This Week in Monster Truck Racing - July 13-22, 2026

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

* Jon Zimmer Jr takes over first place

** Alex Bardin loads up with 3 wins in Los Angeles

*** Jacob Ladwig up 10 spots after win in Warsaw

CURRENT STANDINGS and WEEKEND RESULTS (PDF): https://tinyurl.com/mtroc260723

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

===== WEEKEND RECAP FOR JULY 13^th – 22^nd, 2026 =====

Fifty-four events this weekend made this the busiest weekend of the summer and 2^nd busiest all year! And the racing brought about some big changes in the Open Championship standings. The biggest news is that Jon Zimmer Jr has taken over the #1 rank! Zimmer has never been below 5^th this season but this is the first time we’ve seen him at the top. Last week he and Tyler Menninga were tied for first, but Tyler got the spot by having a better Average. In Lamar, Missouri this weekend, Zimmer actually lost a big in his Average, but benefitted from David Olfert’s first round loss that dropped Olfert slightly below Zimmer in Average. That tiny bump was enough to give Zimmer the edge he needed to take over first place.

However, Zimmer Jr’s lead is incredibly small. Menninga still holds the tie breaker (Average points) and Zimmer Jr’s own Average (188.29) is only slightly ahead of Olfert (187.46) and Zack Garner (187.45). If his Average drops of their Averages increase, then we’ll see Menninga back up on top.

In Bremerton, Washington, Donald Epidendio won 2 of 3 final rounds and is now up to 4^th place in the rankings, with archrival Bill Payne right on his heels in 5^th place.

Tristan England scored a bunch of points during the 5-race weekend in Los Angeles to move up 6 spots in the rankings. But Los Angeles belonged to Alex Bardin, as he beat the former World Finals Racing Champion 3 of 4 times in the final round and has his best weekend of the season, scoring over 1200 points!

Jacob Ladwig had 1 win and 4 final round appearances across two cities and was the biggest improver, gaining 10 spots in the rankings. He filled in behind the wheel of Lumberjack in Warsaw, Indiana and scored a win and runner-up finish. He was then runner-up twice in Ionia, Michigan with Throwdown. That has him up to 26^th overall.

Way too much else happened this weekend to fully recap, so keep reading below to find out who won!

Thank you to everyone who has helped us with reporting events this week: Max Gillie, Stanley Hernandez, Tim Manchester, Phil Vicinanza, J.r Rouse, Bryan Anger, Nate Bay, Lee Collins, Jason Court, Kaden Allen, Dillon Fenley, Tyler Groth, Preston Perez, Lane Larkin, Nick Kraemer, Brett Mason, Kirk Nagy, Josh Baumgartner, and everyone who posted videos and photos online!

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

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

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

1 ) Jon Zimmer Jr - 12804/188.29 : 1+6=7 : 68/25

2 ) Tyler Menninga - 8265/306.11 : 7+1=8 : 27/13

3 ) Coty Saucier - 9654/205.4 : 4+5=9 : 47/18

4 ) Donald Epidendio - 6077/233.73 : 14+2=16 : 26/16

5 ) Bill Payne - 8811/176.22 : 6+11=17 : 50/23

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6 ) Blake Granger - 11411/158.49 : 2+15=17 : 72/23

7 ) David Olfert - 6561/187.46 : 12+7=19 : 35/19

8 ) Ryan Anderson - 5841/224.65 : 17+3=20 : 26/5

9 ) Weston Anderson - 6584/173.26 : 11+12=23 : 38/15

10) Tristan England - 5989/187.16 : 15+9=24 : 32/5

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11) Armando Castro - 9009/143.00 : 5+19=24 : 63/18

12) Alex Bardin - 11152/137.68 : 3+21=24 : 81/18

13) Camden Murphy - 5170/206.8 : 22+4=26 : 25/8

14) Zack Garner - 5811/187.45 : 18+8=26 : 31/4

15) Triton Robbins - 7909/138.75 : 8+20=28 : 57/9

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16) Adam Anderson - 5645/182.1 : 19+10=29 : 31/7

