This Week in Monster Truck Racing - August 12-18, 2026

=== This Week in Monster Truck Racing ===

* Jon Zimmer Jr wins in Armada and maintains #1 ranking

** Three drivers earn first career wins

*** Brandon Gallie sweeps in Santa Rosa

CURRENT STANDINGS and WEEKEND RESULTS (PDF): https://tinyurl.com/mtroc260818

BLOG POST RECAP: https://www.mtroc.com/blog

===== WEEKEND RECAP FOR AUGUST 12^th – 18^th, 2026 =====

Just before printing, current World #1 Jon Zimmer Jr won his industry-leading 29^th bracket of the season and crossed over the 14,000 points threshold. He is only the third driver (along with Tyler Menninga and Derick Anson) to reach that mark.

Zimmer is pretty much locked in to his 1^st place in Total Points and 6^th place in Average Points as it would be difficult to make moves in either direction this late in the season; so his championship run will not mostly depend in whether Tyler Menninga can gain enough points to gain one more spot in Total Points. Menninga is 861 points behind Coty Saucier, but only 54 points ahead of Triton Robbins, who is now sitting in the spoiler seat for Menninga’s shot at the championship. As a reminder, our 2026 Open Championship season ends at the end of September.

Ryan Caputo, Brandon Behan, and Brittney Aimes all earned their first career racing wins this weekend. Preston Perez, Camden Murphy, and Devin Winfield all picked up wins but in trucks we usually do not see them driving. We also saw successful weekends from Brandon Gallie, Devin Jones, Bill Payne, and Jeremiah Paras who all earned multiple wins.

There have been over 260 events in the past 5 weeks, which means we’ve averaged more than 50 events each weekend for over a month! That is a LOT of events and we would not have been able to keep track of them all with your help!

Thank you to everyone who has helped us with reporting events this week: Phil Vicinanza, Brandon Gallie, Tim Howard, Bryan Wagner, Mike Christensen, Brett Mason, Mark Werner, Kaedon Berry, Pat Paquet, Kirk Nagy, Bryan Anger, and everyone who posted videos and photos online!

===== CURRENT STANDINGS =====

RANK : DRIVER : PTS/AVG : SCORE : RACES/WINS

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1 ) Jon Zimmer Jr - 14048/195.11 : 1+6=7 : 72/29

2 ) Tyler Menninga - 8793/293.1 : 7+1=8 : 30/14

3 ) Coty Saucier - 9654/205.4 : 6+5=11 : 47/18

4 ) Bill Payne - 9804/175.07 : 4+11=15 : 56/28

5 ) Donald Epidendio - 6233/230.85 : 16+2=18 : 27/17

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6 ) Blake Granger - 11411/158.49 : 3+15=18 : 72/23

7 ) David Olfert - 6877/180.97 : 12+9=21 : 38/19

8 ) Alex Bardin - 11977/140.91 : 2+20=22 : 85/21

9 ) Ryan Anderson - 5841/224.65 : 20+3=23 : 26/5

10) Camden Murphy - 5884/217.93 : 19+4=23 : 27/10

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11) Armando Castro - 9695/142.57 : 5+19=24 : 68/20

12) Adam Anderson - 5969/186.53 : 18+7=25 : 32/7

13) Tristan England - 5989/181.48 : 17+8=25 : 33/5

14) Weston Anderson - 6683/163.00 : 13+14=27 : 41/15

15) Triton Robbins - 8739/138.71 : 8+21=29 : 63/9

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16) Zack Garner - 5811/176.09 : 21+10=31 : 33/4

17) Dalton Widner - 6289/157.23 : 15+16=31 : 40/5

18) Montana Robbins - 7925/123.83 : 9+23=32 : 64/12

19) Jimmy Creten - 5691/172.45 : 22+12=34 : 33/21

20) Colt Stephens - 5283/170.42 : 23+13=36 : 31/7

===== BIGGEST IMPROVEMENTS =====

+12 - Brianna Mahon (Ringling Bailey Circuit) – 63^rd

+7 - Jeremiah Paras (Brutal) – 75^th 

+5 - Tim Jones (Tail Gator) – 94^th 

+4 - Camden Murphy (Classroom Crusher) – 10^th 

+4 - Michael Vaters II (Overkill Evolution) – 47^th

+4 - MJ Solorio (El Toro Loco) – 56^th 

===== NEWLY RANKED =====

No newly ranked drivers this week, but here are the drivers who are close to the 20 race minimum for this season, which ends at the end of September:

