This Week in Monster Truck Racing - January 16-18, 2026

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

* Brandon Arthur gets substitute win in Saint Louis

** John Gordon ends Tyler Menninga’s winning streak

*** Jacob Ladwig strikes back on the All Star Tour

CURRENT STANDINGS and WEEKEND RESULTS (PDF): https://tinyurl.com/mtroc260121

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

===== WEEKEND RECAP FOR JANUARY 16^th – 18^th, 2026 =====

Lots of stories going on this weekend. Brandon Arthur filled in for Tristan England in Saint Louis and picked up the Saturday win against the tour regulars. In Anaheim, John Gordon beat Tyler Menninga not once but twice to end the Digger winning streak and also get Gordon his first racing win of the season.

The All Stars shut down reigning Insanity Tour champion Jacob Ladwig last weekend in Naples, but the westerner got revenge in Davie with his first tour win and a runner-up on Sunday. David Olfert won for the 3^rd time in 4 races on the Toughest Tour and just barely lost to Daron Basl in the Friday finals in a controversial call as electrical problems caused the video reply to glitch.

Blake Granger continued his dominance on the Arena West tour with 3 more wins. Rival Alex Bardin suffered a stuck throttle on Friday, resulting in a violent roll over. While he returned for racing the next day, his best finish would be runner-up. On the Central Tour, Weston Anderson picked off two more wins. He has won at least once in side-by-side racing in every city on tour.

We also saw Greg Winchenbach, Kaley Engstrom, and Devin Jones sweep their two race weekends, plus cameo wins from Alan Fenstermaker and Shane England with Monster Truck Wars!

Thank you to everyone who has helped us with reporting events this week: Nathan Winchenbach, Preston Perez, Mike Bevacqua, Pat Roy, Bryan Wagner, RJ Darrow, McKenzie Rae Lister, Jack Mcardle,  and everyone who posted videos and photos online especially YouTubers Hontas Campbell, Detector Aaron, Travel is cool, MonsterTruckinator TV!

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

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

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1 ) Coty Saucier - 3172/244.00 : 4+4=8 : 13/9

2 ) Camden Murphy - 2353/336.14 : 8+1=9 : 7/4

3 ) Blake Granger - 5407/180.23 : 1+10=11 : 30/13

4 ) Tyler Menninga - 2318/289.75 : 10+2=12 : 8/3

5 ) Jon Zimmer Jr - 3222/189.53 : 3+9=12 : 17/8

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6 ) Alex Bardin - 3319/174.68 : 2+11=13 : 19/6

7 ) Donald Epidendio - 2325/232.5 : 9+5=14 : 10/6

8 ) Weston Anderson - 2132/213.2 : 11+6=17 : 10/5

9 ) Bill Payne - 2856/168.00 : 6+12=18 : 17/6

10) Brandon Arthur - 3035/159.74 : 5+13=18 : 19/8

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11) Jimmy Creten - 1900/190.00 : 14+8=22 : 10/7

12) Zack Garner - 1482/211.71 : 17+7=24 : 7/0

13) David Olfert - 1284/256.8 : 26+3=29 : 5/3

14) Tim Hall Jr - 2747/119.43 : 7+24=31 : 23/5

15) Nick Jones - 1476/134.18 : 18+18=36 : 11/3

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16) Charlie Pauken - 2107/117.06 : 12+26=38 : 18/1

17) Bari Musawwir - 1286/142.89 : 25+15=40 : 9/0

18) Armando Castro - 2059/114.39 : 13+27=40 : 18/1

19) Colt Stephens - 1410/128.18 : 20+22=42 : 11/2

20) Kaley Engstrom - 1291/129.1 : 23+21=44 : 10/6

===== ANAHEIM, CA =====

1/17 Sat Ngt: COLE VENARD [Black Pearl] defeated Mikeal Christensen [Vendetta]

1/18 Sun Aft: JOHN GORDON [Megalodon] defeated Zack Garner [Wild Side]

After Tyler Menninga swept the racing in San Diego, John Gordon in Megalodon stepped up to the challenge and knocked Menninga out of racing both nights in the quarter-finals. Gordon won the Sunday afternoon race with wins over Ryan Anderson and Zack Garner, which is one of the hardest ways to race yourself to victory lane. He lost in the semi-finals on Saturday to Mike Christensen who raced in his first final round of the season. But it was Cole Venard in the Black Pearl taking the Saturday win with the fastest pass of the weekend at 16.606.   