17) Colt Stephens - 5283/170.42 : 21+13=34 : 31/7

18) Dalton Widner - 5431/155.17 : 20+17=37 : 35/3

19) Jimmy Creten - 4911/169.34 : 24+14=38 : 29/19

20) Matt Cody - 7238/111.35 : 9+31=40 : 65/10

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

+10 - Jacob Ladwig (Rat Attack) – 26^th 

+6 - Tristan England (JCB DIGatron) – 10^th 

+6 - Jon Zimmer Sr (Uproar) – 31st

+5 - Joe Foley (El Toro Loco) – 63^rd 

+4 - Donald Epidendio (Titan) – 4^th 

+4 - Mikeal Christensen (Vendetta) – 25^th 

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

67^th - Roger Gauger (Bigfoot)

70^th - Travis Hall (Jurassic Attack)

89^th - Tim Manchester (Hillbilly)

===== ANOKA, MN =====

7/21 Tue Ngt: JOSH BAUMGARTNER [Mechanical Mischief] defeated Mark Andrew [Wicked Sickness]

Josh Baumgartner gained a spot in the rankings with his 9^th win of the season, beating Rod Schmidt and Mark Andrew on the Chicago-style course in Anoka, Minnesota.

===== BILLINGS, MT =====

7/18 Sat Ngt: MEESHA SWANSON [Pretty Obsessed] defeated Dave Smith [Maniac]

Meesha Swanson won her 2^nd event of the year in convincing fashion at the Big Sky Speedway in Montana. She beat Gabe Montoya twice and Dave Smith in the finals on the U-turn track. She now has a 2 race winning streak after winning the final event in Alameda County last month.

===== BOYD, TX =====

7/17 Fri Ngt: DILLON FENLEY [King Krunch] defeated Chris Davis [Nitro Hornet]

7/18 Sat Ngt: DILLON FENLEY [King Krunch] defeated David Smith [Crazy Heifer]

7/19 Sun Ngt: DILLON FENLEY [King Krunch] defeated Johnny Davenport [Ghost Ryder]

Dillon Fenley once again took on all comers and swept the Monster Trucks Maniac weekend in Boyd on a head-to-head drag racing track.

===== BREMERTON, WA =====

7/17 Fri Ngt: DONALD EPIDENDIO [Titan] defeated Nick Jones [Spitfire]

7/18 Sat Ngt: DONALD EPIDENDIO [Titan] defeated Bill Payne [Rock Star]

7/19 Sun Aft: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Donald Epidendio [Titan]

Donald Epidendio and Bill Payne scored big points during the big three-race Malicious Tour weekend in Bremerton and are both into the Top 5 in the Open Championship. Epidendio won the first two nights of SoCal racing and now has 16 wins and 25 finals in his 26 events, giving him an Average of 233.73 which is 2^nd best in the sport. Nick Jones had the new green Spitfire running hot on Friday and advanced to the finals. Gavin Sell got the better of Jones in the first round the next two nights, and finished with 3 semi-final berths through the weekend. Bill Payne is now up to 23 wins and 32 finals in his 50 events this season.

===== CHARLOTTE, NC =====

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

===== ELEANOR, WV =====

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

===== EVANS MILLS, NY =====

7/19 Sun Aft: KORY KINAL [Bounty Hunter] defeated Dawn Creten [Scarlet Bandit]

Kory Kinal took the wheel of Bounty Hunter for the first time this season and picked up the Chicago-style win over Dawn Creten. Kinal has 4 wins- and 9 finals-in-a-row on the 2X Live Tour.

===== FULTON, MO =====

7/18 Sat Ngt: JOSH HOLMAN [Rescue Racer] defeated Ryan Holman [Godzilla]

The Monster Truck Bash crew welcomed Scott Sopha with Elder Abuse and Coree Labbee in Public Nuisance to the racing this weekend in Missouri, but it was the Holmans back in the finals with Josh taking the win over Ryan.

