By Ed Moreth 

Monster trucks put to test

 

Ed Moreth

IN THE AIR – Eric Swanson in "Obsessed" takes his monster truck over two vehicles and into the air during the freestyle competition.

Nearly 1,300 people - mostly residents of Sanders County - attended the first No Limits Monster Truck Firecracker Nationals at the Sanders County Fairgrounds Saturday. 

Checkered Flag Promotions of Bridgeport, Texas, sponsored two shows at the fairgrounds on Independence Day, which included six monster trucks and a Tuff Truck obstacle course contest. Attendees could get a ride on monster truck "Monster Moose" for $10 and people had the chance to go into the arena to see the trucks up close before the competition. The event opened with the Star-Spangled Banner sung by 16-year-old Madelyn Madden of Plains.

The crowds cheered when "Zilla" went over 10 feet in the air and crashed down onto an old car. Ricky Fowler then raced to the other end of the arena and whipped around to spin a ton of dust in the air. Fowler and Zilla nabbed the freestyle contest in the second show of the day. The show included side-by-side races and a wheelie contest by the giant vehicles, all of which generated huge applauses. Eric Swanson of California won the wheelie and freestyle contests in the first show with "Obsessed." Brian Christensen of Utah in "D'sTurbed," named "Covid Crusher" on one side of his vehicle, beat Obsessed in the side-by-side in the first and second show. 

The other drivers included Tyler Groth of Washington in "Trouble-Maker," and his twin brother, Travis Groth, in "Double Trouble," along with Rick Swanson of California in "Wrong Way Rick," a vehicle with a backward chassis, which made it appear he was driving in reverse.

The promoter also offered a Custom Truck Show & Shine Contest and UTV races, but no one signed up. Only one boy, 5-year-old Landen Davis of Missoula, took part in the children's Powerwheel Races, taking first place with his run around the track in the second show, going over two humps and taking home a first place trophy. The event promoter, Ed Beckley, said they sold tickets for 620 people at the first show and 660 in the second one. "We were at least a thousand people off than what I thought we would be," said Beckley. He said they might have been scared away by a post on the Internet from the county commissioners with COVID-19 warnings. The post said the Sanders County Board of Health, along with the county commissioners, sanitarian, and nurse all had concerns about the number of people and the pandemic, particularly with the increase in COVID-19 cases in Montana.

Ed Moreth

HUB OF ATTENTION – Owen Killgore, 1, sits in the wheel of monster truck "Obsesed" before the rally. He is the son of Dakota Killgore and Shailyne Mathers of Plains.

There were eight drivers in the stock class Tuff Truck competition and six in the professional class, but only two Sanders County residents in the competition. Robert Mathers, 20, and Cole McCrea, 19, both of Plains, competed in the stock class. The two purchased a 1986 Honda Accord the Thursday before the event just for the Tuff Truck competition. Neither placed in the top three spots. Mathers finished his first race with a time of 27.87 seconds and the second run in 22.80. McCrea's first race was 21.86 and his second was 19.86. In the second show, Mathers went for 21.18 seconds, but in the second race, with McCrea at the wheel, the car broke down on the second hump. Mathers said they had the part, but not enough time to fix it. McCrea said they might compete at a contest in Kalispell in September. 

First place in the Tuff Truck competition netted the driver $100 and a trophy and trophies for second and third place. Drivers also hailed from Kalispell, Missoula, Columbia Falls, Whitefish, and Helena. However, event organizers didn't keep records of the winners or times.

 

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