- February 2010 -

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2/08/10

- Loveland, CO Monster Truck Winter Nationals Recap & Photos!!
- Meents Retains #1 Position in "Road to the World Finals" Power Rankings!!

- Monster Truck Radio Premiere Show Tonight!!

2/07/10

- Salem, VA and Ardmore, OK Monster Truck Winter Nationals Video Highlights!!
- Salisbury, MD Monster Truck Winter Nationals Photo Gallery!!

2/04/10

- Indianapolis, IN Monster Jam Photos!!
- Phoenix, AZ Monster Jam Recap & Photos!!
- Highland Heights, KY Monster Nationals Photos!!

2/02/10

- Sudden Impact Racing Tire Announces Intellectual Property Rights Management!!

- Meents Takes Over Top Spot on "Road to the World Finals"!!

2/01/10

- Monster Truck Radio Test Show Tonight!!

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

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Loveland, CO Monster Truck Winter Nationals Recap & Photos!!:  TheMonsterBlog.com was on the road once again this weekend for more of the CFP Monster Truck Winter Nationals 2010 Tour, this time at Loveland, Colorado's Budweiser Events Center. We were lucky enough to see a different group of trucks on the tour this weekend including Dan Runte in Summit Bigfoot, Nasty Boy, Geter Done, RoboMachine and Unnamed & Untamed. Runte continued a great 2010 season, winning both wheelie contests and the afternoon racing competition to move himself into 3rd in overall points. Mitch Tulachka took the afternoon freestyle win in Geter Done, but the night event belonged to rookie Tim Missentzis in RoboMachine as he swept racing and freestyle. There was a tense moment during RoboMachine's freestyle as, after catching the biggest air of the weekend, the brakes failed upon landing leaving Missentzis with no choice but to stop the truck by running into the heavy equipment parked in the tunnel. Good heads up driving by Missentzis, and CFP officials keeping the tunnel clear during the show kept anyone from getting hurt and limited the damage to only a dented skidsteer and crushed fiberglass. A big thanks to TMB friend Raymon Morehouse for helping out with photos this weekend, he did an awesome job and you can see his gallery from both shows by clicking below. Watch for video from the events coming soon!!  (02/08/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW RAYMON MOREHOUSE'S LOVELAND, CO PHOTO GALLERY!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

Meents Retains #1 Position on TMB's "Road to the World Finals"!!:  Another big weekend is in the books and Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction continue to show they way on TMB's "Road to the World Finals" unofficial point standings/power rankings. A racing final and freestyle win in St. Louis helped Meents stay out front, but Pablo Huffaker moved back up to second with a great weekend in Anaheim. Dennis Anderson remains third after a big freestyle win in Tampa while Blue Thunder drivers Linsey Weenk and Frank Krmel round out the top 5. Lots more movement near the back of the top 24, as Debra Miceli, Mark Hall and Chad Fortune move up and knock Candace Jolly, Carl Van Horn and Dawn Creten out. Lots more shows on the Monster Jam schedule this weekend, stay tuned to TMB's "Road to the World Finals" to see how our unofficial power rankings change!!

     For those not familiar with TMB's "Road to the World Finals" unofficial point standings, this is simply our way of trying to see which drivers have earned the right to compete at the World Finals based on their actual performance. These "power rankings" have no bearing on the way Feld Entertainment actually chooses the competitors, its just our way of following along with the Monster Jam season and recognizing outstanding driver performance. Check out the "Road to the World Finals" section for all the results thus far and the current standings and enjoy as we follow the Monster Jam series all the way to the World Finals in March right here on TMB!!  (02/08/10)

Monster Truck Radio Official Premiere Tonight at 9PM Eastern!!:  After a successful test show last weekend, the official premiere of Monster Truck Radio is coming up tonight at 9:00PM Eastern!!  Legendary Bigfoot driver Dan Runte will be the first guest with host "Roller" Jeff Richards, and TMB's Ross Bonar will also stop by to share some of the latest results and news in the industry. Check out the show on Facebook by clicking here and become a fan to stay up to date with all the latest show information!! (02/08/10)

