Monster Jam World Finals: Thoughts & Analysis

The eve of the Monster Jam World Finals is upon us once again, and the ninth edition of the biggest show in monster trucks is right around the corner. While we aren’t in attendance this year, we will still be covering the event from afar and we now offer us some of our thoughts and perspective surrounding this year’s World Finals. We'll talk a bit about the finalist selections, highlight some of the top drivers from the regular season, and then talk about some of the folks we expect to see in the mix for each title tomorrow night.

Let’s start by taking a look at the twenty-four drivers and trucks selected to compete in the World Finals this year. Every year there is controversy surrounding the World Finals selections—who made it in, who didn’t make it in, etc. In all reality, that reaction is here to stay as long as there is no defined, publicly announced method for choosing the World Finals qualifiers.

So for the purposes of the article, we are going to look at who deserves the right to compete for the title of champion this year.

Over the course of three months, there are tons of events held on the Monster Jam tour all over the country and individual driver performances get lost in the noise. At the end of the season, its very difficult to compare one driver’s season to another’s as there is no set scale to compare them on. We understand that Live Nation chooses not to run a point series and we understand that Live Nation does not select World Finals participants based on their performance--and that is certainly their right—however, that isn’t going to stop fans like us from wishing they did. With the "Road to the World Finals" ranking system we created, we are able to see who the top 24 drivers in Monster Jam were this season based purely on performance and, if nothing else, that helps fans to be more informed when looking at the World Finals selections.

Let's take a look at the actual World Finals selections and then the final "Road to the World Finals" Unofficial Point Standings:

In a simple comparison of the two lists, you can see that there are some major snubs and some big free passes into the event (again, assuming that the selections were made based on season-long performance). NINE of the top 24 performing drivers this year were overlooked including the defending freestyle champion while one rookie driver was even selected as a finalist after running only a handful of events this year. Let's look at who got the snubs and free passes, with their "Road to the World Finals" rank by their name:

Snubs
Neil Elliot - 3rd
Randy Brown - 6th
Pablo Huffaker - 7th
Gary Porter - 9th
Carl Van Horn - T-12th
Rod Schmidt - 15th
Tony Farrell - 16th
Nathan Weenk - 19th
Candace Jolly - 21st

Free Passes
Chad Fortune - 27th
David Smith - 28th
Steve Simms - 30th
Bobby Parr - 31st
Dawn Creten - 33rd
Lupe Soza - 35th
Frank Krmel - 36th
Dan Evans - 46th
Cam McQueen - 60th

Here's the deal--there's really not much more to say
because personal opinion takes over at this point, and
really, that's a great thing--we just want to highlight individual accomplishment by the drivers this season. You can check out the "Road to the World Finals" section if you want to see more of the stats and individual event results. At the end of the day, proponents of selection based on performance will argue that the current system is flawed and it takes away from what it really means to be a World Finals Champion. Others will make compelling arguments for the current system, stating the possible reasoning behind the selections that were made such as: "Well, you've got to have Lupe, he's a past champ"; "David Smith has been a strong performer every year he's been in the Finals, he should definitely be there"; "Frank Krmel nearly won the freestyle championship two years ago, he deserves to be there", etc. If nothing else, it certainly makes for a good discussion among monster truck fans.

But just because I can't resist, let's step into
fantasy world for a second and see what the lineup
might have looked like had the top 24 drivers based on
performance been selected:

Air Force Afterburner - Damon Bradshaw (22nd)
Avenger - Jim Koehler (23rd)
Batman - John Seasock (24th)
Black Stallion - Mike Vaters (20th)
Blue Thunder - Linsey Weenk (10th)
Blue Thunder - Tony Farrell (16th)
Bounty Hunter - Jimmy Creten (4th)
Bulldozer - Neil Elliot (3rd)
Captain's Curse - Alex Blackwell (11th)
Donkey Kong - Randy Brown (6th)
El Toro Loco - Nathan Weenk (19th)
Escalade - George Belhan (8th)
Grave Digger - Dennis Anderson (1st)
Iron Outlaw - Kreg Christensen (17th)
Maximum Destruction - Tom Meents (2nd)
Monster Mutt - Charlie Pauken (5th)
Monster Mutt Dalmation - Candace Jolly (21st)
Pastrana 199 - Chad Tingler (18th)
Safe Auto Minimizer - Mark MacDonald (T-12)
Superman - Rod Schmidt (15th)
Taz - Adam Anderson (14th)
Team Suzuki - Gary Porter (9th)
TMNT - Pablo Huffaker (7th)
T-Maxx - Carl Van Horn (T-12)

OK, back to reality. However you feel about the selection process, there really is no denying that the World Finals is probably the biggest and best show in monster trucks at the current time. We definitely congratulate all of the drivers who will compete tomorrow on being selected and wish them the best of luck. Despite my own personal feelings on the selection process, it really boils down to this--as long as everyone stays safe, let's all just sit back and enjoy the show.

