This Week in Monster Truck Racing - May 16-26, 2025

* Tyler Menninga wins debut event in Pittsburgh

** Triton Robbins moves into 3rd place

*** George Carpenter Cup and Series Championships awarded

CURRENT STANDINGS and WEEKEND RESULTS (PDF): https://tinyurl.com/mtroc250530

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

===== WEEKEND RECAP FOR MAY 16th – 26th, 2025 =====

A lot happened in the last two weeks and we’re recapping it all right here because we weren’t able to do an update last week.

Tyler Menninga dominated in the Stadium Series debut in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, winning the racing bracket and then claiming the overall Series Championship, as well! His racing win also gained him a spot in the Open Championship as he now has a higher Average than Ryan Anderson. Menninga is still about 1600 points behind leader Coty Saucier.

Another big news was Triton Robbins’ hardwork finally paying off. Despite not earning points this weekend since his tour did timed racing, the win from Menninga and semi-finals loss from Ryan Anderson in Ingelwood shuffled the Averages around enough that Robbins got a bump up into 3rd place! That’s his highest ranking and puts him in a strong position heading into the summer months. We’re not sure what schedules will look like yet, but Monster Jam usually slows down a bit for the summer, so Robbins could pounce on that opportunity if the Krazy Train team continues to run a full schedule through October. The last non-Monster Jam driver to win an open championship was Mark Hall and the Raminator who won it in 2006 and 2007.

Jared Smith pulled off a huge upset by winning the 2025 George Carpenter Cup on Virginia Beach! While the Cyber Attack only had one final-round appearance in racing, he did enough through the other competitions to take the weekend win. In racing, John Gordon won twice for the 2nd year in a row and made the finals 3 times on the long sandy track.

We also saw the Bigfoot vs Bigfoot final in forever; some Spectacular air from Mikey Vaters in Ottawa and Kingston; Jon Zimmer Jr winning a race in someone else’s truck; and lots more.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us with reporting events this week: Josh Baumgartner, Nate Bay, John Brown, Pat Paquet, Sabotage Monster Truck, Max Gillie, J.r. Rouse, Dillon Fenley, Bryan Anger, Jack Mcardle, Daniel Clark, Nick Jones, Kory Kinal, Donny Hebert, David Rife, Mark Werner, Anne Breaud, Kirk Nagy, Phil Vicinanza, and everyone who posted videos and photos online!

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

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

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

1 ) Coty Saucier - 11697/188.66 : 1+3=4 : 62/29

2 ) Tyler Menninga - 6523/210.42 : 5+1=6 : 31/13

3 ) Triton Robbins - 8146/181.02 : 3+4=7 : 45/19

4 ) Ryan Anderson - 6293/209.77 : 6+2=8 : 30/12

5 ) Weston Anderson - 9156/155.19 : 2+11=13 : 59/21

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6 ) Jon Zimmer Jr - 7335/156.06 : 4+10=14 : 47/14

7 ) Tristan England - 5060/180.71 : 13+5=18 : 28/7

8 ) Bari Musawwir - 5229/168.68 : 10+8=18 : 31/4

9 ) Dalton Widner - 5517/167.18 : 9+9=18 : 33/9

10) Jimmy Creten - 5779/134.4 : 8+15=23 : 43/28

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11) Camden Murphy - 4766/170.21 : 17+7=24 : 28/4

12) Rob Poutre - 4784/144.97 : 16+13=29 : 33/24

13) Bill Payne - 5086/130.41 : 12+17=29 : 39/15

14) Blake Granger - 4979/131.03 : 14+16=30 : 38/17

15) Bryce Kenny - 3584/170.67 : 29+6=35 : 21/3

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16) Armando Castro - 4518/125.5 : 18+19=37 : 36/1

17) Daron Basl - 3675/147.00 : 27+12=39 : 25/9

18) Colt Stephens - 4428/123.00 : 19+20=39 : 36/3

19) Matt Cody - 5196/96.22 : 11+28=39 : 54/8

20) Devin Winfield - 5982/90.64 : 7+32=39 : 66/7

===== BLACK CREEK, BC =====

5/16 Fri Ngt: We do not have results from this event

5/17 Sat Ngt: We do not have results from this event

5/18 Sun Aft: We do not have results from this event

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

5/17 Sat Ngt: JACK MONKHOUSE [Wacky-Doo] defeated Hayden McLeary [Wicked]

