Early in July, it dawned on me that we're over 40 years past Bob Chandler's famed Silverdome car crush in Bigfoot 1, and this is the 35th anniversary year of the first TNT Points Series Championship season in the world of Monster Trucks. It also just so happened that ESPN decided to release a barrage of (questionable) best athletes of the 21st-century lists, both overall and by sport, as we're about to leave this summer lull. That latter fact makes this following exercise all the more appropriate: Who are the 20 best Monster Truck Drivers ever?
The sport's competition aspect predates a faithful 1988 TNT season, when Rod Litzau, driving Everett Jasmer's USA-1 Chevy, stunned Bob Chandler's Bigfoot team and driver Rich Hooser in the final weekend of the season out in Louisville's Freedom Hall. However, the industry has evolved since the days of leaf spring suspensions and tobacco sponsors as far as the eye can see. Without dragging this point on for too long, you could easily hand-pick any number of all-time greats from every era, and on a 20-person list, you could realistically make an argument for double that amount of drivers (this is far more about the 3-20 element than the 1-2, which I believe shouldn't be that hard to figure out).
Now, I'm just one person, and to return to the point of the ESPN lists, they had full panels to put things together. Luckily, I happen to have...let's call them "Friends of the Program," if you will, all over the present-day Monster Truck Industry, some of whom we invited on to help out in the vote column.
"Friends of the Program" Panel
Alex Bardin (Current Stone Crusher Monster Truck Driver for Steve Sims), Devin Winfield (Current Team Throttle Monster Driver), Gideon Bernard (Head of Overdrive Monster Truck Tour), Landon Lujan (Tech Official), Dalton Hastings (Former Event Photographer and Event Staff), Mason Thompson ("Friend of the Program" and Overdrive MT Tour Staff for three weekends [his words, not mine]), and Noah Tibbetts (Former Crew Member for Bottom Feeder Motorsports)
I told everyone involved to list their top 15 based on whatever criteria they wanted because this was originally the top 15 instead of 20. However, we ended up with 39 names, so things changed accordingly. I will let you know that someone based their list on "interactions, watching them firsthand, or working with them," which I thought was a pleasantly unique spin on this.
For my list, however, winning mattered, especially at the sport's top rung (Monster Jam, PENDA, TNT, most notably). Although winning in high-tier secondary series/major one-off events matters as well. Additionally, while longevity certainly didn't hurt any arguments, it wasn't the end-all-be-all (as you can see with No. 4 on my list). I could also mention some other things, but those were the major points. Lastly, for full disclosure, here are the first five names I left off, my full ballot, and a couple of other housekeeping items before we jump into things.
My Honorable Mentions: Neil Elliott, John Seasock, Linsey Weenk, Mark Hall, Jim Kramer
My Ballot: No. 15) Jim Koehler, No. 14) Tyler Menninga, No. 13) Todd LeDuc, No. 12) Damon Bradshaw, No. 11) Jimmy Creten, No. 10) Pablo Huffaker, No. 9) Fred Shafer, No. 8) Ryan Anderson, No. 7) Charlie Pauken, No. 6) Gary Porter, No. 5) Adam Anderson, No. 4) Andy Brass, No. 3) Dan Runte, No. 2) Dennis Anderson, No. 1) Tom Meents
How Much a Vote Is Worth (I personally settled any ties, which there ended up being some):
When referencing the total number of "World Championships" a driver has in their bios, we're going off of my opinion of what is one (subjective, of course, but I believe this is fair):
Lastly, this is all subjective (this definitely skews a bit more modern day), and more importantly, a fun exercise. Now, let's get into things.
