4th Place – Donald Epidendio - 2026 Monster Truck Racing Open Championship

West coast star Donald Epidendio gained 11 spots from 2025 and finished in the Top 5 for the first time in his career. He had an insane DPR (Driver Performance Rating) of 99.24 which means that he was in the final round nearly every event. Indeed, he had 22 wins and 32 finals in 33 races this year. His only non-final finish was a semi-final showing in Eureka way back in last October!

Epidendio spent his entire season on the Malicious Tour and competed in 33 events. The 1.010 competition caliber rating shows that the schedule was no slouch either. (The average event this season had a rating of 0.716 on an 0.500 to 1.500 scale). He won 3-consecutive events three different times, including ending the season with 4 consecutive wins.

No doubt, Epidendio’s biggest rivalry was the Malicious Tour patriarch Bill Payne. Donald won that head-to-head series 16-10 this year. He was also 19-0 against Nick Jones, 15-0 against Gavin Sell, 11-0 against Joe Briggs, 11-0 against Myles Parker, and 3-0 against Sam Steinhaur. Epidendio finished the season with an estimated record of 84-11 with 2 unreported events.

===== DONALD EPIDENDIO 2026 SEASON SUMMARY =====

10/4 Sat Aft : Malicious @ Stockton, CA = (NO REPORT)

10/4 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Stockton, CA = *** WINNER *** (315 pts)

10/18 Sat Aft : Malicious @ Roseville, CA = RunnerUp (210 pts)

10/18 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Roseville, CA = *** WINNER *** (315 pts)

10/24 Fri Ngt : Malicious @ Eureka, CA = *** WINNER *** (315 pts)

10/25 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Eureka, CA = Lost in semi-finals (92 pts)

11/1 Sat Aft : Malicious @ Bakersfield, CA = RunnerUp (104 pts)

11/1 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Bakersfield, CA = (did not compete)

11/7 Fri Ngt : Malicious @ San Bernardino, CA = *** WINNER *** (276 pts)

11/8 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ San Bernardino, CA = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

11/29 Sat Aft : Malicious @ Nipomo, CA = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

11/29 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Nipomo, CA = RunnerUp (158 pts)

3/6 Fri Ngt : Monster Trucks @ Winnemucca, NV = RunnerUp (180 pts)

3/7 Sat Ngt : Monster Trucks @ Winnemucca, NV = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

3/14 Sat Aft : Malicious @ Santa Maria, CA = (NO REPORT)

3/14 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Santa Maria, CA = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

3/15 Sun Aft : Malicious @ Santa Maria, CA = *** WINNER *** (228 pts)

3/28 Sat Aft : Malicious @ Bakersfield, CA = RunnerUp (180 pts)

3/28 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Bakersfield, CA = (did not compete)

4/18 Sat Aft : Malicious @ Roseville, CA = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

4/18 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Roseville, CA = *** WINNER *** (182 pts)

5/1 Fri Ngt : Malicious @ Petaluma, CA = *** WINNER *** (258 pts)

5/2 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Petaluma, CA = RunnerUp (172 pts)

5/9 Sat Aft : Malicious @ Stockton, CA = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

5/9 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Stockton, CA = *** WINNER *** (228 pts)

5/23 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Bremerton, WA = RunnerUp (194 pts)

5/24 Sun Ngt : Malicious @ Bremerton, WA = RunnerUp (178 pts)

7/17 Fri Ngt : Malicious @ Bremerton, WA = *** WINNER *** (327 pts)

7/18 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Bremerton, WA = *** WINNER *** (327 pts)

7/19 Sun Aft : Malicious @ Bremerton, WA = RunnerUp (218 pts)

8/9 Sun Aft : Malicious @ Crescent City, CA = *** WINNER *** (156 pts)

9/11 Fri Ngt : Malicious @ Petaluma, CA = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

9/12 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Petaluma, CA = RunnerUp (180 pts)

9/18 Fri Ngt : Malicious @ Chico, CA = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

9/19 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Chico, CA = *** WINNER *** (261 pts)

9/25 Fri Ngt : Malicious @ Placerville, CA = *** WINNER *** (270 pts)

9/26 Sat Ngt : Malicious @ Placerville, CA = *** WINNER *** (228 pts)