Cleveland Monster Nationals Recap

The Monster Nationals tour roared back to the Wolstein Center on January 12- though it almost didn't happen. Originally, the date wasn't on the 2008 schedule, however a cancellation by another event opened up the date. Despite the limited planning time, George Eisenhart and Image Promotions did a great job putting together another top-notch show for the dedicated Cleveland fans. With another event taking place in West Virginia, the lineup was a bit different from the core group that runs the circuit. Monster Nationals powerhouse Doug Noelke was in attendance with TailGator and team truck Big Dawg piloted by Dale Gerding. The Bigfoot team made a return to the circuit with Dan Runte in the beautiful new Summit Racing body, who had participated in the West Virginia show the night before filling in for Samson. Making their Monster Nationals debut were Storm Damage and Killer Bee driven by Tim Mente and Tim Bee respectively.

In the wheelie contest we saw Killer Bee face off against TailGator. Bee made two attempts on the cars, but neither were enough to outdo Noelke, who powered a wheelie across the set of cars- and then some.


Next up in the donut contest, Bigfoot and Big Dawg both got the trucks to spin on the open arena floor, but Gerding's high speed, compact donuts took the fan's applause.

The next event was monster freestyle. Storm Damage and Tim Mente kicked it off with a strong freestyle, getting some impressive air off a couple of jumps.

Tim Bee was out next in the Killer Bee and put together a solid run.

However setting the bar for the night would be Dale Gerding in Big Dawg. Huge air, great momentum, and the uncanny ability to get the truck vertical made for a memorable performance. Unfortunately, the run would end with the engine making a loud "pop" before shutting down. A devastating blow for what was a successful night.


Bigfoot would have the task of following Gerding's stellar performance. Runte put on a show for the fans, but didn't match the excitement of Big Dawg.

Fan favorite, TailGator was the last truck to perform for the night. Noelke lived up to his reputation as a madman with huge air and never letting off the throttle during the run.


While no winner was chosen before intermission, it was clear by fan reaction that Big Dawg and TailGator were the favorites.

With Big Dawg suffering from engine damage, it was a four-truck bracket for racing. Bigfoot would narrowly put down Killer Bee in the first race. TailGator got the hole shot off of Storm Damage but Mente absolutely pounded the throttle, launching the truck into more air than the revolutionary four link chassis had probably seen in years. However it wasn't enough as TailGator would face Bigfoot in the racing finale.


Storm Damage would get a bye run for the consolation round as Killer Bee was unable to make the call. In the finals, both powerful Fords launched towards the finish line, however TailGator had the jump on Bigfoot and was able to hold Runte off for the win.

With the show in the books, it was another great show from the Monster Nationals gang. Special thanks go out to George Eisenhart. Click the picture below for a full photo gallery from the show!

Cleveland Monster Nationals 2008