AllMonster.com would like to congratulate Jimmy Creten (Bounty Hunter) and Madusa (Madusa); Madusa took the racing title at last night’s World Finals and Jimmy Creten won the freestyle after a tiebreaker with Tony Farrell’s Blue Thunder. Congratulations to both drivers!
Congratulations Bounty Hunter and Madusa!
Around the USHRA, AllMonster-Style
AllMonster is awaiting their reporters and photographers from Vegas to come back, and will have information on that as soon as possible, however, there were some interesting stories at other USHRA events this weekend as well, and AllMonster has the scoop thanks to a few other reporters! In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the drivers’ meeting is just now concluding, and results from the first three shows are as follows:
Friday-Wheelie Contest-Grave Digger XIV
Racing-American Guardian
Freestyle-Grave Digger XIV
Saturday-Wheelie Contest-Grave Digger XIV
Racing-Grave Digger XIV
Freestyle-Grave Digger XIV
Saturday evening-Wheelie Contest-Safe Auto
Racing-T-Maxx
Freestyle-Grave Digger XIV
In the Saturday afternoon show, Safe Auto won the wheelie contest, damaging the body slightly. Reports are that driver Chad Tingler was past vertical on his wheelie, and received a perfect 30, as did Grave Digger XIV. Carl VanHorn of Grave Digger said that no cheer-off was necessary and to give the win to Tingler; he deserved it!
In other action, AllMonster.com’s Dustin Hart and Trevor Andrews have the scoop from last night’s show, where Virginia Giant won the Racing, Donut, and Freestyle competitons, and Jason Childress (Subbing for Rod Schmidt) in Grave Digger 7 won the Wheelie contest. More to come!
Report from the World Finals in Vegas
AllMonster has received the first report from Las Vegas, with updated information on qualifying and much more! Jimmy Creten and Bounty Hunter was the fast qualifier as the only truck to break the 16-second barrier Friday night, while many drivers suffered mechanical troubles or errors in their official qualifying runs after stellar practice runs. Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction fell to the bottom of the bracket after getting on two wheels in the final turn, and teammate Phil Foster had drive train problems that only allowed him to drive the broken truck to register a time instead of going all out. The team was up until about 2:30 this morning making repairs, among them changing planetaries in Maximum Destruction. Jim Koehler rolled after tapping the breaks on his landing to avoid a date with the rock pile, and Team Avenger/Brutus pulled an all-nighter, making repairs until 5:00 this morning. The pit party is now underway, and the drivers’ meeting had some interesting events. The left lane will be moved up five feet to combat the advantage of trucks usually winning in the right lane, although the lanes seemed even in qualifying yesterday. It was a near unanimous vote by the drivers to do such a thing. In freestyle, if a truck is stopped on top of an obstacle, the track crew will be given three minutes to remove it, and if it cannot be removed, it becomes “fair game” as was the case last year. The weather is cold, windy, and a slight possibility of rain today, making for an interesting day of excitement as we near the big show. We wish all the trucks and drivers in Vegas good luck, and hope to have reports and photos by later tonight or earlier tomorrow!
More From Hampton; Photo of the Week
Trevor Andrews’ photo gallery from Hampton, Virginia is now available in the Photos section, and we have finally updated our photo of the week. We thank Trevor for his time. Enjoy!
Monster Profile – Jason Witte of Wild Hair Monster Truck
AllMonster.com was able to catch up with Jason Witte of Wild Hair fame following his last race in the truck and get his thoughts on his career, his memories, and his future plans. We appreciate Jason taking his time out for us, and encourage everyone to take a look at our newest Monster Profile!
Monster Profile: Jason Witte: His Career – His Thoughts – His Wild Hair
Jason Witte has been in the monster truck business for six years, beginning with his purchase of the Wild Hair truck and name from Marvin Smith. After running a highly modified version of the Wild Hair he bought for a few years, Witte and crew built a new Wild Hair in 2003. After many successful performances, TV appearances, and much more, December 2004 was the time for the Washington, Missouri native to sell Wild Hair (See December’s News Archives). The February 19 Monster Jam was Witte’s last official show running the Wild Hair name. Known as one of the hardest-running independents on the Monster Jam and many other circuits, Witte has established a reputation as a crowd-pleaser in freestyle especially. Will it be Witte’s last show behind the wheel of a monster truck? Robert Haught had a chance to sit down with Jason and find out.
