3/8 Winning Photo By:

Charles Probst III

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5/10/08

- Miami O'Reilly Outlaw Nationals Recap!!

- Firebird Monster Truck Nationals Photos!!

5/08/08

- New BIGFOOT Paint Scheme Teaser Photos!!

- Monster Blog
Weekend Update!!

5/07/08

- O'Reilly Outlaw Nationals Returns to Miami This Weekend!!

- WHR Motorsports Announces Truck Lineups for Monster Madness 2008!!

5/06/08

- Springfield, MO Monster Truck Thunder Drags Coverage!!

- Monster Spectacular Tour Update!!

5/05/08

- Monsters Tour of Destruction Update & South Pacific World Finals Announced!!

- New Big Dawg, Tail Gator Diecast Toys Available!!

- Sudden Impact Racing Update!!

(For more of our latest updates, see Page Two of the Latest News!!)

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Last Updated: 3/28/08

Last Updated: 4/16/08

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O'Reilly Outlaw Nationals Night One Recap!!:  The O'Reilly Outlaw Nationals returned to the Miami, OK Fairgrounds Friday night with eight top monster trucks competing in racing, wheelie, and freestyle competitions. It was a great first night of action, with Doug Noelke in Tail Gator took down hometown favorite Devin Jones in Barbarian in the racing finals. 

     The wheelie contest took no time to get wild as Andy Hoffman stood War Wagon up on the nose with a great reverser to lead off the competition. Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter went right for the van stack, going up and over it and catching a small slap wheelie on the landing. Jones piloted Barbarian through a mini-freestyle making several big hits before finishing. But the wheelie contest win and the move of the night went to Mac Plecker in Ballistic who planted the truck on the tailgate and then made a jaw-dropping save to keep it from rolling over!!

     Freestyle was all Jimmy Creten and Bounty Hunter who put on a great run that couldn't be topped, despite the best efforts of Jones in Barbarian and Noelke in Tail Gator. The first night of the O'Reilly Outlaw Nationals was a great show and all eight monster trucks will be back in action at the Miami Fairgrounds tonight. Check out www.MAPMotorsports.com for more info and we'll see you there!! (05/10/08)

Firebird Monster Truck Nationals Photo Gallery!!:  TheMonsterBlog.com photo gallery from Firebird Raceway's 10th Annual Monster Truck Nationals is now online!!  See nearly 300 of Ross Bonar's photos from the Firebird weekend, featuring high-flying action from Bounty Hunter, Iron Outlaw, Bigfoot, Sudden Impact, Unnamed & Untamed, Q Torque Power and Nasty Boy!!  Click the link below to see the gallery and keep an eye out for TMB TV Episode #2 from Firebird early next week!! (05/10/08)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ROSS Z. BONAR'S MONSTER TRUCK NATIONALS PHOTOS!!

(BLOG PHOTO GALLERY)

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The Insider Blog:  Updated 3/28/08                       Exhaust Fumes:  Updated 4/16/08

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New BIGFOOT Paint Scheme Teaser Photos!!:  The folks over at BIGFOOT 4x4 were kind enough to share a few teaser pictures of an ALL NEW paint scheme that is nearing completion. The new paint scheme will be completely different from anything the team has ever done in the past!!  Expectations are that the new scheme should be finished in the next couple of weeks, at which time the body will be mounted onto a truck and unveiled. Thanks to the guys at Bigfoot for the preview, be sure to check out www.Bigfoot4x4.com for all the latest team news!!  (05/08/08)

O'Reilly Outlaw Nationals Returns to Miami, OK With 8 Trucks - UPDATE!!:  (Springfield, MO) The O'Reilly Outlaw National Championship Motor Spectacular is returning to the Miami Fairgrounds in Miami, Oklahoma this Friday & Saturday with eight monster trucks!!  The event will feature shows at 7:30 p.m. with metal munching monster truck superstars in all out war. It's the best lineup ever in Miami including Bounty Hunter, Big Dawg, Brute Force, Ballistic, Tail Gator, Iron Outlaw, War Wagon and Miami’s own Devin Jones in the Barbarian in side-by-side racing and freestyle like never before including school buses, vans & more!

