driven by Tim Mente, Hurricane Force, Bad Habit driven by Joe Sylvester, Maverik driven by Ron Duncombe, Wolverine driven by Alex Blackwell, Monster Energy driven by Damon Bradshaw, and just added: Get R Done driven by Mitch Tulachka and Robo Machine!


Saturday 7PM

The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam stormed into San Antonio, Texas, with 16 trucks ready to take on the massive Alamodome floor. The fans that went to the post-show Advance Auto Parts Service is our Best Part autograph session thanked the drivers for a top notch performance.

The day started with the debut of the K’NEX Big Build, a life-size Grave Digger truck built completely of the interlocking toys. The Big Build was part of the Grave Digger Experience that included a replica of the first Grave Digger truck and other activities for Grave Digger fans. More than 10,000 fans attended the pit party and visited the experience.

After a rousing introduction featuring three trucks making their first Alamodome appearance, the trucks got down to business with side-by-side racing. Each driver had drawn a section of fans that stood to receive a free Jumbo Jack if that driver won the championship round. The road to that ran through three rounds of racing and the action started right off.

In Round One, Superman got the best of Hurricane Force, Advance Auto Parts Grinder narrowly defeated Storm Damage, Wolverine powered past Wrecking Crew, Grave Digger celebrated the 30th anniversary with a key win over Robo Machine. Monster Energy made a successful San Antonio debut with a win over Monster Trakker, Iron Man used his speed to take out Bad Habit, Avenger slipped off course and that was enough to allow El Toro Loco to take the win. Maximum Destruction closed the round with a win over Get-Er-Done.

Eight trucks moved into the next round, but only four would go on to the semi-finals. Superman continued his roll with a win over Advance Auto Parts Grinder. Wolverine took Grave Digger to the line with Wolverine crossing first. Iron Man put up the fastest lap of the night in beating Monster Energy. Maximum Destruction moved to the semis with the win over El Toro Loco.

The time to find the two finalists came when Wolverine blitzed Superman, beating Iron Man’s time from the previous round. Iron Man couldn’t get the fastest lap but had a lap fast enough to send Maximum Destruction back to the pit.

In the UTI Championship Round showdown, Wolverine ran steady to notch the racing win, marking his second straight weekend with a racing win.

When the monster trucks rolled back to the floor, it was the Advance Auto Parts Service is Our Best Part Freestyle. Wrecking Crew started with some big air to bring ooohs and ahhs from the fans. It brought a score of 18 from the judges. Hurricane Force matched that to put a tie at the top of the leaderboard. The deadlock didn’t last when Superman scooted out to mix up some tricks and draw a 22. Storm Damage, a brand new truck, experienced some suspension problems early on. Robo Machine broke a right front wheel late in the timed run, getting a 66. Superman watched as challenges from El Toro Loco (20), Monster Trakker (18), Bad Habit (18) and Get-Er-Done (16) couldn’t move the needle. Iron Man proved to be the one who got it above the mark with a nice solid 23. Wolverine hit the floor as the only truck that could double down and took a step in that direction by matching the 23 of Iron Man. It took a monster effort from Monster Energy and driver Damon Bradshaw didn’t hold anything back. He pounded the truck into the ground with big jumps to a solid 26. Advance Auto Parts Grinder took on the course to snare a 20. Maximum Destruction shot out and kept the truck moving through 88 of the 90 seconds until a popping sound shut down the ride with a 22 on the scoreboard. The 2011 Reigning Freestyle World champion Avenger with Jim Koehler at the wheel will show an 18 in the record books, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Koehler flipped the truck, driving the shocks through the body and tearing away fiberglass. Score didn’t matter (18) to driver Jim Koehler , who told the fans “We’re here to put on a show.”

Only one truck had a shot at taking down the top score and it was the Bad to the Bone for 30 Years Grave Digger of Pablo Huffaker. That truck ended up off its wheels before the time expired and the judges gave him an 18. Monster Energy picked up the win, starting Damon Bradshaw’s return to victory. Bradshaw doubled down on both nights in 2011.

Quad Wars was a truly international affair with Team USA hosting Team Mexico. The visitors gained the first heat, but Team USA carried the shootout in a close match.

For the first time in nine years, San Antonio fans were treated to the car-eating exploits of Robosaurus.

Monster Jam Racing
Round One – Superman beat Hurricane Force, Advance Auto Parts Grinder nipped Storm Damage, Wolverine bested Wrecking Crew, Grave Digger rolled past Robo Machine, Monster Energy took out Monster Trakker, Iron Man won over Bad Habit, El Toro Loco upended Avenger, Maximum XDestruction advanced with a victory over Get-Er-Done

Round Two – Superman stopped Advance Auto Parts Grinder, Wolverine slipped by Grave Digger, Iron Man shot past Monster Energy, Maximum Destruction dehorned El Toro Loco

Semi-Finals – Wolverine took out Superman, Iron Man prevailed over Maximum Destruction

