This Week in Monster Truck Racing - September 2-7, 2026
=== This Week in Monster Truck Racing ===
* Jon Zimmer Jr wins 30th and nears first Open Championship
** Daron Basl wins weekend at Alaska State Fair
*** Austin Minton sweeps racing in Pueblo
CURRENT STANDINGS and WEEKEND RESULTS (PDF): https://tinyurl.com/mtroc260908
BLOG POST RECAP: https://www.mtroc.com/blog
===== WEEKEND RECAP FOR SEPTEMBER 2nd – 7th, 2026 =====
Only 3 weekends remain in the 2026 Open Championship! Currently, the final racing event listed on our schedule will be the Sunday afternoon Renegade Tour event in Wildwood, New Jersey. Jon Zimmer Jr won once in three finals this weekend in Jacksonville and is in a good position to win his first ever Open Championship. This would be the first independent driver to win since Mark Hall in 2007.
Austin Minton was our biggest improver of the week as his two-race sweep with the Toughest Tour in Pueblo gained him 10 spots in the rankings. These were his first wins since March and first since joining Team Throttle Monster 2 months ago.
Daron Basl won 3 of the 4 races at the Alaska State Fair with the All Star Tour. The doubled his win total for the season and gained him 5 spots in the rankings.
This weekend also saw Kayla Blood pick up her first racing win of the season over #1 ranked Jon Zimmer in Jacksonville and Bill Payne become the first driver this season to reach 30 wins.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us with reporting events this week: Preston Perez, Nick Kraemer, J.r Rouse, Tim Manchester, Chuck Plumlee, Dillon Fenley, Andrew Thornton, Brandon Pezo, Phil Vicinanza, Nick Jones, Tim Howard, Pat Paquet, Mike Christensen, Brian Manson, and everyone who posted videos and photos online!
===== CURRENT STANDINGS =====
RANK : DRIVER : PTS/AVG : SCORE : RACES/WINS
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1 ) Jon Zimmer Jr - 14699/195.99 : 1+6=7 : 75/30
2 ) Tyler Menninga - 8793/293.1 : 8+1=9 : 30/14
3 ) Coty Saucier - 9654/205.4 : 6+5=11 : 47/18
4 ) Bill Payne - 10253/173.78 : 4+11=15 : 59/30
5 ) Blake Granger - 11411/158.49 : 3+15=18 : 72/23
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6 ) Donald Epidendio - 6233/230.85 : 17+2=19 : 27/17
7 ) David Olfert - 7270/177.32 : 12+9=21 : 41/20
8 ) Alex Bardin - 12571/141.25 : 2+19=21 : 89/22
9 ) Weston Anderson - 7673/170.51 : 11+12=23 : 45/17
10) Ryan Anderson - 5841/224.65 : 22+3=25 : 26/5
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11) Camden Murphy - 5884/217.93 : 21+4=25 : 27/10
12) Armando Castro - 9881/139.17 : 5+20=25 : 71/20
13) Adam Anderson - 5969/186.53 : 20+7=27 : 32/7
14) Tristan England - 5989/181.48 : 19+8=27 : 33/5
15) Triton Robbins - 8825/137.89 : 7+21=28 : 64/9
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16) Jimmy Creten - 6347/167.03 : 15+14=29 : 38/23
17) Dalton Widner - 6289/157.23 : 16+16=32 : 40/5
18) Zack Garner - 5811/176.09 : 23+10=33 : 33/4
19) Montana Robbins - 8149/119.84 : 9+25=34 : 68/12
20) Colt Stephens - 5283/170.42 : 26+13=39 : 31/7
===== BIGGEST IMPROVEMENTS =====
+10 - Austin Minton (Jurassic Attack) - 79th
+8 - Josh Baumgartner (Mechanical Mischief) – 46th
+8 - Kayla Blood (Sparkle Smash) – 67th
+7 - Myles Parker (Identity Theft) – 95th
+6 - Eric Swanson (Obsessed) – 49th
+5 - Daron Basl (BlockHead) – 56th
===== NEWLY RANKED =====
(none this week)
===== COTTAGE GROVE, OR =====
9/4 Fri Ngt: MYLES PARKER [Identity Theft] defeated Gavin Sell [Mixed Up]
9/5 Sat Ngt: BILL PAYNE [Rock Star] defeated Nick Jones [Spitfire]
Bill Payne became the first driver to reach 30 wins this season, giving him back-to-back seasons with 30+ wins. Myles Parker won for the 3rd time this season and gained 7 spots in the rankings.
