Parkersburg, WV - West Virginia Motor Speedway

Trucks: USHRA Monster Trucks including Grave Digger, Black Stallion, Iron Warrior, Eradicator, and Backdraft. Also featuring Quad Wars and Jet Quads.


Friday 7:30 p.m.

TRUCK LINE-UP - Grave Digger (Randy Brown), Backdraft (Jeremy Slifko), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), Eradicator (Andy Slifko), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers)

Randy Brown took advantage of a second chance to win racing, then dominated freestyle in his Grave Digger while Mike Vaters won the wheelie contest in Black Stallion as the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam Summer Heat series came Friday night to West Virginia Motor Speedway.

Vaters opened the two event weekend at the scenic dirt track in Mineral Wells, just outside of Parkersburg, by getting the nod from the tie-breaking judge to win the wheelie contest after he and Andy Slifko in Eradicator posted equal scores.

Andy's son was the next to grab attention as the young second generation budding star posted the fastest qualifying time on the big Chicago style oval, Jeremy Slifko's Backdraft earning the number one seed in the race bracket and a first round bye. The 20-year old would be eliminated by his father in the semifinals, though, when Andy Slifko got the win in Eradicator. Andy would not be able to go for the event win when battery problems kept the truck from firing for his Championship Race match-up against Vaters. Black Stallion had edged Grave Digger in a photo finish in their semifinal round race but when Eradicator failed to start Digger was summoned to the start line for a rematch and Brown took full advantage. In another close finish this time Grave Digger got the better of it for the event's racing triumph.

Randy then took that momentum into freestyle with huge air and wild Digger donuts giving Grave Digger it's second victory of the night.

RACING RESULTS

Fast qualifier - Backdraft, 23.47

1st round - Backdraft bye run; Grave Digger defeats Iron Warrior; Black Stallion defeats Eradicator (Eradicator advanced to semifinals as fastest 1st round loser)

Semifinals - Eradicator defeats Backdraft; Black Stallion defeats Grave Digger (Grave Digger advanced to Championship Race when Eradicator would not start for the final race)

CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - GRAVE DIGGER DEFEATED BLACK STALLION

FREESTYLE RESULTS

GRAVE DIGGER 25
Backdraft 22
Black Stallion 22
Iron Warrior 18
Eradicator 18

WHEELIE RESULTS

BLACK STALLION 21 (won on decision of tie-breaking judges)
Eradicator 21
Backdraft 20
Grave Digger 19
Iron Warrior 14

Saturday 7:30 p.m.

Mechanics on the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam Tour have long been praised for their amazing work. But one of the most incredible nights of thrashing imaginable culminated with the fans at West Virginia Motor Speedway on their feet cheering as the entire field was repaired in time for freestyle with Randy Brown punishing his fixed truck. And an incredible Grave Digger freestyle to top off the night of action at the dirt track in Mineral Wells outside of Parkersburg.

The night started off in spectacular fashion as both Mike Vaters in Black Stallion and Brown's Grave Digger hit impressive slap wheelies. Black Stallion edging Grave Digger for the wheelie contest victory.

Then one of the wildest race brackets ever in a Summer Heat event got underway. In the first round Grave Digger and Black Stallion met in a rematch of the Friday night Championship Race. Again the evenly matched pair were even in the final turn with Grave Digger pulling out a photo finish win. Vaters hammered his truck with everything he had trying to pull out the win, flipping Black Stallion past the finish line and ripping off the right front wheel. In the semifinals Grave Digger would square off with young Jeremy Slifko in Backdraft. This time the craziness happened at the halfway point of the run. Backdraft flipped over and amazingly, Slifko's truck also ripped off the front right wheel, among lots of other front end damage. While all eyes were on the Backdraft rollover, Brown's truck also broke. So even though Grave Digger was credited with the win, drive line damage would keep Digger from the spot he earned in the Championship Race. With both of those trucks unable to make it onto the track for the finale Andy Slifko brought Eradicator out for the Championship Race. But he fell to Trey Myers who grabbed top racing honors in Iron Warrior.

At intermission the pits looked like a junk yard with broken truck pieces everywhere, and an all hands on deck mentality in place as every driver and crew member thrashed at a feverous pace. Brown would later say "It was amazing. I couldn't keep up with which crew was working on which truck. Every person going from truck to truck to help any way they could". Despite the huge damage to so many machines, they all made it onto the track to freestyle for the West Virginia fans. Jeremy Slifko put his patched up piece through a phenomenal run, filling the clock with huge air and big cross threads. He was looking like a potential winner until Brown brought Digger out to a standing ovation from the fans that was as much a tribute to the crews as anything. Brown took no mercy on the repaired Grave Digger, filling the clock with the most massive air and ragged edge leaps seen the entire weekend. He then gave the fans another couple minutes of bonus Grave Digger freestyle action to win the final event on an unpredictable and thrilling night of Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam action.

RACING RESULTS

1st Round - Eradicator bye run; Backdraft defeats Iron Warrior; Grave Digger defeats Black Stallion (Iron Warrior advanced to semifinals as fastest 1st round loser)

Semifinals - Iron Warrior defeats Eradicator; Grave Digger defeats Backdraft (Eradicator advanced to Championship race due to damage to both Grave Digger and Backdraft)

CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - IRON WARRIOR DEFEATED ERADICATOR

FREESTYLE RESULTS

GRAVE DIGGER 29
Backdraft 24
Iron Warrior 20
Eradicator 18
Black Stallion 10

WHEELIE RESULTS

BLACK STALLION 27
Grave Digger 25
Eradicator 21
Backdraft 21
Iron Warrior 17