In his first events with the Checker Schuck's Kragen Iron Outlaw, veteran driver Kreg Christensen wasted no time gathering hardware for his trophy case.  In two 3-day events Christensen won 7 of a possible 12 contests.  Twice over the mini-tour the former Dragon Slayer driver swept racing and freestyle in one night.  Crew member and rookie driver Darren Migues piloted Bounty Hunter to respectable finishes over the tour and will likely get more seat time in the spring of '08.  "It took just a bit to get used to this truck but we're on the same page now and I can't wait for January to roll around" noted Christensen after the events in Redmond, OR.  Long time rivals turned teammates, Jimmy Creten and Christensen will attack the USHRA Monster Jam Tour beginning January 5 th in Houston.  Both driver's are intent on claiming spots in the Monster Jam World Finals - March 29th in Las Vegas.

Another positive note from the West Coast Nationals is the $10,000 check presented to the Mercy Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. Pink was the theme of the weekend, from the crush cars on the track to the special edition Scarlet Bandit paint scheme. The 'Crush Out Breast Cancer' campaign continues throughout the month of October.

Unusually cold and dreary weather conditions tried to hold back the action at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds last weekend but an all star lineup of trucks and drivers would have none of it.  The six truck field, including World Champions Jimmy Creten and Pablo Huffaker battled through 3 separate events in 2 days.  Creten claimed the Friday night racing victory for Kragen Auto Parts.  Interim driver Russ Steeley in Iron Outlaw impressed Monster Jam officials with strong racing performances and solid freestyle runs all weekend.  "We battled some issues with the blue truck but still managed to pull out a win here" noted Creten "our fans are just amazing, the weather here took a turn for the worse and they still showed".  Next on the team's schedule is the 10th Annual West Coast Nationals in Red Bluff, CA.

The California Mid State Fair hosts one of the best events of the summer time and every fan is right on top of the action inside the fairgrounds dirt arena.  This year another great lineup was brought in, but even the best of equipment experiences failures from time to time.  During the 2pm performance Rick Swanson in Obsession broke his transfer case and Creten in Bounty Hunter took out the front 3rd member after winning the racing portion of the show.  That evening Linsey Weenk stuffed the front of Iron Outlaw into a motocross jump and ripped apart one of the 26" nitrogen shocks in the process.   In each case the drivers and crews had the machines repaired and ready to go for the next segment and never let the sell-out crowds down.

For more information on Bounty Hunter, Scarlet Bandit and Iron Outlaw visit our website at http://www.bountyhunter4x4.com or http://www.scarletbandit.com.

After 51 days, 13 cities and 10,143 miles the CSK Monster Truck team is back in the US headed for their next event in San Diego.  "What a great tour", commented Linsey Weenk who was the only part of the crew on hand for every stop; "The fans up here are great and have just as much excitement for us as they do south of the border".  The schedule stretched coast to coast including Montreal, Kelowna, Regina, Victoria and some smaller markets like Frederickton, NB and Sudbury, ON.  Chris Arel, president of Chris Arel Motorsports the tour producer, said 18 performances saw sellout crowds and total attendance is estimated at  175,000.  "Linsey Weenk dominated our tour winning both freestyle and racing competitions at many events. This could have been called the Linsey Weenk tour, as the media really fell in love with him. At every city we had interview requests because a Canadian was driving for one of the best teams in the world" added Arel.  One of the highlights behind the scenes included an impromptu hockey game between our Team CSK and Don Frankish's crew in Chilliwack, BC.   Emulating this year's Stanley Cup results, the American team led by a Canadian came out on top.

The Brandt Centre in Regina was another sell out, with fans showing their support for great monster truck action.  Kevin Weenk, the eldest of the monster truck driving threesome, filled in for Linsey in Outlaw and put the red CSK Ford in the winners circle Saturday night.   The team heads to Phoenix, AZ for the Tire Pro's Truckin Nationals before resuming their Canadian tour.

Another massive crowd packed Olympic Stadium in Montreal Saturday night.   Some 50,000+ witnessed Jimmy Creten claim the racing victory while Jim Kohler in Avenger went home with the freestyle trophy.  Both CSK trucks put in excellent freestyle runs, with Weenk the first to tackle the length-wise school bus setup and Creten riding wheelies the length of the floor.  The team heads West to Regina this weekend, where fans have already sold out the Brandt Centre for 2 performances.

Don't miss a special airing of this year's Monster Jam World Finals on CBS!  This Sunday (4/15) at Noon Eastern Time!

Flying the flags for Checker, Schuck’s, Kragen and Murray’s Auto Parts stores along with their newest sponsor HPI Racing; the 2xtreme race team will continue to compete at events across the country. To see when the trucks will be on display in your area or for more information on Bounty Hunter, Scarlet Bandit and Iron Outlaw visit our website at http://www.bountyhunter4x4.com or http://www.scarletbandit.com.

At the final Monster Jam event before the World Finals, the Checker Schuck's and Kragen drivers maintained their winning streak and could not have any more momentum behind their backs.  Jimmy Creten and Linsey Weenk have not lost a racing competition in the last 7 attempts; and even more astonishing is the fact that each one of those contests was between CSK team trucks.  "Reno is a tough show" commented Weenk, "a lot of people don't realize that it's about twice the size of a normal arena floor so the racing is fast you have to be on your game".  With all the success in racing recently, the trend of second place finishes in freestyle continues.  Creten continued to tie or take second place in freestyle to Grave Digger all weekend, adding more "cheer-off" losses to his record.

Fans in Tucson packed the convention center for 4 performances last weekend.  The event was Thunder Nationals style, which means no-dirt on the arena floor.  The monsters hit raw cars with no dirt ramps to aid them.  Creten and Weenk swept all four racing competitions, which was a big boost of confidence as the schedule winds down to Las Vegas.  Jimmy in Bounty Hunter laid down killer freestyle runs during all 4 events, including some reverse moves over the van stack.  He came up a few points short each time, as the wins went home with Chad Tingler in Grave Digger.

The rapidly expanding fan base for Monster Jam once again produced record crowds, this time in Albuquerque's Tingley Coliseum.  Even Sunday afternoon's performance, which usually draws smaller numbers than the previous night was jam packed with Monster Jam fans.  CSK drivers Linsey Weenk and Jimmy Creten completely swept racing and freestyle in all 3 performances last weekend.  Coming off a great weekend in the Mile High City where Linsey and the Outlaw gathered 2 racing victories, the duo was focused on improving their record even more in an effort to guarantee their spots when the tour his Las Vegas.  "There's only 4 weeks left and I want to do everything possible to carry momentum into the Finals" commented Weenk who's record for the year now includes 6 racing titles. Creten,  who has 4 victories in each competition and more second places due to 'cheer-offs' than he cares to remember, is running just as strong.   The team heads to Oklahoma City this weekend to challenge a strong linup of competitors including Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction.

