West Lebanon, NY - Lebanon Valley Speedway

Trucks: USHRA Monster Trucks including Grave Digger driven by Dennis Anderson, Maximum Destruction driven by Tom Meents, Blue Thunder, Taz, Air Force Afterburner, Advance Auto Parts Grinder, Stone Crusher, and Mopar Magic. Also featuring Street Warriorz and Green Mamba.


Monday Night 8pm

Monday Night

The annual trip to upstate N.Y. began Monday night at Lebanon Valley Speedway. The first of three big nights of action began with big air and a bit of drama.
For the first time in many years, Dennis Anderson was not present. Dennis, home due to an illness, sent #1 son Adam to drive Grave Digger. The next question fans will ask is, “Who is driving Taz?” The answer is Alex Blackwell! Pretty impressive fill-in drivers for both trucks.

The rest of the lineup for this week's action reads like a “Who’s Who” in Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam. Lupe Soza aboard the Advance Auto Parts Grinder truck, Stone Crusher driven by Owner/Driver Steve Sims, and Mopar Magic with Carl Van Horn in the seat. Others include Linsey Weenk with Blue Thunder and Damon Bradshaw in Air Force Afterburner. Truly a World Finals group of drivers and trucks.

Qualifying fastest was Linsey Weenk in Blue Thunder edging out Adam Anderson in Grave Digger. Blue Thunder’s time was 5.94 with Grave Digger getting a 5.97. These are indeed very fast times for one of the longest tracks on the summer circuit.

The night also featured Street Warriorz with some new names and more than a few veterans making the big show. When all was said and done the night's win in the Street Warriorz division went to Mike Moreau. Mike easily beat out second place finisher Andy Slater who’s car, yes car, broke after crossing the starting line. While he didn’t complete the course, he did begin the pass earning second place rights and a paycheck.

Monster Racing
Round One:
Blue Thunder beat Stone Crusher
Maximum Destruction over Advance Auto Parts Grinder
Air Force Afterburner defeated Mopar Magic
Grave Digger downed Taz

Semi-Finals:
Maximum Destruction over Blue Thunder
Air Force Afterburner beat Grave Digger

Finals:
Air Force Afterburner over Maximum Destruction.

The win for Air Force Afterburner in both the semi-finals and the final were come from behind races. Damon Bradshaw, on both races, was able to get great traction and power in the no-mans land on the front stretch giving him the boost needed to get across the Ford Finish line first.

Going into the second half of action, one had to ask if Air Force Afterburner could double down in the Valley.

The Advance Auto Parts Freestyle competition featured big air, lots of wheelies, donuts and speed. Judging was tough and the drivers had to work hard for every point scored. Mopar Magic began the event earning a 16 when the truck broke towards the end of the run after a bigtime slap wheelie. The truck’s rear wheels locked up and he was done for the night. The rest of the field came out and ran hard to earn the win. In the end two trucks were tied with scores of 22, Grave Digger and Air Force Afterburner. The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam officials have a system in place to settle ties. At all events there is a silent judge. The silent judge's score only counts when there is a tie. In this case the silent judge gave a 7 to Air Force Afterburner and an 8 to Grave Digger. This gave Adam Anderson the Freestyle win for the first time at Lebanon Valley while driving Grave Digger.

Anderson thanked the fans for supporting his family for so many years. “I know the Grave Digger tradition runs deep in this valley and after losing in racing I knew what I had to do. Dad can’t be here but Team Grave Digger is and tonight is just the beginning”, he told the thousands of faithful fans.

As Adam Anderson tossed the nights Grave Digger flag into the sea of fans, Doug Rose fired up the Green Mamba for the event ending car burn that sent a sea of sparks in the air.

Freestyle Results:
Mopar Magic 16 broke
AAP Grinder 21
Stone Crusher 19
Blue Thunder 20
Taz 20
Air Force 22
Maximum Destruction 21
Grave Digger 22 ( 1 point win from Silent Judge)

By: Joe Lowe

Tuesday Night

For fifteen years the rivalry between Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents) has continued on the legendary Lebanon Valley track. This week is no exception.

With Big Daddy Dennis Anderson home sick, son Adam Anderson is at the wheel of the black and green wrecking machine. He is doing one heck of a job but with seven other Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam heavyweights in the field he must be at 100% every time he comes to the line.

Tom Meents is another tradition the Valley fans come to see. Tom has become one of the love him or not - you don’t want to miss him kind of drivers in this part of the country. If you mix in Taz, Stone Crusher, Air Force Afterburner, Blue Thunder, Mopar Magic and Advance Auto Parts Grinder you have one heck of a show. That is what the fans experienced Tuesday night.

Tuesday night qualifying saw Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction tie for fastest with scores of 6.16 seconds on a very fast track. Lupe Soza in the Advance Auto Parts Grinder truck was right behind them with 6.19. Less that ¾ of a second separated the entire field. Looking back on qualifying, one could easily see how the showdown for the race championship would come down to the two leaders. Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction squared off in the race finals with experience beating out family tradition in the closest race of the night. Grave Digger was coming on strong at the Ford Finish Line but the photo finish and video both clearly showed Maximum Destruction holding on to the lead by inches in the air.