Minneapolis Monster Jam Photos Online!
126 photos from the February 19 Minneapolis Monster Jam are now available for your viewing pleasure, including photos of Grave Digger’s 6-minute freestyle and more! Look for a new Monster Profile with Wild Hair’s Jason Witte tomorrow. Enjoy, and thank you for visiting AllMonster.com!
Monster Jam World Finals to be Broadcast Live on USHRA.com
Clear Channel has sent us the following press release announcing the live webcast of the Monster Jam World Finals March 19 in Las Vegas; we thank them for their time:
2005 Monster Jam World Finals To Be Webcast Live on USHRA.COM
Monster Jam LIVE! Makes Grand Debut
AURORA, Ill. (March 8, 2005) – Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division announced today that the 2005 Monster Jam World Finals will be webcast live from Sam Boyd Stadium, March 19th on www.ushra.com.
The first ever installation of Monster Jam LIVE! will air the Monster Jam World Finals from opening ceremonies until the champion crowning. The audio broadcast will begin at 7:00 p.m. (PST).
The show will feature veteran Supercross LIVE! announcer, Chad Damiani, as host and will give fans at home an opportunity to listen live to all the action directly from the largest Monster Jam event of the year.
“We are extremely excited to bring the first ever Monster Jam webcast to life and there is no better event to do it at than the Monster Jam World Finals at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium on March 19,” said Mark Abernethy, senior director of brand marketing for Clear Channel Entertainment Motor Sports. “We have had huge success over the past five years with Supercross LIVE! and we think that Monster Jam LIVE! has the potential to be even bigger in terms of live webcast listeners.”
For more information about Monster Jam and Monster Jam LIVE! log on to www.ushra.com.
Monster Trucks to go to China?
Clear Channel Communications stated today that it may form a joint venture that would bring many forms of motorsports and concerts to China, including monster trucks. To read the full story, click here:
Bounty Hunter and Scarlet Bandit Headed to Vegas
2Xtreme Racing (Team Bounty Hunter/Scarlet Bandit/Iron Outlaw) has sent us the following press release on the team’s qualification for the Monster Jam World Finals; we thank them for their time and effort:
For Immediate Release
March 1, 2005
Checker Schuck’s Kragen Bounty Hunter and Scarlet Bandit a Dangerous Duo.
Both Trucks Qualify for Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas
Phoenix, AZ – In an exceptional, but challenging year for the Checker Schuck’s Kragen backed team, both Jimmy and Dawn Creten have driven their big Ford Expeditions to numerous Monster Jam series wins. Their stellar performance has allotted both trucks a birth in the sport’s most prestigious event – The Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas .
For over two months the team has criss-crossed the country racing in Tacoma, Reno, Phoenix, St. Louis, San Francisco, Sacramento, Boise, Detroit and twice in Houston. In 17 events the team has captured an impressive nine racing wins, numerous final round appearances and laid down freestyle performances that brought 50,000 people to their feet. The sold out Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas is their final destination, where they will compete for the World Racing and Freestyle Championship in front of 36,000 people from all fifty states and nine countries, as well as millions more watching at home on SPEED Channel.
This marks the 4th consecutive trip to the Monster Jam World Finals for Jimmy and the Bounty Hunter. While Dawn inherits the role of rookie, both are top contenders for victory. “The 20 truck field will really make things interesting this year, I’m excited to have finally made it in and I can’t wait to get some practice runs on Friday. The boys better watch out this year!” said an excited Mrs. Creten on Monday. Jimmy is the only driver besides former champion Tom Meents to see the Final round more than one time.
“What makes the World Finals so cool is the fans from all over the country that we see at other events. Our fan base grows by leaps and bounds every year, it really is amazing” said Jimmy Creten on the event. “We’ve come so close on more than one occasion and if all goes well, this will be the year we get the job done.”
For more information on the United States Hot Rod Association and the Monster Jam World Finals please visit http://ww.ushra.com . For information on Bounty Hunter, Scarlet Bandit and Iron Outlaw visit our website at http://www.bountyhunter4x4.com or http://www.scarletbandit.com.
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