Monster Jam
Encyclopedia
Monster Jam is a live motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
event tour and television show operated by Feld Entertainment. The series is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association
United States Hot Rod Association
The United States Hot Rod Association is an organization owned by Feld Entertainment that markets various motorsports. These include monster trucks as well as motocross, quad racing and others...
(USHRA) and takes place primarily in the United States and around the world. Although individual event formats can vary greatly based on the "intermission
Intermission
An intermission or interval is a recess between parts of a performance or production, such as for a theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening....
" entertainment, the main attraction is always the racing and freestyle
Freestyle (monster trucks)
Freestyle, in Monster Truck competition, is an event where the goal is to perform tricks and stunts with the truck in order to demonstrate driver skill and truck capability. Some freestyle events are judged competitions, while others are merely exhibitions....
competitions by monster truck
Monster truck
A monster truck is a pickup truck, typically styled after pickup trucks' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension...
s.
Live events
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At Monster jam events and shows, monster trucks face off in two different forms of competition - stadium racing and freestyle. In the smaller shows they have a wheelie competition and or a donut contest or sometimes even both. The goal in the wheelie competition is to hit a ramp and get big air while remaining perpendicular to the ground. Side-by-side racing is traditional bracket racing, where the first truck to cross the finish line with the least number of penalties is the winner. The freestyle competition allows drivers a limited amount of time on an open floor to show off their skills as they drive the huge trucks over cars, and doing stunts and tricks that make these high-horsepower beasts appear to dance gracefully across the track. There are two winners from both events.
The tour begins in the late winter each year and ends in March with the World finals in Las Vegas every year. The tour visits almost all major cites in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Some events are on TV. However only one show has been shown live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
, all the others are recorded. Taped events may not be shown until several months after it has happened. Each particular tape is shown once a month or so on Speed and are shown regularly for a year
Year
A year is the orbital period of the Earth moving around the Sun. For an observer on Earth, this corresponds to the period it takes the Sun to complete one course throughout the zodiac along the ecliptic....
or two, after which, a tape may be shown occasionally, although most are never shown again. Speed currently shows episodes of Monster Jam twice each weekday, in the early morning and in the late afternoon; on occasion, it will show episodes more frequently, usually in the midmorning hours.
World Finals Champions
Racing: Tom Meents won the first three racing championships at the Monster Jam World FinalsMonster Jam World Finals
The Monster Jam World Finals is an annual monster truck event held in late March at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. It is the championship event of the USHRA Monster Jam series. It consists of racing and freestyle segments, and the winner of each is considered the series champion in that...
from 2000 to 2002 driving Goldberg (2000–2001) and Team Meents (2002) but lost it to Brian Barthel who drove Wolverine in 2003. The following year Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger
Grave Digger (truck)
Grave Digger is the name of a team of monster trucks currently racing in the USHRA Monster Jam series. There are several Grave Diggers being driven by different drivers to allow them to make appearances at more events, but their flagship driver is creator Dennis Anderson...
finally won a racing championship in 2004 but lost it in the final race in 2005 to Debra Micelli in Madusa. The following year Anderson won his second racing championship which he lost the next year to John Seasock
John Seasock
John Seasock is a professional monster truck driver. He currently drives Grinder for Advance Auto Parts, and is a 2 time Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion.-Career:...
in Batman who won in 2007 and 2008. In 2009 Tom Meents won his first racing title since 2002 defeating Captain's Curse. In 2010 Dennis Anderson defeated Tom Meents for his third racing title and fourth title overall. The following year Tom Meents would win it again by defeating Bounty Hunter to make it his 9th overall title.In 2010 el toro loco in the uk got out of the three freestyle events he won every one with a perfect 40.