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Salem, VA and Ardmore, OK Monster Truck Winter Nationals Video Highlights!!:  The TMB crew continues a busy first quarter as we bring you more highlights from 2010 Monster Truck Winter Nationals championship chase!!  We've got video highlights courtesy of Jonathan Barnes and Barnwrecker Productions from Salem, VA and from Jim Mace in Ardmore, OK. See Rock Star, Crushstation, War Eagle and more in Salem and Nasty Boy, Geter Done, Unnamed & Untamed and more in Ardmore, all by clicking the link below. Thanks to Jonathan and Jim for the great footage, we hope you enjoy it!!  (02/07/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW JONATHAN BARNES' SALEM, VA VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS!!

(VIDEO GALLERY)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW JIM MACE'S ARDMORE, OK VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS!!

(VIDEO GALLERY)

Salisbury, MD Monster Truck Winter Nationals Photo Gallery!!:  In addition to the video from Ardmore and Salem above, we've got photos from the Salisbury, MD Monster Truck Winter Nationals event!!  Charlie Wagner helped us out with some great pics during the Saturday evening event, you can see all of his great shots by clicking the link below. Also watch for Salisbury to be Episode #2 of TMB TV Season 3, coming soon!!  A big thanks to Charlie for the great job on the photos, enjoy!!  (02/07/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CHARLIE WAGNER'S SALISBURY, MD PHOTO GALLERY!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

Indianapolis, IN Monster Jam Photos!!:  After checking out the Highland Heights, KY Monster Nationals (see below), TMB's Paul Harry and Chris Parrish were off to Indianapolis for the annual Monster Jam at Lucas Oil Stadium!!  Both of these guys captured the action in some amazing photos as Tom Meents doubled down in Maximum Destruction. Click the links below to see all of Paul and Chris's awesome shots, and don't forget to visit www.CPActionArt.com for more of Chris's work. Thanks to these guys for their great pictures, enjoy!!  (02/04/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAUL HARRY'S INDIANAPOLIS, IN MONSTER JAM PHOTOS!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CHRIS PARRISH'S INDIANAPOLIS, IN MONSTER JAM PHOTOS!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

Phoenix, AZ Monster Jam Recap & Photos!!:  Our good friends Jim and Chris Allen are back with their first coverage of 2010 as they made their annual trip to Chase Field for the Phoenix Monster Jam. As always, Chris has written a great recap from the event that you'll find below, and then click the link at the bottom to see more amazing photos from Jim.
     "Millions of miles, thousands of dollars and six long months ago, the biggest names in Monster Jam rolled into the brand new University of Phoenix Stadium for the very first time. And it must have been pretty good, because for the annual return of the monster trucks to Chase Field last Saturday night brought the biggest field in the history of this venue. The participants were Rod Schmidt driving Grave Digger, Kreg Christensen in Donkey Kong, Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter, Dawn Creten in Iron Outlaw’s final show before being changed into Scarlet Bandit, Mark McDonald in El Toro Loco, Ryan Anderson in Monster Mutt, John Seasock in Batman, Alex Blackwell in Captain’s Curse, Paul Strong driving Martial Law, monster truck pioneer Gary Schott with the Terminator, Scott Anderson in Arachnophobia and Rod Wood and McGruff. The last time Mr. Schmidt was under this roof, five years ago, he nailed a complete forward flip that ended on top of Mr. Christianson’s truck at that time, Dragon Slayer; a crash that still has Phoenix Monster Jam maniacs talking.

