Monster Jam World Finals 6 Lineup Announced; More to Come!

USHRA.com has released the truck/driver lineup for the Monster Jam World Finals 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and their press release is as follows:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           

2005 USHRA MONSTER JAM WORLD FINALS COMPETITORS ANNOUNCED

Aurora, IL (March 1, 2005)  – The U.S. Hot Rod Association (USHRA) announced today the monster trucks that qualified to compete at the coveted 2005 Monster Jam World Finals at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 19. 

Considered to be the ultimate monster truck event by both the competitors and spectators, 300+ trucks have spent the past three months battling for the opportunity to compete at the World Finals.  The following 20 trucks & drivers were selected. 

 

Avenger – Jim Koehler

Black Smith – Pablo Huffaker

Black Stallion – Michael Vaters

Blue Thunder – Tony Farrell

Bounty Hunter – Jim Creten

Brutus* – Chris Bergeron*

Destroyer – Dan Evans

El Toro – Lupe Soza

An Escalade* – George Balhan*

Grave Digger – Dennis Anderson

Gun Slinger – Scott Hartsock

Hot Wheels – Phil Foster*

King Krunch – David Smith

Madusa – Debra Miceli

Maximum Destruction – Tom Meents

Monster Mutt – Bobby Z

Pastrana 199* – Paul Cohen

Power Forward – Frank Krmel*

Scarlet Bandit* – Dawn Creten*

Superman* – Chad Fortune

*Indicates inaugural World Finals appearance

Tickets to the World Finals are on sale at the Thomas and Mack Center box office and UNLV Ticket Outlets, including: the Galleria at Sunset, Meadows Mall, Boulevard Mall, all Stations Casino and Fiesta properties.  Tickets are available on line via UNLVTICKETS.com or phone at 702.739.FANS or 866.4JAM.TIX. For additional information about the USHRA Monster JAM log onto USHRA.com.

We thank USHRA.com for the information. More news will be coming shortly, including a press release from Team Bounty Hunter/Scarlet Bandit!

Anderson Sweeps Jacksonville; El Matador and Digger Win in Oklahoma City

Randy Brown in Grave DiggerDennis Anderson and Grave Digger XIX took the racing and freestyle victories tonight in Jacksonville, Florida the first night that all four World Champions were in the same arena. Anderson defeated Jim Jack in Reptoid on the rainy track after Jack took out Tom Meents (Maximum Destruction) in the semifinals. Anderson, Meents, Madusa, and Jim Koehler’s Avenger all had highlight-worthy runs, but Anderson came out on top with a score of 29.

In Oklahoma City, El Matador took the victory over Total Chaos in the finals, and Randy Brown’s Grave Digger won freestyle with a 29 after rolling on a van hit with a broken rear tie rod (photo courtesy Landon Harrison). Photos, updates and more from the first quarter of 2005 are on the way!

St. Louis Monster Jam Recap; Photos Soon

Saturday’s St. Louis Monster Jam was exciting as usual for events at the Edward Jones Dome, with Tom Meents (Maximum Destruction) sweeping racing and freestyle. Meents beat Dennis Anderson (Grave Digger) in the finals after Anderson went up on two wheels in the final turn, making the save but losing the race. Anderson had rolled in introductions but managed to take the fastest qualifying time before his loss to Maximum Destruction in the final. Meents went half of his freestyle run on three wheels, ending with the only rollover of the freestyle competition. More highlights, coverage, and photos are on the way soon.

What’s it Like to Crew for Digger?

AllMonster.com set out to answer that question, and our interview with one of Team Grave Digger’s newest crew members, Dustin Brown, is now available at the link below (taken from USHRA.com) or by clicking the photo above. We thank Dustin for his time.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO CREW FOR DIGGER?

Indy Photos Now Available!

More than 130 photos from last weekend’s spectacular Indianapolis Monster Jam are now available in the Photos section; coverage and recaps with photos from many more events from the month of January are on the way! Enjoy, and thank you for visiting AllMonster.com!

Busy Weekend – Raleigh Monster Jam and More

Total ChaosAllMonster.com is currently working on photos from action this past weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina, Albany, New York, and Indianapolis Indiana. In Raleigh, Gary Porter took the racing win against Troy Dubose’s Total Chaos, with Brian Barthel’s Little Tiger winning freestyle after a slap wheelie at the end of his run earned him a 25. In Albany on Sunday, Diehl Wilson’s Virginia Giant took the wheelie and donut competitions, while Mike Vaters’ Black Stallion won freestyle with a 30 in a crowd cheer off. Thrasher was able to win the racing but nosed over and took a hard landing at the end. (photo courtesy Dustin Hart)

Predator Spins, Digger Wins in Indy

Randy BrownAllMonster.com has returned from Indianapolis, and has a brief show rundown, with coverage, 100+ photos, and more to follow soon. Predator was the fast qualifier and met up with the Bob and Tom truck (formerly Hot Wheels) driven by Guy Wood in the final. It was close into the final turn, but Predator had problems, while Wood was smooth took the racing win.