     The Sergeant Smash monster truck will also be on hand to let fans experience the feeling of riding in a real monster truck. Tuff Trucks are back too, watch as local weekend warriors and professionals from around the country battle it out on the treacherous course. Think you have a Tuff Truck? Call 417-887-9400 for more information and get your truck in the show. Back for ’08 we will have the stock class too!
     Finally, see Transaurus the fire breathing dinosaur as it eats a car and everything in his path. It’s over 3 stories tall and 37,000 lbs. of metal munching mayhem. It’s the world’s only jet powered dinosaur for the first time in Miami!
     Tickets are on sale now at area O'Reilly Auto Parts Stores and at the Fairgrounds on May 9th. Adult tickets (ages 12 & Up) will be $18 advance, $20 day of show; children's tickets (ages 3-11) $ 9 advance, $10 day of show; age 2 & under get in FREE. Prices include tax. Pit passes are $5 additional at the event. For more information on the 2008 O'Reilly Outlaw National Championship Motor Spectacular, check out www.MAPMotorsports.com. Don't miss out on your chance to see Miami's biggest event ever!!  (05/07/08)

UPDATE - Monster Blog Weekend Update: We are heading out for the weekend to the O'Reilly Outlaw Nationals in Miami, OK where eight trucks will compete in racing and freestyle Friday and Saturday night!!  The Miami event will also be featured in the third episode of TMBtv. The second episode from Firebird Int'l Raceway is expected to be released early next week, with episode three from Miami coming later in the week. Stay tuned, lots of good stuff coming your way right here at TheMonsterBlog.com!!  (05/08/08)

WHR Motorsports Announces 2008 Monster Madness Truck Lineups!!:  WHR Motorsports has announced the truck lineups for their upcoming Monster Madness events!!  The first event takes place in Monroe, WA May 24th-25th at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. The next weekend the tour stops in Spokane, WA at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center, with events May 30th and 31st. The three week tour ends in Missoula, MT at the Western Montana Fairgrounds June 6th-7th. See below for the truck lineups for each event, and for more info on the 2008 Monster Madness tour, check out www.WHRMotorsports.com!! (05/07/08)

Springfield, MO Monster Truck Thunder Drags Coverage!!:  TheMonsterBlog.com's full event coverage from this past weekend's Monster Truck Thunder Drags is now online!!  Click the links below to see 250 photos from Ross Z. Bonar, along with full event video footage courtesy of Shane Skinner from both of Saturday's shows, and a great weekend highlight video by our good friend Colby Marshall. Thanks to Special Events for their hospitality and a great weekend of monster trucks in Springfield, as well as to all the teams and drivers for their hard work. We hope you enjoy our coverage from Springfield!!  (05/06/08)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ROSS BONAR'S MONSTER TRUCK THUNDER DRAGS PHOTOS!!

(BLOG PHOTO GALLERY)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SPRINGFIELD, MO EVENT FOOTAGE & HIGHLIGHT VIDEO!!

(VIDEO GALLERY)