Official Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical Order; Former World Champions in Bold)
Ashley Sanford, Cam McQueen, Chad Fortune, Cole Venard, Cory Rummell, Dalton Widner, Dan Patrick, Gene Patterson, Jared Eichelberger, Jerry Beck, Jim Kramer, Jon Zimmer Sr., Lupe Soza
Lyle Hancock, Mark Hall, Mike Christensen, Morgan Kane, Randy Brown, Tony Ochs
The Top 20 Monster Truck Drivers of All Time
No. 20) Colton Eichelberger
World Championships: 0, Years Active: 2014-2024, Key Truck: Maximum Destruction
Highest Ranking: 6th, Vote Points: 10
Key Accomplishments: 2020 Monster Jam Arena Series Central Champion, 2015 Monster Jam Co-Rookie of the Year Award Winner
While Eichelberger's success in arenas only led to a series title in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, it immediately became apparent why Feld put him in Grave Digger for his first full year back in 2015. You could tell he would be a big deal early on, which was the case for the back half of the 2010s. It's also easier to give Colton slack for the lack of arena titles, given that Morgan Kane and Tyler Menninga are the only two drivers ever to outdo him in an arena points series; not exactly a mark of shame by any means. I can't say if he has any 2025 plans, but he's a hell of a talent that would make any series better.
No. 19) Linsey Weenk
World Championships: 0, Years Active: 2000-2020, Key Trucks: Lucas Oil Crusader/Iron Outlaw
Highest Ranking: 10th, Vote Points: 10
Key Accomplishments: Won Racing in the Final Monster Jam Show in the Silverdome, 2006 Monster Jam Rising Star Award Winner, 2017 FS1 East Coast Stadium Series Champion
2006 wasn't Weenk's first rodeo, but how quickly he reached superstar status in the Jimmy Creten-owned Iron Outlaw truck was a sight to behold and is something we haven't seen since. He wasn't just taking the fight to guys like Dennis Anderson, Tom Meents, and Creten on national TV; he was dominating them.
Weenk would then go on to be a consensus top 10 guy for close to 15 years afterward in Blue Thunder and, most famously, Lucas Oil Crusader, but reaching the mountaintop at Sam Boyd Stadium always eluded him despite several high-quality chances to cash in. That, I'd imagine, hurt him in the ballots, but Weenk deserves his spot here, being one of the best all-around drivers of the last 20 years.
No. 18) Carl Van Horn
World Championships: 0, Years Active: 2002-2018, Key Truck: Grave Digger
Highest Ranking: 7th, Vote Points: 12
Key Accomplishments: Defeated Scott Hartsock, Guy Wood, and Tom Meents en route to a televised Tampa win as a rookie in 2002
CVH getting some love on the ballots was not something I was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise, nevertheless. He only had the four World Finals appearances (not entirely his fault, of course), but he was clearly one of the most respected guys of his era, could win at every level of the sport, and that '02 Tampa win was one hell of a welcoming party to a national audience. Van Horn would, of course, drive for Steve Sims, as well as Sudden Impact Racing, before making his way into a full-time Grave Digger ride, a role he'd fit until his permanent retirement in 2018, but I wanted to ask one of his voters what makes CVH stand out amongst the sports all-time best.
“There’s many drivers who can win at the top level while being in the best equipment. However Carl Van Horn was able to be a frontrunner in all levels of equipment in multiple eras. Whether he was in a Grave Digger or an Independent truck, he always was able to find the winners circle” - Gideon Bernard
No. 17) Coty Saucier
World Championships: 0, Years Active: 2014-Present, Key Truck: Monster Energy
Highest Ranking: 3rd, Vote Points: 14
Key Accomplishments: 2015 Double Down Showdown Winner, Monster Jam World Finals XVIII Fastest Qualifier, 2019 Monster Jam All-Star Challenge Night 2 Racing Winner, 2014 Monster Jam Rookie of the Year Award Winner, 2015 Monster Jam Rising Star Award Winner
It's fitting that one of the easiest-to-root-for drivers today winds up here. His story isn't exactly a secret by now. Taking the long winding road to a full-time gig, Saucier finally made it to full-time driving in 2014, after most famously wrenching for Damon Bradshaw and John Seasock in the year leading up to then, on top of other non-driving roles in the sport. It didn't take long for him to show he was as good a driver as he was turning wrenches, finishing runner-up up, and then winning the Double Down Showdown in his first two tries, which Saucier would ride into becoming a top contender in stadiums or arenas up to this day.
