In front of a sold-out crowd at Sam Boyd Stadium tonight, Lee O'Donnell and VP Racing Fuel's Mad Scientist^® took home the 2017 Monster Jam World Finals^® Freestyle Championship. This is the first world championship for both O'Donnell and the Mad Scientist Monster Jam^® truck.

 

Alex Blackwell and Megalodon^TM kicked off the Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Championship by giving the fans the first back-flip of the night. Blackwell would then be knocked out of the competition by Monster Jam Triple Threat^TM Series West presented by AMSOIL athlete, Bryce Kenny and Great Clips Mohawk Warrior^®. Kenny would hold on to the top score until Jim Koehler in Avenger took over the lead with a score of 9.240.

 

Lee O'Donnell in VP Racing Fuel's Mad Scientist^® pulled out the most unexpected move of the night by completing the first-ever front-flip in Monster Jam competition, which put him on top of the leader board with a 9.355. O'Donnell's reign looked like it was coming to a close when Neil Elliott in Max-D^TM wowed the crowd. Instead of taking the traditional route and tackling the back-flip ramp head-on, Elliott reversed up the ramp, rotated, and ended back on all four tires. Despite being the first to complete this maneuver, it was not enough to top O'Donnell, and Elliott finished the competition in second place with a score of 9.316.

"My wife and my kids, they mean the world to me, and they're here tonight," said an emotional O'Donnell. "My sponsor, VP Racing Fuels, is amazing. Everyone has been trying that trick that Neil Elliott nailed; it was spectacular. I give it up to him. My crew guys, they're family and at the track every weekend. The fans here are like family to me, and I can't thank Feld Entertainment and Monster Jam enough. This is awesome!"

 

The 35^th Anniversary of Grave Digger was honored in this evening's encore performance. Dennis Anderson had the privilege of introducing the next generation of Grave Digger drivers - his children. Adam, Ryan and Krysten Anderson, along with the rest of the Grave Digger team, had fans on their feet during the once-in-a-lifetime performance.

 

"I've been out here beating the trail for years," said Dennis Anderson. "Look at what we did this year. Because of all of you, we get to do what we do. We play hard, and I love you guys. All of you Monster Jam fans, you're the reason why we do this. Thank you, thank you very much."

 

For the first time in Monster Jam history, the power of voting was in the hands of the fans on-site at Sam Boyd Stadium via www.judgeszone.com, an interactive polling website developed exclusively for Monster Jam.

 

Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Results

1. Lee O'Donnell, VP Racing Fuel's Mad Scientist - 9.355
2. Neil Elliott, Max-D - 9.316
3. Jim Koehler, Avenger - 9.240
4. Cam McQueen, Northern Nightmare^TM - 9.097
5. Scott Buetow, Team Hot Wheels^® Firestorm^® - 8.786
6. Morgan Kane, Grave Digger^® - 8.193
7. Rosalee Ramer, Wildflower - 8.155
8. Bryce Kenny, Great Clips Mohawk Warrior - 8.100
9. Ryan Anderson, Son-uva Digger^® - 8.043
10. Colt Stephens, FS1 Cleatus - 7.864
11. Randy Brown, Grave Digger - 7.800
12. Todd LeDuc, Monster Energy - 7.660
13. Adam Anderson, Grave Digger - 7.390
14. Brianna Mahon, Scooby-Doo^TM - 7.268
15. Bari Musawwir, Zombie^TM - 7.166
16. Marc McDonald, El Toro Loco^® - 7.163
17. Tyler Menninga, Grave Digger - 7.105
18. Jimmy Creten, Bounty Hunter - 7.098
19. Matt Buyten, Metal Mulisha - 7.094
20. Becky McDonough, El Toro Loco - 7.073
21. Tristan England, EarthShaker^TM - 6.880
22. Coty Saucier, Monster Energy - 6.814
23. Alex Blackwell, Megalodon - 6.799
24. Linsey Weenk, Lucas Oil Crusader^® - 6.675
25. Mike Vaters II, Overkill Evolution - 6.591
26. Jon Zimmer, Dragon^TM - 6.289
27. Candice Jolly, Monster Mutt^® Dalmatian^® - 6.143
28. Colton Eichelberger, Max-D - 6.104
29. Buddy Tompkins, Razin Kane - 5.800
30. Charlie Pauken, Monster Mutt^® - 5.217
31. Chad Fortune, Soldier Fortune^TM - 4.448
32. BJ Johnson, Gas Monkey Garage - 4.341