Monster Spectacular 20th Anniversary Tour Update!!: (By Doug De Nance) Sheryl Prince was ready to be a winner on the first night of the Monster Spectacular's two day stand in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Two previous contestants had already been defeated by the "Big Question contest, incorrectly answering questions about how “big” are monster trucks. Now it was time for Sheryl to clinch the prize.
     But the game being played was not really a monster truck "Big Question" trivia contest. It was a set up for an even bigger prize for Sheryl. When it came time for Sheryl's turn, a special guest was invited to the arena floor to ask her the "Big Question". It was Sheryl's boyfriend Steve Henry, who asked her the biggest question of all... "Will you marry me?" Sheryl became the biggest winner of the weekend, earning a beautiful diamond ring with her affirmative answer to the "Big Question".
     Arguably, the next biggest winner of the weekend was another Canadian. Nelson Westerhaug, a designer/fabricator of race and custom cars at Dream Rides in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, had earned the ride to drive one of Don King's monster trucks. King is a good judge of talent and chose well in Westerhaug. Piloting The General, Westerhaug hit two monstrous Tail Walks, to win the Monster Spectacular Wheelie contest two nights in a row. While 22-year-old Westerhaug is a bit shy on the microphone, when later asked about the secret to his considerable monster truck driving talent at such a young age, he said "Seat time driving a monster ride truck."
     There was another up and coming driver who is working with the same secret as Westerhaug and was integral behind the scenes to help make the "Big Question" a resounding success. Nineteen-year-old Braden Mare has spent well over a year driving the monster ride truck named Firestorm to gain seat time. He also travels to every Monster Spectacular show he can, working in the pits to enhance his blossoming monster mechanical skills. In Brandon, Braden's behind the scenes work was instrumental in the seamless execution of the "Big Question" as well as ensuring the monsters were ready when they were called to the floor. Braden has even deeper roots in monster trucks that will be revealed in subsequent reporting on the Monster Spectacular tour, as he strives towards winning the right to become a pro monster truck driver.
     There was almost an unexpected winner this weekend. Mike Vaters had earned the right with his racing win on Friday night and his points lead in the Monster Spectacular 20th Anniversary Canadian Championship Tour to go straight to the finals. Instead, to show the fans he is a working Champion if he wins the Tour title for a sixth time, Vaters chose to win his way through the brackets. However, he certainly didn't expect to be facing his own team truck in the finals. Iron Warrior had not made the finals on any of the previous Monster Spectacular tour stops when driven by team driver Trey Meyers. But Meyers had to take Vaters' other jet ATV, Physco, to Costa Rica (Vaters had Kamikaze, his personal jet quad in Brandon to burn up the track and astound the fans). At least Vaters could be proud that both trucks on the Black Stallion team were in the finals.
     Uncharacteristically, Vaters showed some nervousness as he pulled to the line for this Monster Truck Racing Final. He had to work on Black Stallion during the intermission to rapidly replace a burned up starter that left him unable to compete in the Wheelie Contest. But the reason for his nerves was not rooted in his own truck. It was his other truck Iron Warrior - or rather, the driver of Iron Warrior that was triggering concern for Vaters.
     The substitute driver in Iron Warrior was none other than Steve Hearley. This situation came as a big surprise to Vaters. As followers of the Monster Spectacular know, Hearley typically drives the infamous Godzilla monster out of Green Bay. Yet for the Brandon set of shows, Hearley had been asked by the president of Chris Arel Motorsports to climb out of his truck and be the Monster Spectacular show director as Arel had other business that called him away from the Tour. However, seemingly nothing can keep Hearley away from driving monster trucks. He conspired to bring in Rob Waloschuk, Arel's promotional partner from the Outlaws of Motorsports and a 20 year veteran of motorsports entertainment production to Brandon to help direct the shows. That meant Hearley could use all his 25 years of driving experience to end up opposite his old rival, the 26 year veteran Mike Vaters - in Black Stallion's team mate's truck!
     Before pulling to the starting line, Vaters pulled out all the tricks of the trade to try and throw Hearley off his game. For example, Vaters began by taking extra time to tap the finish line end of the crush car stack tighter with the front wheels of Black Stallion. Then he spent some time touching up the ramp trajectory on the start side of the cars by bouncing Black Stallion's front wheels on the lead car. Through it all Hearley appeared calm and unfazed behind the wheel of Iron Warrior.
     Perhaps it was Hearley's not being intimately familiar with the truck (earlier he had dropped his helmet through the frame of Iron Warrior when he went to set it down beside his seat during introductions - there is no flooring on the passenger side of Iron Warrior as there is in Hearley's Godzilla). Perhaps it was the extra adrenaline revving up Mike Vaters. Whatever the combination was, it spurred Vaters on to virtually pound the gas pedal through Black Stallion's floor boards to the win - winning even more convincingly than he had the previous night against another veteran, Don King and Bearfoot.
     The only non-winners in Brandon were the monster trucks themselves. Don King ran Bearfoot so hard in freestyle on Friday that he tore the rear wheel clean off the axle, slamming the rear dif into the concrete floor. It took King all day on Saturday to put Bearfoot's foot back on for that night's show. Speaking of beating up differentials, Paul Strong shredded not one, but both dif sets in Martial Law. He still managed to compete in freestyle, all be it with only one wheel drive. All this after Strong snapped a four link bar during racing on Friday and had electrical problems that seemed to give his rear steering a mind of its own. Westerhaug almost ripped the back end of The General off after dragging his wheelie bar over the crush to his two-in-a -row Wheelie Contest wins. Strangely, the only truck that remained intact the entire weekend was Iron Warrior. It must have been due to Hearley's Godzilla-like gentle touch.
     Thankfully there was no damage to the Freestyle Motocross machines. That usually results in signicant damage to the FMX riders - when a motorcycle crashes after flying through the air 30 feet above the track. The only damage in FMX was to the fans hearing, as the cheeroff to determine the Big Trick Contest was deafening. Lance McMorran bested former Canadian Champion Kris Garwasiuk and newcomer Bruce Cook, who was celebrating his one year anniversary as a pro FMX rider when he rode his first show in none other than Brandon 12 months ago. Cook also got his licks in, pulling double duty as the ATV Wheelie King. Cook maneuvered his custom built quad through a tight slalom course of pilons to the delight of the crowd.
     Brandon had to wait 20 years for monster trucks to return to the Wheat City. Don't you wait another minute to get tickets to the Monster Spectacular 20th Anniversary Tour stop near your hometown--check out www.MonsterSpectacular.com for more information!!  (05/06/08)