5/18 Sun Aft: HAYDEN MCLEARY [Wicked] defeated Jack Monkhouse [Wacky-Doo]

Jack Monkhouse runs his Wacky-Doo truck hard on the tight course in Australia and is not afraid to get the truck way up in the air in pursuit of the win. That attitude has earned him 3 wins in 6 finals this season on the Aussie tour. Hayden McLeary was back in the finals to give himself 2 wins and 2 finals, with Hayden Francis having the other win and runner-up.  

===== BUTLER, IN =====

5/17 Sat Aft: ROGER GAUGER [Bigfoot Blue] defeated Thomas Borders [Bigfoot White]

When was the last time we saw to Bigfoots in the final? Roger Gauger won the Battle of the Bigfoots over Thomas Borders on the holeshot track at the Hall of Fame spring race. That gives the Bigfoot team 7 wins this season, with Josh Baumgartner owning the first 6.

===== CINCINNATI, OH =====

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

===== CLEVES, OH =====

5/24 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event

===== CONROE, TX =====

5/17 Sat Aft: JERRY FURAJTER [Shark Attack] defeated Devin Jones [T-Rex]

5/17 Sat Ngt: We do not have results from this event

Jerry Furajter and Devin Jones continue to dominate on the Monster Truck Wars tour. We don’t have info on the Conroe night race, but we know that Jerry won in the afternoon and is now 9-14 against Devin based on the events we have reported.

===== CRYSTAL, MI =====

5/18 Sun Aft: JON ZIMMER JR [Frontier Truck Parts] defeated Kylie Kent [Frostbite]

In a surprise, Top 5 racer Jon Zimmer Jr took the wheel of Elliott Miller’s Frontier Truck Parts ride at the Throwdown race in Crystal, Michigan. The FTP vehicle was sporting an awesome Bush Hog throwback paint scheme, too. Zimmer apparently had no trouble acclimating to the new truck, either, as he swiftly went on to win his 14th race of the season. He now has the 4th most points of all drivers with 7,335.

===== DRESSER, WI =====

This Go-4 Wheelers event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== GRATZ, PA =====

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

===== IDAHO FALLS, ID =====

5/16 Fri Ngt: JACOB LADWIG [Rat Attack] defeated Brandon Swick [Next Level Tour]

5/17 Sat Ngt: JACOB LADWIG [Rat Attack] defeated Josh Baumgartner [Bigfoot]

While the Insanity crew had trouble with Monster Jam’s Pagliarulo team the past few weeks, Jacob Ladwig showed why he’s still the tour’s top racer as he picked up 15th win of the season and gained two spots in the Open standings.

===== INGLEWOOD, CA =====

5/17 Sat Aft: BRYCE KENNY [Monster Mutt] defeated Zack Garner [Wild Side]

Zack Garner got back to the final round in Inglewood, California for a second year in a row. Last year—of course—saw him win an emotional victory in the final round to claim the 2024 Monster Jam World Finals Racing Championship for the first time. This year—at a regular Stadium event—he came up short to Bryce Kenny who is now 4-and-1 against the defending racing champion. Kenny moved up 3 spots with the win.

Tristan England was the racing finals runner-up last year, but got some redemption in Inglewood this season as he walked out with the 2025 Monster Jam Stadium West Championship!

===== KINGSTON, ON =====

5/25 Sun Aft: DANIEL DONNELLY [Suberfoot] defeated Ryan Como [Rat Nasty]

The brackets were a bit weird in Kingston but we got them sorted out. Daniel Donnelly gets credited with the racing win as he won the bracketed portion of the program. Mike Vaters Jr had advanced directly to the final round (which does not score points per MTROC rules) and so his announced-final win over Donnelly unfortunately goes into the books as an exhibition run. Don’t think it was a sleeper, though! At both the Ottawa and Kingston events the drivers on the Monster Spectacular Tour where throwing it at the cars Thunder Nationals style with some of the biggest racing air we’ve seen this season.

