Starting Line: A Look at the First Month of Monster Jam in 2014

(Photos By: Jeremy Verret and Josh Rhodes)

(Photos By: Jeremy Verret and Josh Rhodes)

Welcome back to Starting Line! It has been a fantastic first month of monster trucks, and we’ve had photographers all over the place getting YOU the best coverage in the sport. What follows are some thoughts on the first month of the 2014 monster truck season: [Read More …]

Grave Digger vs Bigfoot: Full Circle Part 1

To the fans that have been following this sport since its inception in the mid 1980’s, there is perhaps no greater rivalry than Bob Chandler’s Bigfoot and Dennis Anderson’s Grave Digger. What made this rivalry? The simple fact that each time the trucks lined up, you knew it was going to be not just a good race, but a special one. [Read More …]

JDR Blog: A Look at How to Improve the World Finals Racing Course

JDR Blog - Monster Jam World Finals Racing CourseIn the past 14 years at the Monster Jam World Finals, we’ve seen the fastest monster truck racing course determine Monster Jam’s World Finals Racing Champion. Trucks have been clocked at 64+ miles per hour down the straightaways in Sam Boyd Stadium. Next year, however, we’re going to be seeing the first ever two-day format for the World Finals, with 32 trucks competing in Monster Jam’s grandest stage. Perhaps it’s time to look at changing the course up just a tiny bit. Why? Let’s take a look at three examples, and then some suggestions on how to make racing better: [Read More …]

Behind the Scenes: Monster Truck Girls 2014 Calendar Shoot

Monster Truck Girls 2014

Once again our good friend Stephanie Cotnoir (aka Miss Tool Box) checks in with a unique blog post chronicling one of her more recent adventures, as she traveled to Jacksonville, Florida to take part in the Monster Truck Girls calendar shoot. Cotnoir joined several other girls from within the monster truck industry for a fun weekend and gives us an inside look of a different type to some the antics and perspectives from herself and the other girls participating in the photo shoot. [Read More …]

Stephanie Cotnoir Gets Her Chance To Fly

Stephanie Cotnoir - Miss Tool Box - Wrecking Crew

Our good friend and long time contributor Stephanie Cotnoir (aka Miss Tool Box) recently got her shot to pilot the Wrecking Crew in an event for the first time in Massachusetts. Stephanie was kind enough to share with us her experience leading up to the event and what it was like driving for the first time. Thanks Stephanie! [Read More …]

The Home Stretch – Monster Truck Storylines and Thoughts

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already in March for the monster truck season! There are a lot of interesting storylines to pick and choose from. Here are some quick things I’ve seen over the first two months of the season that could spur some interesting discussion:

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Monster Jam’s Young Guns Shootout – What’s the Deal?

When I first heard Monster Jam announcer Scott Douglass begin talking about the Young Guns Shootout in Las Vegas, I wondered just what the deal was. What trucks would be in Vegas, when would they compete…basically, I wondered what the deal was! The previews continued until the big announcement on Monster Jam’s Facebook that it would be a competition on Friday night during the Double Down event, and a couple competitors have already been announced. Congratulations are in order to Bari Musawwir (Spider-Man) and Scott Buetow (Iron Man) for making the cut. Since that leaves us with six trucks, I wanted to throw out a few names I noticed that fit Monster Jam’s criteria of two years or less with Monster Jam and are not competing in the World Finals (of course, some competitors are up in the air, so I’ve kept that in mind):

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Messy in Miami Monster Jam

“What a muddy mess!” This was the first thought that came to mind when I arrived to check out the Miami Monster Jam, and it ended up being the theme of the night. The Monster Jam dirt crews worked feverishly to give the drivers the best conditions possible, but ultimately, Mother Nature always wins. The drivers rose to the challenge and still turned out a tremendous show, but it was not without some controversy at the end.

miami monster jam

It was a muddy mess at the Miami Monster Jam before the show.

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What a Week in Tampa!

Hey guys, welcome back to Starting Line. It was another great week on the “I Love Florida” Tour, and the second time around in Tampa was just as sweet. I’ll keep it short and sweet with some bullet points this time; we were recording a brand new Beyond the Lens podcast and getting our 2012 monster truck photo galleries online this week:

[Read More …]

Orlando and January in Monster Trucks

tom meents maximum destruction new orleans

Tom Meents continues to wow in Maximum Destruction, and teammates Neil Elliott and Kreg Christensen won this weekend as well. (photo: Jeremy Verret)

The last weekend in January for monster trucks proved every bit as exciting as the promise, with several shows enjoying what I call defining moments–those ones where you’re just happy to be a monster truck fan and realize you’re seeing something special. A lot of these moments were provided by the Maximum Destruction team, with all three drivers–Tom Meents, Neil Elliott, and Kreg Christensen–picking up sweeps on the weekend. [Read More …]