Monsters Tour of Destruction Update & South Pacific World Finals Event Announced!!: The KC's Fireworks Monsters Tour of Destruction rolled into the Townsville Showgrounds in Queensland, Australia Saturday, making their second apperance in that area. The prior year's event was held at the now demolished Townsville Speedway. What a show it turned out to be as the USA's two-time Shafer Motorsports Champion driver James Tigue II flew in just 24 hours before the event to pilot the Batman truck. This was the same chassis Tigue drove during his last visit when it was competing under the Monster Patrol name.

     James didn't waste anytime getting back into action with the biggest jumps this truck has ever seen!!  In the sky wheelie competition, James won with three breath-taking wheelies, one that nearly resulted in Batman ending up on its side--his final score was a 9 out of 10. A very close second was 16-year-old Billy Featherby driving Scooby Doo with a score of 8--he blew his chances of a victory by making his last jump a high air jump that doesn't score under Aussie rules as they must be real sky wheelies. Third place was 14-year-old Jaye Featherby with a score of 6 driving Bearfoot and fourth went to Barry Gaunt with a score of 4 driving Aussie Predator.
     The Townsville event was also the first time that Outback Thunda Promotions had staged three seperate, full-on shows on the same night with the four monster trucks, jet vans, freestyle motocross, and fireworks at Townsville; three monster trucks, a rock concert, freestyle motocross, a demolition derby, and fireworks at Tamworth 2300 miles away; and two monster trucks, sprint cars, and fireworks at Brisbane Speedway 1100 miles away. Overall, 26,000 people were entertained by the KC's Fireworks crew Saturday!!
     James Tigue will spend the next two weeks working in the shop with the rest of the crew replacing three of the truck's shocks with Combs on one and Pablo Huffaker's Stage III shocks on the others. Outback Thunda Promotions is also proud to announce that our version of a South Pacific World Finals will be held at the Brisbane Showgrounds with a record fourteen monster trucks and five USA drivers on Saturday, November 1st!!  Tickets go on sale this Friday May 9th, so keep checking out www.KCsFireworks.com for more information on this exciting event!!  (05/05/08)