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

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

===== LONDON, ON =====

5/24 Sat Aft: MAT BRIAND [Train Wreck] defeated Dale Eve [Hellion]

Mat Briand won his first of the season over Dale Eve in Hellion on the concrete holeshot course of the Monster Madness tour. Briand was the winner in his last visit to London, too, back in May of 2023.

===== MINOT, ND =====

5/17 Sat Aft: DONNY HEBERT [Aftershock] defeated Chris Whatley [Ground Pounder]

Not much to report from this one as breakage reduced the bracket quite a bit, but Donny Hebert did enough to pick up his 3rd win of the season.

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

5/23 Fri Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Marvin Anderson [Identity Theft]

5/24 Sat Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Marvin Anderson [Identity Theft]

While we missed the Malicious Tour results from Black Creek, we were able to get them from Monroe. The drivers had a challenging asphalt Chicago-style track to contend with. The bracket included some exhibition runs which were not scored for points, but in the end it was the same results both nights with Bill Payne adding on more wins.

===== MONTERREY, MEXICO =====

5/17 Sat Ngt: DILLON FENLEY [King Krunch] defeated Ryan Robinson [El Nitro Toro]

5/18 Sun Ngt: DILLON FENLEY [King Krunch] defeated Richie Yatsko [Nitro Hornet]

Dillon Fenley has been looking strong in the new-look King Krunch. He has 6 wins in his last 8 races since March and added two south of the border in Monterrey. He swept racing at this event last year, too, giving him 4 straight wins in Monterrey.

===== OTTAWA, ON =====

5/24 Sat Aft: MICHAEL VATERS II [Overkill Evolution] defeated Ryan Como [Rat Nasty]

Talk about air time! Mike Vaters Jr and Ryan Como laid it all on the line in a thrilling final round on the Thunder Nationals style track in Ottawa. Vaters cleared the full set to pick up the win, but Como was hot on his trail. The Chris Arel Monster Spectacular really showed concrete holeshot racing at its best!

===== PARK CITY, KS =====

5/24 Sat Aft: JIMMY CRETEN [Bounty Hunter] defeated Kory Kinal [Jekyll & Hyde]

5/24 Sat Ngt: KORY KINAL [Jekyll & Hyde] defeated Jimmy Creten [Bounty Hunter]

Jimmy Creten is up to 28 racing wins now, 1 away from catching Coty Saucier’s season leading 29. The thing that stopped him this week was Kory Kinal who improved to 8-24 against the boss this season.

===== PENSACOLA, FL =====

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

===== PITTSBURGH, PA =====

5/17 Sat Aft: TYLER MENNINGA [Grave Digger] defeated Cynthia Gauthier [Lucas Stabilizer]

MTROC staff (and family) got to attend out first ever Monster Jam Stadium Series event as the tour debuted at Acruisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) in Pittsburgh last weekend. The wet weather stayed away thanks partly to a strong wind that lasted the entire event. The racing at this one was spectacular and had some big implications in the standings!

The big news of the night was Tyler Menninga entering this final points-paying event of the Stadium East Series with a slim 1-point lead over Bari Musawwir. With the championship on the line, Musawwir advanced past Joe Foley in Axe to set-up a showdown with Menninga in the quarter-finals. Both drivers ran a clean race, but Menninga was on a mission all night and beat the Zombie by a half second. He would go on to win two-wheel skills and score well in freestyle to claim the 2025 Monster Jam Stadium East Championship: his 7th series championship overall.

Menninga continued his was through the bracket with a semi-final win over Colt Stephens before besting Cynthia Gauthier in the finals.

In the standings, this win and Ryan Anderson’s semi-final defeat in Inglewood were enough to bump Tyler ahead of Ryan in the Average Points rankings (210.42 to 209.77). That now puts Menninga above Anderson and into 2nd place in the Open Championship. Menninga and Ryan Anderson are the only two drivers to have ever won the Open Championship, but right now Menninga sits about 1623 points behind leader Coty Saucier.