Freestyle: Dennis Anderson won the first freestyle championship scoring a perfect 40 (the only one in history) and then Tom Meents won the next two, once in Goldberg (2001) and then in Team Meents (2002). Then Jim Koehler
Jim Koehler
Jim Koehler born on July 13 1966 is a professional monster truck driver. He currently drives Avenger on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit.- Career :...
won the championship in Avenger in 2003. Then in 2004 history was made when not only was there a three way tie, but a female won the World Finals, Tom Meents won it in Maximum Destruction, Debra Miceli won it in Madusa, and Lupe Soza won it in El Toro Loco. Then in 2005, Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter (known for tons of championship race appearances) shocked the world and won the freestyle championship. Then in 2006 Tom Meents won a record 7th championship in Maximum Destruction. Then in 2007 Pablo Huffaker took his brand new Captain's Curse truck and won the freestyle championship, followed by Adam Anderson
Adam Anderson (monster truck driver)
Adam Anderson is an American professional monster truck driver. He currently drives the monster truck Taz on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit.-Career:Adam Anderson is the son of monster truck pioneer Dennis Anderson...
in Taz the following year (which makes Dennis and Adam Anderson the only family championship team). In 2009 Damon Bradshaw in Air Force Afterburner won the freestyle championship with a score of 36. In 2010 Charlie Pauken won the freestyle championship with a score of 39. In freestyle it would be Jim Koehler winning his second freestyle title with a score of a 32.
| Year | Racing | Freestyle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Driver | Runner-Up | Truck | Driver | Score | |
| 2000 | Goldberg | Tom Meents Tom Meents Tom Meents is a professional monster truck driver. He currently drives Maximum Destruction on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit. He has won several Monster Jam World Finals trophies during his career... |
Gunslinger | Grave Digger Grave Digger (truck) Grave Digger is the name of a team of monster trucks currently racing in the USHRA Monster Jam series. There are several Grave Diggers being driven by different drivers to allow them to make appearances at more events, but their flagship driver is creator Dennis Anderson... |
Dennis Anderson Dennis Anderson Dennis Anderson is a professional monster truck driver. He is the creator and driver of "Grave Digger" on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, he now resides in Poplar Branch, North Carolina. In Poplar Branch, he has his own shop where he signs autographs and shoots... |
40 |
| 2001 | Goldberg | Tom Meents | Blue Thunder Blue Thunder (truck) Blue Thunder was a monster truck that raced in the USHRA Monster Jam series. It was sponsored by the truck division of Ford Motor Company and Live Nation. The truck has several similarities with the monster truck Bigfoot. Some fans saw Blue Thunder as a replacement for Bigfoot in the Monster Jam... |
Goldberg | Tom Meents | 38 |
| 2002 | Team Meents | Tom Meents | Bounty Hunter | Team Meents | Tom Meents | 37 |
| 2003 | Wolverine | Brian Barthel | Bounty Hunter | Avenger Avenger (truck) Avenger is a monster truck created by Team Scream Monster Trucks, and is driven by Team Scream's flagship driver Jim Koehler.- History :The truck was created in 1997 by Team Scream. The truck won the Monster Jam Freestyle Championship in 2003. Avenger's driver, Jim Koehler, is often nicknamed "Mr.... |
Jim Koehler Jim Koehler Jim Koehler born on July 13 1966 is a professional monster truck driver. He currently drives Avenger on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit.- Career :... |
37 |
| 2004 | Grave Digger Grave Digger (truck) Grave Digger is the name of a team of monster trucks currently racing in the USHRA Monster Jam series. There are several Grave Diggers being driven by different drivers to allow them to make appearances at more events, but their flagship driver is creator Dennis Anderson... |
Dennis Anderson | Blacksmith | Maximum Destruction | Tom Meents | 31 |
| El Toro Loco El Toro Loco (truck) El Toro Loco is a monster truck currently racing in the USHRA Monster Jam series. It is currently driven by Marc McDonald, Aaron Basl,Chuck Werner and Becky McDonough and was at a time driven by Lupe Soza, and Nathan Weenk, and is owned by Live Nation. It features one of the first 3-D body... |
Lupe Soza | 31 | ||||
| Madusa | Debra Micelli | 31 | ||||
