Monster Jam rumbles into Tulsa.

Tulsa, Ok. - The United States Hot Rod Association Monster Jam tour rolled into the amazing BOK Center this weekend with a mighty roar from a diesel engine.  Sub-freezing temperatures couldn't keep monster truck fans from enjoying the show as the huge trucks sporting names like Donkey Kong, Iron Outlaw and Bad News Travels Fast roared to the floor of the BOK with a rumble that shook it to it’s very foundation.  

It’s not hard to understand why monster trucks are so popular.  All that goes along with the event is as big a part of the show as the trucks themselves.  Indeed, during one of the breaks  the crowd was entertained by the giant robots Galactron and Reptar as they put on a Transformers-style “battle royale” with lots of crushed metal and fire and explosions.

Of course, controlling the trucks does take skills and while there were no technical challenges for the drivers of the trucks like carrying unbroken eggs or threading needles, the wheel stand and donut competitions were well received by the crowd.  It was fascinating to watch these huge vehicles stand on end without tipping over, and spinning seemingly out of control.  Of course the big draw of the night was the freestyla and racing parts of the show and that did not disappoint.

There were actual results of these races to pass along, and it is with great pride that I announce that on the night I attended a husband and wife combination won the featured races.  Iron Outlaw driven by Dawn Creten won the racing competition and Bounty Hunter driven by Jim Creten won the freestyle competition, (they had placed in reverse order the previous evening).  I found myself rooting, however for the sentimental favorite Grave Digger, who was the only returning truck from the first monster truck rally to be held in the BOK Center last year.  Grave Digger performed well in the caption events, winning the donut contest on both Friday and Saturday nights.

All-in-all, the Monster Jam was a very entertaining, and extremely loud event.  Some would argue that if there ever were a sporting even that was instantly identifiable with our part of the country, well by-God the Monster Jam was that event.  I disagree, because for all it’s oddness the sport is not contrived and it  brings with it all the flash and production value of tradition vehicular sporting events.

Never mind the fact that you will likely visit and audiologist on Monday morning.

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Photos: Kevin Pyle