===== FILER, ID =====
9/7 Mon Aft: CADEN MORRIS [Dragon Slayer] defeated Tim Manchester [Hillbilly]
Caden Morris took Dragon Slayer to victory lane for the 5th time this season. Tim Manchester competed in his 10th final round. This was their 3rd head-to-head meeting with Morris now leading 2-1.
===== IDAHO FALLS, ID =====
9/5 Sat Ngt: ERIC SWANSON [Obsessed] defeated Payge Christensen [Velociraptor]
After finishing as runner-up in 4 of his last 6 events, Eric Swanson returned to the top of the podium with a St Louis-style win in Idaho Falls against Team Throttle Monster. He gained 6 spots in the rankings and is now in the Top 50 for the first time this season.
===== JACKSONVILLE, FL =====
9/5 Sat Aft: KAYLA BLOOD [Sparkle Smash] defeated Jon Zimmer Jr [Terminal Velocity]
9/5 Sat Ngt: CHARLIE PAUKEN III [Classroom Crusher] defeated Jon Zimmer Jr [Terminal Velocity]
9/6 Sun Aft: JON ZIMMER JR [Terminal Velocity] defeated Michael Pagliarulo [Excaliber]
Jon Zimmer Jr gained more big points in his quest for the Open Championship, winning his 30th event of the season on Sunday. Kayla Blood got the better of Zimmer on Saturday afternoon for her first win of the season. Chuckie Pauken won on Saturday night when Zimmer oversteered in the final turn. The Sunday afternoon final was a close one, but Zimmer came out on top to finish the weekend with 1 win, 3 finals, and another 651 points. He now has the 3rd most points for a single season in MTROC history, behind on Tyler Menninga’s 15796 in 2019 and Derick Anson’s 15630 in 2022.
===== LATROBE, PA =====
9/5 Sat Aft: KORY KINAL [Jekyll & Hyde] defeated Dan Dahlgren [Shark Bite]
The 2X Live tour returned to the Keystone State for the first time since May and once again it was Kory Kinal in Jekyll & Hyde coming out on top. He has 3 wins in his last 4 events and gained 3 spots in the standings this week. For runner-up Dan Dahlgren, it was his 17th trip to the finals.
===== MANCHESTER, TN =====
9/5 Sat Ngt: BRANDON PEZO [Lone Eagle] defeated Ron Nelson [Bustin' Loose]
Brandon Pezo eliminated his father in the opening round and then took out another veteran driver in Ron Nelson to win the final round in Manchester, Tennessee. It was his 9th win of the season.
===== NOVI, MI =====
These Full Throttle Monster Truck events did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded. The four trucks performed an exhausting 15 freestyle events over the 5 days of the Michigan State Fair.
===== ONTARIO, CA =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== PALMER, AK =====
9/5 Sat Aft: TRAVIS GROTH [Monster Moose] defeated Dallas Glenn-Rogers [Crash Test Dummy]
9/5 Sat Ngt: DARON BASL [Block Head] defeated Travis Groth [Monster Moose]
9/6 Sun Aft: DARON BASL [Block Head] defeated Logan Vessels [Dirt Crew]
9/6 Sun Ngt: DARON BASL [Block Head] defeated Logan Vessels [Dirt Crew]
Daron Basl went up north to Alaska and came back home with 3 wins, 456 points, and 5-spot bump in the Open Championship standings. These events were part of the Alaska State Fair and promoted by the All Star Monster Truck Tour. Travis Groth won the opening day of racing over Dallas Glenn-Rogers, who was making his first start since March. Logan Vessels had two runner-up finishes in Dirt Crew.