New Tail Gator, Big Dawg Diecast Toys!!:  You've seen the other trucks featured in the new Rough Riders Monster Truck diecast toy series, but check out the new Tail Gator and Big Dawg trucks!!  They are now available at any events the Big Dawg 4x4 team is competing at, so keep your eyes peeled for these great new monster truck toys.  Check out www.BigDawg4x4.com to see when Big Dawg and Tail Gator are coming to your town!!  (05/05/08)

SIR Drivers Do Some Spring Cleaning at the Track!!: (Jefferson, LA) While some teams show their strength in racing, and others show theirs in freestyle, the Sudden Impact Racing team’s lineup of drivers have been putting on a show of strength in both categories in 2008. While it is hard to balance out both, the SIR team managed to do just that this past weekend.
     On the eastern side of things, Sean Duhon and Kevin King rolled into Brunswick, GA for two days of racing and freestyle with one thing on their minds: victory. But a victory in Brunswick would mean more than usual to Kevin King, driver of the Amsoil Sudden Impact. King, who has been quickly climbing the ranks at SIR, calls Brunswick his hometown; with a large number of friends and family in attendance over the course of the weekend, King’s work would definitely be cut out for him. Friday night saw the entire field struggle on the long and fast drag-race style track, with several trucks suffering severe breakage both in preliminary competitions and in racing and freestyle competitions. Sean Duhon and the Amsoil T-Maxx would succumb to a broken axle shaft early in the night, though he would return for freestyle. King would suffer the worst heartbreak of the night, however, as the Sudden Impact machine destroyed an input shaft before he had a chance to show off for his hometown fans.
     Redemption would come on Saturday night, however, as Duhon would pilot the T-Maxx machine to a strong second place finish against Rick Long in Bigfoot, with King rounding out the top three. Determined to make up for the previous night’s breakage, King hit the track in freestyle not as a driver, but as a man possessed. King put the truck through its paces, hitting all obstacles on the track including the backside of the FMX dirt hill, a move which sent the truck skyward. On its way back down, the truck got out of shape and ended up on its side, albeit with only minimal damage. Duhon’s performance was equally fierce, as he coaxed the T-Maxx truck into a number of slap wheelies, as well as being the first driver to blast through the sacrificial Winnebago RV placed on the track for freestyle. King’s efforts would prove too much to top for any of the other competitors, and the voting reflected that as King was aptly crowned the king of freestyle on Saturday night. “Kevin did an outstanding job Saturday night,” said T-Maxx driver Sean Duhon. “Both trucks really ran strong, the T-Maxx truck was pushing so hard in racing that we were blowing the tires off at half-track and still running the other guys down.” Hometown hero King added to that, stating “I was really frustrated Friday night, but we all kept our heads up high and did what we needed to do to come back strong on Saturday. I didn’t want to lay the truck over, but on the ‘flip’ side of it all, we managed to bring home yet another win for our fans and sponsors. Amsoil kept me running strong and SuperWraps had me looking good…what a weekend!”
     On the western front in Fort Smith, AR, the O’Reilly Monster Truck Racing Super Series produced two evenings of exciting racing and freestyle, despite less than ideal weather conditions. Jon Zimmer, piloting the Amsoil T-Maxx2, would sweep a packed weekend of racing against a veteran field of trucks. The MTRSS event format features not one but two forms of racing; straight-line drag races over cars, and a tight side-by-side turning course. Zimmer would go undefeated in both forms of racing over the course of each night; he would then go on to turn in impressive freestyle runs both nights, leaving nothing on the table in Ft. Smith. David Fray and the Sudden Impact Ride Truck was also in action all weekend long, taking fans’ interaction with the trucks to a new level. “I’m really pleased with how the weekend went here in Ft. Smith,” said Zimmer. “John Killinger and David Fray were critical to our success in the pits, and on track the truck worked outstanding. Put four more marks in the win column for the Amsoil T-Maxx2!”
     For more info on the entire Sudden Impact Racing team including up to date schedules, as well as merchandise and driver information, be sure to visit www.SuddenImpact.com. Also make sure to stop by www.Amsoil.com to learn more about why Amsoil is The First In Synthetics! (05/05/08)

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