The 2017 Toughest Monster Truck Tour Championship officially kicks off this weekend from the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi. The start of a new season always means new faces in new places, and this year is no different. In our first edition of the Tough Talk weekly article on ToughestMonsterTrucks.com, let’s take a look at the championship contenders for the 2017 season and preview the fight for the title, sure to be one of the most intense battles the tour has seen in years.
Perhaps the biggest storyline of the new season is a familiar face that will not be in the driver’s seat for the season opener at the Landers Center. After an incredible 5 straight Toughest Monster Truck Tour Championships, monster truck legend Dan Runte officially retired from full time driving for the famous BIGFOOT 4×4 team last year. While he will certainly be missed by all of us with the Toughest Monster Truck Tour, Team BIGFOOT will be back with a new lead driver to go for 6 in a row.
Legendary BIGFOOT driver Dan Runte retired last year after winning his fifth straight Toughest Monster Truck Tour championship. (Photo by Maass Media)
That driver is none other than Larry Swim, widely recognized as one of the best in the business. Swim has been with BIGFOOT since 2008 and has already won 5 tour championships in other series. While the promotion to lead driver for the most famous team in monster trucks is a great honor, an incredible amount of pressure will be on Swim as he moves up to the Toughest Monster Truck Tour full time. The team that brought you The Original Monster Truck over 40 years ago will give Swim all the resources to get the job done, including BIGFOOT #21, last year’s championship winning truck. Will he be able to continue the winning tradition and bring home a sixth straight title? Five other drivers intend to have something to say about that.
Larry Swim is the new lead driver for Team BIGFOOT. (Photo by Matt Ison)
One of those drivers, who many look at as one of this year’s title favorites, finished runner up in the standings last year. Former semi-professional boxer Derick Anson ran his first full season on the Toughest Monster Truck Tour in 2016, and the Heavy Hitter was a force to be reckoned with. Anson finished the season with more wins than any other driver in both the Wheelie and Freestyle categories. The Heavy Hitter was also the Overall Toughest Monster Truck six times. Consistency is what cost the Louisville, Kentucky native in the end, as mechanical breakage in several events played a factor in Derick Anson coming up just short. You can guarantee the Heavy Hitter won’t be pulling any punches in 2017 as he goes for the trophy.
Derick Anson and Heavy Hitter are ready for a title fight in 2017. (Photo by Maass Media)
Aaron Cain is sure hoping the old adage “the third time’s a charm” proves true for him and Quad Chaos in 2017. The driver of the world’s largest ATV is back for another run at the championship after finishing second as a rookie in 2015, but falling to fourth overall last season. Cain was one of only three drivers to claim an Overall Toughest Monster Truck victory last season, and the potential for an unbelievable freestyle performance is always there. With the experience of two full seasons under his belt, look for the West Lafayette, Indiana native to be a contender.
Aaron Cain is always a threat to cause a little Quad Chaos in freestyle. (Photo by Katelin White)
Last year’s rookie on tour fooled audiences again and again, all around the country. No one could believe that the driver consistently in the mix for wins in all three competitions was in his first full season as a monster truck driver. That driver was Jerry Beck, and his 10,000 pound dump truck Dirt Crew was a huge hit with the fans all season. On the track, Beck showed off a quality that is critical to contending for a series title – consistency. With performances that grew stronger and stronger all year, he even beat out teammate Aaron Cain in Quad Chaos to finish third in the final standings in 2016. The competition will definitely not underestimate Jerry Beck and Dirt Crew as he will try to haul home the trophy in his sophomore season.
Get a load of Jerry Beck’s monster dump truck Dirt Crew. (Photo by Maass Media)
While BIGFOOT has been a “hero” to monster truck fans for many years, long time fans of the sport will remember a time when a “villain” threatened the dominance of The Original Monster Truck, just over 25 years ago. That dynamic returned to monster trucks last year and now makes its way to the Toughest Monster Truck Tour in 2017. Get ready fans, to be witness to BIGFOOT vs. Snake Bite. Carrying on the legacy of the infamous Colt Cobra, Vinny Venom returned Snake Bite to prominence in 2016, slithering his way to a freestyle championship last summer. As if Larry Swim wasn’t under enough pressure to win for Team BIGFOOT, he will also have to contend with Snake Bite week in and week out. Look out for Vinny Venom this year as he intends to make sure his Toughest Monster Truck Tour competitors “fear the fangs”.
New Snake Bite driver Vinny Venom with the legendary Colt Cobra. (Photo by Maass Media)
The field of championship contenders is rounded out by veteran monster truck driver Kevin Lewis. Lewis has piloted such names as Maximum Destruction, Bulldozer, Stone Crusher and Iron Outlaw and he heads to Southaven with a brand new truck called Basher. Not much is known about the new truck, but we’ve heard that it will feature a chassis built by Concussion Motorsports, and will sport a “farm fresh” 1987 Chevy Silverado body. From the sounds of it, the design should be very unique and could be a big hit with fans everywhere. Lewis certainly knows how to wheel a monster truck, but the growing pains of a brand new build could hamper him early in the season. However, if the team comes out of the gate running strong, Kevin Lewis may well do some bashin’ on the competition in 2017.
Veteran monster truck driver Kevin Lewis returns with an all new truck for 2017.
All of the fun of the 2017 Toughest Monster Truck Tour Championship begins this Friday and Saturday night at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi. Don’t miss your chance to see the Toughest Monster Trucks LIVE in person, the series is coming to a town near you:
January 13-14 – Southaven, Mississippi
January 20-21 – Rio Rancho, New Mexico
February 3-4 – Youngstown, Ohio
February 11 – Casper, Wyoming
February 17-18 – Salina, Kansas
March 10-11 – Saginaw, Michigan
March 17-18 – Independence, Missouri
March 24-25 – Lafayette, Louisiana
April 7-8 – Loveland, Colorado – CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
CLICK HERE to get your tickets now, we look forward to seeing all of you great Toughest Monster Truck Tour fans along the way.
That’s all for this week’s edition of Tough Talk, It’s Time To Get Tough!
“Tough Talk” on ToughestMonsterTrucks.com is brought to you each week by series announcer Ross Bonar. Ross joined the Toughest Monster Truck Tour as our full time event announcer in 2016. When not calling the action on tour, Ross heads up TheMonsterBlog.com, the leading source of monster truck coverage for the last 10+ years. His video team, led by Colby Marshall, produces incredible coverage of Toughest Monster Truck Tour events, which can be seen on the “TMB TV” YouTube channel. The site also features amazing photo galleries by lead photographer Danny Maass, featuring all the action from our events. In addition to his work with TheMonsterBlog.com, Ross is a founding member of the Board of Directors for the International Monster Truck Museum & Hall of Fame, located in Auburn, Indiana.