| 2005 | Madusa | Debra Micelli | Grave Digger | Bounty Hunter | Jimmy Creten | 31 |
| 2006 | Grave Digger | Dennis Anderson | Bounty Hunter | Maximum Destruction | Tom Meents | 37 |
| 2007 | Batman Batman (truck) Batman is a monster truck currently competing on the USHRA circuit, where it is the 2008 Monster Jam World Racing Champion. The truck is officially licensed by DC Comics and has a replica of the Batmobile as the body. It is currently driven by John Seasock and debuted with Jason Childress driving... |
John Seasock John Seasock John Seasock is a professional monster truck driver. He currently drives Grinder for Advance Auto Parts, and is a 2 time Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion.-Career:... |
Grave Digger | Captain's Curse Captain's Curse Captain's Curse is a monster truck created by Monster Jam, and has been competing in the Monster Jam series since 2007. Styled after a 1941 Willys pickup, the truck has a red and black pirate-themed paint scheme... |
Pablo Huffaker | 34 |
| 2008 | Batman | John Seasock | Bounty Hunter | Taz | Adam Anderson Adam Anderson (monster truck driver) Adam Anderson is an American professional monster truck driver. He currently drives the monster truck Taz on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit.-Career:Adam Anderson is the son of monster truck pioneer Dennis Anderson... |
37 |
| 2009 | Maximum Destruction | Tom Meents | Captain's Curse | Air Force Afterburner | Damon Bradshaw | 36 |
| 2010 | Grave Digger | Dennis Anderson | Maximum Destruction | Monster Mutt Monster Mutt Monster Mutt is a monster truck from West Chicago, Illinois, competing in the United States Hot Rod Association Monster Jam series since 2003. Styled after a 1951 Mercury, the truck has a canine motif, complete with big ears, tail and tongue. It is painted in two tones of brown, with a dog mouth... |
Charlie Pauken | 39 |
| 2011 | Maximum Destruction | Tom Meents | Bounty Hunter | Avenger | Jim Koehler | 32 |
Licensing
MattelMattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
's Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
brand produces officially licensed toy versions of monster trucks under the Monster Jam name. They also sponsored a monster truck, which competed in the series in previous years. However in 2008, the Hot Wheels truck was not on the circuit, replaced in the line up by Donkey Kong.
Four officially licensed Monster Jam video games have been produced. The first two, Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction
Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction
Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction is a video game of the vehicular combat genre released in 2002 by Unique Development Studios. The game is based on the USHRA Monster Jam series, and features several real-life trucks, including Grave Digger...
, a vehicular combat game, and Monster 4x4: Masters of Metal
Monster 4x4: Masters of Metal
Monster 4x4: Masters of Metal is a racing video game released in 2003 by Ubisoft. It is licensed by and loosely based on the USHRA Monster Jam series and features many real-life monster trucks, including Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction...
, an arcade racing game, were published by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
. The third, titled simply Monster Jam
Monster Jam (video game)
Monster Jam is a video game of the off-road racing genre to released in on November 13, 2007 by Activision. It is licensed by the USHRA Monster Jam series and features 20 real-life monster trucks, in contrast to Monster 4x4: World Circuit, including Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction...
, was released by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
on November 13, 2007, and a sequel to it called Monster Jam: Urban Assault
Monster Jam: Urban Assault
Monster Jam: Urban Assault is a video game based on the popular monster truck series Monster Jam that was released on October 28, 2008 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Wii. It is the sequel to Monster Jam video game. It is based on the USHRA Monster Jam Monster Trucks series...
was released on October 28, 2008. There is now a 5th Monster Jam game called: Monster Jam: Path of Destruction containing favorites such as: Grave Digger, Maximum Destruction, Grinder, Madusa, and Bounty Hunter. It has realistic stadiums and intros with pyrotechnics and roaring fans. You will also be able to create and customize a truck with over 1000 parts. This game was released on November 9, 2010.