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    Weekend Recap: January Ends with More Exciting Monster Jam Action

    Authored by Larry Jewett on January 30, 2023

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    All five tours were back in action the final weekend in January, as we inch closer to Monster Jam World Finals in Nashville on July 1.

     

    Stadium Series Blue – The series moved from San Antonio to Houston’s NRG Stadium, and Tyler Menninga (Grave Digger) and Ryan Anderson (Son-uva Digger) dominated the weekend until hometown driver Colt Stephens (ThunderROARus) garnered an inspired Freestyle win on Sunday afternoon. Menninga and Anderson each won a single event championship, along with single competition victories in Racing and Skills, while Anderson took home the Saturday Freestyle as well. Menninga extended his early season points lead over Anderson to 38. The series moves to Indianapolis Feb. 4–5.

     

     

    Stadium Series Red – Todd LeDuc (Megalodon) broke through for his first event championship of 2023 in the weekend finale on Sunday at loanDepot Park in sunny Miami. Powered by a Racing win to open the afternoon, LeDuc’s second place in Freestyle was enough to secure the overall event win. Camden Murphy (Bakugan Dragonoid) won the Sunday Freestyle competition, adding another accolade to his weekend after winning the Saturday event championship. Murphy was also the Saturday Racing winner. Adam Anderson (Grave Digger) took home the Saturday Freestyle win, while Jamey Garner (El Toro Loco) and Tom Meents (Max-D) prevailed in the Skills competitions on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The series will stay in Florida and head north to Tampa for two events at Raymond James Stadium Feb. 4–5.

     

     

    Arena Series Central – The series stopped in the nation’s capital, where Brandon Vinson (Grave Digger) protected his points lead with several strong performances that culminated with two event championships and a sweep of all three Freestyle events. Tony Ochs (ThunderROARus) picked up wins in Racing , Skills and Donuts, grabbing an event championship for good measure. Zack Garner (Wild Side) was a two-time Donut winner, while Jon Zimmer Jr. (Terminal Velocity) took home a Skills win. The series heads next to Providence, Rhode Island Feb. 3–5.

     

     

    Arena Series East – Four different competitors scored event championships as the series stopped at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center. Bernard Lyght (Megalodon) and Linsey Read (Scooby-Doo) notched their first event championships of the season, while Armando Castro (El Toro Loco) and Weston Anderson (Grave Digger) added additional event championship titles to their record. Each member of this quartet scored a Freestyle win as well. Hunter Souza (Earth Shaker) scored a career-first Racing win on Friday and backed it up with a Racing win on Sunday. Dalton Widner (Jurassic Attack) and Chad Tingler (Zombie) took the other two Racing wins. The tour moves to Long Island and the second-ever Monster Jam event at UBS Arena in Belmont Park Feb. 3–5.

     

     

    Arena Series West – After a week off, the Arena Series West competitors didn’t miss a beat in Sacramento, with points leader Elvis Lainez (El Toro Loco) and Tristan England (Earth Shaker) thrilling the crowd and winning all but one of the weekend’s competitions. Lainez won the first event championship before England captured the remaining event championships. Krysten Anderson (Grave Digger) took a Donut win, preventing the El Toro Loco/Earth Shaker sweep. The series moves to Fargo, North Dakota for a doubleheader, with two events scheduled on Feb. 4.

     

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