Yo!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on the Old Blog so here we go! We have been traveling like crazy lately. There have been some great trips to Michigan, Yankee Lake, Bithlo, etc. We’re heading to Dennis Anderson’s soon, then we’re off on our Summer/Fall tour. Be sure to check our tour schedule as we continue to break attendance records nationwide. It’s awesome when the venues see huge crowds and want to schedule TGW again. It just shows that the mud scene is growing and growing!
Be sure to join the TGW Myspace family (www.myspace.com/trucksgonewild), or start following TGW on Twitter! Check out the pictures too. By the way, TGW8 is being worked on as we speak. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but get ready for something you’ve most likely never seen. E-mail me if you need to matt@trucksgonewild.com.
TGW WEEKEND - REVIEW
This is a long one so grab a snack! Everyone knew it was going to be a fun weekend but I think it ended up being a little wilder than anyone expected. It all kicked off Friday night at Jesse Blacks with the No Rules Tugs. We saw many creative ways to weigh down a truck from fertilizer bags, concrete blocks, huge cement structures, water in tires, sand, clay, etc. The Fat Boys from Naples grenaded the transmission and sent the torque converter off for a little trip around the pulling surface. There were a ton of beautiful street trucks going crazy, the crowd was really into it the whole night, we saw a lot of new faces, and it was an awesome night all the way around. Then on the final pull, Billy Willard stole the show in the Lil Sister Monster Truck with the biggest fire we’ve ever seen at a truck show. Pics are up at www.trucksgonewild.com and www.myspace.com/trucksgonewild. All in all, another wild night at JB’s.
Then came The Battle Of The Cliques at Bithlo on Sunday, and I officially have a new favorite event! 26 teams with 4 vehicles per team (104 vehicles) competed in the newest and most creative event we’ve seen. When it was all over, the Bad Mofos consisting of Aimee Taylor, Ken Wing Jr, Rich Bean, and Ken Wing Sr. took the win with a 1:14:94 and a 3 second margin of victory. Huge thanks to all the drivers for being on the ball, all the staff, Vance for staging, and Pitbull Pup Kim for all the help getting guys to the starting line so quickly. 104 trucks in 2.5 hours, it would not have been possible without the hard work of the aforementioned people. There were too many highlights to mention: The My Turn flip, the minivan destruction, super fast runs, crazy jumps, and the Cocky endo into the guardrail and pole. There was so much action, it’s hard to event put it all in words.
Below are the team names and the time s in descending order. If the team didn’t have a name, I’ll list the first names of the drivers. Keep in mind, most of the times over 2 minutes were due to breakage penalties so some of them are approximate.
Bad Mofos - 1.14.94
Poor Boy Customs - 1.17.35
Central FL Crusher - 1.18.44
Kenny Ken Sean William - 1.18.75
Jimmy Crystal Steve Ken - 1.23.90
Massive Mudders - 1.23.94
Lee and Ricks - 1.27.13
Starving Contractors - 1.30.12
Ken’s Tuff Trucks 3 - 1.34.22
Under Dogs - 1.36.22
Above The Law - 1.36.56
Ken’s Tuff Truck 1 - 1.40.31
Conspiracy Theory - 1.44.56
Team Hellbound - 1.45.12
Deep Six Off Road - 2.01.82
Smith Drywall - 2.03.00
Mudder Fudders - 2.08.59
Ken’s Tuff Trucks 2 - 2.13.47
Nailin The Red Cocky - 2.25.00
Girls Can Too - 2.49.00
Sun State Fire - 2.52.00
Jackass Racing - 2.55.00
Team RNEG - 3.32.00
Unnamed Team - 3.22.90
All Jack ed Up - 3.36.00
Abnormal 4x4 - 4.00+
PUDDIN' CREEK - REVIEW
It’s been so crazy lately that I have almost forgotten to update the Blog! We just returned from the 1st Annual TGW Family Reunion at Puddin Creek Mud Bog in Perry, FL. There were people and trucks there from all over the country and Canada. Words can’t really describe how the event was, or how much fun everyone seemed to have. I’ve never seen so many tractor tire mud trucks in one spot. Huge thanks go out to everyone who made it to the event, I know so many people that traveled so far just to be there. I’d also like to thank everyone behind the scenes at Puddin Creek that work so hard to put this event on. Most people can’t imagine all the work that goes into preparing an event like this, and the Puddin Creek Crew did an outstanding job.
We have a few weeks off until the events in April at Jesse Black’s and Bithlo. I can’t wait for the “Battle of the Cliques”, I think that’s going to be a blast! Then we start traveling again all over the country.