One last note on Saucier: in the six World Finals he's been in as a Main Field driver, he's never qualified worse than ninth and ended up finishing first or second three times. That hasn't led to World Championship success yet, but every dog has his day.
No. 16) Fred Shafer
World Championships: 3, Years Active: 1979-1997, Key Truck: Bear Foot
Highest Ranking: 9th, Vote Points: 14
Key Accomplishments: Two-Time USHRA Camel Points Series Champion, 1993 Monster Wars Champion, Ran an All-Time PENDA record pass of 4.59 seconds in 1996, Set Initial World Record Monster Truck Jump Records (Outdoor and Indoor) within a matter of weeks in November 1996, Intl. Monster Truck Hall of Famer
It would've been a disservice if the three-time World Champion and one of the true originals of the sport didn't find his way onto this list. Naming his now iconic Bear Foot ride after his then-pet black bears Sugar and Spice, perhaps the best reasoning ever behind a truck name, Shafer was a key player in the sport all the way up to his final year driving in 1997. He notably beat Tom Meents in Monster Patrol to win the second of three USHRA Truck Fest shows at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Although his USHRA Championship success never translated to PENDA against Team Bigfoot, he kept the Ford camp honest with his Dodge backing throughout the '90s. Before PENDA closed up shop, he dropped a record pass of 4.59 seconds against Dan Runte in the 1996 finale in Indianapolis before setting a pair of jump records that fall. I had hoped he'd have ended up a bit higher, but Shafer deserves to be here as much as anyone. On the way out, here's his preposterous wheelie in a losing effort vs Runte in Springfield, MO.
No. 15) Jimmy Creten
World Championships: 2, Years Active: 1995-Present, Key Truck: Bounty Hunter
Highest Ranking: 9th, Vote Points: 15
Key Accomplishments: Two-Time Monster Jam World Champion (2005 Freestyle, 2019 Racing), Three-Time Monster Jam World Finals Fastest Qualifier
Although starting his career almost a decade earlier, Creten first showed signs of superstardom on a March Weekend in 2002, when he dispatched Brian Barthel, John Seasock, and Pablo Huffaker before losing to Tom Meents in his first World Finals appearance. Being the bridesmaid of the World Racing Championship race would be a trend that would follow him for nearly two decades. Even though he won a World Freestyle title four years after that WF3 loss and had years worth of high-profile racing success, it was always "there's always next year" for the Bounty Hunter Pilot when it came to the World Title.
Welp, much like "next year" came for the Chicago Cubs back in 2016, "next year" came for Creten in 2019, where he defeated Tristan England, Ryan Anderson, Adam Anderson, and Bari Mussawwir over a four-race stretch to finally get that elusive World Racing Championship. His racing ability and track record as an independent alone warrant his inclusion here, even with the 1-5 World Title Race record.
No. 14) Jim Koehler
World Championships: 2, Years Active: 1997-Present, Key Truck: Avenger
Highest Ranking: 6th, Vote Points: 23
Key Accomplishments: Two-Time Monster Jam World Freestyle Champion, 2017 Wildwood King of the Beach, Two-Time King of Miami (OK), Three-Time (on record) Freestyle Winner at the Back to School Bash, Almost Made a World Title Race at World Finals 18
Even as he approaches 60, Mr. Excitement is still going strong in 2024, even taking home the Monster Jam Award for Stadium Freestyle of the Year for his run in Seattle. Koehler was tough to nail down on these ballots simply because of his lack of Monster Jam racing success. The counterpoint, however, is that he's probably the third-best freestyler in the sport's history, has several high-profile wins outside of Monster Jam, and has shown zero signs of falling off, regardless of whether you're talking Monster Jam or the Indys. Also, speaking personal opinion now, his best World Finals Freestyle didn't even get second place, let alone win; of course, I'm talking about his World Finals 18 barnburner.
