Monster Truck Throwdown - INSIDE THROWDOWN - Episode 1 - "Roll The Dice"

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• published: 25 Nov 2015
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Without a doubt, the crown jewel of the Monster Truck Throwdown tour is the annual stop at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Since the event’s conception in 2010, the 4th of July weekend has become a destination to see some of the most spectacular independent monster truck action in the Midwest. The Monster Trucks have been pushed to their limits each year and 2015 was no exception as 10 of the best Monster Trucks in the industry were set to do battle in front of a capacity crowd. With competitors traveling from as far away as Maine and Florida, these drivers were prepared to put it all on the line in hopes to take home a big victory. Avenger – Jim Koehler Brutus – Brad Allen Quad Chaos – Aaron Cain Rage – Cory Rummell Over Bored – Jamey Garner Xtermigator – JR McNeal Ice Cream Man – Roy Pridgeon Crushstation – Greg Winchenbach Barbarian – Devin Jones Wrecking Crew – Steve Koehler The highly anticipated event by both fans and race teams alike always has a special twist and this year was no exception as an additional $3,000 would be awarded to the racing champion and an additional $3,000 awarded to the freestyle champion. With the stakes raised more it put more pressure on the drivers to take a gamble and push even harder for victory. A unique racing course layout is always a staple of the stop in Mt. Pleasant as the Monster Truck Throwdown staff and the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort always promise a twist, like a 450ft straight line drag over 4 obstacles or a tricky S-style racing course. When it comes to freestyle there's plenty of big obstacles to go around as the track featured many huge freestyle obstacles. In fact this year's event used 22 cars, 6 vans, 3 buses, 3 motor homes, and over 1500 yards of dirt to make the most challenging and exciting course possible. Drivers would be given the option of qualifying in each racing lane with many taking advantage of that option. Devin Jones would lay down a blistering time of 27.56 on his first pass and choose to sit back and wait for side by side racing. Jones would be the class of the field in qualifying with a time nearly a full second faster than second fastest qualifier Greg Winchenbach and Crushstation who put down a 28.45 pass. The side by side racing was filled with drama as the track put every truck to the test with the grueling races. Round one saw the unexpected happen quickly, as fastest qualifier Barbarian fell to Brutus in the very first race. However Barbarian would be fast enough in round one to return as the fastest loser in round two. Jones and Barbarian would take advantage of the reprieve to pick up wins in the second round and semi-finals to move into the final round. On the other side of the bracket the fourth fastest qualifier of Roy Pridgeon and Ice Cream Man were smooth and consistent in each round, taking out Wrecking Crew in round one and teammate Xtermigator in both the second round and semi-finals. With the stage set for the final round and big money on the line, both trucks took to the staring line with their sights set on victory. Unfortunately for Barbarian the truck would suffer a massive mechanical failure over the second jump, handing the victory and $3000 to Pridgeon and the Ice Cream Man for their biggest win ever! The thrills didn't stop with racing as Mr. Excitement and Jim Koehler came out from the pits following the racing competition to attempt a monster truck backflip! Koehler and Avenger lined up at the massive ramp and went skyward as the truck rotated over backwards and back onto all four's. The massive crowd erupted as the Avenger pulled back around and whipped into a set of donuts in celebration. Following the back flip from the Avenger it was time for the Throwdown Freestyle competition to begin. JR McNeal and the Xtermigator set the bar high early as the freestyle leader and first truck to perform in the competition. Their were many tough challenges including career best freestyles from Brad Allen in Brutus, and Cory Rummell in Rage but they couldn't top the scores from the Xtermigator. As the final competitor Jim Koehler and the Avenger pulled out all the stops with a spectacular freestyle full of big air jumps and dizzying cyclone donuts to take the victory. A very special thank you to the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort for their tremendous effort and hospitality! Planning for the 2016 event is already underway and we promise it won't disappoint! Copyright 2015 Monster Truck Throwdown, LLC. Violators will be prosecuted to fullest extent of the law. -Like Monster Truck Throwdown on Facebook Here: http://facebook.com/monsterthrowdown -Follow Monster Truck Throwdown on Instagram here: http://instagram.com/monstertruckthrowdown -Hashtag your Monster Truck Throwdown posts with the hashtag #throwdownforwhat -Subscribe to Monster Truck Throwdown on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=MonsterThrowdown1