We began the night with the Wheelie Competition. Every one of the eight Monsters was looking for that first victory of this historical weekend - and it made for one of the closest possible competitions of the season.

Spike: 17
Backdraft: 24
Dominator: --
The Broker: 18
Eradicator: 25
Brutus: 16
Donkey Kong: 25

Grave Digger: 26

On any given night, any one of these wheelies could have won. The eighteen year old rookie, Jeremy, set Backdraft upright and had the crowd on their feet. His score held until his father, Andy, put up the huge air with Eradicator. Krmel took over the lead as the huge ape launched over the car stack. Pauken knew he needed one of his huge wheel stands to take the win. Once he planted Digger's rear axle into the hood of the last crush car in the stack, it was clear who tonight's winner would be.

In Racing, Digger posted the fastest qualifying time, eventually advancing to the semi finals when Dominator was unable to make it to the line due to mechanical problems. The 1st Round match ups would see Eradicator take out Spike, Brutus moving past Broker, and, Donkey Kong taking out the rookie in Backdraft.

In the Semi's, it was all about speed coming off of the line. Digger took the advantage to knock out Eradicator, and Kong used the same strategy to get rid of Brutus. The led to one of the best match ups we've seen play out in show all across the country in 2009. The teammate each had yet another chance to take a checkered flag from the other. Krmel has had near flawless runs so far, and would be difficult for Charlie to beat. Both trucks had huge air coming off of the line. It was certainly close, but clear that Kong was simply having a perfect night in racing. Charlie will come back for two shows tomorrow looking for his revenge.

In tonight's "Metro PCS Quad Wars", Team NY came out strong in a Heat 1 win, but was run off the track in Heat 2 by Team Philly. The Finals were incredible, with quads stalled or overturned on both ends of the track. Even though NY crossed the finish line first, the victory when to Team Philly due to a DQ. Though Team NY would argue it, even the fans sitting near the start line could clearly see that a NY rider has jumped the start.

In the "US Marines FMX Jam Session", the crowd was thrilled by not only a never ending series of huge tricks, but also by a finale that caught everyone by surprise. Joe Stevens, Mike Vaters, and Mike Angerman hit Hart Attacks, Cliff Hangers, Rock Solids, Superman's and KOD's one after another. Just when we thought it was finished, Angerman came out of nowhere with Back Flip - a crowd favorite every time.

In the "UTI Monster Truck Freestyle", an extra van stack obstacle was placed on the near side of the track to make thing even more exciting for the fans. With the first car being smashed down by the first truck out, the obstacle became an 8ft take off ramp that literally shot the monsters into the air each time they hit it.
Spike: 17
Backdraft: 21
Dominator: --
The Broker: 15
Eradicator: 15
Brutus: 19
Donkey Kong: 6

Grave Digger: 24

As Kong hit the track, he jumped the car stack, lost his steering, and plowed nose first into the back side of the van stack. With him out, digger knew he had his chance to win Freestyle. Since Charlie only has one speed when he's on the track, the fans were treated to a full throttle performance. Digger found a way to set up an approach to the right lane car stack that would launch him into the air, and fly across the length of the track. The crowd knew that they were watching something special during this historical weekend even before they witnessed their first "Chuckie Dance".

Saturday 2pm -
Send in the Clowns! In today's show, Monster Jam featured some special guests on the track to entertain the fans - the clowns of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey. And, they be back here at the Spectrum May 13th - 25th for their new show "Zing Zang Zoom!"

The "Monsters on Mainstreet Wheelie Competition" lit the house up, and got us underway today at Monster Jam.

Spike: 15
Backdraft: 21
Dominator: 16
The Broker: 18
Eradicator: 14
Brutus: 23
Donkey Kong: 21

Grave Digger: 28

The young rookie in Backdraft, Brutus, and Kong all had great runs to keep the competition close till the end. Digger came out, though, and pulled off what may have been his best Wheelie of the year. Exact same style of Wheelie as last night, but with even more air. Needless to say, the crowd was no warned up for the Racing to begin.

In Racing, Digger again qualified with the fastest time before moving on to beat both Backdraft and Spike en route to a second straight Finals appearance. On the other side of the bracket it was Eradicator knocking out Brutus in round one, and Kong taking down Broker. Kong and Eradicator was as close a race as you'll ever see, with Kong hoping for his second straight win. The veteran, Slifko, has other ideas. His plan was to first take out Kong, and then beat Digger to the checkered flag. The first part of his plan worked with his narrow victory of the big Ape. The second part, however, did not work out. After losing last night in the finals, Digger had no intentions on letting this one go as well. Pauken went full throttle off the line, and brought home his first Racing win of the weekend.

In today's "Metro PCS Quad Wars", Team Philly had no intentions on relying upon a DQ to take a win. Even though Team NY won the first Heat, Philly would control the rest of the day en route to a second Finals win for the weekend.

