Salinas, CA - Salinas Sports Complex

Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam
Salinas Sports Complex
Salinas, CA
May 20, 2012

We started today with a tribute to Patrick Carroll. Patrick was an Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam fan and a part of the west coast Monster Jam family that lost his battle with heart disease. Tom Meents has been a family friend of the Carrolls' for many years, and one of Patrick's favorite drivers of all time, so it was fitting that Tom and Maximum Destruction took one final victory lap waving a checkered flag. We miss you, Patrick, but you have raised 2 fantastic Monster Jam fans in Jazzy and Robbie and they will keep your love and appreciation of Monster Jam alive.

Tom was able to go on and win the racing and freestyle events, Doubling Down and then dedicating today's achievements to Patrick. It was a hard fought battle for Tom to make it to victory lane and make the dedication. He had to come out of the quarter finals to the semi's as the fastest loser, but once he was in the semi and final, he was on the gas. Alex Blackwell and Wolverine almost came away with the win in racing, as the two top guns came to the finish stripe at basically the same time. It was a hard call, but I think it was the right call. There just seems to be no one better at the 4 wheel drift in a monster truck. Blackwell can lay that thing over and stay on the loud pedal longer and more fluidly than the rest of the top 10 line up here in Salinas. Tom and Maximum Destruction later wowed the crowd in freestyle, sending the truck over on it's lid just as time expired. Tom and Max D weren't the only ones to have a wild ride in freestyle. Linsey Weenk and The Lucas Oil Crusader had rear steering issues from the get go. Linsey tried every trick in the book to get it to come back to center, but when it wouldn't, he just left the throttle on the floor. He ended up dumping the monster truck over on the jammer stack to the approval of the fans. Next was Pablo Huffaker and Grave Digger to have a roll over in freestyle. After a huge air hit, the truck bicycled right then left. Pablo was hard on the throttle with the truck completely over in the side walls of the tires. Pablo and Digger burned a donut on the side walls, then the truck seemed to grab some traction and did what I can only describe as an “under flip”. The truck was on it's left side, then the front end spit up in the air and Pablo and Digger did kind of a corkscrew side flip. Utterly outstanding!!!

Wheelie Scores:
M2D Camo Thunder 13
The Felon 19
Obsessed 15
The Patriot 16
El Toro Loco 21
Wolverine 17
Lucas Oil Crusader 20
Time Fly's 18
Max D 22
Grave Digger 24

Racing Brackets
Round 1
Time Fly's defeats Obsessed
Max D takes out El Toro Loco
M2D Camo Thunder covered The Patriot
Wolverine slashed The Crusader
Digger buried The Felon

Round 2
The Felon returned as fast loser and lost to Time Fly's
M2D Camo Thunder beat Max D
Wolverine beat Grave Digger
Semi Final
Max D returned as fast loser and won his way to the UTI final over Time Fly's
Wolverine put the Thunder out

Final
Max D beat Wolverine in a photo finish

Freestyle Scores
The Felon 13 blew out right front tire and it took the wind out of Mark's sail
M2D Camo Thunder 19
Obsessed 16
El Toro Loco 20
Time Fly's 22
Wolverine 24
The Patriot 25 amazing run from Danny
Lucas Oil Crusader 18
Grave Digger 15 Score was BOOED LOUDLY BY CROWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Max D 26

By Scott Heaton