===== ARCADIA, FL =====

1/17 Sat Aft: JIMMY CRETEN [Bounty Hunter] defeated Michael Vaters II [Overkill Evolution]

The 2X Tour multiplied this weekend with Jimmy and Dawn starting off on a second tour in Florida while the main crew raced in San Bernardino, California. Joining the Cretens were two trucks from the Vaters Monster Motorsports team and Nothing But Trouble, but none of them could keep pace with former Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion Jimmy Creten as he won for the 7^th time this season.

===== BALTIMORE, MD =====

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

===== CLEMSON, SC =====

1/17 Sat Aft: KALEY ENGSTROM [Shark Attack] defeated Brandon Pezo [Outlaw]

1/17 Sat Ngt: KALEY ENGSTROM [Shark Attack] defeated Brandon Pezo [Outlaw]

Kaley Engstrom swept the Monster Truck Wars weekend in Clemson with some close wins over Brandon Pezo.

===== DAVIE, FL =====

1/17 Sat Aft: JACOB LADWIG [Rat Attack] defeated Elliott Miller [High Tide]

1/18 Sun Aft: NICK PAGLIARULO [Kraken] defeated Jacob Ladwig [Rat Attack]

The All Star Tour continued their winter series with two sold out crowds in Davie, Florida. Jacob Ladwig was the dominate racing with the western Insanity Tour last season but got shutout of racing wins with the eastern All Stars during the season debut last week. But the Rat attacked in Davie, picking up a win and runner-up finish on the tight indoor Chicago-style track. The Monster Mashers point series moves to Brooksville, Florida next weekend.

===== DUNCAN, OK =====

1/17 Sat Aft: ALAN FENSTERMAKER [T-Rex] defeated Michael Harper [Outlaw]

1/17 Sat Ngt: SHANE ENGLAND [Shark Attack] defeated Alan Fenstermaker [T-Rex]

The Monster Truck Wars deployed a third touring group this weekend for the event in Duncan, Oklahoma, including tour owner Michael Harper back behind the wheel along with Shane England cameoing with Shark Attack. Alan Fenstermaker has raced with the Wars before and started the weekend with a win and added a runner-up later that night.

===== LEXINGTON, KY =====

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

===== MERCEDES, TX =====

1/17 Sat Aft: DEVIN JONES [T-Rex] defeated Jerry Furajter [Shark Attack]

1/17 Sat Ngt: DEVIN JONES [T-Rex] defeated Jerry Furajter [Shark Attack]

Devin Jones swept the weekend in Mercedes for the T-Rex team.

===== MUNICH, GERMANY =====

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

===== NASHVILLE, TN =====

1/17 Sat Aft: TONY OCHS [JCB DIGatron] defeated Fernando Martinez [El Toro Loco]

1/17 Sat Ngt: WESTON ANDERSON [Grave Digger] defeated Fernando Martinez [El Toro Loco]

1/18 Sun Aft: WESTON ANDERSON [Grave Digger] defeated Brianna Mahon [Ringling Bailey Circuit]

Weston Anderson has won at least once at every city on the Monster Jam Arena Central tour in side-by-side racing. In Nashville, he lost out on Saturday afternoon to Fernando Martinez who returned as a replacement for Classroom Crusher. Martinez and Anderson met up again in the night finals with Anderson taking the win this time to keep his city winning streak alive.

===== NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA =====

This Monster Truck Promotions event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== NYORA, AUSTRALIA =====

The Xuereb family brought their five trucks to Nyora Raceway and ran side-by-side grudge matches on a tight by extended Chicago-style track. The trucks started on the same side of the track perpendicular to the racing lanes. After hurdling a steep jump, they hard to make quick 90-degree turns into their Chicago-style racing lanes, and then returned back over the steep jump to the finish line.

===== RIO RANCHO, NM =====

1/16 Fri Ngt: DARON BASL [Block Head] defeated David Olfert [Dirt Crew Dozer]

1/17 Sat Aft: DAVID OLFERT [Dirt Crew Dozer] defeated Preston Collins [Jurassic Attack]

The Toughest Tour continued their winter season in Rio Rancho with more high flying Chicago-style racing. David Olfert lost out on a close call in the finals to Daron Basl. The call was slightly controversial as a technical problem caused the finish line camera to miss the call, so race officials had to find other sources to check the results. It was Olfert’s first racing loss on tour this season, and so far the only one as he came right back and won on Saturday.