Fans in St. Louis come out of the woodwork for the only Monster Jam event of the year in the Edward Jones Dome.  For the 3rd year straight some 70,000 fans were on hand and witnessed a spectacular event.  In qualifying action Dawn's Scarlet Bandit blew out an orbital valve in the steering setup.  Crew chief Darren Migues repaired the truck, only for the same thing to happen in round 1 where Dawn lost to Darren Basl in El Matador.   The rig was repaired again for freestyle and Dawn launched the truck over the massive double van stack but ended her run prematurely with a nose-dive off of the school bus pyramid.  "It was a dissappointing night.  We're still getting all the bugs worked out of the new truck and it's frusterating but I know we'll get it just right" noted the extremely popular female driver.

Denver's Pepsi Center was completely sold out for 2 performances, with Bounty Hunter and Iron Outlaw competing in the city for the first time ever!  Linsey Weenk was lightning fast with his reaction times all weekend and swept both racing sessions.  In freestyle Creten in Bounty Hunter put together 2 great runs but came out just a few points shy of crowd favorite Charlie Paukens in Grave Digger.

A CSK Team truck appeared on the Monster Nationals circuit for the first time Saturday night as  Dawn and Scarlet Bandit took on the series regulars Raminator, Bigfoot and Lil' Miss Dangerous.  Traction issues kept Dawn from crossing the finish line first in racing, however some excellent sky-wheelies and donuts put her on top for freestyle.

Reliant Stadium was once again packed to the rafters for the second SPEED Channel Monster Jam event of the year.  In Racing competition the finals came down to Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction against Jimmy in Bounty Hunter.  Creten's was even with Meents going into the first turn but a transmission failure cost him the win.  Tom Meents continued his impressive record for the year with another huge victory.

The crew had Bounty Hunter back in action for freestyle where all 3 drivers put on excellent performances.

The stakes are always high when the CSK backed team rolls in to Phoenix.  The drivers feel a lot of pressure  to perform well because Chase Field is literally blocks from the corporate headquarters of Checker, Schuck's and Kragen Auto Parts.  The pressure would be two-fold this year as the SPEED Channel cameras were on hand for the first time ever in Phoenix.  In qualifying action Jimmy Creten grabbed the top spot again, emphasizing again that he is on top of his game this season.  Dawn Creten, still fighting to work the bugs out of her brand new truck, took an easy roll in her first turn.   She would return in round one with minor damage.  I the semi-finals Adam Anderson in Grave Digger  defeated Daron Basl and Jimmy Creten handed some kryptonite to Chad Fortune in Superman.  The final round was a close race, in which the rising son of Dennis Anderson claimed his first major stadium victory by half a truck length.

The USHRA Staff put some extra effort into the freestyle setup at Chase Field with  multiple car stacks, a huge table top, wheelie jump and a giant  dirt ramp topped with 2 junk cars.  Courtney Jolly in Pastrana 199 set the bar early, to be topped a few runs later by Linsey Weenk in Iron Outlaw.  Creten in Bounty Hunter blasted everything on the course including some major air off the FMX landing ramp and some cyclone donuts at the end.  The judges posted 26 points which put the blue CSK truck in the lead.  Last up was 'Digger with the younger Anderson behind the wheel.  Adam launched the wrecking machine hard off the very first obstacle and rolled the truck only 10 seconds into his run.  That put Jimmy Creten in the winners circle and marked his 3rd consecutive win of the season.  Officials let Grave Digger re-fire and finish his run in typical no-holds barred fashon, but it was just for the fans.

San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium was once again jam packed for the yearly Monster Jam event.  Building on his momentum from last week in Tacoma Jimmy Creten went into the event with one goal in mind, to dominate and fine tune his machine for the remaining stops on the road to Vegas.  He did just that, posting the fastest qualifying time and mowing down competitors all the way through the finals.  In freestyle  Linsey Weenk made up for his semi-finals departure in racing with a jaw dropping, high speed run that set the stage for the remaining 3 competitors.  Lupe Soza in El Toro Loco took over the Hot Seat after he sent the bull a touch higher than Weenk and remained there until 2 other former Freestyle Champions took the floor.  Creten was the first to post a perfect 30 after 90 seconds if huge air, slap wheelies and donuts.  To end the show Charlie Paukens let Grave Digger loose and did the same.  While the two drivers technically tied, USHRA Officials once again let a crowd cheer-off decide the winner.   The entire team is headed to Phoenix where it's very possible a streak will be born.  Dawn and Scarlet Bandit may interfere however, as Chase Field is home to 2 of her major victories. 

The new 3-truck Team CSK was split up for the first time last weekend.  Bounty Hunter and Iron Outlaw took on the iron-man weekend of 5 performances in Tacoma while Dawn and Scarlet Bandit headed to Angels Stadium in Anaheim, CA. 

In Tacoma, Jay McPherson took over in the blue truck while Jimmy kept an eye on the new truck's debut in Southern Cal.  The team trucks came up just shy of a victory on Friday night and then got back into their winning ways the rest of the weekend.   Creten took back the controls of Bounty Hunter after a quick flight into Tacoma on Sunday morning.  "The fans up here are incredible.  It seems like every year we battle through 5 events and they pack the place every time" explained the '05 Freestyle Champion.  Linsey Weenk swept both racing competitions on Saturday while Creten followed suit on Sunday.  Freestyle was a bit of a different story as even stellar runs cannot sway the fans from the black and green truck.  Finally on Sunday a tie was awarded at the afternoon performance, only to be given to Digger on a crowd cheer-off.   At the evening performance the Blue CSK machine finally came out on top with a 29 point score.

In Anahiem, some 60,000+ fans sold out Angel Stadium on Friday.  Part of the event was the return of Dawn Creten and her brand new Scarlet Bandit ride.  The team battled some new truck gremlins on Friday and had the truck ready for battle on Saturday night.  In qualifying Dawn placed a respectable 5th behind the eventual racing winner Neil Elliott in Maximum Destruction.  She came up about a truck length short in first round action which immediately turned the attention to freestyle.   Dawn put the new rig through the paces with some great air and impressive wheelstands.  She ended the night with a 21 point score.  Dawn commented "This new truck is going to be incredible.  I just need some time to get used to it and we'll be just fine.  I'm so happy to be back on the road and I can't wait to see more fans next weekend!"

All three trucks will meet up for the first time in San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium next weekend.