===== GOODELLS, MI =====

7/21 Tue Ngt: CHRIS KOEHLER [Mayhem] defeated Joe Foley [Avenger]

The Goodells bracket got a bit confusing due to breakage, but it was sufficiently normal enough for us to score it. Chris Koehler and Joe Foley each won the right to race in the final round. Koehler beat Tyler Davidson in Axe plus a bye run, while Foley drove Avenger past Psycho Circus and Rat Attack. Unfortunately, electrical problems kept Avenger out of the finals and other apparently problems resulted in Brutus—driven by Jon Koehler—being the next available truck for the finals. Since Brutus did not compete in the semi-finals, he technically cannot compete in the final round, so the announced final of Mayhem over Brutus is considered as an exhibition race in the Open Championship point standings. Chris Koehler is given a bye-run victory in the finals and Joe Foley gets runner-up points.

===== GRAND JUNCTION, CO =====

7/18 Sat Aft: TRAVIS GROTH [The Veteran] defeated Caden Morris [Unhinged]

7/18 Sat Ngt: We do not have results from this event

Travis Groth posted a win and runner-up finish as the Kicker Monster Truck Nationals returned to Grand Junction, Colorado for the second time this season. Groth beat Caden Morris in the new Unhinged truck, but lost to brother Tyler in the night race final. We still need to know the semi-finalists for the Saturday night race, but if we get those then we will be able to award points for that race, too.

===== IONIA, MI =====

7/17 Fri Ngt: ZACH WINCHENBACH [Crushstation] defeated Jacob Ladwig [Rat Attack]

7/18 Sat Ngt: CHARLIE PAUKEN III [The Haymaker] defeated Jacob Ladwig [Rat Attack]

Jacob Ladwig had himself a busy week and scored a bunch of points, including two runner-up finishes with Throwdown in Ionia, and that moved him up an incredible TEN positions in the Open rankings. Zach Winchenbach in Crushstation took the Friday night drag racing win through a tough bracket with close racing. On Saturday, the finish line jump got a lot steeper but the drivers still gave it full throttle, resulting in some big moon shots over the finish line. Chuckie Pauken missed the Friday final due to breakage, but he was able to get back to the finals on Saturday and used a few holeshots to take early leads and keep them over the final hurdle to claim his 7^th win of the season.

===== JENNERSTOWN, PA =====

7/17 Fri Ngt: TOMMY VARILONE [Dirt Crew] defeated Steven Thompson [Hurricane Force]

7/18 Sat Ngt: STEVEN THOMPSON [Hurricane Force] defeated RJ Turner [War Wizard]

Monsters of Destruction came to Jennerstown Speedway for the first time, following several years without monster trucks at the speedway. Canadian wildfire smoke and heavy rains spoiled some of the fun, but the trucks on hand still put on a great show for the fans. Steven Thompson was winner and runner-up on the U-turn track. Tommy Varilone took the Friday win—his 2^nd in 3 races—but was out with breakage after skills on Saturday night. RJ Turner benefitted from both of his early round opponents incurring penalties to advance to his 8^th final of the season.

===== KENNEWICK, WA =====

7/18 Sat Ngt: LEROY LATHAM [Midnight Panic] defeated David Tucker [Next Level]

Leroy Latham was fast qualifier and racing winner with the Insanity Tour in Kennewick. He’s got 3 wins in his past 5 races with the Insanity Tour.

===== LA PORTE, IN =====

7/18 Sat Ngt: THOMAS BORDERS [Monkey Business] defeated Roger Gauger [Bigfoot]

Thomas Borders picked up his biggest win of the season—168 points—against a 7-truck field in La Porte, Indiana with the Full Throttle tour. He has made the finals in 13 of his 16 events this season and needs just 4 more to join the rankings. The Full Throttle tour is in full swing right now with lots of county fairs across the Midwest, so hopefully we’ll see the Monkey Business team join the standings soon.

===== LAMAR, MO =====

7/17 Fri Ngt: MIKEAL CHRISTENSEN [Vendetta] defeated David Olfert [Dirt Crew]

7/18 Sat Ngt: JON ZIMMER SR [Uproar] defeated Jon Zimmer Jr [Terminal Velocity]

The Toughest Tour returns to the wide open field of The Stompin Grounds in Lamar, Missouri. This year’s track was a J-turn set-up with drivers turning to the outside, but also featured a chicane around a giant 4-bus freestyle obstacle on the out-leg of the track. The far lane appeared to have an easier route around the busses, but both lanes posted wins.