     A very interesting race course was set up for the monsters this year. Called So-Cal style, the trucks start facing one side of the stadium on top of a tabletop jump. Off the green light, the drivers come off the jump straight into a turn away from each other and fly over a small jump. It does not end there, however. For the trucks have to immediately make a complete u-turn, pass the second jump on a straightaway, make a turn back towards each other and finish where they started, on the tabletop. Qualifying proved once again that the Creten trucks are some of the most powerful in the sport. Dawn Creten set a fast time of 24.72 and would hold the lead of the next three pairs. In the last qualifying pass, her teammate and husband set a blistering time of 23.19, easily taking the number one spot.
     Racing was just plain wild. Bounty Hunter took Mr. Anderson and Monster Mutt to school, El Toro Loco outran Martial Law, Captain’s Curse shut down the Terminator and Iron Outlaw beat Arachnophobia. Batman had to race McGruff twice after both drivers red-lighted on the first try. Advantage both times: Batman. Donkey Kong provided the upset of the night in the first round by taking out Grave Digger. In the quarter-finals Mark McDonald pushed Jim Creten to the limit, but still lost. Captain’s Curse defeated Donkey Kong and Iron Outlaw beat Seasock and Batman in another upset. Bounty Hunter defeated Captain’s Curse to go to the final round for the second straight year. Dawn faced fast loser El Toro Loco and beat another of one of the fastest racers in the sport. Back in 2004, the team trucks faced each other with Dawn, at the time driving Scarlet Bandit, taking the win. This year, Jimmy would FINALLY turn the tables and retain his racing trophy.
     Freestyle started with a bang, only to fade into the conflicted minds of the judges. Once again, if the participant was still moving after all 90 seconds were used, they could get up to five bonus points for 30 extra seconds. Dawn Creten was first and made a run that kept the crowd on their feet the whole time. With a score of 25, she would go on to remain in the Hot Seat most of the night. Then came runs from Captain’s Curse, Bounty Hunter and Donkey Kong. The judges gave all three the same score of 27. Even El Toro and Grave Digger could not beat them. An extra point was given to Donkey Kong, for the USHRA officials decided he had the best run, making him the freestyle champion. What will the monsters bring to Chase Field in 2011? Find out next year!" (02/04/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW JIM ALLEN'S PHOENIX MONSTER JAM PHOTOS!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

Highland Heights, KY Monster Nationals Photos!!:  One of the busiest photographers in monster trucks was back at it this past weekend with two shows in two different states - the first stop was Highland Heights, KY for the Monster Nationals Friday night!!  Monster Nationals series regulars Tail Gator and High Maintenance took on Big Dawg, American Guardian and Anger Management. Dale Gerding in Big Dawg picked up his third racing win of the season taking out the boss, Doug Noelke in Tail Gator in the final round. But Noelke wouldn't go home empty-handed as he drove Tail Gator to the freestyle victory. Thanks to Paul for the great photos and to Chris Parrish who was also on hand to film the event, video coming soon. Click the link below to check out all the shots and a thanks to the Monster Nationals crew for a great event!!  (02/04/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAUL HARRY'S HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY PHOTO GALLERY!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

Sudden Impact Racing Tire Announces Intellectual Property Rights Procurement!!:  (Jefferson, LA) Sudden Impact Racing, LLC., today reported that it has been awarded a U.S. patent on its innovative and lightweight monster truck tire. U.S. Patent D607,401 was issued January 5, 2010, to Sudden Impact Racing, LLC, by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. CEO Brandon Lagarde commented, “We are very proud, as this marks the culmination of our efforts to bring a quality, lightweight tire to this industry.” The issuance of US Patent D607,401 complements Sudden Impact Racing’s Copyright on the tire’s design, already issued November 28, 2007. “With the patent in place, we now have cemented our rights as the exclusive producer of this effective product in America,” Lagarde continued.

