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Monster mash
Monster Jam brings big wheels, big stunts to eager Denver crowd at Pepsi Center
By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu

Photo by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu Linsey Weenk and his truck, Iron Outlaw, jump to a photo-finish victory over Jimmy Creten and Bounty Hunter in the Monster Jam finals race. Though Iron Outlaw won the race event, Bounty Hunter took the checkered flag in the Monster Jam time trials earlier in the afternoon.

Judging from the large number of 6-year-olds at the most recent Monster Jam Feb. 10 and 11 at the Pepsi Center, one might think of monster trucks as nothing more than a kid’s Hot Wheels come to life. But be assured, these are no children’s toys.

Six monster trucks and their drivers were on display Feb. 11 in a pre-show pit party full of loud classic rock, children screaming in delight and delirium, flash bulbs galore and pure awe.

These massive trucks have tires 66” in diameter and can weigh anywhere from 9,000 to 13,000 pounds. The engines that power these trucks range from 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower.

“When you look in a kid’s toy box, that’s what you’re going to find,” said Bounty Hunter driver Jimmy Creten, who celebrated his 41st birthday the opening day of the Jam. “The kids just love big machines, and they’re in such awe when they see them up close like this.”

Creten was right, kind of. Everywhere kids perched and posed on top of the giant tires, while moms and dads pointed and took photo after photo. It was hard to tell who was having a better time.

Soon, the floor cleared and the fans took their seats. Before the mayhem began, the drivers and the crowd took a moment for a patriotic salute.

A standing ovation was given to all of the police, paramedics and firefighters in the audience, as well as all military personnel and their families. “Let’s thank these people for our freedom to do what we want to do,” the announcer said. Considering the drastically excessive nature of the event that was about to take place, I couldn’t help but wonder if we, as a nation, sometimes confuse freedom with consumerism.

All my ecological and political guilt began to fade the second the lights went down, the rock and roll came up and the roaring trucks took the center stage.

“A packed house on a Sunday afternoon – is there any better place to be?” the announcer asked the nearly sold-out crowd.

There were four main events scheduled, including a newly added arena event, the monster truck time trials. But any fan knows that monster jams have to start with some air time. That’s where the wheelie competition comes along.

The wheelie competition is spectacular, with the trucks attempting to achieve full and vertical air. The possibility of a truck flipping backward adds to the thrill. Unfortunately, nobody flipped over, and the panel of three judges gave the win to fan-favorite Grave Digger, with 27 points.

“Sometimes when you’re sitting in the hallway waiting to go out there, you get a little scared, a little nervous,” Grave Digger driver Charlie Paukin said. “But once you get out there, it’s all business.” Paukin, 40, has been in the monster truck business for nearly 20 years.

“If you’re scared when you start driving, then you’re going to make a mistake,” added the 26-year-old driver of El Matador, Daron Basl. “You don’t want to make mistakes in a truck like that.”

For Paukin and the 25-year-old Grave Digger, it was business as usual during the two-day Jam. The pair took five of eight events in Denver, including full sweeps in the wheelie competition and the final freestyle competition.

The drivers are very competitive with each other but are even more concerned with putting on a good show for the audience, while honing their skills for the upcoming Monster Jam World Finals March 24 in Las Vegas.

“People come from all over the world to see the World Finals,” said Iron Outlaw’s Linsey Weenk, 27. Weenk was named the most improved driver of 2006 and is currently making a name for himself in his eighth monster season. “(The finals are) a great opportunity to get together with other drivers and show off your stuff.”

In between the four main events are four-wheeler races and radio-controlled-car racing and ramp-jumping. But no monster truck rally would be complete without some kind of car-crunching beast of yore.

A suspiciously slow fire-breathing dragon made its obligatory halftime appearance. The announcer told a rather long-winded backstory concerning the dragon’s history, but nobody listened. Instead they “oohed” and “aahed” as the crane in dragon’s clothing spit fire, and they clapped and cheered tremendously when the dragon clenched onto a junk car and spun it around like a prize. This, apparently, was where old cars go to die.

In a role reversal a few seats away, a father pointed wide-eyed at the dragon, elbowing his son and gesturing wildly. The son sat and took it all in. It was like pops had never seen a car-crunching, fire-breathing mechanical dragon before.

The dragon disappeared as “Sweet Home Alabama” blared from above. Apparently the dragon was a southern boy.

The Jam ended with the freestyle competition, the culmination of the monster truck competition. It is a favorite among fans, since it gives license to the drivers to prove whose is the biggest, baddest truck out there, even as the frantic pace of the competition adds an extra vulnerability to drivers and trucks. In other words, there’s a good chance someone will spill.

The competition started slowly, but came around strong when Hot Wheels, King Krunch and Grave Digger tore up the floor down the stretch.

Grave Digger is a favorite for a reason and took the competition hands-down with an array of big-time jumps and dust-kicking doughnuts. For the second time in as many days, Paukin scored a perfect round and left the event the King of the Monsters.

The drivers stayed after the show, signing autographs for little fans with big, monster dreams.

“We’re here until the last fan leaves,” Weenk said. “We’re just happy to be in Denver, putting on a great show.”