Keep in mind, our schedule is always on the homepage and it’s constantly changing with new events so keep an eye out for TGW coming to your area. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at matt@trucksgonewild.com and I’ll try to answer as best I can. All mechanical questions can be directed to Chuck’s Trucks mudlord04@aol.com. Also, please be our friend on myspace at www.myspace.com/trucksgonewild.
One quick note before I go. I saw more TGW stickers on trucks at Puddin Creek than I’ve ever seen, it was awesome. They really stand out, they look great, and did you know that just placing a TGW sticker on your vehicle adds up to 75 hors epower? It’s amazing stuff!
MUDDY MUDDY CHRISTMAS Review
Last Sunday was awesome, we'd like to thank everyone for coming out. Thanks to the drivers for keeping things moving, I can't believe there were 47 trucks in the Fire Drill Race and we got it done. Below are the times in ascending order (by popular demand):
Keith-James 35.04
Ken Sr.-Ken Jr. 35.06
Adam-Fred 38.19
John-Dave 38.59
Steve- Greg 39.31
Alan-Chad 39.84
Rick-Baldy 40.25
Ronnie-Harley 40.6
Doug-Trey 40.6
Rich-Ken Jr. 40.91
Steve-Brittney 41.34
Mike-Aaron 41.54
Wade-Todd 42.22
Gary-Crystal 42.75
Bobby-Joey 43.19
Glenn-Jason 43.38
Mike-Z-Cat 43.94
Ken-Luann 44
Shane-Cody 45.03
Joe-Gary 45.53
James-Tommy 45.75
Ross-Lynn 47.37
Ken-Ken-BAMF 48.43
Mike-Mike Jr. 49
Steve-Kim 49.12
Jason-Shamus 49.25
Scott-Brittney 50.75
Andrew-Ryan 50.81
Tim-Lil Mike 51.93
Jerry-Theresa 52.16
Chris-JR 52.47
Jason-Douglas 52.88
Dave-Cassidy 55.28
Rob-Doug 55.43
Tina-Darryl 55.84
Jeff-Damien 57.41
Rich-Mike 60.4
Kim-Aimee 61.75
James-Fred 62.72
Wayne-Brian 63.81
Grant-Ginger 64.5
XRM-James 64.93
Billy- Gary DNF
Nick-Chad DNF
Wayne-Bryan DNF
Dale-Kenny DNF
Jason-David DNF
Congrats to William for winning the Obstacle Course in 28.59, and Billy in the red minivan for winning the Long Jump. Steve Smith's Brother (or Brother in law, I forgot his name....sorry) was at his first TGW event and won the warehouse races, pretty cool! Justin stole the show though at the end of the day with the camper smash endo. Stay tuned for more info about 2009 TGW happenings, it's going to get really interesting!
Puddin’ Creek Review
It’s hard to imagine how this September event at Puddin’ Creek could have gone any better. It was our first time at this particular venue and I can’t say enough good things about it. There was plenty of room, a lot of big trees, multiple wash-off areas, several different play areas of varying difficulty, and it’s apparent that John and the staff put a ton of time and effort into the place making continual improvements for everyone’s enjoyment. I’d also like to thank Spencer and the crew from Wakulla Off Road for their effort all weekend long, and Timberland Ford for kicking in money for the Bounty Hole.
It’s always great to see the “family” get together (and it’s amazing how it’s grown) with people from South, Central, and North FL along with everyone we met from GA, NC, AL, and TN as well. I think there were more big trucks in one area than I have ever seen before, and lot’s of 66”s too! Everyone ran hard, and it was an awesome event. It should make for a very entertaining piece on a future TGW DVD.
Now we prepare for Jesse Black’s Leesburg this Saturday night, and the Interco Tire Tug O War at Jesse Black’s Orlando on Oct. 5th. Thanks again to everyone who came out, we’ll see you at the next TGW Event!
Jesse Black’s Tug O War, Where Do I Start?
There was an unparalleled excitement brewing for the Tug O War event on June 27th, due mainly in part to record breaking trash talking on several fronts. Those in attendance were part of an event that can most likely never be duplicated. It all came down to Jesse and Randy at the end. There’s really no accurate way to recap the action in order, I think I’m better suited listing highlights from the night (these are in no particular order):
Every truck coming after the Mega Cab
Ben Donaldson’s massive Dodge
Dually slicks! I’ve seen it all! Oh wait, Tombstones too!
Jesse Hall arriving unannounced, and claiming undisputed victory. He is the man!
Wakulla Charlie bringing me a beer every 3 minutes (thanks Dude!)