But before we talk more about tomorrow night, I would like to take another moment to highlight some of the great stories we saw on the Monster Jam tour during the regular season. The "Road to the World Finals" rankings allow us to look at some statistics that really show some cool stuff. This doesn't really have a ton to do with what will go on tomorrow night, but when the Monster Jam Awards are announced Sunday, some of this might be interesting to read.

- The Regular Season Awards - In other sports, season awards like the MVP and the Cy Young in baseball are presented based on performance in the regular season and post-season performance doesn't really factor in. Let's take a look at who deserves a few of these based on the Monster Jam season to date, without looking at the World Finals results from tomorrow:

Driver of the Year - Racing: Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction.
Meents took an oustanding 4 (Elite Level) major stadium event racing wins. The most anyone else had was 2. Nuff' said. Runner-up goes to Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter with 3 major stadium racing wins (2 Elite Level, 1 Major Level) and 5 Normal Level small arena racing wins.

Driver of the Year - Freestyle: Dennis Anderson, Grave Digger
Anderson brought home freestyle trophies from 5.5 (5 wins, 1 tie) major stadium events (4.5, Elite Level, 1 Major Level) and 7 Normal Level small arena shows. Charlie Pauken edges Meents for runner-up based on 4 major stadium event freestyle wins (2 Elite Level, 2 Major Level) and an awesome 13 Normal Level small arena wins.

Rookie of the Year: Cam McQueen, Pastrana 199
Small crop of rookies this year, most notable being McQueen, Aaron Cromer in Anger Management, and Kristy Edge in Jurassic Attack. McQueen gets the nod despite only running a partial schedule due to being the only one of the three to bring home a win--three of them in fact, all in racing competitions at Normal Level small arena shows.

Comeback Driver of the Year: Dennis Anderson, Grave Digger
In in any other year, this award be all Kreg Christensen's, but there really is no debate here. The best performing driver on the tour this year sat all of last season with the exception of the World Finals due to injury. Anderson is still on top of his game.

Most Improved Driver of the Year: Nathan Weenk, El Toro Loco
Stepping into a Live Nation Motor Sports seat worked out great for Nathan Weenk, as he took two big stadium racing wins (Elite Level), even managing to outperform better known El Toro Loco driver Lupe Soza by a longshot this season. He gets the nod over Andy Slifko who had a great year in Eradicator, ending up ranked 25th overall at the end of the regular season.

Team of the Year: Team Meents
Meents and Elliot ended up 2nd and 3rd in the final unofficial standings. Out of a season total 36 Elite Level major stadium racing and freestyle competitions, Meents and Elliot won 11. Nuff' said.

- The Elevator - Because this is the second year we've done the "Road to the World Finals" unofficial standings, we are able to show who improved and declined the most in the rankings in comparison with 2007. Check it out:

Elevator Up
Kreg Christensen, Iron Outlaw +47
Nathan Weenk, El Toro Loco +35
Andy Slifko, Eradicator +28
Allen Pezo, Predator +25
Aaron Basl, TMNT +22
Steve Simms, Stone Crusher +21
Candace Jolly, Monster Mutt Dalmation +19
Bruce Haney, Bad News Travels Fast +16
Lenny Kuilder, Prowler +16
Carl Van Horn +15

Elevator Down
Lupe Soza, El Toro Loco -28
Courtney Jolly, Pastrana 199 -24
Rick Swanson, Obsession -24
Dan Rodoni, The Patriot -18
Dale Mitchell, Predator -18
Scott Hartsock, Gun Slinger -13
Damon Bradshaw, Air Force Afterburner -13
Chris Bergeron, Brutus -13

Stats are fun!

OK, here we go...let's talk about which drivers we expect to see contend for the championships tomorrow night!!

Racing: The Monster Jam World Finals Racing Championship always sees the cream rise to the top. There typically are very few surprises when you look at the historical semi-finalists through the years. Sure, there's been some upsets such as Madusa and Brian Barthel taking wins in the past. But usually it boils down to the big names at the end. My picks for the top 6 contenders and 4 other drivers to watch for the racing championship tomorrow are as follows:

- Dennis Anderson, Grave Digger - "The Icon" has been on a tear this year and knows the Vegas track like the back of his hand. Last year, he went to the final round in Vegas without competing in a single event leading up to the World Finals. Try this stat on for size: For the last FOUR years, Anderson has been in the finals in Vegas, with two racing championships and two runner-ups to John Seasock and Debra Miceli ("Madusa"). After watching Anderson this year, he is my top pick for the racing competition tomorrow night.

- Kreg Christensen, Iron Outlaw - Kreg Christensen is a great racer and Iron Outlaw is one of top pieces in the field. Christensen took two huge stadium wins this year, including one in Houston against a stacked 16 truck field. Christensen was lightning quick in practice last night, and I expect to see him in the mix tomorrow night.

- Linsey Weenk, Blue Thunder - Weenk is simply one of the best racers in the monster truck industry. He managed a couple of big wins this year, and I really expect to see him take Blue Thunder into the late rounds.