The Team CSK Monster Trucks kicked off the season in Houston's Reliant Stadium. A new track design and some new trucks created some challenges for all the competitors. The "Houston Style" course started a pair of trucks at the starting line on separate table tops, then took the monsters into side by side lanes before the trucks turned away from each other, flat tracked the length of Reliant Stadium before turning back toward each other and then flying over the cars to the Ford Finish Line. Adam Anderson, filling in for his father as the driver of Grave Digger, had the number one qualifying spot with a time of 16.40. Jimmy Creten suffered from some mechanical set backs during round 1 that would leave him out of the racing contention. In the red machine, the sport's young gun Linsey Weenk defeated Brutus, T-Maxx and Escalade on his way to a final round appearance against Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction. "Tom Meents beat me again! I'm not sure why every time I race him I just throw the race away. The guy is a true competitor and I look forward to coming out on top soon" commented Weenk.

Freestyle saw both CSK Fords trying to beat a high score set early by former 2Xtreme Racing employee Darron Basl. Basl and El Matador took the Houston floor by storm hitting everything in sigh. Iron Outlaw came out and showcased his wheelie skills. Riding slap wheelies all across the stadium floor. The judges would ultimately hand Linsey a 22. Jimmy Creten and the Bounty Hunter wanted to avenge the trouble they had in racing with an excellent freestyle run. Major Air was the theme of Jimmy's run and the fans got a lot of it. Jimmy ended the run with a phenomenal set of donuts on top of a crushed motorhome. The judges rewarded him with a 23. "We got the bugs worked out this weekend and still managed some respectable scores. Next weekend in Tacoma should be a completely different story though, we're going to be back on top" noted a determined Jimmy Creten following his team's 5th and 7th place runs.

SPEED Channel, the television home of Monster Jam, has opened voting for the 2006 Performance Awards to the fans!  Linsey Weenk and Dennis Anderson have been nominated for 'Rivalry of the Year' for their season long battle last winter.   The sport's new 'young gun' defeated the most popular driver in Montreal, Pontiac and Minneapolis on his way to his first Monster Jam World Finals.

Click here to vote for Linsey & Dennis!

A near sell-out crowd of 51,000 packed Olympic Stadium yet again to watch a stellar field of monster truck competitors.  Both Team CSK trucks ended up on the same side of the racing bracket, which led to a Bounty Hunter vs Iron Outlaw semi final matchup.  The teamates put on an awesome performance with Weenk and Iron Outlaw moving on to the finals.  There he met up with Dan Runte in the Summit Bigfoot.  Both drivers pushed extremely hard into the final turn, and both trucks rocked up on to two wheels.  Runte was unable to save his Ford from rolling over, while Weenk brought his machine back down on four wheels and powered to the finish line.

NRG Resources, Inc, producers of the revolutionary TVT 24-7^® line of automotive and industrial lubricants has signed on to support the hard-hitting monster truck team of Jimmy and Dawn Creten. The trucks – Bounty Hunter, Scarlet Bandit and Iron Outlaw are among the sport’s top contenders and compete in nearly 50 events each year. 

“The Creten’s monster truck team is a perfect way to help promote the Total Vehicle Treatment 24-7^® line.   They perform at the top level and are a great avenue to demonstrate the benefits of using our products.  Not many vehicles are put through the abuse that these trucks are,” commented NRG Resources’ Chief Marketing Officer, Don Borba.  Part of the product line is TVT 24-7^® Engine Treatment which has been used in the team’s massive 555 cubic inch supercharged motors for several months.  “I’ve noticed significantly less wear on the bearings and cylinder walls since we’ve been using the Engine Treatment” noted owner and tuner Jimmy Creten.  Additionally, should the oiling system fail the TVT 24-7^® Engine Treatment leaves a polarized layer of oil molecules, which will dramatically reduce scoring and engine damage.

The monster trucks, recognizable by their unique S.U.V. bodies and backed by primary sponsor Checker, Schuck’s and Kragen Auto Parts primarily compete on the USHRA Monster Jam Series and can be seen regularly on the SPEED Channel.  All consistent winners on the tour, Creten and Bounty Hunter captured their first championship at the Monster Jam World Finals in 2005.  The team’s website is located at http://www.bountyhunter4x4.com .

NRG Resources, Inc. is the developer, manufacturer and worldwide distributor of the most technologically advanced line of high performance automotive and industrial lubricant products. More information about the company and its products can be found at http://www.tvt247.com.

Jimmy Creten and Linsey Weenk made their first appearance at L.A.'s Irwindale Speedway on Sept 2nd.  Creten battled his way through a tough field including his teamate for the racing victory and both drivers tied for the freestyle title at the end of the evening.

Lineup included:  Dan Runte - Bigfoot 15; Pat Gerber-Shocker; Bruce Haney - T-Maxx; Fletch Lewis - Sudden Impact; Rick Swanson - Obsession

The CSK team competed in their second of two M.O.D. events in Monroe, WA with the hired gun Linsey Weenk claiming both racing events on Friday night.  Surprise winner Frank Schettini did the same in Saturday's competition.  "We've done extremely well at these events considering it's not our normal series.  Had we knocked off Frank saturday night myself and Jimmy would have been undefeated" commented  Weenk.

Following each season, USHRA and SPEED Channel announcer Scott Douglass hands out his own awards to the teams that stood out during the 3 month road to the Monster Jam World Finals.  Here's part one of his 2006 recap:

Another packed house filled Firebird Raceway in Phoenix for the annual Coors Light Monster Truck & Jet Car Jam.  The show is brutal on trucks and drivers becuase of the hard concrete surface and close proximety of the drag strip walls.  The monster truck superstars don't let that slow them down however, as it's not uncommon to bounce off the barriers a few times during a freestyle run.   This year the event was broken down into three competitions, Donut Contest, Wheelie Contest and of course Freestyle.  Tom Meents and Jimmy in Bounty Hunter battled for the donut and freestyle crowns with Meents coming out on top in both.  Creten tested his Hughes Performance transmission with a few uncharacteristic reverse jumps before the entire body of the truck flew off.  Linsey Weenk in the Iron Outlaw was unstoppable in the wheelie contest with 5 (yes..5) consecutive slap wheelies down the quarter mile.

Get ready for a monster dose of reality television when Inside Monster Jam debuts on April 22nd at 5PM EST.  The SPEED Channel crews have been hard at work filming exclusive behind the scenes footage of the drivers and crews as they smashed and thrashed their way to the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas.   Episode 1 cronicles  the first three events of the season, including the final ever Monster Jam at the Pontiac Silverdome.  Don't miss the debut of IMJ:

April 22nd at 5PM EST ... only on SPEED
Check the television schedule page for additional airings.

