This Week in Monster Truck Racing - October 16-18, 2026
===== THIS WEEK in Monster Truck Racing =====
* Tim Hall Jr stomps the competition in Houston
** Jeremiah Paras is the King in Kansas City
*** Cory Snyder wins Beast of the Beach
Current standings will be posted beginning in January 2027
WEEKEND RACING RECAP: https://tinyurl.com/mtroc261021
BLOG POST RECAP: https://www.mtroc.com/blog
===== WEEKEND RECAP FOR OCTOBER 16th -18th, 2026 =====
Tim Hall Jr put the horns to the competition in Houston, picking up his biggest career win to date against a field with a 1.275 caliber rating out of 1.500 which will make this one of the most difficult events of the season.
Jared Smith rounded out his monster trucking career with 2 final rounds in Loveland with the Toughest Tour, although it was Daron Basl and Jacob Ladwig picking up the wins. Likewise on the Wildwood Beach, three different drivers took the racing brackets but Cory Snyder in Toxic won the Beast of the Beach title in his final event before retirement.
This weekend also saw Eric and Meesha Swanson meet in the final round on their One Year wedding anniversary; Bill Payne and Jeremiah Paras each grab two wins on their tours; steering problems ended Dillon Fenley’s winning streak in New Mexico; and Kevin Lubsen get three finals in Mississauga.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us with reporting events this week: Nick Jones, John Brown, Joseph Zacher, Nate Bay, Austin Dahlgren, David Rife, Dillon Fenley, Chris Davis, Lee Collins, Phil Vicinanza and everyone who posted videos and photos online!
===== ELKTON, MD =====
10/17 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event
10/17 Sat Ngt: We do not have results from this event
10/18 Sun Aft: We do not have results from this event
===== EUREKA, CA =====
10/16 Fri Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Nick Jones [Spitfure]
10/17 Sat Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Donald Epidendio [Titan]
Bill Payne scored a big win over arch rival Donald Epidendio in the Saturday night finals in Eureka. The Titan missed racing on Friday with breakage. Payne is up to 4 wins so far this season.
===== FARMINGTON, NM =====
10/17 Sat Aft: DILLON FENLEY [King Krunch] defeated Chris Davis [Nitro Hornet]
10/17 Sat Ngt: JOHNNY DAVENPORT [Ghost Ryder] defeated Chris Davis [Nitro Hornet]
Steering problems ended Dillon Fenley’s early season winning streak on Saturday night in Farmington. Instead it was Johnny Davenport collecting the win, his first of the season.
===== FRESNO, CA =====
10/18 Sun Aft: TYLER GROTH [Double Trouble] defeated Jerrod Compton [Anubis]
10/18 Sun Ngt: ERIC SWANSON [Obsessed] defeated Meesha Swanson [Pretty Obsessed]
One of the great families of monster truck racing had a great moment this weekend as Eric and Meesha Swanson celebrated their first anniversary on Sunday. And what better way to come together than on the race track? Meesha beat Eric in the first round, but he came back as fast loser and after beating out the previous event’s winner Tyler Groth in Double Trouble, he got the better of his ‘better half’ in the finals.
Groth had beat both of the Swansons on his way to the Sunday afternoon win. Finalist Jerrod Compton was fast loser and upset fast qualifier Travis Groth in The Veterans in the semi-finals.
===== HOUSTON, TX =====
10/17 Sat Ngt: TIM HALL JR [Jurassic Attack] defeated Zack Garner [The Rod Ryan Show]
Tim Hall Jr won his first weekend out back in 2023 in Saint George, Utah, and has picked up some big wins since then including Miami, OK; Indianapolis, IN; and Red Bluff, CA. But this past weekend he grabbed his most impressive win yet, coming out on top of the 12-truck, 1.275 (!) rated Monster Jam Fall Stadium Series race in Houston, Texas! He beat team owner Mike Christensen in Vendetta in the quarter-finals and world speed record holder Camden Murphy in the semi-finals. In the finals, his opponent was former Monster Jam World Finals Racing Champion Zack Garner, who himself had an easy ride in the semi-finals when Tyler Menninga high-sided Grave Digger coming around the embankment of the first turn. Well, Garner fell victim to that same berm in the finals and by the time he recovered, the triceratops was long gone. The 480 points from this win are the biggest in Tim Hall Jr’s career.
===== KANSAS CITY, KS =====
10/17 Sat Aft: JEREMIAH PARAS [King Sling] defeated Dawn Creten [Scarlet Bandit]
10/18 Sun Aft: JEREMIAH PARAS [King Sling] defeated Dawn Creten [Scarlet Bandit]
Jeremiah Paras has his first two wins of the 2027 season as he swept the racing weekend in Kansas City, defeating veteran Dawn Creten in the final both times. Dawn was able to get past Paras in the first round on Sunday, but he returned through the fast loser bracket to extend his winning streak to two races as the tour heads to Milton, Florida this weekend.
===== KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== LA PLATA, MD =====
10/17 Sat Aft: We do not have results from this event
10/17 Sat Ngt: We do not have results from this event
10/18 Sun Aft: We do not have results from this event
===== LOUISVILLE, KY =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== LOVELAND, CO =====
10/16 Fri Ngt: DARON BASL [Block Head] defeated Jared Smith [Maximus]
10/17 Sat Aft: JACOB LADWIG [Rat Attack] defeated Jared Smith [Maximus]
The Toughest Tour was in Loveland for two great days of Chicago-style racing. Daron Basl clipped the turning pole in the semi-finals on Friday but finished more than 5-seconds ahead and was able to move into the finals where he bested Jared Smith in Maximus, who announced that this would be his final weekend driving. On Saturday, Basl met Smith in the semi-finals but again clipped the turning pole and this time Smith was right on his heels and advanced into his second final of the weekend. There he met with Jacob Ladwig in the hot rod Rat Attack who took a close win, despite big air from Smith over the finish jump.
===== MISSISSAUGA, ON =====
10/17 Sat SN1: KEVIN LUBSEN [Bucking Bronco] defeated Jim Pigeon [Outfoxed]
10/17 Sat SN2: MIKE WORSLEY [T-Rex] defeated Kevin Lubsen [Bucking Bronco]
10/18 Sun Mrn: MIKE WORSLEY [T-Rex] defeated Kevin Lubsen [Bucking Bronco]
Kevin Lubsen had a great weekend in Mississauga, scoring 1 win and 3 finals on the asphalt holeshot course with the All Out Tour. Mike Worsley was the big winner, however, with 2 wins.
===== PORTLAND, ME =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== SPOKANE, WA =====
This Monster Jam Arena event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== WILDWOOD, NJ =====
10/17 Sat Aft: GARRETT RETTEW [Shredder] defeated Ceejay Rettew [Stinger Unleashed]
10/17 Sat Ngt: GREG WINCHENBACH [Crushstation] defeated Steven Thompson [Hurricane Force]
10/18 Sun Aft: DANIEL DONNELLY [Illuminator] defeated Steven Thompson [Hurricane Force]
The monsters hit the beach in Wildwood following a 2 week delay due to storms along the coast. The big J-turn track had big jumps but also unplanned water traps that gave the drivers plenty of challenges. Brothers Garrett and Ceejay Rettew met in the first final with Garrett taking the upset win in Shredder.
Saturday night was filled with breakage with many trucks being unable to continue. Greg Winchenbach replaced the broken Shredder in the semi-finals to return to action. Steven Thompson in Hurricane Force broke after the semis and was unable to return for the finals, so Cory Snyder in Toxic got the call to fill in. Winchenbach beat Snyder in that final race, although for points we are still counting Steven Thompson as the runner-up since Snyder did not compete in the semi-finals and so he was ineligible for the final round.
On Sunday, the track was dryer and faster. Steven Thompson was back in the finals, but Daniel Donnelly in Illuminator—who lost on Saturday night due to drivetrain problems—lit up the competition with 3 round wins to close out the weekend with a victory for Warped Motorsports.
Cory Snyder in Toxic struggled in racing but excelled in skills and freestyle and was crowned the 2026 Beast of the Beach. The Warped Motorsports team announced that they will no longer be touring beginning next season and will only be competing in the occasional local event, so congratulations to Snyder for going out on top!
===== EVENTS THIS WEEKEND =====
Bangor, ME (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event)
Berlin, NJ (Renegade Monster Truck Tour)
Charleston, IL (Full Throttle Monster Trucks)
Cincinnati, OH (Monster Truck Wars)
Colorado Springs, CO (Monster Jam Arena Series)
Elkin, NC (SC Monster Truck Madness)
Fairlawn, VA (Monster X Tour)
Grants, NM (Monster Trucks Maniac)
Hughesville, PA (Mountain Creek Truck Fest)
Laredo, TX (Mayhem Monster Trucks)
Lindsay, ON (Monster Trucks All Out Tour)
Milton, FL (2X Monster Trucks Live)
Morganton, NC (Monster Truck Nitro Tour)
Raleigh, NC (Monster Truck Show)
Roseville, CA (Malicious Monster Truck Tour)
Salina, KS (Monster Trucks Maniac)
Syracuse, NY (Monster Jam Stadium Series)
Troy, OH (Monster Truck Bash Spooktacular)
Comments