Weekend Recap: New Faces Emerge as Winners in Week 3
Authored by Larry Jewett on January 24, 2023
This week, four tours continued their drive to Monster Jam World Finals in Nashville on July 1.
Stadium Series Blue: Stadium Series Blue arrived at the Alamodome in San Antonio for a pair of indoor shows after some wet weather in San Diego last weekend. Tyler Menninga (Grave Digger) had the hot hand, with sweeps in Racing and Freestyle for the weekend. Menninga garnered the Saturday event championship, but his attempt to sweep was thwarted by Mark List (El Toro Loco) on Sunday. List thrilled the fans of the crazy bull with consistent performances capped by a Skills championship. The Saturday Skills competition title marked the first stadium win ever for ThunderROARus and the keeper of the beast, Colt Stephens. The series will stay in the Lone Star State, with a pair of events in Houston on January 28–29.
Broken truck? Who cares, @TylerMenninga GOES OFF in San Antonio 😎 #MonsterJam pic.twitter.com/a2XPxYCOLd
— Monster Jam (@MonsterJam) January 22, 2023
Stadium Series Red: Stadium Series Red left California after a pair of engagements and headed east, stopping on the banks of the Mississippi River to thrill the fans in St. Louis. Tom Meents (Max-D) was just three hours from home and the crowd got behind the truck celebrating its 20th anniversary. Meents did not disappoint, sweeping the Skills competition and adding a Sunday Freestyle to power to an event championship. Camden Murphy (Bakugan Dragonoid) opened the weekend strong, using his Racing and Freestyle wins as the basis for his first event championship of the year. And Bryce Kenny (Great Clips Mohawk Warrior) added his second Racing title of 2023. Miami is next up on the schedule, with a Saturday night event and a Sunday matinee January 28–29.
Tom Meents showing off for the @GreatClips Skills Challenge win 🥇 #MonsterJam pic.twitter.com/4RnhJOEj0F
— Monster Jam (@MonsterJam) January 22, 2023
Arena Series Central: Three competitors took home event championship titles as the Arena Series Central visited Virginia’s Hampton Coliseum. Jon Zimmer Jr. (Terminal Velocity) got his 2023 season rolling with two event championships, while Brandon Vinson (Grave Digger) and Coty Saucier (Dragon) each collected an event championship. Saucier and Zimmer earned notoriety as two-time Racing winners. Vinson won three Skills competitions, with Zack Garner (Wild Side) spoiling the sweep. Zimmer captured all of the Donut titles. Vinson had two Freestyle wins, with Zimmer and Tony Ochs (ThunderROARus) each earning a single win. The series heads to the nation’s capital next, with three events on the schedule for Jan. 28–29.
Arena Series East: Milwaukee played host to the Arena Series East, with Weston Anderson (Grave Digger) and Armando Castro (El Toro Loco) taking the lion’s share of the victories. Castro won multiple championships, but was shut out in the Donut competitions. Anderson shined with a pair of Donut wins. Bernard Lyght (Megalodon) took a Racing win and a Donut title. Linsey Read (Scooby-Doo!) captured a Freestyle win as well. Up next—Newark, New Jersey and the first four-event weekend for the series Jan. 27–29.
Bernard Lyght and his 🦈 have the moves in Milwaukee 🕺 #MonsterJam pic.twitter.com/S0PsZDW7CC
— Monster Jam (@MonsterJam) January 21, 2023
Arena Series West: After a weekend off, the Arena Series West will take to the dirt again in Sacramento January 27–29. Points leader Elvis Lainez (El Toro Loco) holds a slim six-point advantage over Tristan England (Earth Shaker) through the first nine events of this young season.