San Diego, CA - Qualcomm Stadium

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Trucks: USHRA Monster Trucks including Grave Digger® driven by Carl Van Horn, Tasmanian Devil driven by Taryn Laskey, El Toro Loco® driven by Marc McDonald, Son-uva Digger℠ driven by Ryan Anderson, Lucas Oil Crusader℠ driven by Linsey Weenk, Metal Mulisha driven by Todd Leduc, Razin Kane driven by JR McNeil, Ice Cream Man, The Patriot driven by Dan Radoni, M2D Camo Thunder driven by Andrew Peckham, Time Fly's driven by Kelvin Ramer, The Felon, Obsession driven by Rick Swanson, Captain USA driven by Jeff Bainter, Shocker driven by Pat Gerber, and Terminator driven by Gary Schott!

After two days of straight rain here in San Diego, the valve just seemed to turn to the “off” position about an hour prior to doors opening. Perfect! An hour is all the time needed for Dirt Wurx to uncover the track and do their final prep. Despite all the wet weather, we had perfect track conditions for the start of tonight’s Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam, presented by The San Diego County Ford Dealers.

Here in So Cal we have all the spaced needed in the stadiums for a unique track design that features multiple sharp turns, a fast straight away, and “wheel to wheel” racing. After last week’s Round 1 loss, Anderson made a vow to make it to the finals. After a decisive first round victory, he advanced in round two after Toro clipped a turn-car, and went tumbling off the track. In the Semis’, he took out Le Duc, who had been flawless all night in racing. On the other side of the bracket, Crusader’s Weenk had to be the early favorite given his record in Racing. After cruising in the first two rounds, it took a second, and then a third look at a photo-finish to determine that he clearly came from behind on the final turn to take out Digger. In the end, you can have two near perfect runs (and we did), but only a single champion.

Round 1

Son-uva Digger def Shocker, El Toro Loco def Captain USA, Razin Kane def Terminator, Metal Mulisha def M2D Thunder, Lucas Oil Crusader def Ice Cream Man, Tasmanian Devil (advances with a Bye as The Patriot is out with damage), The Felon def Obsessed, Grave Digger def Time Fly's

Round 2

Son-uva Digger def El Toro Loco, Metal Mulisha def Razin Kane, Lucas Oil Crusader def Tasmanian Devil, Grave Digger def The Felon

Semis

Son-uva Digger def Metal Mulisha, Lucas Oil Crusader def Grave Digger

UTI Monster Jam Racing Championship: Lucas Oil Crusader def Son-uva Digger

Tonight’s Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam Freestyle began, and ended in carnage. Kelvin Ramer can always be counted on to push Time Fly’s to it limits. He led us off tonight, taking his very first hit at full speed. That’s what the crowd loves, so, Kelvin is happy to do – even it if cost him an early exit from the competition with a broken tie rod. Gary Schott got off to a slow start before losing at least a couple of cylinders. No way would he allow the run to end in his home town without giving everything he had to these fans. He ran the engine till it blew. It all ended with a huge fireball, the engine smoking, the fans cheering, the judges sending him to the Hot Seat.

Tasmanian Devil led off a series of rollovers as the action hit new levels. Taryn punched it while coming up the back side of a ramp, and end up on her side at the top of the obstacle. Metal Mulisha had a near perfect, high speed attack that would clearly make “The General” proud. Todd found himself in the Hot Seat, and for good reason. Rodoni, the very next truck out, as able to equal the high score with a fast paced run punctuated by a rollover. Lucas Oil Crusader went for the Double Down with huge air and a dramatic rollover as a finale. El Toro blasted through the tunnel and onto the track giving the fans the very first indication that the crew was able to complete the repairs after the flip in racing. Toro was snorting mad, and the crowd was cheering the return. What would follow would be an amazing display of huge air, and the truck’s second crash of the night. Worth it through, and Marc went to the Hot Seat. Ryan Anderson took it to the next level as he fired out of the pits already at full speed. He was the only truck to fully utilize the entire regulation clock with his foot smashed all the way to the floor. He was able to make more hits than anyone else, cross threading in every direction. As the bonus clock expired, the final high-speed attack left the truck over on its lid, while Ryan made his way to the Hot Seat.

For the second week in the row, Ryan found himself in the lead with one truck remaining, Carl Van Horn’s Grave Digger. Last week in Anaheim, Ryan prevailed and took the trophy. Tonight, Digger lost a wheel early, yet continued to run. It appeared that it would be over shortly after that point. Carl, however, still found a way to hit every jump, run the length of the track, and whip the truck into cyclones. In the end, he filled the clock, but the judges scored him low for what was described as a slow start. With Carl falling one point short, Ryan earned his second consecutive championship here in So Cal, and the fans got an incredible one-two punch from the trucks with “Digger” painted on the sides.

Time Fly's: 11
Terminator: 13
Ice Cream Man: 14
M2D Thunder: 9
Obsessed: 16
Shocker: 18
Captain USA: 25
The Felon: 22
Razin Kane: 23
Tasmanian Devil: 12
Metal Mulisha: 27
The Patriot: 27
Lucas Oil Crusader: 24
El Toro Loco: 29
Grave Digger: 32

Son-uva Digger: 33

By Michael Williams