This Week in Monster Truck Racing - August 20-27, 2025

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

* Tristan versus Tyler for the championship

** Emotional win for Stomper team in Salem

*** Jim Koehler makes it count in Edmonton

CURRENT STANDINGS and WEEKEND RESULTS (PDF): https://tinyurl.com/mtroc250828

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

===== WEEKEND RECAP FOR AUGUST 20^th – 27^th, 2025 =====

Before getting into the racing news, we would like to express our sadness at the loss of Joe Nichter who passed away from cancer early on Saturday morning. The Stomper team, which was formerly piloted by Nichter, went on to win the Full Throttle Figure-8 racing over Bigfoot later that evening. We extend out condolences to the Nicther family and friends.

We have only ONE MONTH left in the 2025 Open Championship! Remember that our season runs October through September. This month is going to be wild as both Tristan England and Tyler Menninga had 6 events left on their schedule and they are neck-and-neck for the Open Championship. Plus, they’ll be running all six events head-to-head as they travel from Oakland, California to Calgary, Alberta, before ending at the dome in Saint Louis, Missouri for a race that might decide the world champion!

Current World #1 Coty Saucier still holds the points lead for this week, but he does not have any remaining events (to our knowledge) this month and so it looks almost certain that both Tristan and Tyler will pass him in the rankings. While neither of them can match Saucier’s 13138, that’s fine, because it’s the relative ranking (and not absolute points) that determine the placing.

Saucier is placed 1^st in Points (13138) and 5^th in Average (208.54) giving him a score of 1 + 5 = 6.

Tristan is placed 5^th in Points (9735) and 2^nd in Average (237.44) giving him a score of 5 + 2 = 7.

Tyler is placed 4^th in points (10164) and 3^rd in Average (231.00) giving him a score of 5 + 2 = 7. The Average Points is the first tie breaker so Tristan gets ranked ahead of Tyler.

To pass Coty, Tristan and Tyler just need to get their score down to 6 since they’ll win the Average Points tie-breaker with Coty. The easiest way to do that is by getting a higher Total Points ranking. The next in line is Triton Robbins who is ranked 3^rd in points (10199). He is currently 35 points ahead of Tyler and 464 points ahead of Tristan. If Tyler gets ahead of Triton but Tristan does not, then Tyler will be the #1 rank. If Tristan can get ahead of Triton, too, then he’ll take the #1 rank.

The Oakland events will be worth 369 points each night for a weekend total of 1107 (assuming they do bracket racing and not timed trials). The Calgary events will be worth 339 points each night for a weekend total of 678. The Saint Louis Dome event will be worth 508. That’s a potential six-race total of 2293 points!

It’s worth point out that OTHER drivers can still play a role in this. Jon Zimmer Jr is only 10 points behind Tristan England and he’ll be racing at the Saint Louis event. If he gets head of Tristan, then that’ll knock the DIGatron driver down in score. Weston Anderson has the 2^nd most points and also a solid September schedule which could see him playing spoiler. We’ve also got guys like Bill Payne and Dalton Widner on the outside who—with a stellar racing performance this month—could earn enough points to cause some chaos.

Our biggest improver this weekend was Jim Koehler who—despite having to settle for runner-up three times in a row—gained a big swath of points and jumped up 9 spots in the rankings.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us with reporting events this week: Preston Perez, Connor McNeil, Ricky Fowler, Andrew Thornton, Byron Cadigan, Nick Jones, Josh Baumgartner, Monster Truck Insanity Tour, Ryan Robinson, Kory Kinal, Nate Bay, Bryan Wagner, John Brown, J.r. Rouse, Travis Sewilo, Athena Kozel, Steven Thompson Jr, Kirk Nagy, Phil Vicinanza, and everyone who posted videos and photos online!