UTI Championship Round – Wolverine defeated Iron Man

Advance Auto Parts Service is Our Best Part Freestyle
Monster Energy - 8-8-8-2 = 26
Wolverine – 7-7-7-2 = 23
Iron Man – 7-7-7-2 = 23
Maximum Destruction – 8-7-7 = 22
Superman – 6-6-8-2 = 22
Advance Auto Parts Grinder – 6-6-7-1 = 20
El Toro Loco – 6-7-6-1 = 20
Wrecking Crew – 5-6-6-1 = 18
Hurricane Force – 5-6-6-1 = 18
Monster Trakker – 5-6-6-1 = 18
Bad Habit – 6-6-6 = 18
Avenger – 6-6-6 = 18
Grave Digger – 6-6-6 = 18
Get – er – Done – 5-5-5-1 = 16
Robo Machine – 2-2-2 = 6
Storm Damage – No Score

By Larry Jewett

Sunday 2PM

The matinee performance of the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam at the Alamodome in San Antonio saw the drivers hold back absolutely nothing in their performance. Close racing and no holds barred freestyle ruled the day to the letter with the fans showing appreciation. Lee O’Donnell in Iron Man capped the afternoon by scoring his first Advance Auto Parts Service is Our Best Part trophy.

Monster truck racing opened the program after a rousing opening. Monster Energy drew a bye run to open the contest, getting an automatic bid into round two. Bad Habit took out Avenger, who rebounded from nearly destroyed a truck in freestyle last night. Iron Man shot past Monster Trakker. Maximum Destruction had a strong run to pit Storm Damage. Wolverine met up with Get Er Done and Wolverine was able to win after Get Er Done spun in the run. El Toro Loco put up the fastest run of the round in taking the win over Superman. Advance Auto Parts Grinder took a narrow in over Hurricane Force. Grave Digger closed off the round by outrunning Wrecking Crew.

When round two came to the staging lanes, the drivers realized what was in stake – win and move on. Monster Energy prevailed over Bad Habit. Iron Man fell victim to Maximum Destruction. Wolverine and El Toro Loco struggled in their match up with Wolverine just barely getting the victory. Grave Digger moved on with a win over Advance Auto Parts Grinder.

Monster Energy and Wolverine advanced to the UTI Championship Round. For Monster Energy, it took every bit of effort to defeat Maximum Destruction. Wolverine’s road to the finals included a late burst to defeat Grave Digger. Wolverine was attempting to pick up the win to back up last night’s charge, but Monster Energy had other ideas. It was even at the start, but Monster Energy pulled out to a slight lead. Wolverine attempted to catch up, but couldn’t as Damon Bradshaw and Monster Energy claimed yet another San Antonio win.

The Advance Auto Parts Service is our Best Part freestyle left drivers with one final opportunity to take home a Monster Jam trophy. Sean Duhon’s Superman set the stage with a solid 19 and some extra effort for the fans. Storm Damage broke some steering before the 90 seconds concluded and was rewarded with a 12. Hurricane Force put the truck to the test until a flat right rear tire forced an end to the run and a score of 13. El Toro Loco made it known that he came to play, earning a solid 21 and a spot on the leader’s hot seat. It didn’t take long for Nicole Johnson to earn her first hot seat step as she stepped up the score to 22. Bad Habit couldn’t dethrone Nicole, who is subbing in the truck for the injured Frank Krmel. Maximum Destruction could do the deed as his calculated run was mixed with displays of power and high flight. The 23 for Maximum Destruction was equaled by Wolverine, giving us a deadlock at the top. That tie became a tie for second when Iron Man got to work. Lee O’Donnell put Iron Man in high flying action throughout the first 60 seconds of his time. With 17 seconds remaining, Iron Man started to flip and went into a twisting series, including a complete rollover and vertical stand that ended with the truck back on its wheels. It may well become the save of the year, but O’donnell had enough to get the lead at 24 points. Monster Energy had a shot at the double down award, but that truck went over with 21 seconds remaining and didn’t get the full effect to the dismay of the crowd. The 21 wasn’t good enough to move the top score and only Grave Digger remained to give it a go. Pablo Huffaker made some moves to get the judges looking favorably, only to lose a wheel. Even that didn’t stop him with a series of donuts for the fans. The score of 19 went into the record books, but fans got a real view of the commitment of the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam drivers to entertain their fans.

Team Mexico captured the shootout in Quad Wars with Team USA and Team Mexico splitting the preliminaries. Robosaurus devoured a car to the delight of fans young and old.

Racing
Round One – Monster Energy (bye run), Bad Habit stopped Avenger, Iron Man outgunned Monster Trakker, Maximum Destruction minimized Storm Damage, Wolverine defeated Get er Done, El Toro Loco pulled past Superman, Advance Auto Parts Grinder bettered Hurricane Force, Grave Digger won over Wrecking Crew

Round Two – Monster Energy pitted Bad Habit, Maximum Destruction sidelined Iron Man, Wolverine slipped past El Toro Loco, Grave Digger set back Advance Auto Parts Grinder

Semi-Finals – Monster Energy decisioned Maximum Destruction, Wolverine stopped Grave Digger’s charge

UTI Championship Round – Monster Energy won over Wolverine

Advance Auto Parts Service is Our Best Part Freestyle
Iron Man – 24
Wolverine – 23
Maximum Destruction – 23
Advance Auto Parts Grinder – 22
El Toro Loco – 21
Monster Energy – 21
Bad Habit – 20
Grave Digger – 19
Superman – 19
Hurricane Force – 13
Storm Damage - 12

By Larry Jewett