- John Seasock, Batman - Despite a subpar season, the defending champ is incredibly smooth and fast on the Vegas course and had the quickest time in Thursday night practice. He enters Saturday night with a great chance to defend his title and become the first driver since Tom Meents to take back-to-back racing championships.

- Jimmy Creten, Bounty Hunter - Creten is an incredible racer but he just seems snakebit in Vegas. Every year he makes it to the late rounds and every year it seems the smallest of mistakes or breakage take him out of the running. If Creten hits his marks all night and avoids the turning poles, I'm not sure anyone can beat him. "If" being the key word.

- Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction - Its kind of funny that I just mentioned above that Tom was the top racing driver this year, only to turn around and list him sixth on my top contenders list. Ever since winning the first three World Finals Racing Championships, Meents has been unable to duplicate that success in the racing competition. A pure guess is that, while his current Max D chassis may be the greatest freestyle truck ever built, it is more prone to breakage at the end of those long straightaways at such high speeds (think back to all the driveshaft issues from a couple years ago). Meents seemed to be easing off the throttle a little early on the straightaway last year, and didn't last very long in the competition. If the truck holds up and Meents drives it like he drove in other races this season, he has a great chance to grab another racing title.

- Other Drivers to Watch - Mark MacDonald, Safe Auto Minimizer; David Smith, King Krunch; Adam Anderson, Taz; Mike Vaters, Black Stallion

The key to winning the Monster Jam Freestyle Championship is to have a mid-to-late draw, keep up great momentum, and to be able to fill the time with the biggest moves. Anyone who does that has a pretty good chance of taking the win because those huge obstacles usually manage to claim several big name victims before the night is up. Here are my top 6 contenders, with 4 other drivers to watch:

- Tom Meents, Maximum Destruction - Simply put, I have never seen another truck that can hold up to the abuse that Maximum Destruction does. Tom always manages to pull off moves that make you rub your eyes in disbelief. The challenge for Meents will be to try not to go too big too fast--i.e. wait until the time is almost up before you try to clear the triple Tom!!

- Dennis Anderson, Grave Digger - Anderson put on some amazing performances this season in freestyle, and is always a threat in Vegas. If he fills the time and manages to make one of those great saves he did so frequently this season, that could be enough to put him on top.

- Charlie Pauken, Monster Mutt - Charlie Pauken has the distinction of having two of the most memorable moments from the last two World Finals--last year's incredible (and scary) leap over the ice cream truck and the other-worldly save from two years ago. If he can just manage to put it all together this year, he may very well set the score that Dennis and Tom have to shoot for.

- Linsey Weenk, Blue Thunder - Weenk probably would have been higher on the final results list last year had he not been burdened with such an early draw. This year he is sure to have an advantageous draw driving Blue Thunder, and driving for Live Nation, he now has the freedom to bring the truck back in pieces. Weenk will contend for the freestyle title.

- Adam Anderson, Tax - Adam Anderson now has a chassis nearly identical to his father's in which he dominated freestyle performances last year. This year has seen a bit of a learning curve for the Taz team, working out bugs in the new truck. But when everything has been working right, Anderson has performed strong. With a full season of tuning and tweaking, the Taz truck will hold up great to the Vegas course and Adam certainly has the skill to bring home his first title.

- Mark MacDonald, Safe Auto Minimizer - MacDonald pulled off some of the most incredible moves in freestyle last year, but most of them came after the time limit expired (he went on to freestyle for another couple minutes). If MacDonald can pack all of his best stuff into the time limit, he will set the bar very high for those who come after him.

- Other Drivers to Watch - Kreg Christensen, Iron Outlaw; Jim Koehler, Avenger; Damon Bradshaw, Air Force Afterburner; Chad Tingler, Monster Mutt Dalmation

As a final note, I feel like we owe our visitors an explanation for us not being at the World Finals this year. We were planning on being there in force as we were last year, but we were informed in late February that due to some changes in Live Nation corporate policy, no internet sites would be granted media access for the World Finals. Now of course, the alternative route would be to just buy tickets and take pictures from our seats, which we would have certainly done. But the concern for us is that, at many Live Nation events, professional cameras are not allowed and ushers will send you back to your car to put them up if you bring them. I'm not sure how heavily they enforce that policy at Sam Boyd Stadium, but we certainly couldn't risk spending that much money on the trip, only to possibly be told we couldn't take photos.

Additionally, Live Nation is doing an excellent job of providing coverage of this year's finals on www.MonsterJamOnline.com, so there is no worry for all of you as to where to get coverage. Next weekend is the traditionally under-covered CFP Grand Nationals in Pocatello, Idaho. There we can bring you tons of coverage you wouldn't otherwise see, and we will be able to bring you video coverage from that event. So I think the whole situation works out better for all of our visitors. We should have live updates for Saturday night though, so be sure to keep visiting TheMonsterBlog.com tomorrow to follow along with the event.

Well if you've read all of that and weren't ready for the Finals yet, you certainly should be now!! Best of luck to all the drivers and teams tomorrow night, and keep checking back here as bring you whatever we're able to from Vegas!!