The night began with 16 trucks parading around a beautifully constructed Carrier Dome floor littered with cars, ramps and other obstacles.

But after three hours of destruction, a series legend and a budding superstar left Syracuse as victors on Saturday.

Ryan Anderson knocked off his father, Grave Digger driver Dennis Anderson, in the finals to win the racing portion at the wheel of Son-uva Digger, while Tom Meents willed his broken Max-D truck to a freestyle victory in the fourth-annual Monster Jam event at the Dome. The win was Anderson’s first in Syracuse, and the second for Meents in as many years.

Racing

The track layout was a Chicago-style oval, so competitors lined up at opposite corners of the arena before running one full lap and crossing the finish line on opposite sides. The two corners, in addition to the tacky dirt that Scooby-Doo driver Nicole Johnson deemed “very slippery,” made for a competitive bracket.

After the qualifying round, it was clear the two Andersons were the class of the field. They posted the fastest time-trial runs, setting up a potential father-son duel in the final race.

The first real surprise of the event came during round one. After a poor qualifying effort, Meents, the defending racing champion, was forced to face BJ Johnson and Mohawk Warrior as the No. 9 seed. The 11-time world champion fared no better in his first knockout race, as he clipped a turning car and lost to Johnson, a 2014 Young Gun.

The closest race of the night came later in round one. Marc McDonald’s El Toro Loco and Rod Schmidt’s Monster Mutt Rottweiler crossed the finish line simultaneously. Upon review, though, McDonald had beaten Schmidt by only two-hundredths of a second.

The semifinals featured both Andersons, along with McDonald and Linsey Weenk’s Lucas Oil Crusader. In the first pairing, Dennis Anderson beat a hard-charging Weenk to the line by only two-tenths. The younger Anderson followed with an easy victory over McDonald.

Unfortunately, the battle between father and son ended before both trucks reached their first turn. Grave Digger stalled without warning, and the older Anderson could do nothing but sit helplessly inside the cockpit. Son-uva Digger sped by and motored to the title.

During his post-race victory interview, Ryan Anderson promised that Grave Digger would return with a vengeance in freestyle. Then he warned the field of his own intentions.

“We are gonna rip this place up, Syracuse,” Anderson said. “I’m gonna trash it tonight!”

Freestyle

The Son-uva Digger driver backed up those words with a terrific performance during the freestyle trick portion of the competition.

After delivering a barrage of big air and slap wheelies, Anderson finished his 30 seconds of bonus time by rolling his smoking truck onto its roof. His score of 28 points propelled him to the lead, which had been held by Schmidt.

Only his father and Meents remained, and Anderson issued a challenge for the latter.

“Max-D, bring it on baby!” he yelled.

Meents did and proved why he’s the defending world freestyle champion.

The cagey veteran soared higher through the air than any other competitor, and victory seemed imminent until his right-front tire separated from its axle.

Rather than quit, however, Meents kept speeding across the floor on three wheels. When one jump put him on his roof, he mashed the throttle and was able to pirouette the truck back into a drivable position. He then ended his run by planting his machine into a pile of four crush cars as the crowd roared in delight.

Meents’ initial tally of 25 tied Anderson, but his four points during bonus time gave him a score of 29 and the trophy. He immediately thanked the fans for their constant enthusiasm.

“We have 16 of the best trucks and drivers tonight,” Meents said. ‘Syracuse expects the best, and we’re giving it to them.”

Grave Digger came in third with 26 points, and Schmidt’s Monster Mutt fell to fourth place.

Most of the 16-truck field will now prepare for the World Finals XV championship event, which begins at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas March 20.

Published on March 9, 2014 at 3:03 pm

Contact Tyler: tfpiccot@syr.edu