19 reported races: Jon Koehler, Cole Venard, Mike Worsley

18 reported races: Kurt Kraehmer, Austin Minton

17 reported races: Jason Court, Perry Como, Tripp Jones, Geneva Keller, Jared Vogel, Chris Whatley              

16 reported races: Kreg Christensen, Jerrod Compton, Jordan Fisher,  Peter Nyman, Mason Rife, Cory Snyder, Rod Schmidt, JR Seasock

15 reported races: Aaron Basl, Byron Cadigan, Daniel Donnelly, Gabe Montoya, David Tucker

===== AFTON, NY =====

8/13 Thu Ngt: MICHAEL VATERS I [Black Stallion] defeated Kyle Seasock [Iron Warrior]

8/14 Fri Ngt: MICHAEL VATERS II [Overkill Evolution] defeated Michael Vaters I [Black Stallion]

Michael Vaters picked up his 4^th win of the season on Thursday night in Afton. Friday night saw Mikey Vaters return from a blown engine the night before to secure his 10^th win of the season and gain 4 spots in the rankings.  

===== ARMADA, MI =====

8/18 Tue Ngt: JON ZIMMER JR [Terminal Velocity] defeated Jon Zimmer Sr [Uproar]

Jon Zimmer Jr met his father on track for the 30^th time this season and won for the 23^rd time as he picked up his 29^th win and maintains his top ranking the Open Championship.

===== CROTON, OH =====

8/12 Wed Ngt: PRESTON PÉREZ [Geronimo] defeated JR Seasock [Play'n' Hookie]

Preston Perez got a cameo appearance in Geronimo and drove the truck to his 10^th win of the season. This is now the 4^th consecutive season that Perez has recorded 10 wins.

===== CURITIBA, BRAZIL =====

This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== DRAPER, UT =====

8/14 Fri Ngt: PAUL JENSEN [Jurassic Attack] defeated Preston Collins [Shell Shock'ed]

8/15 Sat Ngt: MIKEAL CHRISTENSEN [Vendetta] defeated Preston Collins [Shell Shock'ed]

Preston Collins raced in his 3^rd consecutive final round with Team Throttle Monster in Draper, Utah, but he came up against the two patriarchs of the team in Paul Jensen and Mike Christensen and experience won out this time. For Christensen is was his 5^th win of the season. For Jensen, it was his first race since September of last year and gave him technically a 4-race winning streak until his first round loss to Collins on Saturday.

===== GRASS VALLEY, CA =====

8/14 Fri Ngt: TRAVIS GROTH [The Veteran] defeated Devin Winfield [Monster Moose]

8/15 Sat Ngt: DEVIN WINFIELD [Monster Moose] defeated Caden Morris [Dragon Slayer]

The All Star Tour was in Grass Valley and saw some unique driver-truck combinations as Devin Winfield took the wheel of Monster Moose and Jonathan Elkins drove Mechanical Mischief. Winfield was able to take the Moose into the finals both nights and picked up the win on Saturday night, his first win since August of last year with Monster Jam. Travis Groth won the Friday night race, giving him 11 wins this season.

===== HARTFORD, CT =====

This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== HONESDALE, PA =====

8/15 Sat Ngt: RYAN CAPUTO [The Ripper] defeated Michael Cole [Nothing But Trouble]

Ryan Caputo picked up his first career racing win with full-throttle passes on the two-jump drag track in Honesdale. He posted wins over Nothing But Trouble and Play’n Hookie to earn his first trip into the final rounds where he beat Michael Cole in Nothing But Trouble for the second time that night.

===== KALISPELL, MT =====

8/16 Sun Aft: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated John Bruce [Identity Theft]

8/16 Sun Ngt: GAVIN SELL [Mixed Up] defeated Joe Briggs [Elbows Up]

The afternoon bracket in Kalispell got a little wild due to breakage and some miscommunication on staging, but it all came together by the end with Bill Payne taking his 28^th win of the season. Later that night, Payne lost out to Dave Smith in Maniac in the first round, opening the door for the rest of the field to take the checkers. Gavin Sell rose to the occasion to beat Spitfire and Elbows Up and win for the 4^th time this season.