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

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

-----------------------------------------------------------

1 ) Coty Saucier - 13138/208.54 : 1+5=6 : 63/29

2 ) Tristan England - 9735/237.44 : 5+2=7 : 41/12

3 ) Tyler Menninga - 10164/231.00 : 4+3=7 : 44/15

4 ) Ryan Anderson - 8110/261.61 : 10+1=11 : 31/12

5 ) Triton Robbins - 10199/178.93 : 3+9=12 : 57/24

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6 ) Weston Anderson - 11405/178.2 : 2+10=12 : 64/22

7 ) Dalton Widner - 9193/199.85 : 8+7=15 : 46/14

8 ) Jon Zimmer Jr - 9725/154.37 : 6+12=18 : 63/16

9 ) Camden Murphy - 7565/184.51 : 11+8=19 : 41/6

10) Bari Musawwir - 6698/202.97 : 14+6=20 : 33/4

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11) Bill Payne - 9463/147.86 : 7+13=20 : 64/27

12) Blake Granger - 6676/166.9 : 15+11=26 : 40/17

13) Bryce Kenny - 4946/224.82 : 26+4=30 : 22/3

14) Jimmy Creten - 7372/134.04 : 12+18=30 : 55/34

15) Armando Castro - 6146/146.33 : 17+14=31 : 42/2

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16) Zack Garner - 5859/127.37 : 19+20=39 : 46/7

17) Rob Poutre - 5006/143.03 : 25+16=41 : 35/25

18) Colt Stephens - 5265/142.3 : 24+17=41 : 37/3

19) Devin Winfield - 8854/104.16 : 9+33=42 : 85/9

20) Daron Basl - 5435/126.4 : 22+21=43 : 43/13

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

+9 – Jim Koehler (Avenger) – 51^st

+8 – Marvin Anderson (Identity Theft) – 43^rd

+6 – Michael Vaters I (Black Stallion) – 85^th

+5 – David Olfert (Dirt Crew) – 40^th 

+4 – Devin Jones (T-Rex) – 33^rd 

+4 – Chris Koehler (Mayhame) – 49^th 

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

67^th – Brandon Swick (Next Level Tour)

77^th – Bryant Rogers (Relentless)

===== BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA =====

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

===== CARP, ON =====

Ryan Como and Mike Worsley met in the final round both times with the All Out Tour in Carp with each taking one win. Since the racing was not contested in a bracket, however, we’re not able to award points for this one.

===== CIUDAD MERLIOT, EL SALVADOR =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: BYRON CADIGAN [Bear Foot] defeated Paul Craighead [USA-1]

8/23 Sat Ngt: PAUL CRAIGHEAD [USA-1] defeated Byron Cadigan [Bear Foot]

8/24 Sun Ngt: BYRON CADIGAN [Bear Foot] defeated Paul Craighead [USA-1]

Byron Cadigan and Paul Craighead continued their rivalry in Central America with three more finals rounds against each other. Cadigan gets two out of three.

===== DUBUQUE, IA =====

8/23 Sat Aft: DAWN CRETEN [Scarlet Bandit] defeated Jimmy Creten [Bounty Hunter]

Dawn Creten picked up her 2^nd win of the season in Dubuque, ending a three-race winning streak for Jimmy Creten.

===== EAGLE, CO =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: RICKY FOWLER [Gunslinger] defeated Rob Poutre [Texas Outlaw]

8/23 Sat Ngt: ROB POUTRE [Texas Outlaw] defeated Colton Fowler [Lethal Injection]

Rob Poutre got back behind the wheel for the first time since May and added two more final round appearances to his total for the season. Texas Outlaw is the 6^th truck he has driven this season. Ricky Fowler took Gunslinger into victory lane on the first night but was out on Saturday with a blown engine. His son Colton advanced to his first career final round after beating Caden Morris in the Equalizer.

===== EDMONTON, AB =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: DARON BASL [Block Head] defeated Jim Koehler [Avenger]

8/23 Sat Ngt: CHRIS KOEHLER [Mayhem] defeated Jim Koehler [Avenger]

8/24 Sun Aft: DAVID OLFERT [Dirt Crew] defeated Jim Koehler [Avenger]

Throwdown ran a tight S-course up in Edmonton as four American and four Canadian trucks squared off over three days. Jim Koehler gained 9 spots in the rankings (the most this weekend) by making the final round every time. Unfortunately, he came up short each time with Daron Basl, Chris Koehler, and David Olfert taking the racing wins.

===== ESSEX JUNCTION, VT =====

This KSR Motorsports event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== GLEN ROSE, TX =====

8/23 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event

8/23 Sat Ngt: DEVIN JONES [T-Rex] defeated Colten Budd [Hot Shot]

No report from the afternoon in Glen Rose, but it was Devin Jones taking the night cap as the Monster Truck Wars continues their fall schedule.