The Monster Jam World Finals continues to be the premier monster truck event in the world.   This year the spectacle grew even larger with 24 trucks in competition and more hype and pressure to win than ever.  Qualifying on Friday night saw Dennis Anderson lay down fast time with a 16.19 second pass followed closely by both CSK trucks in second and third.  The racing competition was intense with 2 of the best races in recent memory.  For the third time in the event's history Jimmy Creten competed in the final round, this time losing by a tire length to Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger.   Freestyle went a step further and the sold-out crowd of hard core Monster Jam fans were not dissappointed.  The Checker, Schuck's and Kragen Auto Parts drivers were however, both had their runs cut short due to breakage.

Back in January the crew made a stop on Hollywood to film a short skit for the NBC comedy 'Scrubs'.  We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the behind the scenes experience.  The show is scheduled to air next week on Tuesday 3/21 at 9PM EST.  The episode is titled 'My Extra Mile'.  Here's a few photos from our day on the set:

LAS VEGAS, NV  -  All roads lead to Las Vegas for competitors on the USHRA Monster Jam tour. A four month no-holds-barred battle that scatters some 100 teams across the country ends at Sam Boyd Stadium on March 25th.   Only 24 teams qualify to compete in the spectacle, and this is the second year that both Checker – Schuck’s – Kragen Auto Parts monster trucks are in the field.

Die hard fans from all 50 states and countries around the world make tracks to Las Vegas for the World Finals. It truly is an event like no other. If you haven’t experienced it for yourself, make plans to be there. Tickets are still available – for more information log on to USHRA.com.

The 'Biggest Little City in the World' hosted it's second Monster Jam of the year and with four performances in 3 days, the teams had their work cut out for them.  Here's who got the job done in the last event before the big dance in Las Vegas:

The United States Hot Rod Association announced today the 24 teams and drivers who will compete at the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas on March 25th.  This year marks the largest World Finals field in history and the 2nd straight year that both CSK Team Trucks have qualified for the event.   The  star studded field includes:

* Indicates trucks and/or drivers first World Final Appearance

Journey Jolie Creten was born Monday evening at 8:46 pm.  The 3rd Creten sister weighed in at 8.03 pounds and both mother and daughter are doing fine. 

The Monster Jam Winter Season is in full swing and Portland's Rose Garden hosted 3 days of great monster truck racing. For the weekend Bounty Hunter and Iron Outlaw were joined by Shattered, Arachnophobia, George Balhan's Escalade, Blue Thunder, Del Scorcho and Charlie piloting Grave Digger. Coming off outstanding racing and near victories the last two weeks the CSK Fords were anticipating a trio of victories. The weekend started off with Jimmy taking the number 1 qualifying spot as Bounty Hunter mowed down his side of the eliminations bracket on his way to the finals. Rear end problems in round 1 limited Linsey to freestyle Friday night, so that left the door to the finals open for Charlie and Grave Digger. The short drag track relies heavily on driver reaction time for victories and no one can be tougher to beat off the line then Jimmy Creten. It was a great ending to Jimmy's 40th birthday celebration.

Linsey spent the afternoon eliminating the mechanical bugs that plagued him Friday night and was back to his winning ways. Weenk's reaction times paired with the huge amounts of horsepower the CSK monster trucks have gave him the number 1 qualifying spot, which turned out to be a benefit as Blue Thunder blew a transmission and gave Outlaw a bye run. Bounty Hunter put Shattered out, Del Scorcho dispatched Arachnophobia and Grave Digger came out on top over Escalade. The Finals turned out with Grave Digger in the lane opposite the Red Expedition. Like he has done time and time again, Linsey took the checkered and added another win t his extensive resume.

Jimmy and Linsey raced for the first time of the weekend in Sunday's Finals. Linsey still has bragging rights over jimmy so far this season, but Bounty Hunter took the win that afternoon.

Trucks, Tires, and Dirt flew all over the Rose Garden in an awesome freestyle competition the concluded each event. With scores in the high 20's every show the current Freestyle champion had the fans on their feet every pass. Jimmy made sure the team would have plenty of work to keep them busy this week as he broke the massive ring and pinion in Bounty Hunter on Sunday afternoon. A quick trip home will have everything in line for the Metrodome next weekend.

The CSK team would also like to congratulate crewmember, Justin "Hillbilly" Barrett who brought his race truck out to compete in the USHRA Tuff Truck Competition. Barrett only had a few days to work on his hot rod and was unable to qualify for the 8-truck field.

Vancouver was circled on the schedule in the semi because it marked a trip back to Canada for Linsey. Famous Canadian Hospitality and a huge Chicago style track in the B.C. Place greeted all the USHRA Superstars. The fans in Canada came out early for the Party in the Pits and stayed in endless lines greeting each of monster truck drivers. The floor of the Arena is huge in Vancouver. A single strip of dirt was placed on the racing lane meaning the rest of the freestyle objects, including the huge bus stack would have a concrete landing. The Racing brackets broke down like this:


Round One:
Grave Digger over Shattered
Blue Thunder beat Del Scorcho
Bounty Hunger defeated the Escalade
Iron Outlaw took out Arachnophobia

Semi final Round
Grave Digger beat Blue Thunder in a close contest
Iron Outlaw narrowly escaped Bounty Hunter

Race Final
Grave Digger over Iron Outlaw in a photo finish.

Scott Anderson had an outstanding freestyle run in Arachnophobia. The level of freestyle performances from the other Anderson this year has been amazing. Linsey attacked the bus stack from all directions and had some rough landings on the bare floor. His efforts netted him only a 23. The current Freestyle Champion did just about everything imaginable in 90 seconds. After a set of tight spinning donuts Jimmy ended them at the perfect moment to blast through a set of cars without ever letting out of the throttle. Bounty Hunter's time in the spotlight would be short lived as Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger followed Creten.

When you're on the top there is only one place to go. After 20 straight winning runs Linsey Weenk finally crossed the finish line second. Chase Field is always a highlight on our schedule and Phoenix has been good to the team in the past. Dawn has swept the racing portion the last two years and with baby due by month's end, she was there to cheer on the rest of the team this year. Rookie Mark McDonald in the Safe Auto Minimizer stunned the field when he snatched the top qualifying spot away from Iron Outlaw, who had been sitting atop the 10-truck field. Bounty Hunter crossed easily into round 2, but as luck would have it Iron Outlaw would be his opponent. The fans seemed evenly split as Jimmy and Linsey pulled to the line. The unique track in Chase Field provided a great visual as the two huge CSK Fords approached the turn in unison. Jimmy went into the turn a bit to heavy and ended up handing Weenk the win. For Outlaw, It was the next round against eventual event winner Batman that proved more dramatic. Numerous replay reviews might have been needed to determine a victor at the finish line, but the call was made that Linsey didn't have both front wheels square when he hit the last jump. It was Jason Childress's first stadium win in the new Batman Truck.