===== LAS CRUCES, NM =====

8/15 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event

8/15 Sat Ngt: COLTON FOWLER [T-Rex] defeated Justin Murphy [Loco Motive]

We’re not sure what happened in the afternoon at the Dona Ana Fairgrounds, but in the evening it was Colton Fowler taking the Monster Truck Wars win over Justin Murphy. This weekend also saw Gabe Montoya debut his version of the Outlaw truck.

===== NEWARK, NJ =====

8/14 Fri Ngt: CAMDEN MURPHY [Sparkle Smash] defeated Montana Robbins [Plane Krazy]

8/15 Sat Aft: MONTANA ROBBINS [Plane Krazy] defeated Jim Koehler [Avenger]

8/15 Sat Ngt: TYLER MENNINGA [Grave Digger] defeated Jim Koehler [Avenger]

8/16 Sun Aft: FERNANDO MARTINEZ [El Toro Loco] defeated Tyler Menninga [Grave Digger]

Camden Murphy returns to the Top Ten after a cameo win on Friday night in Newark where he drove the popular Sparkle Smash truck to the championship. Jamie Sullivan returned to the seat for the rest of the weekend, but could not get the unicorn back to the finals. Montana Robbins continued his strong late-season performance with another win and runner-up finish. Jim Koehler posted two runner-up finishes.

More importantly for the rankings, Tyler Menninga had a win and runner-up finishes, but also a semi-final round loss on Saturday and was out of racing on Friday with breakage. He needs around 860 points to catch Coty Saucier in Total Points which would put Menninga into the #1 ranking. But his performance this weekend also has him 54 points ahead of Triton Robbins, who could spoil the championship for Menninga if he can get ahead of Tyler in Total Points. Triton only raced one time this weekend, with former Krazy Train driver Aaron Cromer taking over the rest of the weekend.

===== PRINCE ALBERT, SK =====

8/15 Sat Aft: JASON COURT [Roughneck] defeated Jared Vogel [Crude Behavior]

8/16 Sun Aft: BRANDON BEHAN [Train Wreck] defeated Jason Court [Roughneck]

The RAM Monster & Mayhem tour brought 5 top Canadian trucks to Saskatchewan for two days of U-turn racing. On Saturday, Jason Court came back as fast loser and used a long, high-speed turn to outpace the competition and pick up 3^rd win of the season. On Sunday, rookie Brandon Behan met Court’s long high-speed turn with a tight spin around the turning pole, and that gave him enough of an edge to hold off the hard-charging Roughneck and pick up his first career racing win.

===== PUEBLO, CO =====

8/15 Sat Aft: JEREMIAH PARAS [King Sling] defeated Kory Kinal [Jekyll & Hyde]

8/15 Sat Ngt: JEREMIAH PARAS [King Sling] defeated Kory Kinal [Jekyll & Hyde]

Jeremiah Paras beat Kory Kinal in both finals with the 2X Live Tour in Pueblo, giving him his first win since May in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He gained 7 spots in the rankings this weekend courtesy of those two wins.

===== RIDGEFIELD, WA =====

8/13 Thu Aft: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Nick Jones [Spitfire]

8/13 Thu Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Nick Jones [Spitfire]

8/14 Fri Aft: We do not have results from this event

8/14 Fri Ngt: NICK JONES [Spitfire] defeated Joe Briggs [Elbows Up]

The Malicious Tour was very busy this weekend with 4 events over 2 days in Clark County, Washington, followed by a trip to Kalispell, Montana for two more. In Clark County, we recorded two more wins for Bill Payne and 1 more for Nick Jones on a challenging SoCal style track. The three final round appearances from Jones moved him up 3 spots into the Top 25.

===== RIVERHEAD, NY =====

8/15 Sat Mrn: BRITTNEY AIMES [Crime Time] defeated Joe Jenkins [Killer Bee]

8/15 Sat Ngt: BRANDON DERROW [Bad News Travels Fast] defeated Steven Thompson [Hurricane Force]

KSR Motorsports once again went racing at Riverhead Raceway and gave us a big surprise as Brittney Aimes raced past top racers Steven Thompson and Brandon Derrow to earn her first ever Open Championship victory! For the night cap race, Derrow and Thompson picked up the pace and were back in the finals with Derrow taking the win. He is 2-0 against Thompson this season.

