The lights go out and the crowd gets deafeningly loud. The sound of eight high-powered engines roar to life and you can feel the rumble in your seat. There is a faint odor of exhaust fumes in the air, but due to the ventilation, it’s not bad at all. Then they all rev their engines a few times, making an even louder noise than before and they all simultaneously begin slowly driving around the arena in one large circle. Revving their engines over and over as they go. I feel a small hand squeeze mine and I look down to see my Little buddy smiling from ear-to-ear, pointing at the Monster Truck with the green LED lights swirling around it, called Alien Nation.

This is how Monster Jam 2017 at the Verizon Center started. It was off to an exciting start to say the least. Have you ever seen a 10,000-pound truck flying through the air, only to come crashing down on two wheels and roll o
ver on its side? I have, and it was amazing! That alone would be more than enough for any “gearhead” to jump to their feet and cheer, but that was only the beginning. There were ATV races, a ‘Best Wheelie’ competition and my favorite, a ‘Donut’ contest. That’s when the Monster Trucks power themselves into an all-out spin, kicking up dust and dirt while the engine screams at maximum power as the crowd shouts for their favorites.

The Monster Jam 2017 DC overall winner was Justin Sipes, driver of the team Megalodon^TM truck. He took first place in several of the contests including the Freestyle run and an impressive Wheelie showcase where he tied with team ZombieTM driver, Ami Houde, for first. We had great seats that put us right in front of the action. Our seats were so good that they won us four free tickets to see the Ringling Bros. Circus in April. Our Little Buddies even got a chance to be on the jumbotron and consequently on T.V. for winning the tickets. Out of all the excitement and trucks flying, which was GREAT, my favorite part of the whole show was watching the joy on Little buddy’s face from seeing himself on the jumbotron.