===== GRAY, TN =====

8/20 Wed Ngt: MICHAEL VATERS I [Black Stallion] defeated RJ Turner [War Wizard]

8/21 Thu Ngt: MICHAEL VATERS I [Black Stallion] defeated Ryan Robinson [Iron Warrior]

Mike Vaters Sr had the old Black Stallion running in peak condition this weekend at the Monster Trucks Unleashed event in Gray, Tennessee. He swept the racing weekend against tough young competition and earned his first back-to-back wins since Asheville, North Carolina in March 2022.

===== HOMEDALE, ID =====

8/23 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event

8/23 Sat Ngt: We do not have results from this event

Monster Truck Wars were in Homedale but we don’t have any results from this one.

===== HOUGHTON, MI =====

8/23 Sat Ngt: JON KOEHLER [Brutus] defeated Kylie Kent [Frostbite]

Jon Koehler wins the Chicago-style racing in Hougton, Michigan. He beat Kylie Kent twice as she returned for the final round when Joe Foley in Avenger was unable to return following his win over Haymaker in round one.

===== HUDSONVILLE, MI =====

8/23 Sat Ngt: ATHENA KOZEL [Lil' Miss Dangerous] defeated Bryant Rogers [Relentless]

Athena Kozel used the fast loser spot to return to the 6-truck bracket in Hudsonville and went on to beat Hoosier Daddy and Relentless for her 3^rd win of the season. Bryant Rogers in Relentless was in his 11^th final round in 20 races and joins the world rankings in 77^th.

===== JACKSON, MS =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: ALLEN PEZO [Pouncer] defeated Brandon Pezo [Predator]

8/23 Sat Ngt: DILLON FENLEY [Crazy Heifer] defeated Johnny Davenport [Ghost Ryder]

Everybody got a chance in the finals with the Monster Trucks Maniac tour in Jackson. Saturday night’s bouts featured a photo finish each round with the big cats losing out by a whisker and Dillon Fenley in the Crazy Heifer coming home with his 13^th win in only 16 events this season.

===== KALLANG, SIGNAPORE =====

8/23 Sat Ngt: BRANDON ARTHUR [JCB DIGaton] defeated Blake Granger [Megalodon]

Brandon Arthur has had previous success abroad and scored another win for Team JCB DIGatron, winning the solo race in Signapore.

===== LEBANON, TN =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: We do not have results from this event

8/23 Sat Ngt: MICHAEL HARPER [Outlaw] defeated Ed Eckert [Full Boar]

No report from the afternoon, but Michael Harper was back behind the wheel of his old Outlaw truck and he won racing over fellow veteran Ed Eckert in the Full Boar.

===== LOS ANGELES, CA =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: TRISTAN ENGLAND [JCB DIGaton] defeated Tyler Menninga [Grave Digger]

8/23 Sat Aft: CAMDEN MURPHY [Classroom Crusher] defeated Kayla Blood [Sparkle Smash]

8/23 Sat Ngt: TYLER MENNINGA [Grave Digger] defeated Camden Murphy [Classroom Crusher]

8/24 Sun Aft: TYLER MENNINGA [Grave Digger] defeated Tristan England [JCB DIGaton]

8/24 Sun Ngt: TRISTAN ENGLAND [JCB DIGaton] defeated Tyler Menninga [Grave Digger]

A hugely consequential weekend in Los Angeles as Tristan England and Tyler Menninga met in the final round 3 times and each have moved within striking distance of the 2025 Open Championship. England took 2 of 3 from Menninga and leads the former 3-time Open Champion in the rankings by a slim margin.

These two are undoubtedly the ones to watch during this final month of the season. With several tour stops left and stellar competition to race against, they theoretically have more than enough opportunity to pass Coty Saucier for the first place, AND they’ll be racing against each other head-to-head. The only question is: which tour stops are doing bracket racing and which ones will run timed trials? They have 3 events in Oakland, California; 2 events in Calgary, Alberta; plus a dome event in Saint Louis that might end up being the race for the world championship!

===== MONROE, WA =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Gavin Sell [Reverse Racer]

8/23 Sat Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Nick Jones [Spitfire]

8/24 Sun Aft: MARVIN ANDERSON [Identity Theft] defeated Bill Payne [Rock Star]

Bill Payne has the third most wins this season with 27, behind current World #1 Coty Saucier (29) and Jimmy Creten (34). Bill won twice on the asphalt Chicago-style track at the famous Evergreen Speedway in Monroe. Marvin Anderson was the only man who could beat the Rock Star and he gained 8 spots in the rankings with that win, moving him up to 43^rd.