Jimmy cut a tire early in his Freestyle run but still managed to get some of the biggest air of the night and multiple sets of high-speed right-handed donuts. Lee O' Donnell had a fast paced run complete with a alternating 1 wheeled Slap Wheelie that ended with him recycling a Monster Mutt body. Two new terra tires leave the shop tomorrow and will be waiting for the trucks in Tacoma, WA as they prepare to leave for Canada.

"Never did I imagine this much success when I joined the team" explained the currently undefeated Linsey Weenk, "I don't know how much longer we can keep it up but if it ends this weekend it will still be the highlight of my career so far". Having dominated the racing portion of every event he's competed in this season, Weenk and his Checker Schuck's Kragen Auto Parts backed Iron Outlaw Ford are now focused on a Monster Jam World Finals Championship.

At the last event in San Diego the CSK machines both made their presence known right from the start as #1 and 2 qualifiers. In the racing brackets Jimmy in Bounty Hunter defeated the Suzuki sponsored ride and Grave Digger before losing to Dan Radoni in the Patriot. Creten crossed the finish line first, but knocked down another turning pole and was assessed a 5-second penalty. Until that round, Bounty Hunter had not been beaten by anyone other than his teammate. Weenk in the red truck wiped out Tuff Country, Blue Thunder and a returning Grave Digger for his spot in the finals. Radoni, the 2005 USHRA Rookie of the Year, made a good lap at Qualcomm Stadium but it was not enough to slow down the red hot Iron Outlaw.

The incredible freestyle performances from Anaheim carried over to San Diego with all of the competitors giving yet another sold out crowd their moneys worth. Linsey would run early in the lineup and receive a 24 point score. Later the current freestyle champion hit the track and launched his truck not once, but twice over the massive dirt hills in the center of the floor and was only awarded 26 points from the questionable judges. "The scoring here was absolutely horrible. They were handing out 28 and 29 points to trucks that rolled ten seconds into their runs while myself and others not only filled the clock but got huge air and ran hard the whole time. I don't understand it," noted a bitter Creten on Monday morning. George Balhan in Escalade, who did fill his :90 second clock took the freestyle win with a 30 point run.

Phoenix, AZ is next on the calendar and both drivers intend on gathering some more hardware for their trophy cases. "CSK is based in Phoenix and the pressure is really on when you're racing in front of them. We've got a good record at Bank One [now Chase Field] and if all goes well it will stay that way".

Details

Linsey Weenk, the new ‘young gun’ of the Monster Jam Series nabbed his second straight SPEED Channel victory in Minneapolis on Saturday night, despite the best efforts of the sport’s top names. This win not only proved that his previous win in Montreal was no fluke but also gained him the respect of the sport’s icon, Grave Digger’s Dennis Anderson.

With racing in the books, everyone’s attention went to freestyle. Up first was Adam Anderson in TAZ who flipped the truck only ten seconds into his run. Second was Weenk in Iron Outlaw, the first driver with a shot at the new USHRA Double Down trophy; available to anyone who can sweep both racing and freestyle in one night. His run was action packed with big air and several long wheelstands, to which the judges awarded him 24 points. Sitting in the Hot Seat, Linsey watched an onslaught of competitors try to dethrown him. World Finals veterans Jimmy Creten and Tom Meents both ended their runs before of their 90 seconds expired and fell short of the score to beat. Anderson in Grave Digger put on a fast paced 27 point run and ended the Outlaw’s hopes of taking home the Double Down hardware. It was another young gun, Paul Cohen in Pastrana 199, who annihilated the Minneapolis track and won with 28 well deserved points.

Following the big event on Saturday night the crews will rush home to prepare their 10,000 pound machines for the non-stop grueling winter season. Teams will scatter the country with as many as 8 events in one weekend, all working towards a spot in the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas on March 25th.

If Saturday's event in Montreal's Olympic Stadium is an indication, the new season of Speed Channel Monster Jams is set to be full of exciting surprises and the best action in the sport's history. The first date on the schedule for Speed Channel '06 season included a hot newcomer shocking the biggest names in the business to win racing, followed by a ten truck freestyle that, start to finish, has to rate as one of the best ever.

In racing Lindsey Weenk drove 2Xtreme Racing's Iron Outlaw to the event victory, beating his boss, Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter in the championship race. After Dennis Anderson set the fastest qualifying time in Grave Digger XIX, most eyes were on Anderson's march into the semifinals at the top of the bracket, but in the semifinals Weenk shocked the 2004 World Racing Champion when he eeked out a narrow win on the twin-oval St. Louis style racing course. Creten then powered Bounty Hunter to a semifinal triumph over Tony Farrell in the Built Ford Tough Blue Thunder to set up the showdown between teammates for the event win. Weenk, the native of Devils' Coulee, Alberta, Canada, who was hired by Creten this summer to take over the Iron Outlaw ride then followed up his upset of Anderson with a half-length victory over Creten to claim the biggest win of his blossoming career.

The action packed, wild freestyle competition was full of highlights and wow moments. Coming onto the floor second after Andy Slifko, filling in for Team Meents in the Hot Wheels Ford for the competition off to a great start with a strong Chris Bergeron's night ended prematurely when the front wheel of Brutus broke off early in the run. Charlie Pauken raised the bar to the roof early one with a blistering freestyle in the new Taz machine that scored a 25 from the judges and put Pauken on top. Later 2003 World Freestyle Champion Jim Koehler rocked the house with an Avenger performance that ended before the 90 second clock expired with the truck on its roof and another broken wheel for the the Columbus, MI, team. Anderson's Grave Digger freestyle brought the crowd to its feet but his scores suffered when the truck flipped with more than 30 seconds left on the clock, bringing six-time World Champion Tom Meents onto the floor in Maximum Destruction. Mad Max had plenty of time to plan his freestyle after he flipped his truck in a first round racing loss to Bounty Hunter, and Meents made up for the racing disappointment with an absoultely incredible freestyle. Max-D's run was highlighted by several rounds of some of his best cyclone donuts in quite some time, and after filling the entire time period Meents wrapped up with Maximum destruction crashing onto its roof and sliding for several yards across the concrete at the end of the huge Olympic Stadium floor. The judges scored Meents with a 25 to tie Pauken for the lead with one competitor left. That competitor was Creten, the reigning World Freestyle Champion who's freestyle included two length of the floor power wheelies from a standing start that impressed the judges as well, and Bounty Hunter's score of 25 created a three way that was broken by a cheer off, with the huge Montreal crowd clearly choosing Maximum Destruction as the freestyle winner.