===== PROVIDENCE, RI =====
This Hot Wheels Live event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== PUEBLO, CO =====
9/4 Fri Ngt: AUSTIN MINTON [Jurassic Attack] defeated Jared Smith [Block Head]
9/5 Sat Aft: AUSTIN MINTON [Jurassic Attack] defeated Tommy Varilone [Dirt Crew]
Austin Minton picked up his first win since March and first while driving for Team Throttle Monster as he swept the two-day Toughest Tour competition in Colorado. He had been runner-up at this event back in 2023. Jared Smith and Tommy Varilone from DCT Powersports were runners-up on the giant and technical Chicago-style track.
===== ROBSTOWN, TX =====
9/4 Fri Ngt: DILLON FENLEY [King Krunch] defeated Johnny Davenport [Ghost Ryder]
9/5 Sat Ngt: NO POINTS; The bracket could not be scored
Dillon Fenley grabbed the Friday night win with the Monster Trucks Maniac tour. On Saturday, King Krunch spun out in the first turn in his race against Johnny Davenport in Girl Power. In the other bout, Nitro Hornet blew out a tire after the second jump racing Crazy Heifer. Unfortunately, the bracket was not completed and so points could not be scored.
===== SAN JOSE, CA =====
This Monster Jam Arena event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== SCHAGHTICOKE, NY =====
9/5 Sat Aft: PERRY COMO [Loud & Dirty] defeated Chris DeHoyos [Higher Education]
9/5 Sat Ngt: RYAN COMO [Rat Nasty] defeated Perry Como [Loud & Dirty]
Perry Como won once in two trips to the finals on a two-jump straight-line drag in Schaghticoke, New York. That marks his 4th win of the season and first south of the border. Ryan Como missed the afternoon racing with breakage, but came back to beat Steven Thompson in Overkill Evolution in the first round and then took out Perry in the finals. He is 3-1 against Perry this season.
===== SHAWANO, WI =====
9/7 Mon Ngt: JOSH BAUMGARTNER [Mechanical Mischief] defeated Preston Pérez [Geronimo]
Monster Truck Bash took four trucks to Shawano, Wisconsin for a Labor Day race on a two-jump drag track. Josh Baumgartner was running strong and powered past Metal Monster and Geronimo to win for the 12th time this season and gain 8 spots in the rankings.
===== TILLAMOOK, OR =====
9/5 Sat Aft: NO POINTS; This event did not meet the minimum of 4 trucks scheduled to compete
David Tucker won a 3-truck bracket while running through thick mud at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds. While the competition had trouble gaining any speed because of the track conditions, Tucker’s big cleats and heavy throttle use helped him to gain and maintain momentum as he won 3 of the 4 heats run.
===== WOODSTOCK, VA =====
This Monster Truck Bash event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== ZURICH, SWITZERLAND =====
This Monster Jam International Arena event did not include side-by-side racing and so points were not awarded
===== EVENTS THIS WEEKEND =====
Calgary, AB (Monster Jam Arena Series)
Duluth, GA (Monster Jam Arena Series)
Ebensburg, PA (American Legion County Fair)
Grundy Center, IA (Monster Trucks Maniac)
Hamilton, ON (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event)
Missoula, MT (Monster Truck Nitro Tour)
Nashville, TN (Monster Truck Bash)
Petaluma, CA (Malicious Monster Truck Tour)
Price, UT (Team Throttle Monster Truck Tour)
Raleigh, NC (Monster Truck Wars)
Rapid City, SD (Monster X Tour)
Rutland, VT (2X Monster Trucks Live)
Watsonville, CA (Monster X Tour)
West Valley City, UT (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire Event)
Westfield, MA (Monster Truck Wars)
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