The "US Marines FMX" again featured the high flying, two-wheeled action in the show. Mike Vaters again came out with a huge Cliffhanger to start the session - this is a guy that needs no warm up. The session ended with all three riders jumping one after the other on two consecutive runs featuring the Angerman Backflip both times.

The "UTI Monster Truck Freestyle" was exactly what these fans had expected - and for many, the very reason why the came this afternoon.

Spike: 13
Backdraft: 17
Dominator: 13
The Broker: 12
Eradicator: 16
Brutus: 20
Donkey Kong: 18

Grave Digger: 23

The high flying action continued as many of the trucks found the means to get up the needed speed to fly across the track off the right crush car lane. None better than the black and green machine that would go on to capturing his second straight Freestyle win.

Saturday 7:30pm
Valentines Day only comes once a year, but the same can be said for Monster Jam's stop in Philly. So thousands of fans figured why not celebrate both tonight at the legendary Wachovia Spectrum.

Tonight's Wheelie Competition led off an unbelievable night of action.

Spike: 12
Backdraft: 21
Dominator: 19
The Broker: 19
Eradicator: 16
Brutus: 24
Donkey Kong: 21

Grave Digger: 25

With Brutus and Kong again gunning for the win in the competition, Digger had to step it up again tonight. Before Digger's run, Brutus felt that, with so many second place finishes this weekend, this has got to be the one he wins. However, when Charlie again planted Digger's back end on that last crush car, with even more air than ever… the outcome was once again clear.

In Tonight's Racing, Digger fastest time in qualifying put him up again Dominator in Round 1. After beating him, Digger went on to edge out Backdraft for yet another trip to the Finals.

On the bracket's other side, Donkey Kong took out The Broker, and Eradicator edged out Brutus. When Eradicator stalled on the track, we thought that maybe Brutus would have to take his place in the Semis. But, with his crew thrashing in the pits, Slifko was able to bring Eradicator back to the line in time. His return, though, was short-lived, and Kong took the win in the semi-final round race to set up the rematch with Digger.

Digger and Kong met in the Finals last night, with Krmel taking the victory. Since that point, Pauken has been unbeatable. Krmel knew he had a chance to sweep his teammate 2 for 2 as they both approached the starting line. When the light went green, you knew it was going to be a great race, as both were able to hook up and get off the line fast. Digger had the better hit on the crush car, and it proved to be the difference, as he took his second racing win of the day.

In tonight's "Metro PCS Quad Wars", Team NY came out and seemed to just give away Heat 1 win, but was near perfect in Heat 2. The Finals appeared to be a decisive win for NY, until it was pointed out that the NY rider had cut track to get the victory. Only a Captain's Challenge was settle it fairly. So with all of the points on the line, NY accepted the challenge, only to end up stretched out on the track in the second lap watching Team Philly take away the victory.

In the "US Marines FMX Jam Session", Joe Stevens, Mike Vaters, and Mike Angerman hit all of the big tricks - the Hart Attacks, Cliff Hangers, and KOD's were clearly the crowd's favorite. With all of the excitement, Angerman couldn't resist ending it with the Back Flip - also a crowd favorite every time.

The "UTI Monster Truck Freestyle" has proven once again be a highlight, and an obvious crowd favorite.

Spike: 12
Backdraft: 3
Dominator: 14
The Broker: 14
Eradicator: 15
Brutus: 21
Donkey Kong: 19

Grave Digger: 24

Sunday 2pm

Send in the Clowns -- again!  The clowns of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey rejoined Monster Jam today – and the kids just loved them.  They will be back here at the Spectrum May 13^th – 25^th for their new show “Zing Zang Zoom!”

The “Monsters on Mainstreet Wheelie Competition” once again started the mayhem here at Monster Jam.

Spike:  16

Backdraft:  23

Dominator:  --

The Broker:  20

Eradicator:  25

Brutus:  20

Donkey Kong:  23

Grave Digger:  27

Digger just keeps rolling with that exact same style of Wheelie, while adding more air time with each run.   Eradicator gave Charlie a run for him money, though, and made this his toughest win of the weekend.  

In Racing, Digger again qualified with the fastest time and found himself with a Round 1 bye, before going to beat Brutus en route to a forth straight Finals appearance.  On the other side of the bracket it was Kong knocking out Backdraft, and Broker taking down Spike in Round 1. After Kong made it to the finals, we realized that we were about to see the tie breaker between them – each with a Finals victory over the other this weekend.  It was a close race as expected, with Digger now owning a lead with two of the three victories over his teammate. 

In today’s “Metro PCS Quad Wars”, Team Philly lost the first Heat, but came back to easily take Heat two.  The Final was the closest all weekend with one quad from each team coming across the line at nearly the same time. Philly earned the win when the photo finish was decisively awarded to the home team.

