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: