Central Series Showdown

What is happening on Arena Championship Central? Well, I can take credit for predicting that this series would be the most entertaining and unpredictable series in Monster Jam, and now it is living up to the hype. Not only do we have a tie atop the leaderboard, but nine points separates the top three drivers. NINE!!!! That means that by halftime on Friday we could see a new series points leader and there could be some serious flip-flopping for the rest of the season. Let’s examine the contenders shall we.

 

Matt Cody has had Grave Digger on or near the top of the points standings for the entire season. Who can forget his incredible run last year from the International Series to the Arena Championship Series West title. Because he was not behind the wheel of Grave Digger for the entire season, Matt gracefully passed off the automatic bid to World Finals XXIII to Jurassic Attack’s Dalton Widner, who finished 2^nd. Matt is now focused on claiming another series championship and finally competing on the biggest track of them all at this year’s World Finals event in Salt Lake City.

 

At one point this season, the Central lead belonged to Terminal Velocity’s Jon Zimmer Jr. who has made the most of his opportunities since returning full-time to Monster Jam. Send-It Motorsports’ rising star, took home a Freestyle win and an Overall win this past weekend in Grand Rapids returning to the top of the points series in a tie with Matt Cody, with each superstar locked in at 710 points. Two years ago, Monster Jam fans campaigned for “Lil Zim” to compete at World Finals in Nashville, which he did in the skills competition, but they may not have to campaign this year if Zimmer Jr. can drive his way to a series championship, becoming the first independent driver in history to do so.

 

No one had a better weekend in Grand Rapids than third-year driver Jamie Sullivan, who piloted Sparkle Smash to five JCB Racing wins and four Overall Event wins. Sullivan now trails the series points leaders by just nine points and could very well leave Toledo with the lead in hand. Sullivan has had an unbelievable rise in the sport which saw her compete last year in SoFi Stadium at World Finals, an event in which she proved she is one of the top racers in the sport. The UNOH graduate has shown no signs of slowing down this year and has a great chance of becoming the second female driver in Monster Jam history to win a series.

 

I’d be hard-pressed not to mention El Toro Loco’s Fernando Martinez here as well, who only trails by 45 points and is still very much in the conversation to win this series. The co-Rookie of the Year has avoided the sophomore slump and continues to impress on the track. There is no denying Fernando’s combination of talent and charisma which was on display at the Van Andel Arena during his two Freestyle wins. The California native has shown tenacity and determination in his rise from “Rigs of Rods” to Monster Jam superstardom.

 

If you are still wondering if the Central is the most competitive series in Monster Jam, look no further than the latest edition of the Monster Jam Power Rankings which has all four of these superstars ranked between 12^th and 18^th. And if you need even more evidence, then I invite you to The Huntington Center in Toledo this weekend to see for yourself. However, if you can’t be there in person, then grab your popcorn, fire up our YouTube channel and watch the live streams. That’s where I will be, watching every minute of this action-packed series.