Monster Jam World Finals time is upon us, and for the 17th year in a row the focus of the monster truck industry shifts to Las Vegas, Nevada’s Sam Boyd Stadium and the Monster Jam stars invited to compete. Much like last year, Monster Jam World Finals XVII will feature a 32 truck main field packed with some of the best talent Monster Jam has to offer. In anticipation of the finals let’s take a look at what the field has to offer us this year.
Grave Digger | Dennis Anderson
Dennis info
Metal Mulisha | Todd LeDuc
If you’re putting together a list of favorites for the Monster Jam World Finals, Todd LeDuc better be towards the top, or you’re a silly person. The past two years LeDuc has been on a tear in Vegas coming away with a title each year. In racing LeDuc looked almost unbeatable in his last trip to Sam Boyd Stadium, putting together some of the fastest passes down the track ever seen. Two years ago his freestyle performance was far and away the best of the night with one of the most memorable freestyle’s in recent memory. It’s not just been in Vegas where LeDuc has been strong. This season LeDuc has racked up several wins in both racing and freestyle. To keep it simple, LeDuc is one of the guys to watch. He can win anytime, anywhere, especially in Vegas.
Son-uva Digger | Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson has been having a stellar season and you can bet he’s hellbent on capping off his first quarter by winning at this year’s Monster Jam World Finals. Last year Anderson found himself a bride’s maid two days in a row, finishing second in racing to Leduc, and then a controversial second place to Mike Vaters II in freestyle. To say Anderson was less than thrilled with a pair of second places would be an understatement. However he’s been on a roll since then picking up wins from the United States, to Canada, to Australia. Anderson is one of the elite when it comes to freestyle and well on his way to that status as a racer also. While he’s yet to claim a Monster Jam World Finals title this year may be his year. It goes without saying, Anderson is a favorite and will be one to watch when the trucks hit the track.
Northern Nightmare | Cam McQueen
Cam Info
Titan | Donald Epidendio
Donald info
Monster Mutt Dalmatian | Candice Jolly
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Candice info
El Toro Loco | Marc McDonald
Marc info
Mohawk Warrior | George Balhan
George Info
Mad Scientist | Lee O’Donnell
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Lee Info
Team Hot Wheels | Scott Buetow
Scott info
Bounty Hunter | Jimmy Creten
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Jimmy Creten and Las Vegas have an interesting history together. While Creten has taken the Bounty Hunter to the racing finals several times, it was in freestyle where he claimed his lone Monster Jam World Finals title back in 2005. Since that time a lot has changed, but Creten is still one of the toughest to beat any time he takes to the track. This year he picked up multiple racing wins and was regularly in the hunt for freestyle wins. As a racer Creten is an elite level racer but the win in Vegas has escaped him time and time again. Last year Creten had a bit of a rough outing with an early exit and racing and an early end to freestyle. This year however he could be a strong contender with momentum on his side. One thing to keep in mind is that Creten is one of the best backflipper’s in the industry, with many successful attempts including two just this past weekend coming into the Monster Jam World Finals. With the judges expecting big moves in freestyle that could be a key element towards a victory for Creten.
Monster Mutt | Charlie Pauken
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Chuckie Info
Doom’s Day
Doom info
Alien Invasion | Chad Tingler
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Tingler Info
Neil Elliott | FS1 Cleatus
Neil info
Nicole Johnson | Scooby Doo
Scooby pic
Nicole Info
BJ Johnson | Gas Monkey Garage
BJ Pic
BJ Info
Mike Vaters II | Overkill Evolution
Vater pic
Vaters info
Jim Koehler | Avenger
Koehler Pic
Koehler info
Coty Saucier | Monster Energy
Coty Pic
Coty Info
Colton Eichleberger | Max-D
Colton Pic
Colton Info
Brianna Mahon | Madusa
Brianna Pic
Brianna info
Dustin Brown | Junkyard Dog
Dustin Pic
Dustin Info
Alex Blackwell | Captain’s Curse
Alex Pic
Alex Info
Adam Anderson | Grave Digger
Adam Pic
The newly crowned Monster Jam FS1 Championship Series champion Adam Anderson has to be one of the favorites coming into the World Finals this week. Anderson had a dominating season on the FS1 Championship Series where he racked up six racing wins and four freestyle victories. Not only does Anderson has momentum on his side, he’s also has one of the strongest track records in Vegas. As a two-time racing champion and freestyle champion he knows how to get it done when the pressure is on. Anderson also wants a shot at the racing title once again, after steering problems knocked him out of racing early last year. Look for Anderson to bring his A-Game this week to Sam Boyd Stadium. Don’t be surprised if he brings another trophy back to North Carolina as he’s done several times already this year.
Morgan Kane | Grave Digger
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Coming into Monster Jam World Finals XVII Morgan Kane returns as a champion for the second year in a row. Kane defended his title this year on the Monster Jam featuring the Amsoil Series west tour as his first year piloting a Grave Digger. While Kane has spent most of his time cooped up in arenas the last two years, he showed last year in Vegas that he can still bring it in stadiums. Kane had speed when it came to racing and rocked in freestyle with a strong run before driveline issues hampered his truck.
Cole Venard | Grave Digger
Cole pic
In his rookie season as a driver Cole Venard has made his presence known quickly. Not only was it Venard’s first year driving, he was tasked with driving a Grave Digger from the beginning and proved he was worthy of the seat. On the Monster Jam featuring the Amsoil Series east tour Venard claimed the championship after a long battle with Bari Musawwir and the other drivers on the tour. The relatively big unknown coming into this week is how Venard will fare transitioning to the track at Sam Boyd Stadium. It’s a big adjustment coming from the small floors to the massive World Finals track. Venard does have some stadium experience as his first career event was in Orlando while filling in for Adam Anderson. The arena tour drivers have transitioned well though in stadium environments so we’re confident that Venard will hold his own this week.
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