     Sudden Impact’s procurement of this intellectual property protection is critical, as several would-be competitors have been reported to be dumping grey market knock-off goods on the worldwide market of Monster Truck tires at cut-rate pricing since Sudden Impact’s filing for protection in 2007. “Unfortunately, the tires that we’ve seen on the market that are infringing our design are substandard, both in terms of workmanship and design. They’ve attempted to copy our look, but are far from being of the same quality,” lamented Lagarde. “Unfortunately, most people don’t even know they are purchasing illicit products, and have wound up with an inferior tire. We have real concerns about the safety of these drivers who utilize these unapproved tires, as well as the other implications this may mean for those who have purchased these tires.”
     The “other implications” to which Lagarde refers are the additional reality that unsuspecting customers who have purchased these illicit products may find themselves unwittingly responsible for large amounts of taxes and fees not included in the purchase price of the tires that were not paid by these surreptitious infringers and may end up the responsibility of the customer. “Our tires include all the fees and taxes, prepaid by Sudden Impact, that are required by the legal, ethical production and importation of these tires so that our customers don’t get any nasty surprises later,” explained Lagarde. “We want to ensure our customer’s interests are looked after, so we take those steps. That may mean a more expensive product, but as they say, ‘you get what you pay for.’”
     In furtherance of Sudden Impact Racing’s ideology in protecting their customers, it intends to launch a complete policing effort to quash the several sources of these infringing, and potentially hazardous products. “This Patent and Copyright protection issued by the Federal Government will now also enable us to prosecute infringers in the marketplace to the fullest extent of the law, who have, for far too long now, been polluting the market with substandard products that have attempted, unsuccessfully, to mimic our original tire.” Sudden Impact Racing encourages any customers who believe they may have purchased infringing tires to contact their office, so that potentially affected customers can ensure any grey-market products are replaced with factory-fresh, authorized products for the best interests of the consumer and the drivers.
     Lagarde concluded, “We are excited and encouraged that the U.S. Government has recognized our enterprising efforts in this field and awarded our innovation, and look forward to continuing to serve our customers by supplying exciting products to this industry.”
     For more information on the Sudden Impact Racing team and the SIR Tire, check out www.SuddenImpact.com!!  (02/02/10)

Meents Takes Over Top Spot on TMB's "Road to the World Finals"!!:  After a huge double down weekend in Indianapolis, Tom Meents and Maximum Destruction have taken over the #1 spot on TMB's "Road to the World Finals" power rankings!!  Dennis Anderson has also moved into second after a double down of his own in Orlando. Leader up until this point Pablo Huffaker slips to third after not finding victory lane in Anaheim, while Blue Thunder drivers Frank Krmel and Linsey Weenk are tied for the fourth spot to round out the top five. Action continues to heat up back around the all important 24th spot as Cam McQueen, Dawn Creten, Candace Jolly have moved into the top 24, while Chris Bergeron and Rod Schmidt are now on the outside looking in. Lots more action on the Monster Jam tour is coming up this weekend, stay tuned to TMB's "Road to the World Finals" to see how our unofficial standings change!!

     For those not familiar with TMB's "Road to the World Finals" unofficial point standings, this is simply our way of trying to see which drivers have earned the right to compete at the World Finals based on their actual performance. These "power rankings" have no bearing on the way Feld Entertainment actually chooses the competitors, its just our way of following along with the Monster Jam season and recognizing outstanding driver performance. Check out the "Road to the World Finals" section for all the results thus far and the current standings and enjoy as we follow the Monster Jam series all the way to the World Finals in March right here on TMB!!  (02/02/10)

Monster Truck Radio Test Show Tonight!!:  Hardcore monster truck fans will remember the very popular, but unfortunately short lived Motorsports Live Radio program based from Castle Rock Radio the first half of last year - well now fans host Jeff Richards has got out on his own and is back with the all new Monster Truck Radio program. Tonight, February 1st will be a test show featuring monster truck news with an appearance by TMB's Ross Z. Bonar and listener call-ins before the official show premiere next Monday, February 8th featuring legendary Bigfoot driver Dan Runte in studio. The website will be www.MonsterTruckRadio.com very soon, but you can check out tonight's test program at here. TMB will be doing what we can to support the new program, we hope you all do as well!  (02/01/10)

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