Competition was intense in Northern California last weekend.   Promoter J&K Motorsports assembled perhaps the toughest 12 truck field yet in the 8 year history of the West Coast Nationals.  There were no 'also rans' in this lineup, which included Maximum Destruction, Grave Digger, Bounty Hunter, King Krunch, Bigfoot, Iron Outlaw and more.  Linsey Weenk, nearing the end of his first full season in a CSK backed rig, won the opening night in Red Bluff.  "This is a big deal to me!  Every big name team is here and the fans are hard core.  I think I've proven that there is no '2nd truck' on this team" remarked an excited Linsey Weenk after his victory.

"All of the trucks were running extremely well" commented promoter Joe Froome.  "The racing was awesome and our freestyle judges had a tough time determining the winners because everyone did such an incredible job".  Maximum Destruction's Tom Meents  and Freestyle Champion Jimmy Creten, who ended his final run with a spectacular crash, tied for the overal win in Freestyle.  Pablo Huffaker in Grave Digger walked away with the overal Racing championship.

Jimmy Creten isn't usually referred to as 'the old man', but this particular weekend it was fitting.  Pitted against the freestyle champion was his former crew cheif, driving the sport's most famous truck.  24 year old Aaron Basl was behind the wheel of Grave Digger, subbing for Pablo Huffaker who left the event to prepare his Houston residence for Hurrican Rita.

"Aaron did a great job" said Creten, "It was neat to see a guy that started with me driving a Digger truck.  It was better to win all 3 events for all the KRAGEN Auto Parts stores here in Southern California!".  Creten in Bounty Hunter dominated the weekend, winning both racing and freestyle in all  3 performances.  Linsey Weenk in the 2nd CSK Auto sponsored truck claimed 4 2nd place finishes throughout the weekend.

USHRA Announcer Scott Heaton commented on the weekend:

"The Monster Jam in Lancaster, California was all about the Bounty Hunter. As you can see from the results, this weekend Jimmy Creten was is in World Championship form. The reigning freestyle world champ won nearly every competition this weekend. From Wheelies and Donuts to Freestyle and Racing, the CSK race team was on a mission to win, and they did just that. The team combination of Linsey Weenk and Jimmy Creten is one of the strongest teams ever assembled. The Iron Outlaw and Bounty Hunter are 2 of the strongest trucks, both engine and chassis wise. These drivers are 2 of the VERY best at what they do. From driving the trucks in competition to signing autographs and interacting with the fans, they show their passion for the sport and the love for the fans. These two trucks will be battling it out in Vegas this year!"

In their one and only appearance on the 'Monsters of Destruction' Series, the Checker, Schuck's and Kragen backed trucks of Jimmy Creten and Linsey Weenk cleaned house at the Evergreen State Fair.  MOD airs weekly on the Outdoor Channel and features trucks not seen on the USHRA Monster Jam tour like Bigfoot, Dragon Slayer and Monster Patrol.  The events consist of two different forms of racing, one straight line and the other a turning course.  During Thursday night's final rounds Jimmy in Bounty Hunter defeated Dave Harkey in Bigfoot and Rick Swanson in the Line-X Obsession.   On Friday night, Linsey Weenk decided it was his turn to be in the spotlight and sent Frank Schettini in 'Big Dummy' and Jeff Bainter in Captain USA to their trailers.   The event is scheduled to air in the coming weeks.

Paso Robles, CA - Last weekend marked the first of a 15 event, 4 month tour for the Checker, Schuck's, and Kragen Auto Parts Monster Truck Team. "We do most of these events every year and have come to know a lot of fans in each city" said the 2005 Freestyle Champion and Bounty Hunter driver Jimmy Creten.

Bounty Hunter and Iron Outlaw will make numerous stops in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona on the stretch. Outlaw driver Linsey Weenk compares it to his NHRA counterparts - "the NHRA teams have 3 races on the west coast in a row and it's a big deal to them. We run out here for 4 months straight. It works out well because all the Checker, Schuck's and Kragen stores are here, the weather is great and almost all of the shows have great crowds".

The annual West Coast Nationals in Red Bluff is perhaps the most challenging with numerous top name teams in attendance. "Red Bluff is like a mini-World Finals. Everyone there wants to win and the fans are used to seeing a top notch event" commented Creten. "Of course Firebird Raceway in Phoenix is a very important event too, they build a huge course for the Truckin' Nationals and it's home to CSK".

After covering some 8,000+ miles of America's highways, the team will return home just in time for Thanksgiving. The month of December is traditionally spent rebuilding the trucks for the major events in in the first quarter. "This year we'll get a chance to take a week off before tearing the trucks down. It will still leave us a full month to get ready to defend our Freestyle title and go for the Racing Championship in '06" explained Jimmy.

To see the 'Western Swing' Schedule or for any other information on the CSK Monster Truck Team surf over to http://www.bountyhunter4x4.com.

Waco, TX - What a scortcher!   With temperatures well over 100 degrees drivers Linsey Weenk and Russ Steeley had their work cut out for them.  The Monster Jam Summer Heat event consisted of 4 (yes 4) nights of action.  The home-state hero and Digger driver Pablo Huffaker swept almost everything, with Russ in Outlaw claiming one wheelie contest.  "We ran our butts off in Waco and I know the fans got a good show from our team.  Sometimes you just can't win against the black and green truck" said a tan and worn out Russ Steeley.

In a city built on hopes and dreams, Jimmy Creten cashed in his chips. After years of chasing a coveted World Title, the Checker Schuck’s Kragen Monster Truck Team brought one home. "If you would have told me back in January that we’d have won Freestyle and not racing, I might have called you crazy" Jimmy commented after the event. "It’s amazing, I’m thrilled to have been a part of all this".

The 2005 Monster Jam Freestyle Championship is the greatest in a long list of accomplishments for the Checker Schuck’s Kragen Team. "It’s great to finally bring home a championship after all these years" explained Creten, "It’s a testament to our team, sponsors, my family and the great job the USHRA does producing these events".

Leaving the mud and rain behind, Team CSK headed northeast to the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. Iron Outlaw with Linsey Weenk and Bounty Hunter piloted as always by Jimmy Creten, were part of a line up that featured the best Monster Jam had to offer. With a single set of cars being the only obstacle in this short dash to the finish, the Hughes Transmission in Bounty Hunter and Outlaw would play a key role in the Checker Schuck’s Kragen team’s 3 victories.