This event also had HUGE implications in the Open Championship standings. David Olfert beat championship contender Jon Zimmer Jr in the Friday night semi-finals in their first head-to-head race of the season. That knocked down Zimmer’s Average score. Olfert lost in the finals to Mike Christensen, ending his 4-race winning streak that he had built up in Bloomsburg last weekend. Christensen was the winner last year in Lamar, as well, so that gave him back-to-back wins at the facility.

On Saturday night, Olfert lost in the opening round to Austin Minton in Shell Shock’ed, which ended up dropping Olfert’s Average points below Zimmer Jr, who advanced into the finals. That subtle difference in Average was enough to give Jon Zimmer Jr the edge he needed over Tyler Menninga to claim sole possession of the #1 rank in the world this weekend! It is a precarious position, however, since Menninga still holds the tie-breaker over Zimmer (highest Average) and Zimmer’s average (188.29) is only slightly ahead of Olfert (187.46) and Zack Garner (187.45) so if he drops below them, then Menninga will return to the top spot.

Jon Zimmer Sr took home the racing win on Saturday, adding to the freestyle win he also claimed on Friday.

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

7/17 Fri Ngt: WESTON ANDERSON [Grave Digger] defeated Tim Hall Jr [Jurassic Attack]

7/18 Sat Aft: ALEX BARDIN [Earth Shaker] defeated Tristan England [JCB DIGatron]

7/18 Sat Ngt: ALEX BARDIN [Earth Shaker] defeated Tristan England [JCB DIGatron]

7/19 Sun Aft: TRISTAN ENGLAND [JCB DIGatron] defeated Alex Bardin [Earth Shaker]

7/19 Sun Ngt: ALEX BARDIN [Earth Shaker] defeated Tristan England [JCB DIGatron]

Monster Jam only had one city with side-by-side racing this weekend but what a weekend of racing it turned out to be, with 8 trucks competing over 5 events. Alex Bardin started with a semi-final round loss to Tim Hall Jr on Friday, but then rattled off 4 consecutive final rounds and won 3 of them! That gave him 1209 points this weekend, which was his best since he scored 824 points in Fresno back in March. Even more impressive is that he beat former Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion Tristan England in the finals three times!

Despite the losses, England’s final round appearances greatly helped his Total Points score and helped him gain 6 spots in the rankings, which actually put him ahead of Bardin. Alex also gained 1 spot, but he already had the 3^rd best Total Points in the sport and so was not able to gain as much ground as England did by going from 23^rd to 15^th. The points still helped Bardin, however, as he is now only 259 points behind Blake Granger’s total of 11411, which could help Bardin gain another spot or two in the rankings.

===== MONROE, WI =====

7/18 Sat Ngt: ROD SCHMIDT [Redneck Rampage] defeated Chris DeHoyos [Higher Education]

Rod Schmidt used the fast loser spot and Chris DeHoyos came back to replace Iron Warrior as each driver worked their way into the final round in Monroe on a big Chicago-style track. Schmidt ended up taking the win which was his 7^th of the year. He has yet to lose a final round race.

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

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

===== NEW ORLEANS, LA =====

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

===== PHILPOT, KY =====

7/16 Thu Ngt: SHANE GRUNSETH [Metal Monster] defeated JR Seasock [Play'n' Hookie]

The Full Throttle Tour added Metal Monster and Play’n Hookie to their usual line-up and both drivers earned a spot in the finals at the Daviess County Fair. In a photo finish, Shane Grunseth took a slim drag racing win over JR Seasock in their 2^nd meeting of the year. Grunseth won their first race, too. That is Shane’s first win of the season in 3 trips to the finals and he needs 5 more races to join the rankings.

===== REGINA, SK =====

The RAM Monsters & Mayhem event in Regina was scheduled for five trucks but only three attended, so we were not able to score this for points. We can tell you that Jason Court in Roughneck swept the whole weekend, though, beating out Jared Vogel in Crude Behavior and rookie Josh Baillie in Sheer Insanity. Also some good news as all three of the events were sold out!