Freestyle was unique, with several trucks stepping up with career performances in front of the television cameras. Jason Witte had a spectacular save in Wild Hair coming out of a donut, nearly dragging the roof of the truck on the dirt before bringing it back onto all four wheels and continuing his run. It was Randy Brown and Grave Digger taking the win with a 29 that included a sideways hit on double stacked cars that spun the truck on its nose in a unique “flip” and save, which he continued. He also hammered through a mobile home/box truck setup (see photo above) in the center of the track. Tom Meents (Maximum Destruction) and Pezo tied for second place with 28 points each. Photos, a full recap, and more from Indianapolis will be up soon!

Eradicator Makes Stunning Return and More!

New Hampshire wins for EradicatorAndy Slifko of the Eradicator monster truck has had an interesting past couple of weeks, and it culminated in him winning four of eight competitions in Manchester, New Hampshire, just five days after his hauler (and nearly his truck!) was destroyed in a fire. Team Eradicator was kind enough to send us a press release on all those happenings, and it is available below (photo courtesy Andrew Palochko, Eradicator4x4.com): 

Slifko Avenges Disaster, Claims Wins in New Hampshire  

Also, AllMonster.com has just returned from three shows in three nights at Kansas City, and hopes to have more from there and a few other surprises as soon as possible!

Eradicator Trailer Relief Fund

monster truck picsAllMonster.com and Monster-Style.com have teamed up to form the Eradicator Trailer Relief Fund, available at the link above. We accept PayPal and mail donations, so everyone should be able to help Andy and the Eradicator team’s cause. We hope that you will be able to, and encourage you to visit the link above. Large and small donations are accepted; we thank you for your time, and hope to present Andy with a check when the fund is over!

Also, we were able to contact Andy last night and he was in good spirits.

“It makes me feel good to be a part of this industry after all the support I’ve had in the past few days,” he said. “My phone has been ringing off the hook. People like (Tom) Meents, The Hall Brothers, the Grave Digger guys, FK Rod Ends, and a lot more have pulled together and helped me out, and I really appreciate it.”

AllMonster.com will be hitting the road tomorrow morning for three shows from Kansas City, and also hopes to have coverage from Greensboro, North Carolina, Columbus, Ohio, and San Diego, California within the same weekend!

A Letter From Andy Slifko

eradicator monster truck trailer fireAndy Slifko and the entire Eradicator team have suffered a great loss; they took the time to send us this letter explaining it all:

Dear fans, drivers, event officials, sponsors, promoters, and friends:

It seems that luck is just not on our side this year.  It seems funny to say
that the two transmissions we’ve blown up in the last two weeks are now the
least of our worries.

We were coming home from the Pontiac show on Sunday morning when I felt a
trailer tire blow out.  When we went back to see it, we noticed some flames.
The trailer caught fire.  Two fire extinguishers, a ton of snow, and all the
Pepsis we had couldn’t stop the fire from spreading.

Several minutes later, a gentleman in a pickup truck stopped to help.  We were
able to hook the monster truck to his pickup and pull it out of the trailer.
It suffered minimal body damage.  Unfortunately, it was the only thing we were
able to salvage.

The fire spread, and it claimed the entire trailer and almost everything in
it.  Four tires and wheels, our Harley-Davidson, all of our parts, toolboxes,
tools, living quarters, and clothes.  Luckily the fire was put out before it
reached the tractor.

We would like to sincerely thank the fine men and women of the Brooksville
Police Department, Brooksville Fire Department, and the Pennsylvania State
Police, all of whom went above and beyond their call of duty in extinguishing
the blaze, cleaning up the mess, and keeping us and the other motorists safe.
We cannot thank them enough, and it was with their help that we can say nobody
was injured in the incident.

This will bring about major changes in our business.  Among the first of these
changes, we’d like to announce the sale of our display monster truck and rig.
It is a turn-key unit, and anyone interested can email me through our website
at www.eradicator4x4.com.

We will need some time to regroup and reassess our business.  We may be down,
but we are surely not out.  The immediate outpouring of support we received in
the hours following the incident from our friends and competitors is
heartwarming, and it makes us feel lucky to be a part of this business.

Safety is something that many take for granted.  Any truck driver will tell
you that this is his or her worst nightmare.  We are forever grateful for the
gentleman in the pickup truck and the men and women who work everyday to keep
us safe, secure, and healthy.  It is true that without these men and women in
the world, none of us would be able to perform and entertain as we do week in
and week out.

Sincerely yours,

Andy Slifko and the entire Eradicator team

We wish Andy Slifko and the entire team a full recovery from this unfortunate event; he is in our thoughts.