The class with which the Walrose crew handled the destruction, and the fact that they helped everyone else out the rest of the night
The tire inflation “experiment” gone wrong!
The creative methods of adding weight, dirt, sod, water, people, etc.
Panama bringing me a beer every 3 minutes (thanks Dude!)
Chucky D out of the neck brace and back to kickin’ ass!
I know there were so many I’m leaving out, but it all goes by so fast. It was great to meet everyone that came down from out of FL for the event, and the Black Ford out of Ft. Myers was awesome looking! It’s also always good to party with the North FL boys, see you September 5, 6,&7 at Puddin Creek! (Plug, Plug). And how cool is it to have all the Mega Truck Challenge Champions at one event? It was a great night. It’s interesting to trace the history of dominance at Jesse Black’s. Brett Bowen started it, then Walrose took over, then Ken’s Mega Cab was the truck to beat, then here comes Jesse Hall saying “Don’t forget about me!” And we won’t!
Truck Wars 2008 - REVIEW
I think Truck Wars 2008 was one of the most fun 4x4 events I’ve ever been a part of. It was a great crowd, there was great weather, and the action was non-stop. Whether you were there watching, competing, or helping, we’d like to thank everyone who came out to be a part of it.
The Fire Drill Mud race is always fun, and I’d like to thank the 18 teams that signed up and participated. In the end, JR McNeal and Chris Lagana took the win in Razin’ Kane, Papa Smurf 2 came in 2nd, and Opielicious just nudged out Nitrous Jeff for 3rd place. Then it was time for the biggest turnout in Warehouse Racing history. 18 vehicles took part in the wildest race of it’s kind that we’ve ever seen. The artwork and creativity that went into these vehicles was awesome, I can’t wait to see what people come up with next time. After 3 rounds and one Main Event, the Vanilla Gorilla stood tall as the warehouse racing sole survivor. The Gorilla also won the Long Jump Contest, which has become a personal favorite of mine. Lake Jessup Engineering’s Sean Gould took the win in the Obstacle Course for the 2nd time in a row. Team Razin’ Kane came back out for some big jumps which was awesome. Then out of nowhere, Justin Langford aired out the big Bronco with what could have been the biggest jump of the day. It was a great way to wrap up this crazy event.
Lot’s of crazy action in the pits all day, I saw Stucco Money Racing hammering the mud all day long. Hi Low Customs, LJE, tons of buggies, the Ocoee Rednecks Truck Club, and many more were all on hand for the fun. Thanks again, we’ll see you next time!
Southern Virginia Motorsports Park - Review
Great action, great people, and a great weekend! That about sums up our trip to Southern VA Motorsports Park in Jarratt, VA. Hill and Hole mud racing is a lot of fun to watch, and these drivers put on an awesome display for everyone in attendance. We’d also like to thank everyone for their hospitality and great food.
The action was fast paced, and non-stop. The professional staff at SVMP did an great job at keeping things moving, I can’t say enough good things about them. The trucks were awesome, these guys really had their motors dialed in. There were some very unique vehicles as well which are always fun to watch. It was great to meet everyone that either lived in the area, or traveled to be there for that event. On the way home, we all agreed that the trip couldn’t have gone any smoother. Thanks again to everybody for a great weekend in Virginia!
Mega Truck Challenge Florida Finals Review
33 of the baddest 4x4 trucks in the world showed up to do battle in the biggest event of its kind to crown the Mega Truck Challenge FL Finals Champion. Without further ado, below are the Top 15 finishers and their final point total (keep in mind, winning every event would result in 1650 points):
Randy Gant 1550
Jeff Smith 1450
Dale Baugh 1430
Sean Gould 1360
Lonnie Kirkman 1345
Jr. Lanier 1330
Brian Gurr 1190
Mark Cook 1190
Stewart Holden 1180
Opie 1120
Spare Parts Doug 1050
Barney 945
Mud Tank 910
Wakulla Charlie 910
Rob Lizzy 830
The 5 events were brutal and it was truly a competition of survival, congratulations to the all the drivers for being part of the show. Randy Gant is your MTC FL Champion! We saw some of the craziest 4x4 action ever seen over the course of the weekend. We’d like to thank all the drivers, spectators, and helpers who helped pull it all off. Huge thanks going out to Mud Tank Dave, Bryan Nichols, Panama, the Rollin’ Porch, Ken in the BAMF truck, and many others who stepped up to help, it couldn’t have been done with out you.
As a special bonus, Chris Lagana launched his truck higher than I’ve ever seen another similar truck jump. Did he go further than Wakulla Charlie? Let the controversy begin! TGW would also like to sincerely thank Robert, Dale, Opie and anyone else that was involved for the plaques. You guys have no idea how much that meant to us, especially after a chaotic weekend like this.