The Stadium and Arena points series may have concluded, but the Open Championship continues until October, so the championship is still far from decided!

===== QUEEN CREEK, AZ =====

5/17 Sat Aft: KALEY ENGSTROM [Shark Attack] defeated Aaron Basl [T-Rex]

5/17 Sat Ngt: AARON BASL [T-Rex] defeated Kaley Engstrom [Shark Attack]

5/18 Sun Aft: We do not have results from this event

5/18 Sun Ngt: MASON RIFE [Outlaw] defeated Kaley Engstrom [Shark Attack]

Kaley Engstrom continues her strong performance with 3 more final round appearances on the Monster Truck Wars tour. She’s been to the finals 40 times in 48 races this year. However it’s still Mason Rife’s 16 wins that lead the tour.

===== READING, PA =====

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

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

5/17 Fri Ngt: CLIFF TURNER [Kamikaze] defeated Preston Collins [Velociraptor]

5/17 Sat Ngt: CLIFF TURNER [Kamikaze] defeated Stanley Hernandez [Lone Wolf]

Cliff Turner scored a pair of wins in Kamikaze in Santa Rosa, surviving a tough field and a tough track that saw lots of breakage on the second night. That’s now 3 wins in his last 4 races for Turner.

===== SIDNEY, MT =====

5/24 Sat Aft: DONNY HEBERT [Temporarily Insane] defeated Tim Manchester [Hillbilly]

Donny Hebert kept his winning streak going with a win on the Monster Trux tour who visited Sidney, Montana for a second year.

===== TAPPAHANNOCK, VA =====

This Wind Vineyard event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded

===== TRAVELERS REST, SC =====

5/23 Fri Ngt: We do not have results from this event

5/24 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event

5/25 Sun Aft: We do not have results from this event

5/25 Sun Ngt: We do not have results from this event

===== VIRGINIA BEACH, VA =====

5/16 Fri Ngt: JOHN GORDON [Bad Company] defeated Jordan Fisher [Air Mail]

5/17 Sat Aft: JOHN GORDON [Bad Company] defeated Jerry Beck [Dirt Crew]

5/17 Sat Ngt: DARON BASL [Block Head] defeated Jared Smith [Cyber Attack]

5/18 Sun Aft: TIM JONES [Tailgator] defeated John Gordon [Bad Company]

John Gordon made the finals three times in his pursuit of the George Carpenter Cup on the sands of Virginia Beach and he took home two of the wins. That’s his 2nd year winning two brackets at this event. Tim Jones was also a winner for the 2nd year in a row, with Daron Basl taking the night race over the man who would stun the field by claiming the Cup: Jared Smith! The Cyber Attack did enough through the course of the weekend to win the four-race points battle and take home the hardware.

===== WOODSTOCK, ON =====

5/17 Sat Mrn: PAT PAQUET [Bucking Bronco] defeated Mike Worsley [Roboshark]

5/17 Sat Aft: PAT PAQUET [Bucking Bronco] defeated Mike Worsley [Roboshark]

After returning from his cameo appearance in Australia, Pat Paquet cameoed for another team and drove Bucking Bronco to two wisn in Woodstock.

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

Berea, OH (Renegade Monster Truck Tour)

Boonsboro, MD (Overdrive Monster Truck Tour)

Bozeman, MT (Monsters of Destruction)

Burnside, KY (Full Throttle Monster Trucks)

Campbellsville, KY (Full Throttle Monster Trucks)

Corner Brook, NL (Monster Madness)

Evanston, WY (Monster Truck Insanity Tour)

Harrisonburg, VA (Monster Truck Bash)

Humboldt, KS (Monster Truck Chaos)

Portage, WI (Monster Truck Nitro Tour)

Quebec, PQ (Monster Spectacular)

Rockton, ON (Monster Trucks All Out Tour)

Saint Johns, NL (Monster Madness)

Show Low, AZ (Monster Truck Nitro Tour)

Sydney, Australia (Monster Trucks Unleashed)

Wilmot, WI (Monster Truck Throwdown)