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One of the new drivers to watch in 2026 is Loghan Ashline, who will compete in Sparkle Smash in the Arena Series East in her full-time domestic championship debut.

 

Loghan, a North Carolina native, is a graduate of Monster Jam University. She made her Monster Jam debut in July 2023, in which she got a win in Donuts in her first ever weekend of competition.

 

Since then, Loghan has been competing mostly internationally, although it was Bridgeport, CT, in October 2024 where she picked off her first ever JCB Racing win en route to taking home her first ever Overall Event Championship.

 

“It’s always been a struggle going from asphalt to dirt,” said Loghan, who comes from a background in IHRA jet car racing. “It’s just a completely different feeling. But now that I’ve had my first racing win under my belt, it takes the stress off of it a little bit because I know that I can be fast on dirt. And so just honing into that each time is what I have to focus on doing next year.”

 

Despite this success, Loghan acknowledges the fact that there is still a lot to learn as she enters her first official series, but she is targeting an Overall Event Championship by the end of the season.

 

“I think that my experience level with Monster Jam is still at a fairly beginner’s level, just because while I’ve done quite a few events, they’ve been very spread out,” she adds. “But my goal is to win an overall. I have won one overall so far and it was a great experience, but I want to be able to win one during a points series because I think that the competition is just a lot steeper at that time. And then otherwise I genuinely just want to be able to learn from all the other drivers and experience what a whole first quarter is like.”

 

One thing that helps a Monster Jam driver’s score in Freestyle is pulling off a successful backflip. While Loghan hasn’t attempted one yet, she knows the day is not far off, and she is feeling pretty confident after watching Krysten Anderson train another driver on it at MJU.

 

“I was able to watch Krysten walk the other driver all the way through the process and successfully complete a backflip. And so I understand the workings of it. I just haven’t done one yet.”

 

Loghan will want to perform well in 2026 not just for herself, but also for the Sparkle Smash fanbase, which has quickly gained a following from fans of all ages and genders.

 

“One of the main things that I’m excited about is to be representing the Sparkle Smash community on Arena East because Sparkle Smash has been an epic game-changing truck for everyone that I’ve met, honestly.

 

“I think it’s such a great experience to have two women drivers out on the track at one time because it really proves to the little girls and the little boys that women can do anything that they put their minds to, if that’s their dream.

 

“The biggest challenge to achieve that? I would say perseverance. It took three years for me to get a full season in Monster Jam. And there were a lot of days where I’m like, it’s not going to happen, it’s just never going to be my reality. And so, during those times, it was very difficult to want to continue to be a driver because I never knew if I would get my shot. So I definitely think just staying with it and being consistent and getting through those moments where you’re doubting yourself is super important to actually becoming a full-time driver.”

 

Loghan stuck with it and will get to make her full-time domestic championship debut when the 2026 Arena Championship Series East kicks off in Kansas City, MO, on January 9.