===== PETOSKEY, MI =====

8/21 Thu Ngt: We do not have results from this event

8/22 Fri Ngt: We do not have results from this event

We know Brett Falvey won both nights in Petoskey but we don’t know enough about the rest of the field to award points. If you have more info on these Throwdown events, please share!

===== PHILADELPHIA, PA =====

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

===== PINEVILLE, KY =====

This Monster Truck Bash event did not meet the minimum of 4 trucks scheduled to compete

===== POWELL, WY =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: JOSH BAUMGARTNER [Bigfoot] defeated Justin Elliott [Controlled Khaos]

8/23 Sat Ngt: JOSH BAUMGARTNER [Bigfoot] defeated Brandon Swick [Next Level Tour]

Josh Baumgartner gives Team Bigfoot two more wins on the Insanity Tour and extends his winning streak to 3 races. He has 5 wins in the last 6 races which is his best streak of the season.

===== QUARRYVILLE, PA =====

8/23 Sat Ngt: NICK PAGLIARULO [Kraken] defeated Ceejay Rettew [Stinger Unleashed]

MTROC staff was on hand for the back-to-school races at The Buck Motorsports Park south of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was a two-jump drag racing track this time around and Nick Pagliarulo had the field covered from the word “go”. He easily outpaced Toxic in the first round, recovered a loose-handling truck in no-man’s land to beat his brother in Excaliber in the semis, and then had an easy win in the finals as Stinger Unleashed roasted the transmission on the starting line.

===== ROCHESTER, PA =====

This Monster Truck Bash event did not meet the minimum of 4 trucks scheduled to compete

===== ROLLA, MO =====

8/23 Sat Aft: JARED SMITH [Maximus] defeated Tripp Jones [Smashosaurus]

8/23 Sat Ngt: JARED SMITH [Maximus] defeated Tommy Varilone [Dirt Crew]

Jared Smith won 3 of the 5 brackets he raced in this month including both wins with the All Stars in Rolla, Missouri this weekend. That moves him up 2 spots and also gives him 50 recorded brackets this year.

===== SALEM, IN =====

8/23 Sat Ngt: DALTON VANSKYOCK [Stomper] defeated Roger Gauger [Bigfoot]

The monster truck community was saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Joe Nichtner to cancer early on Saturday morning. In a fitting memorial, the Stomper team driven by Dalton VanSkyock rallied for the racing win on the Figure-8 track in Salem, Indiana later that night.

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

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

===== TRUMANSBURG, NY =====

This Trumansburg Fair event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== WATFORD CITY, ND =====

8/22 Fri Ngt: TIM HALL JR [Jurassic Attack] defeated Dalton Widner [Shell Shocked]

8/23 Sat Ngt: DALTON WIDNER [Shell Shocked] defeated Tim Hall Jr [Jurassic Attack]

The Team Throttle Monster Militia Tour ran two big events in Watford City that included some great drivers, but each night it was Tim Hall Jr and Dalton Widner meeting up in the finals. They split this short series with one win each, and their season series is tied at 3-3, too.

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

Black Creek, BC (Malicious Monster Truck Tour)

Chilton, WI (All Star Monster Truck Tour)

Ed, Sweden (Monsterrace)

Gilbert, PA (Renegade Monster Truck Tour)

Granbury, TX (Monster Trucks Maniac)

Morris, IL (2X Monster Trucks Live)

Nashville, TN (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow Party Arena Event)

Niota, TN (Legends of Monster Trucks)

Ontario, CA (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow Party Arena Event)

Palmer, AK (All Star Monster Truck Tour)

Paris, ON (Edge Motorsports)

Phillipsburg, NJ (Renegade Monster Truck Tour)

Pueblo, CO (Toughest Monster Truck Tour)

Salem, OR (WGAS Motorsports)

San Jose, CA (Monster Jam Freestyle Mania)

Savannah, GA (Monster Jam Arena Series)

Shediac, NB (Centre for Speed)

Sweetwater, TN (Legends of Monster Trucks)

Twin Falls, ID (Monster Truck Insanity Tour)

Van Wert, OH (Full Throttle Monster Trucks)