Race Results:
Round One:
Grave Digger over Taz
Blue Thunder defeated Stone Crusher
Air Force Afterburner over Advance Auto Parts Grinder
Maximum Destruction downed Mopar Magic

Semi-Finals:
Grave Digger beat Blue Thunder
Maximum Destruction wins over Air Force Afterburner

Race Championship:
Maximum Destruction squeaks by Grave Digger

The Advance Auto Parts Freestyle competition began strong with Carl Van Horn driving Mopar Magic to an impressive score of 20. As the trucks came out one at a time for their “:90 to impress”, the gremlins began to show up. Blue Thunder was off to a great freestyle when the truck lost a sway bar ending his run. Taz experienced an electrical problem. After attempting a quick fix with the timing clock stopped, it happened again ending his run a bit over a minute into his :90.

The best save of the night award goes to Lupe Soza in the Advance Auto Parts Grinder. The truck looked like it was going to be in an all night repair session when he come off the set of cars wrong putting the truck wayyyyyyy over on its right side. Nobody knows how Lupe saved it, but he did bringing fans and crew members alike to their feet to cheer.

Damon Bradshaw, Monday nights race winner, scored a high of 24 with only two trucks left to compete. Maximum Destruction, driven by Tom, made one pass along the front stretch before rolling inside turn one. Tom was fine but the truck was done for the night earning a score of “9” from the judges for his less than :15 run.

Adam Anderson has marching orders from Big Daddy Dennis, “Go out there and win!” With those words in his head the young Anderson made the big guy proud. Big Air, Speed and a cyclone finish had the Leb. Valley fans on their feet during the entire run. Grave Digger ended with a score of 26, a two point win over Air Force Afterburner. “We came up short in racing but Dad sent me up here to win and give the fans a great show, that’s what we tried to do here tonight,” he told the crowd in a post event interview.

Freestyle Results:
Mopar Magic 20
Advance Auto Parts Grinder 21
Blue Thunder 14
Taz 15
Stone Crusher 17
Air Force Afterburner 24
Maximum Destruction 9
Grave Digger 26

Mike Moreau again was the big winner in the Street Warriorz competition beating out 16 other local cars and trucks to make it two in a row.

Green Mamba’s Doug Rose ended the event with a bus, yes a bus, meltdown reducing the former school bus to molten metal and ash. This was the first time the jet powered vehicle had done a bus meltdown at Lebanon Valley.

The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam ends it’s Lebanon Valley run tonight with showtime at 8pm.

Wed. Night

They saw the best is yet to come and for those who waited to come to the third event of the week at Lebanon Valley Speedway, it is true. The action Wednesday was incredible with the Advance Auto Parts Race Final being the best of the week. It also was a historic event as Adam Anderson, filling in for Big Daddy Dennis, earned his first race win and first double-down win at the legendary track that helped create his father's reputation.

Racing was tough for Tom Meents and Maximum Destruction. Maximum Destruction handled well in rounds one and two of racing. It was in the race final that things turned very very bad for Tom. While going against Grave Digger in the final, Maximum Destruction landed hard and rolled losing a tire and the front end. Grave Digger won the race and the crowd celebrated loud and long with the young Anderson. As is usual with fans at the Valley, Tom Meents won cheers as well for his unsuccessful effort. The fans here understand racing and appreciate and respect the commitment and ability of the drivers, successful or not.

A brief late afternoon shower and the threat of more rain in the evening didn’t keep the faithful fans of Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam away. They arrived early for the Built Ford Tough Party in the Pits, and then it was right into Street Warriorz qualifying and the big show. With skies clearing up, things began with great racing followed by Street Warriorz.

Doug Rose drove his Green Mamba on speed and fire leading into intermission. It was during intermission that clouds began to reform. Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam officials decided to resume the event with Freestyle. Rain finally began after the first two trucks did their :90 runs, but nobody moved from their seats. With no lightning or thunder in the immediate area, the event went on as the track got wetter and more slippery.

With Maximum Destruction out for the night with the front end destroyed, Grave Digger came out for his turn and that's when things got interesting. It began to rain harder and Grave Digger kept going, and the decision was made to give the W. Leb. fans even more, so the call went out to fire up the Green Mamba for the anticipated car burn.

If you can imagine thousands of fans standing in a pouring rain watching Adam Anderson drive the wheels off Grave Digger while sparks flew into the sky behind the track from Green Mamba’s jet fire, you have one heck of an imagination. That is something nobody had ever seen anywhere until tonight. Those of us present will never forget the sight of Grave Digger and Green Mamba together for the first time.

Race Results:
Round One:
Grave Digger beat Advance Auto Parts Grinder
Blue Thunder over Mopar Magic
Maximum Destruction downed Taz
Air Force Afterburner beat Stone Crusher

Semi-Finals:
Grave Digger beat Blue Thunder
Maximum Destruction downed Air Force Afterburner

Race Final:
Grave Digger beat Maximum Destruction as Maximum Destruction rolled after crossing the Ford Finish Line.

Freestyle Results:
Mopar Magic 22
Grinder 20
Stone Crusher 21
Blue Thunder 20
Air Force Afterburner 24
Taz 20
Grave Digger 26

With the rain continuing to come down fans stood in line waiting to have one last chance to talk with their favorite driver, get a picture or autograph before all was done until next year. Those attending will never forget the night Adam did the double down at Lebanon Valley driving Grave Digger

By: Joe Lowe