In the “US Marines FMX”, it was high flying action that brought the show into the second half.  Mike Vaters again came out with a huge Cliffhanger to start the session.  He remains the only rider we’ve seen that fully believes in not wasting any time with a ‘warm up’.  The session ended, but then got fired up two more times as the crowd kept cheering for more.  These three riders did not want to disappoint – so, we had two more “train” jumps by the three that once again featured the Angerman Backflip both times.

There in no way to deny just how exciting it is to watch sixty second of full throttle “UTI Monster Truck Freestyle”.

Spike:  21

Backdraft:  3

Dominator:  --

The Broker:  16

Eradicator:  16

Brutus:  3

Donkey Kong:  21 

Grave Digger:  28

After Backdraft and Brutus were unable to fill the clock due to breakage, the Rookie driver in Spike figured that he had good chance to put himself into contention to win freestyle.  After a good run, and with only five seconds remaining, Rich felt that he needed something to really get the crowd up on its feet.  So, for his final hit on the van stack, he let it rip!  Step one was to slam the pedal to the floor, and put the truck straight up into the air.  The second step was to come straight down on the rear axle, and bounce the truck up and onto the front axle.  The final step to win over the fans was to gas it and bring the truck down on all four tires just before it flipped end over end.  That move easily makes the highlight reel for the weekend.  With a tough act to follow, Digger had to once again go full throttle for sixty full minutes.  No problem, though, for a lead-foot like Charlie Pauken.  “Just incredible” is how one fan put it afterwards. 

Sunday 7:30pm

You could feel the nostalgia tonight in the old arena.  After decades of hosting Monster Jam, this would be the final curtain.  Not for Monster Jam in Philly – there will be more shows.  But, they just will not be held at the Spectrum. The plans call for this legendary facility to be torn down later this year.  It’s always hard to see a venue with such great history be taken away.  And that’s the very reason that we all decided to tear it up INSIDE the venue one last, spectacular, unforgettable time!

The “Monsters on Mainstreet Wheelie Competition” led off the historical evening.

Spike:  15

Backdraft:  24

Dominator:  --

The Broker:  19

Eradicator:  18

Brutus:  20

Donkey Kong:  24

Grave Digger:  25

The big story was certainly Digger’s five straight Wheelie wins.  Just as impressive was the eighteen year old rookie Jeremy Slifko performance.  He placed among the top three in the competition in each show.  For such a young driver to be so impressive in a field of so many strong drivers – well, know this kid will go on to be one of the very best.  You heard it here first!

In Racing, it was Donkey Kong that qualified with the fastest time and found himself with a Round 1 bye.  In the Semi’s he had to face one of the best racing trucks of the weekend, Eradicator.  Both trucks wanted one more shot for the weekend in the finals – Eradicator would be the one to earn it.  On the other side of the bracket it was Digger knocking out Spike, and then going on to beat Brutus for his shot at a forth win for the weekend in Racing.  These same two trucks faced off in the Saturday afternoon show, leaving Eradicator wanting revenge.  Tonight, though, would not be the night for Andy Slifko.  In a close finish, Digger clearly took the checkered flag.  

In tonight’s “Metro PCS Quad Wars”, Team Philly took the first Heat, and was blown off the track in Heat two.  The Final was the one of the best come from behind finishes we’ve seen in quite some time.  Philly was a half lap down when their team captain took the inside lane in the final three turns, allowing his to pass his opponent at the finish line.

For the fifth straight show, the “US Marines FMX” kept the fans screaming for more.  The three riders kept jumping for as long as the crowd kept yelling.  It ended again with that exciting “train” jump by the three.

Here in the final Monster Jam at the Spectrum, it was time for the final competition -- “UTI Monster Truck Freestyle”.

Spike:  15

Backdraft:  19

Dominator:  --

The Broker:  14

Eradicator: --

Brutus:  21

Donkey Kong:  20 

Grave Digger:  24

The fans could clearly sense that the drivers wanted to make this final show at the Spectrum end the right way.  From the very first truck out on the floor, the crowd could tell what the drivers had in mind.  From that point on, it was truly the best way to end decades of tradition.  From Spike and Backdraft ,all the way through Brutus and Digger – the trucks all ran with the pedal smashed against the floor.  Through the cloud of dust, we could see that Digger would take home his fifth straight Freestyle victory, and that the fans had really enjoyed the Spectrum’s final Monster Jam.  When the dust finally settled later that night, the reality really set in.  All that remained was an empty track, an empty Spectrum, and an empty feeling.  It’s always hard to say goodbye to tradition… it’s always hard to say goodbye to these old buildings.  But for you fans, remember -- even though the Spectrum won’t be in Philly next year – Monster Jam certainly will.

Announcer, Michael Williams