Monster Jam put on events in Bridgeport, CT, Nampa, ID, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, last weekend, with some unexpected and unfamiliar names grabbing the competition wins.

Bridgeport, CT: First, let’s lead with the exception to the rule. Krysten Anderson (Grave Digger) swept all five overall event championships at the Total Mortgage Arena. That being said, a few drivers broke through for the odd competition win, including Steven Sims (Stone Crusher) with the Friday racing win, Colt Stephens (ThunderROARus) with the Saturday evening Great Clips Skills Challenge win, and Mikayla Tulachka (Megalodon) with the Sunday evening Freestyle win. Brandon Tulachka (Just Get-Er-Done II) picked up three competition wins throughout the weekend, with Krysten Anderson winning the rest.

Nampa, ID: The lineup for last weekend’s events at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, featured a few unfamiliar names. However, they are names that we’re all going to get used to quickly. In particular, MJU graduate Fernando Martinez (El Toro Loco) took the overall event championship for three of the four events… in just his first weekend of competition! Tyler Menninga (Grave Digger) kicked things off by taking the overall event championship on Friday, winning everything except Donuts. That was won by Ashley Sanford (Megalodon), who also won the Wheelie Competition on Sunday. Bailey Shea (Monster Mutt Dalmatian) kicked things off with the Racing win Saturday afternoon, and Tim Hall Jr. (Velociraptor) won Saturday evening Racing and Sunday Freestyle. The sixth driver to pick up a win was MJU graduate and Monster Jam debutant Joe Dennis in Scooby-Doo! who won the Wheelie Competition Saturday evening.

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Seven of the eight drivers picked up competition wins over the four events at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico last weekend, with the overall event championships going to Weston Anderson (Grave Digger) on Saturday afternoon, Bari Musawwir (Zombie) on Saturday evening, and Armando Castro (El Toro Loco) for both Sunday events. The other four competitors who picked up wins throughout the weekend were Blake Granger (Max-D), Tony Ochs (ThunderROARus), Jamie Sullivan (Monster Mutt Dalmatian) and Coty Saucier (Dragon). MJU graduate and Monster Jam debutant Angelina Nock (Megalodon) performed strongly in her debut with her results getting better each event.

Overall, a lot of new names are showing promise as we close in on the start of the 2024 Monster Jam season.