===== SAINT LOUIS, MO =====

1/17 Sat Ngt: BRANDON ARTHUR [JCB DIGatron] defeated Jamie Sullivan [Sparkle Smash]

1/18 Sun Aft: CAMDEN MURPHY [Classroom Crusher] defeated Adam Anderson [Grave Digger]

The Monster Jam Stadium East series raced in the birthplace of monster trucks this weekend. Brandon Arthur was filling in for Tristan England in the JCB DIGatron truck and continued his impressive racing performance from the International Tour with wins over Grave Digger, Mayhem, ThunderROARus, and Sparkle Smash to steal a win from the tour regulars.

On Sunday, Arthur got back to the semi-finals but lost a narrow race to eventual winner Camden Murphy. The Classroom Crusher stormed around the final turn in a bicycle but never lifted and earned his 5^th final round of the season with the (then) fastest run of the weekend: an 18.054. The only faster run came from Colt Stephens in the very next race when he won with a 17.871 against Adam Anderson. But after the finish line the front pinion failed and put Stephens out of racing. 

===== SAN BERNARDINO, CA =====

1/17 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event

1/18 Sun Aft: We do not have results from this event

Unfortunately we missed out on the 2X Tour results again for this week. The Creten tour split up this weekend with Jimmy and Dawn racing in Florida while the rest of the team lead the event in California on another off-road style drag racing course.

===== SPRINGFIELD, MA =====

1/16 Fri Ngt: GREG WINCHENBACH [Crushstation] defeated Stanley Hernandez [Werewolf]

1/17 Sat Aft: GREG WINCHENBACH [Crushstation] defeated Zach Winchenbach [Lumberjack]

Greg Winchenbach dominated racing with the Monster X Tour in Springfield, taking both nights of the J-turn racing. While breakage kept some of the trucks out of competition, the Monsta Lobstah never missed for his first two wins of the season.

===== TACOMA, WA =====

1/16 Fri Ngt: BLAKE GRANGER [Monster Mutt Dalmatian] defeated Tim Hall Jr [Jurassic Attack]

1/17 Sat Aft: BLAKE GRANGER [Monster Mutt Dalmatian] defeated Tim Hall Jr [Jurassic Attack]

1/17 Sat Ngt: ARMANDO CASTRO [El Toro Loco] defeated Carson Williams [ThunderROARus]

1/18 Sun Aft: BLAKE GRANGER [Monster Mutt Dalmatian] defeated Alex Bardin [Earth Shaker]

1/18 Sun Ngt: TIM HALL JR [Jurassic Attack] defeated Armando Castro [El Toro Loco]

Blake Granger continued to be the top racer on the Arena West series with another 3 wins in Tacoma. With 13 wins, Granger now moves into 3^rd place in the Open Championship standings. Alex Bardin was running strong on Friday night but suffered a stuck throttle after his first round win over Velociraptor, forcing Bardin to upset the truck to prevent a disastrous situation. The damage kept him out of racing for Friday and broke his 2 week streak for wins. 

Armando Castro and Tim Hall Jr each grabbed their first Series wins.

===== UNIONDALE, NY =====

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

===== VICTORIA, BC =====

1/17 Sat Aft: DALLAS GLENN-ROGERS [Spitfire] defeated Bill Payne [Rock Star]

1/17 Sat Ngt: We do not have results from this event

1/18 Sun Aft: We do not have results from this event

The RAM Motorsports Spectacular had three big crowds in Victoria for another week of J-turn racing. We were told that Bill Payne won the latter two events but we are still missing the brackets. We do know that Dallas Glenn-Rogers took the first race, though, grabbing his first win of the season.

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

Batesville, MS (SC Monster Truck Madness Day of Destruction)

Bossier City, LA (Kicker Monster Truck Nationals)

Brooksville, FL (All Star Monster Truck Tour)

Cedar Rapids, IA (Monster X Tour)

Gosford, Australia (Mayhem Thrills and Stunt Show)

Hoffman Estates, IL (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event)

Kellyville, OK (No Limits! Monster Truck Nationals)

New Iberia, LA (Monster Truck Wars)

Newark, NJ (Monster Jam Arena Series Central)

Perry, GA (Monster Truck Wars)

Perth, Australia (Monster Trucks Unleashed)

Sacramento, CA (Monster Jam Arena Series West)

San Antonio, TX (Monster Jam Stadium Series East)

San Bernardino, CA (2X Monster Trucks Live)

San Diego, CA (Monster Jam Stadium Series West)

Sioux Falls, SD (Toughest Monster Truck Tour)

Victorville, CA (Monster Truck Insanity Tour)

Washington, DC (Monster Jam Arena Series East)