On a side note, the owner of Newave Productions (the SPEED Crews) said they got some of the best footage they could have imagined getting. He said they were excited about getting it edited to see how the shows come out. When I get info from them, I’ll be sure to pass it on.
Last week was a little crazy - 4/4/08
We taped three Truck U shows for the new season, then I hopped a flight to Las Vegas to work as a pit reporter for Lucas Oil On The Edge at the Mint 400. This was my first desert racing experience. Being there on the starting line watching those guys take off was pretty intense, I can see why they are so passionate about it.
The interesting thing to me was the number of people in airports and at the Mint 400 who stopped me and asked about the Mega Truck Challenge FL Finals. You really get a sense of what a big deal it is when people on the other side of the country know all about it. The television coverage, the new trucks being built, the hype, the qualifying events leading up to this, etc. are all making this a “Must See” event. Someone is going to make history and become the Undisputed Mega Truck Challenge Champion, but who will it be?
I got a call from JR McNeal the other day and he brought up a cool idea. He wanted to know how many points the previous MTC top finishers earned at their respective events. So I dug through the TGW archives and here’s what I found (these are just for the top 8 finishers, not for the LCQ Drivers):
Doug Stapleton 630
Chuck Davis 610
John Carrel 555
Brian Gurr 530
Ricky Mas 520
Tim Murray 510
Bobby Burns 510
Spencer Little 500
Jr. Lanier 630
Mark Cook 610
Dave Shiver 590
Stewart Holden 580
Jeff Smith 570
Toyota James 520
Steve Jusko 480
Brett Bowen 480
Sean Gould 690
Randy Gant 660
Lonnie Kirkman 620
Sean Sidwell 580
Suburban Paul 550
Wakulla Charlie 550
Joe Sheils 450
James Shiver 450
Opie 620
JR McNeal 600
Scott Sweat 600
Ken Wing Sr. 570
Barney (Greg) 570
Jason Bryant 560
Robert Zalinsky 530
Baldy 440
It’s interesting to see what story the numbers tell. Sean Gould is the highest scoring MTC driver, will that translate to a win in April, or will someone else pull it off? There’s only one way to find out. We’ll see you at C&R on April 11-13 for the biggest 4x4 show of its kind………Ever! There will also be several announcements that weekend about upcoming MTC events.
TGW at Jesse Black’s 3/7/2008
12 trucks showed up flying the US flags high as we got ready for TGW’s Military Tire Mayhem Salute the Troops. Patrick Cox sang the National Anthem and the battle was on! Several veteran trucks, some trucks we’ve never seen do Tug O War, and Adam’s truck from New York all went at it for the money, the trophy, and the championship strap. The rain hit about 10:00pm and didn’t let up. Those that braved the elements witnessed an outstanding Tug O War event with many highlights. When it was all said and done, Camel came in 4th in the ARB Grove Picker, Rob Lizzi took 3rd in the Central FL Machine and Speed Durango, Mud Tank Dave took 2nd, and the Ken’s Tuff Truck Mega Cab went home with top honors on the night. That’s 2 events in a row for the Mega Cab, who will stop the streak? There also seem to be some new contenders in the mix like the Grove Picker, the big Griner’s 4x4 truck, Jamie (the only lady driver that night) and Grant. Since this event was hindered by rain, it will be scheduled again so that it can be done to its full potential.
Special Thanks to our Title Sponsor, The All New Knight’s Truck Center coming to DeBary. We’d also like to thank the Automotive Recovery Bureau (ARB), Johnson’s Towing, U Name It Fencing, for their payout donations, and KT Performance for the trophy. We’ll see you at C&R for the Mega Truck Finals in April!
TGW 3 Way! 3/9/2008
It’s always fun to do a brand new event because you never really know how it’s going to go. The All New TGW 3 Way was a hit in every sense of the word. It was fun for the drivers, fun to watch, and fast paced. In fact everyone was making plans for the next one, so it will be coming up in the near future. The Shooter Racing Team took the win with a time of just over 1 minute, several seconds faster than the next fastest team. Shooter, Clint, and Mike will go down in history as the winners of the very first TGW 3-Way! The Dave and the Dudes team won the post event shootout and showed that the times could get even faster. All in all, it was another great event that will be added to the Official TGW Event Lineup. It was great to see the North Carolina Bottomland Boys along with Adam and the guys from New York down in FL. We look forward to seeing everyone at C&R for the Mega Truck FL Finals in April. |
