FedEx Forum
Memphis, TN
Friday, January 20, 2006

It was a historic moment in the shadow of world famous Beale Street as the fans in Memphis were treated to the first-ever appearance of the Grave Digger trucks. When the fans left the FedEx Forum, it was clear that Grave Digger’s path of destruction can now include this Tennessee town.

Monster mayhem began with a skywheelie contest for the six trucks in contention. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle opened with a strong run that held on until the T-Maxx went vertical for the lead. The U.S. Air Force Afterburner took over the top, but Grave Digger had final say. The Digger skywheelie effort brought a score of 29, good enough for the win.

In qualifying, the Turtle held the top spot until the final pair when U.S. Air Force clocked in with a time of .84. Grave Digger’s effort ended up .03 slower, giving the honor to the U.S. Air Force truck.

In head to head competition, U.S. Air Force defeated Taz, Grave Digger dropped Stone Crusher, and T-Maxx nipped the Turtle. In the semi-finals, U.S. Air Force repeated the win over Taz, who had returned as fast loser. Grave Digger won the semi to set up a Grave Digger/U.S. Air Force showdown. The close finish was won by Grave Digger.

In the freestyle competition, T-Maxx bicycled after a couple of jumps to the delight of the crowd and his efforts brought him a score of 27. Air Force fell two points short, but Grave Digger was waiting in the wings. Digger’s efforts yielded a 27 and a tie. The fans enthusiastically voted in the tiebreaker, giving it to Grave Digger for a triple win on the night.

Team Tennessee beat Team California in a heat and the feature, but the Team California captain’s challenge settled the score, giving Tennessee the popular win.

Trucks – Taz (Adam Anderson), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Alex Blackwell), T-Maxx (Carl Van Horn), U.S. Air Force Afterburner (Paul Cohen), Stone Crusher (Steve Sims), Grave Digger (Randy Brown)

Quad Wars – Team Tennessee defeated Team California

Thrill attraction – Galactron vs. Reptar

A full house at the FedEx Forum was treated to wall to wall excitement as Monster Jam rocked the house on Saturday night. The 6 trucks held nothing back in each round of competition, forcing drivers to outdo each other with every round of competition.

The night opened with a wheel stand competition as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Taz shared the lead after the first pairing. Stone Crusher took the lead with a vertical leap, but T-Maxx wowed the crowd with a strong run the yielded a perfect 30. the U.S. Air Force Afterburner challenged, but could not dethrone the T-Maxx. Grave Digger was the final truck to hit the floor and a tail dragging wheel stand earned him a tie with T-Maxx. The whole house got involved in the tiebreaker, which went to Grave Digger.

Qualifying action saw the U.S. Air Force Afterburner set the pace to earn the right as fast qualifier. The first round of eliminations saw Afterburner knock off Taz, T-Maxx dispatched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and Grave Digger chipped the Stone Crusher. Turtle earned the fast loser provisional and made the best of the situation by knocking off U.S. Air Force Afterburner in the second round. Grave Digger bested T-Maxx to set the showdown in the 1-800- SAFE Auto finals. When the duo returned for the final run, Turtle edged off the line a split second before the light turned green, giving Grave Digger the win after the disqualification.

In Freestyle action, close scoring kept the outcome in doubt as Turtle jumped ahead of Taz for the lead. The T-Maxx, seeking revenge for the wheel stand loss, posted a solid 28 and could not be overtaken until Grave Digger hit the floor. The final truck on the floor plowed through cars and put up a solid effort to sway the judges for a perfect 30 and a clean sweep of the night’s competition.

Team Tennessee prevailed in the finals of the Quad Wars racing after it was determined the winner had actually been a lap down. That didn’t sit well with Team California, who challenged the winners to a Captain’s Challenge, won by Tennessee.

Trucks – Taz (Adam Anderson), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Alex Blackwell), T-Maxx (Carl Van Horn), U.S. Air Force Afterburner (Paul Cohen), Stone Crusher (Steve Sims), Grave Digger (Randy Brown)

Quad Wars – Team Tennessee defeated Team California

Thrill act – Galactron Vs. Reptar

Wheelstand competition

T-Maxx (30), Grave Digger (30) –Grave Digger wins tiebreaker, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (13), Taz (13), Stone Crusher (19), U.S. Air Force Afterburner (28)

Freestyle

Grave Digger (30), T-Maxx (28), U.S. Air Force Afterburner (25), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (24), Taz (21), Stone Crusher (17)