Track prep was critical for the 2023 Monster Jam World Finals as Monter Nature pitched a fit
It was a monster of a show in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee as the Monster Jam crews fought the elements and leveraged logistics to put on their highly-anticipated 22nd World Finals. Nashville became only the third-ever city to host World Finals after the last two were held in Orlando, Florida, and the prior 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Shortly before Monster Jam invaded Nissan Stadium, the NFL Titans put down a new two-million-dollar field. Protecting that field while building a stunning track was Senior Director of Operations, Track Construction Dan Allen's, number one goal. Ten thousand feet of dirt was put down to create the course which included a dirt ramp leading from the top of the lower bowl into the endzone. Dirt crews worked for 11 days before the trucks arrived for media day when drivers, media and fans got the first look at the track.
When Monster Jam tours the country, they have to dig up the dirt reserves hidden in plain sight near the stadiums. Every fans knows that for World Finals Monster Jam has to go harder than for every other event and in preparation for this the crew brought in 40 percent more dirt to build their stage.
Thursday morning the track was in perfect shape, prepped for the weekend event but Mother Nature took offense to this and released a downpour mere minutes after the press conference ended.
"I typically would've already spent two hours on a dry surface to make it raceable," Allen explained while looking over the muddy track. "Now we have to take mud and make it into something raceable. So got to roll with the punches and see what happens when Mother Nature throws us curve balls."
It’s important to realize how meticulous Monster Jam needs to be. From the mix of dirt, to the angle of jumps, to the creation and fabrication of every aspect of the trucks, every detail is important. Forty years of experience and trial and error combine to put on every event. One thing that has been learned through this process is the importance of quality dirt and the reliability of owning your own.
“We own more dirt [than any other company] because we want to control our destiny," Allen said. "We don't want to hurt fans by any stretch, so this is, you know, very important whether it's one of our small arena events with donuts or, even here like we try and own our own dirt. It’s has to be clean, debris free. It has to be a certain type of dirt, 70 percent clay, 30 percent sand. If it was just sand, you would burn right down through to the field and the track would erode very quickly. If there’s too much clay it’s hard-packed and dusty and blue-grooved, a little bit of water would turn it into an ice-skating rink.”
As conditions worsened throughout the weekend, the track held up because of the work put in before and during the event. As fans left the pit party and ascended into the stadium Saturday afternoon they were quickly told to shelter in place as lightning was spotted within the safety radius. A two-hour deluge of rain soaked the track for the third time that weekend.
Compromises had to be made for the continuation of the event, the Lucas Oil High Jump competition was moved to the start of the show in order to give the track a chance to further dry before the Great Clips 2-Wheel Skills competition. Monster Jam planned on giving the competitors two chances at their skills, but second attempts were scrapped in order to keep the event on time.
Every driver in the field wished they had a second attempt as the learning curve of the wet track was steeper than the ramp of the elevated start. Many drivers scrapped their initial plan and had to settle for easier-to-complete skills that were nevertheless extremely impressive as fans watched the drivers struggle and focus to maintain upright in the muddy field.
Tyler Menninga and his Grave Digger truck’s Moonwalk attempt was voted the best of the event by judges and fans as he steadily glided across the field scoring a 7.126.
Colton Eichelberger rejoined the Monster Jam tour in order to reclaim his place in the record books as he successfully jumped nine monster trucks while piloting ThunderROARus™. This stunt was planned to celebrate the release of toy manufacturer Spin Master’s newest playset, the ThunderROARus Drop. Originally Eichelberger was supposed to enter the stadium through a giant replica of the Apex predator's head, another aspect of the event that had to evolve for the survival of the track.
Eichelberger held the record for most Monster Trucks jumped in 2019 with seven before Adam Anderson broke it in 2020 when he successfully jumped eight.
Monster Jam World Finals is scheduled to return in 2024 at the newly built SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles Calif. Fans, Competitors and crews will be delighted to watch the action unfold under the roof of the newly built SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles Calif. As Monster Jam World Finals return in 2024. Monster Jam: 1, Mother Nature: 2.
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