===== ROSENBERG, TX =====

8/15 Sat Aft: DEVIN JONES [T-Rex] defeated Kaley Engstrom [Shark Attack]

8/15 Sat Ngt: DEVIN JONES [T-Rex] defeated Kaley Engstrom [Shark Attack]

Devin Jones swept the Monster Truck Wars racing weekend in Rosenberg as that tour returns for some late season racing. That gives him 20 wins in 51 races this season.

===== SACRAMENTO, CA =====

8/15 Sat Aft: ALEX BARDIN [Earth Shaker] defeated Tim Hall Jr [Jurassic Attack]

8/15 Sat Ngt: ALEX BARDIN [Earth Shaker] defeated Carson Williams [ThunderROARus]

8/16 Sun Aft: MJ SOLORIO [El Toro Loco] defeated Brianna Mahon [Ringling Bailey Circuit]

Breakage during introductions on Sunday kept Alex Bardin from attempting the three-race sweep in Sacramento. That ends a 7-race final round streak for Bardin, who is now up to 8^th in the Open Championship and is one of only 2 drivers with more than 80 brackets this season. The other driver is Tim Hall Jr, who was runner-up on Saturday afternoon. MJ Solorio won on Sunday and gained 4 spots in the rankings, while Brianna Mahon’s 2 semi-final round appearances and runner-up on Sunday helped her gain 12 spots in the rankings, which was the best improvement this week.

===== SAN FRANCISCO, CA =====

This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== SANTA ROSA, CA =====

8/13 Thu Ngt: BRANDON GALLIE [Enforcer] defeated Eric Swanson [Obsessed]

8/14 Fri Ngt: BRANDON GALLIE [Enforcer] defeated Ryan Fraser [Survivor]

8/15 Sat Ngt: BRANDON GALLIE [Enforcer] defeated Eric Swanson [Obsessed]

Brandon Gallie won all three times in Santa Rosa at the Sonoma County Fair, helped by one fast loser berth and replacing a broken Pretty Obsessed on Friday night. Eric Swanson was runner-up twice and was eliminated by Gallie in all three events. Ryan Fraser got his chance in the finals on Friday when Tony Canedo’s Play’n For Keeps could not return.

===== SPRINGDALE, AR =====

8/15 Sat Ngt: AARON BASL [Night Life] defeated Mark Hall [Raminator]

It was a photo finish with Crush Zone in Springdale but Aaron Basl edged out Mark Hall for the win on the Chicago-style track.

===== SWANSBORO, NC =====

8/15 Sat Aft: NO POINTS; This event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

8/15 Sat Ngt: CEEJAY RETTEW [Stinger Unleashed] defeated RJ Turner [War Wizard]

No racing from the Renegade Tour on Saturday afternoon in Swansboro, but the trucks did line-up for drag racing on Saturday night and it was Ceejay Rettew taking the win over RJ Turner. This weekend also saw young Garrett Rettew make his full-size truck debut behind the wheel of Shredder.

===== TAMPA, FL =====

This Monster Jam Arena Series event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== TILLSONBURG, ON =====

This Edge Motorsports Monster Madness event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== URBANA, OH =====

8/13 Thu Ngt: ROGER GAUGER [Bigfoot] defeated Colton Kiser [American Scout]

Last but not least for this weekend, Roger Gauger gained another win on the Full Throttle Tour and now has 7 wins in the last 10 races. He gained 1 spot to move up to 52^nd, which is right behind Bigfoot teammate Josh Baumgartner.

===== EVENTS THIS WEEKEND =====

Albuquerque, NM (Monster Truck Wars)

Ann Arbor, MI (Monster Truck Wars)

Bakersfield, CA (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event)

Black Creek, BC (Malicious Monster Truck Tour)

Columbus, OH (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event)

Dubuque, IA (2X Monster Trucks Live)

Edmonton, AB (Monster Truck Throwdown)

Erin, ON (Monster Madness & FMX World Tour)

Fresno, CA (Monster Jam Arena Summer Series)

Greensburg, PA (Monster Truck Show)

Lancaster, WI (All Star Monster Truck Tour)

North Platte, NE (Monster Trucks Maniac)

Pocomoke City, MD (Renegade Monster Truck Tour)

São Paulo, Brazil (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event International)

Springfield, IL (Monsters of Destruction)

Sunrise, FL (Monster Jam Arena Series)

Trumansburg, NY (Monster Truck Show)

Vernal, UT (All Star Monster Truck Tour)