No. 13) Todd LeDuc
World Championships: 2, Years Active: 2011-Present, Key Trucks: Metal Mulisha/Monster Energy
Highest Ranking: 7th, Vote Points: 24
Key Accomplishments: Two-Time Monster Jam World Champion, Three-Time Monster Jam World Finals Fastest Qualifier, One of Only Three Drivers to Win a World Racing Title After Qualifying First, Three-Time Monster Jam Stadium Points Series Champion
The son of 1996 Baja 500 winner Curt LeDuc and brother of the late great Seven-Time Pro4 Class Short Course Champion Kyle LeDuc, Todd LeDuc first leaped into the Monster Truck realm about 15 years ago and quickly made himself a defining name of the 2010s. A little over five years after his debut, he had already picked up two World Titles and was a superstar-caliber driver, a distinction that's been with him ever since.
Of course, you can't talk about LeDuc without talking about Las Vegas 2014, where he put down the single best World Finals Freestyle in the event's history (even a decade later, that shouldn't be a hot take). I was live and in person for that one, and to this day, that first hit is the most surreal thing I've ever seen.
No. 12) Pablo Huffaker
World Championships: 1, Years Active: 1987-2018, Key Trucks: Grave Digger/Blacksmith
Highest Ranking: 6th, Vote Points: 24
Key Accomplishments: 2008 Monster Jam World Freestyle Champion, Intl. Monster Truck Hall of Famer
As far as anyone without the last name Anderson goes, no one is perhaps as synonymous with the Black and Green Wrecking Machine as Huffaker. For 25 years, he was one of the top drivers in the Grave Digger fleet. Before that, though, he was best known for driving the Jus' Show N Off Ford in the TNT days, coming just short of winning one of the Nashville rounds in 1988, and the Coors Bullet truck for Scott Stephens right before that.
Huffaker did nothing short of dominate the West Coast scene for nearly two decades, becoming infamous for the red shock/purple beadlock combo he would end up adopting on his own Digger rides, as well as running the now famed 1941 Willy's rides of Blacksmith and Captains Curse primarily at Monster Jam World Finals. Beyond the bevy of World Finals success, culminating with a much-deserved World Freestyle Championship win in 2007, Huffaker was able to make three different Grave Digger chassis last for a combined 25 years and the first two (Grave Digger 10 and 16) for over two decades in total. How's that for longevity?
No. 11) Andy Brass
World Championships: 4, Years Active: 1985(based on available info)-1994, Key Trucks: Bigfoot/Wildfoot
Highest Ranking: 4th, Vote Points: 28
Key Accomplishments: 1990 TNT Points Series Champion, Three-Time PENDA Points Series Champion (First ever Three-Peat in a Major Series; 92-94), Intl. Monster Truck Hall of Famer
There might not be a better straight-line drag racer in the history of Monster Trucks than Andy Brass. Say what you will about the 1990 TNT title run with the real-life cheat code that was Bigfoot 8, but the PENDA three-peat to close out his Hall of Fame career was as legit as it gets. Fred Shafer, Lyle Hancock, Scott Hess, Gary Porter, Gene Patterson, and even a young Dan Runte had nothing for him in the early/mid-90s.
His "Word Championship" three-peat is one of just two in the sport's history, joining Tom Meents in Monster Jam World Finals Racing from 2000 to 2002. Never mind that the Wildfoot wheelie pass is, to this day, a top-five all-time highlight (argue a wall). Without Brass, you can't tell the story of Monster Trucks, much less the Bigfoot team; he was fourth on my ballot for a reason.
Main Image via Monster Jam
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