===== SAINT PAUL, MN =====

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

===== SANTIAGO, CHILE =====

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

===== SELINSGROVE, PA =====

This Renegade Tour event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== SIDNEY, NE =====

7/22 Wed Ngt: AARON BASL [Night Life] defeated Tyler Groth [Double Trouble]

The busy fair schedule means racing every night! Just yesterday in Sidney, Nebraska the Monster Truck Bash tour brought together four top trucks for the Cheyenne County Fair. Aaron Basl in Night Life took the win, which was a nice midweek trophy after he had to miss his weekend racing due to breakage. That is the 6^th win for Basl this season and he evens his series against Tyler Groth at one win a piece.

===== SUSANVILLE, CA =====

This Monster X Tour event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== TROY, MO =====

7/16 Thu Ngt: CORREE LABBEE [Public Nuisance] defeated Thomas Borders [Monkey Business]

The Full Throttle Tour has been everywhere these past few weeks thanks to a busy fair schedule. Corree Labbee doesn’t run often but does a great job when he does, and in Troy he used the fast-loser position to get past Roger Gauger in Bigfoot and Thomas Borders in Monkey Business for his first win of the season.

===== TURLOCK, CA =====

7/15 Wed Ngt: TIM MANCHESTER [Hillbilly] defeated Jacob Gallie [Wicked Strong]

7/16 Thu Ngt: We do not have results from this event

Tim Manchester took the win on Wednesday night at the Stanislaus County Fair over Jacob Gallie in Wicked Strong. We know that Ryan Fraser in Survivor won over Brandon Gallie in Enforcer on Thursday night, but the bracket was confusing due to breakage. If we can get more info on the heats we might be able to award points, so if you were at this one, please let us know!

===== WARSAW, IN =====

7/14 Tue Ngt: JACOB LADWIG [Lumberjack] defeated Jon Koehler [Brutus]

7/15 Wed Ngt: ZACH WINCHENBACH [Crushstation] defeated Jacob Ladwig [Lumberjack]

Another huge event this weekend was the 9-truck, 2-day event at the Kosciusko County Fair in Warsaw, Indiana. The track as a Saint Louis Style course with tights turns that really tested the drivers. Jacob Ladwig filled in as driver of Lumberjack and posted a win and runner-up finish, which helped him gain 10 spots in the rankings this weekend. Zach Winchebach took teammate Crushstation to the winner’s circle on Wednesday night. Jon Koehler in Brutus had a runner-up and semi-final finish and also posted an impressive come-from-behind victory over Colton Kiser in Gone Fishin’ during the first round on Wednesday.

===== WELLSTON, OH =====

7/21 Tue Ngt: ROGER GAUGER [Bigfoot] defeated Dalton VanSkyock [Stomper]

Roger Gauger picked up the 8^th win for team Bigfoot this season on Tuesday night in Wellston, Ohio, beating out old rival Stomper. Gauger has 2 of the wins for The Original Monster Truck this year. Josh Baumgartner has 3, Rebecca Schnell 2, and Thomas Borders 1.

===== YREKA, CA =====

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

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

Albion, IL (Full Throttle Monster Trucks)

Altus, OK (Monster Truck Nitro Tour)

Brenham, TX (Monster Trucks Maniac)

Brownstown, IN (Full Throttle Monster Trucks)

Clovis, NM (Monster Truck Nitro Tour)

Elma, WA (Malicious Monster Truck Tour)

Harrisburg, IL (Hi Octane Monster Trucks)

Holland, MI (Monster Truck Throwdown)

Indianapolis, IN (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event)

Las Vegas, NV (Monster Jam Arena Series)

Middlebourne, WV (Renegade Monster Truck Tour)

Onaway, MI (Monster Truck Throwdown)

Pensacola, FL (Monster Jam Arena Series)

Sacramento, CA (Monster X Tour)

San Antonio, TX (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event)

Union Grove, WI (Monster Truck Show)