The word ‘dominant’ is thrown around a lot in sports, yours truly even uses it quite a bit on television, however there are a few instances where it is difficult to deny the validity of the word. As it relates to Monster Jam, one of those instances has been the start to Weston Anderson’s career.
Fans who follow the ‘mega-truck’ world have long been impressed with Weston’s driving skills for years, having witnessed some impressive “Wow Moments” In Bog Hog, which along with having the Anderson name made Weston’s Monster Jam debut highly anticipated in 2022.
He would go on to have arguably the most impressive rookie season in history winning Arena Championship Series East by 118 points over the nearest competitor and then following that up with an even larger margin of 252 points when he repeated as East champion in 2023. For what it’s worth, those were both the largest margins between first and second place in the sport. This year on the Central series, Weston has amassed a 143-point lead over another up-and-coming star in Rookie of the Year favorite Fernando Martinez. I would say those numbers are pretty telling.
When it comes to the Andersons, Dennis is still the Gold Standard and most likely will be until Adam retires, who then most likely take that mantle until Ryan retires. Let me be very clear, there will never be a bigger icon in the family than Dennis Anderson, but every sport becomes a numbers game with Adam and Ryan having already surpassed Dennis’ stat line. Weston is on pace to surpass them both, as he is well on his way to a third straight series championship. I can also point out that he will be the only Anderson to accomplish that feat. The only other driver in history to win three in a row is Tyler Menninga, who won 4 straight from 2017-20220.
You can argue about his performances at World Finals (he did finish fourth in freestyle last year), but to put it into perspective Ryan didn’t win his first world championship until seven years after his debut. On the other side of that spectrum though, Adam became the youngest champion in history at 22, which is Weston’s current age.
I feel it’s unfair to compare Weston and Krysten who is only in her eighth season. She has embraced her role as a trailblazer, inspiring young girls throughout the world, when she became the first female driver to win a series championship, something she is on pace to do again which would be the second series win of her young career.
It’s hard to compare career numbers with Weston only in his third year in the sport. Combined though, the Anderson legacy is undeniable, with 13 World Finals wins between them, to go along with 10 series titles, and countless awards and accolades. Those numbers will continue to grow as I don’t think Adam and Ryan are done winning world championships and I do think Krysten will eventually win one down the road as well. As it pertains to Weston, I think the question is really how many series wins, world championships, and awards will he end up winning?
The Andersons will go down in history as the greatest family to ever drive a Monster Jam truck. When it’s all said and done though, which Anderson goes down as the best of the bunch is a question that may be argued for years to come.