Friday Iron Outlaw was branded fastest in qualifying and then defeated Grave Digger in round 1. Elsewhere in the round Jimmy Creten defeated Escalade. Paul Cohen in Pastrana 199 and the returning fast loser Escalade would both fall prey to the CSK Fords in round 2, setting up an all 2Xtreme racing Final. Nothing could hold Linsey back, fastest in qualifying, fastest in rounds 1 and 2, and faster than the boss in the finals.

Saturday night Bounty Hunter opened up the event in a big way. Scoring a perfect 30 in the wheelie competition, tying with fan favorite Grave Digger. Jimmy, driving like a man on fire, went on to capture the top qualifying spot and in the first race he sent Norm Miller in Blue Thunder to the trailer, but not for long. Due to Outlaw red lighting and Pastrana 199 being DQ’ed, Blue Thunder would meet Bounty Hunter again in the 2^nd round. Same trucks, same screaming fans, same results Bounty Hunter would meet Charlie Pauken in the Finals. The semi-final race of World Finals 5 had a different ending Saturday night in Sacramento as Jimmy Creten took the racing win over Grave Digger.

Sunday Jimmy fell just a single point short in the wheelie contest. He stood the truck straight up and down and still fell to the Grave Digger’s perfect 30. Racing in Round 1 would show Bounty Hunter over Escalade, Pastrana 199 edging out Blue Thunder and Grave Digger squeaking by Iron Outlaw. In his collision path to the final round Bounty Hunter defeated teammate and Fast loser Iron Outlaw to meet Charlie Pauken once more. Just like the night before, Bounty Hunter victorious over Grave Digger.

With the World Finals on the horizon, the team will head Pontiac Michigan next Saturday. The SPEED channel cameras will be rolling to catch all the mishaps and excitement that accompanies the road to Vegas.

Houston's Reliant Stadium was sold out for the first weekend of the 05 Monster Jam Series.  After over a month of rebuilding, modifying and freshening the CSK trucks made their way to Houston, only something was different.  When the trailer doors opened fans were expecting to see pink and blue, only this time it was bright red and blue.  The brand new CSK Iron Outlaw made it's debut in Houston with our new team driver Linsey Weenk behind the wheel.  More info on Linsey and the new Outlaw to come soon.

Both trucks made impressive showings, but small bugs kept them from the winner's circle.  In racing, Jimmy Creten mowed down competitors all the way to the finals against Ford's Blue Thunder.  A faulty safety switch on the rear of the truck brought the run to a halt just before Bounty Hunter made the final turn.   Linsey was eager to get some seat time in the Outlaw only to have a planetary lock up before qualifying.

The crew had both machines back in shape for freestyle.   Linsey and Outlaw hit everything on the track and got some huge air off the double jump.  Jimmy in the blue truck was on a great run only to have an experimental tranny give out 60 seconds into the run.  The team is back in the shop getting the kinks worked out and will be ready for this weekend's 5-show iron man event in Tacoma.

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The J&K Motorsports West Coast battle royale continued in Eureka with 3 more grueling events.   On Friday night, Pablo Huffaker in Grave Digger took the #1 qualifying spot giving him a bye in the first round of competition.  The final round came down to Digger and Bounty Hunter with Jimmy going to the winner's circle. In freestyle Creten stood the Blue CSK machine on it's tailgate and rode a wheelie for over 308' as measured by track officials.

In Saturday night's performance Tom Meents blistered the chicago style track in qualifying, with Jimmy and Bounty Hunter in second.  Creten faced Huffaker in Grave Digger in the semi finals, and fell to the Digger when Bounty Hunter slid in the final turn.  Huffaker went on to defeat Maximum Destruction in the finals, but his luck ran out in freestyle.  Digger's tranny gave way shortly into his run, leaving heavy-hitters Bounty Hunter and Max D to battle it out.  Both trucks had incredible runs, and the judges awarded the Saturday night win to Tom Meents.

The teams woke up to a sloppy, muddy mess of a track.  After 5 hours of rain there was not much the track crew could do.  It's a good thing monster truck fans love mud!  Tom Meents swept both events on Sunday afternoon.

The 7th annual West Coast Monster Truck Nationals delivered it's expected weekend of incredible performances, thrills and spills.  Event promoter J & K Motorsports goes a step further than the normal weekend consisting of 2-3 individual performances by crowning an overall champion in both freestyle and racing.  As usual the stands were absolutely packed all weekend.

The highlight of the weekend for the CSK backed team came when Dawn Creten claimed the #1 qualifing position on both Friday and Saturday.   While both trucks advanced into the semi finals and finals througout the weekend, neither could claim a victory.  Freestyle however was a different story.  Jimmy Creten in the blue CSK machine swept both Saturday Night and Sunday afternoon's performances to win the overall freestyle championship.

Our best wishes go out to Team Meents driver Rob Knell who was injured during Saturday's qualifying session.  Get well soon 'Cousin Rob', we hope to see you back on the track.

The mud and heat in Wichita Falls did nothing to slow down Jimmy's winning streak in CSK's blue monster.  After sweeping both racing and freestyle against stout competition in Joplin, MO he did it again 3 times at the Red River Speedway.  Bounty Hunter and Scarlet Bandit dominated racing all weekend, with both Fords in the final each night.   Jimmy sat out freestyle on Thursday due to transmission problems, but  cleaned house on Friday and Saturday with 30 point runs.

Six of the best teams headed for Joplin this year to compete on the 'S' track, which takes up nearly every square inch of 66 Speedway's infield.  Wild Hair, Big Dawg, Samson, Grave Digger and our CSK team went to battle and in the end Jimmy Creten claimed the top spot in qualifying, racing and freestyle!

Fans packed the Salinas Rodeo Grounds again this year as they do whenever the USHRA Monster Jam rolls into town.  Jimmy in the blue truck pulled off a great win in racing narrowly defeating Pablo Huffaker in Grave Digger for the crown.

Each year USHRA Announcer Scott Douglass presents his 'Scotty Awards' at the end of the winter season:

Runner-up: 2XTREME RACING - This Kansas based team was great all year, and not just the Bounty Hunter. Jimmy Creten was one of the toughest to beat week in and week out on the circuit in 2004, and Dawn Creten in Scarlet Bandit improved drastically. Jimmy gave his wife the best equipment she's ever had, and Dawn responded with her most successful racing campaign ever, highlighted by her breakthrough victory against a star-studded line-up at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. Not only are they great racing and freestyle monsters, but those two Ford Expeditions are beautiful trucks just to look at.

Runner-up: JIMMY CRETEN - Creten did not get the racing championship he so desperately desires again this year, but the Bounty Hunter was still superb and tough to beat on the big tracks. Creten won a pair of late season Speed Channel events (in Jacksonville and Detroit) overcoming a sluggish start to the season, and despite coming up short in Vegas don't forget that he was the one of the fastest qualifiers at Sam Boyd Stadium and made it to the final four of the World Finals for the third straight time, a feat that only he and Meents have accomplished.

Despite the cold and dreary weather in Fort Smith, AR Jimmy and Bounty Hunter brought home 3 first place trophys.  The competition was tough with former racing World Champion Little Tiger and 'Downtown' Randy Brown, who were also victorious.

In an interview on Thursday Jimmy Creten said he hoped just to get through Pontiac so he would have more time to fine tune the Blue CSK truck for it's 3rd Monster Jam World Finals appearance.  Not only did Jimmy and Bounty Hunter make it through the event, he won it.  It was no easy task either as he went through Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction, Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger and Tony Farrel's Built Ford Tough Blue Thunder for the victory.  USHRA announcer Scott Douglass will post his yearly World Finals predictions this week, look for Bounty Hunter to be the odds on favorite in racing.

Dawn lost to Blue Thunder in round 2 after defeating Suzuki driver Kathy Winston.  She went on to claim 2nd place in freestyle!  Dawn launched Scarlet Bandit off the giant double and had the crowd on their feet.

The CSK team rarely crosses the Mississippi River, usually only for smaller summertime shows.  This time the crew headed to Jacksonville's Alltell Stadium for another SPEED Channel Monster Jam taping.  In the end, USHRA announcer Scott Douglass said it was perhaps the most spectacular event so far this year.

Jimmy Creten and the CSK Ford Bounty Hunter qualified #1 and motored his way past the absolute best teams on the Monster Jam tour for the win.  He defeated wife and teamate Dawn Creten in round 2, Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger during the semi's and Allen Pezo's Predator in the finals.  Jacksonville mark's his 7th win of the season and the second to be televised on Speed Channel.

Fans in Albuquerque experienced 3 nights of Monster Jam action inside Tingley Coliseum this year.  The all-star lineup included Grave Digger, Black Smith, King Krunch, Wild Hair, Dragon Slayer, Muscle Machine and of course the CSK Fords. 

Jimmy and Bounty Hunter brought home 2 racing wins, one on Friday Night and the other on Sunday Afternoon.  Saturday night he tied for the freestyle victory with Pablo Huffaker in Grave Digger.  Our own crew cheif Aaron Basl got in the seat this weekend, driving Wild Hair for an injured Jason Witte.

The Edward Jones Dome was filled to capacity Saturday night for the latest SPEED Channel Monster Jam taping.  In the racing portion, Jimmy and Bounty Hunter met up with Tom Meents in the final round, with the former world Champion taking the win.  Both CSK trucks were very impressive in freestyle with Dawn getting some huge air off the Hot Wheels High Jump.   Jimmy blasted onto the course with a near vertical power wheelie followed by some great air off the high jump and the bus.  Check out the action in the photo gallery.

Houston fans get their fair share of monster truck action, and they keep on coming back for more.   Reliant Stadium was sold out for the second week in a row, the first being Super Bowl 38.  The CSK trucks qualified 3rd and 10th which placed them against eachother in the first round.  The blue truck prevailed and went on to defeat Grave Digger in the second round before losing in spectacular fashion to Tom Meents in the semi-finals.   The truck rocked up on two wheels and rode there while Jimmy tried to pull out, but it wasn't meant to be.  The truck went over and flipped through air, ripping off a section of the front clip when it hit the Houston clay.  Aaron and Dan worked hard to get the truck back in shape for freestyle where Jimmy put the mangled CSK Ford through it's paces and took 2nd place with a 24.

On the heels of 3 wins in Tacoma and Dawn's impressive victory in Phoenix last weekend Jimmy and Bounty Hunter visited the Built Ford Tough Victory Lane in San Diego.  This win marks the team's first at a SPEED Channel taped event this year and only furthers the teams confidence heading into 5 more huge stadium events and hopefully the USHRA Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas.  "I'm so happy with both trucks performance right now.  We're going up against the best in the business every weekend and are able to come out on top.  It's only possible with the support of Checker Schucks Kragen auto parts and the rest of our sponsors" said an ecstatic Jimmy Creten after the San Diego event.

Both trucks are headed to the site of Super Bowl 38, Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX for next weekend's event.

The Phoenix Monster Jam was a huge weekend for the Checker, Schuck's and Kragen Auto Parts backed team of Jimmy and Dawn Creten. It was their first appearance in the unique Bank One Ballpark and the pressure was on with a suite full of sponsors and friends looking on. When the action started, Bounty Hunter and Scarlet Bandit methodically mowed down the competition and eventually met in the finals. Dawn and her flashy Ford Expedition flat out beat her husband and two-time World Finals runner-up for the huge Phoenix win. In Freestyle Jimmy and the blue CSK Ford laid down the most impressive run of the night but fell prey to the Digger crazed judges with score of 27. Huffaker in Grave Digger came out strong but was cut short with a broken rear tie-rod.

After a relatively dismal start to the new season,  both Bounty Hunter and Scarlet Bandit turned in stellar performances at Tacoma's  annual marathon of monster trucks.   Each year fans in Tacoma pack the dome for (count them) 5 separate performances.   Jimmy and Bounty Hunter pulled off 3 racing wins and  the best short-of-crashing freestyles in the field.  Dawn's weekend highlights included beating the blue truck on Saturday afternoon and pulling off her first slap-wheelie in freestyle. 

Photos from Gary Basl will be added early this week!

The SPEED Channel cameras caught some great action at Houston's Reliant Stadium on Saturday night.  Several new trucks and paint schemes debuted including those on Bounty Hunter and Scarlet Bandit.  Click over to the photos page to check them out.

In the racing portion Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction was unstoppable.  Both CSK trucks made impressive qualifying runs, which were the first passes on fresh motors, transmissions and tires.    Jimmy in Bounty Hunter qualified third, defeated Destroyer in the first round and lost to the eventual winner Tom Meents in the second.  Dawn in Scarlet Bandit lost in a photo finish to Brutus in the first round.

Freestyle was nothing less than spectacular.  All 16 trucks and drivers felt they had something to prove for their debut event.  First out for team CSK was Dawn in her newly designed Scarlet Bandit.  The fresh paint didn't last long; early in her freestyle run she came up short on a large double jump and flipped the truck end over end in spectacular fashion.  She took the lead with a score of 28/30.  Towards the end of the field, Jimmy launched the blue CSK truck off the school bus pyramid and got some major air.  About half way in to his 90 second run a rear axle broke and ended his run with a disapointing 24 points.

Click here to see the news archive.