Oh Chicago suburbia traffic, how I hate you...
Grayslake is a mere 40 miles from my house, but how long did it take me to get to the Lake County Fairgrounds? Two hours!! Ridiculous! Never done some many back roads and alternate routes in my life. I made it to the track with about 1 minute to spare and then to top it off, had to jump a fence to get in through the back gate as for the first time in 6 years it was locked and un-manned. Ugh.
Some new looks and new faces filled out the Grayslake lineup this year...
Lineup:
Bearfoot -- Nick DeJulio
Monster Bucks -- Joey Stathas
Eliminator -- Greg Adams
Wild Thang -- David Brown
Monster Patrol -- Kirk Dabney
The chassis driven by DeJulio is the former Golddigger-bodied truck and team mate to Stathas. Monster Bucks is a brand new look and a new purchase for the team as it is the old Aftershock truck (and originally Mr. Twister) previously owned by Bob Robbins.
Wheelie Contest, Racing and Freestyle all on tap!
Wheelie Contest
Each truck was given a shot at each side of the cars and the crowd would pick a winner.
Engine problems on Bearfoot were more than obvious from the heavy, thick white smoke pouring out of the right cylinders.
Ballistic was also suffering from some kind of engine trouble with smoke constantly pouring out of the exhaust/overflow hoses.
Dabney walked away with the Wheelie Contest after his rolling wheelie across the four cars.
Racing
Round 1
Monster Bucks vs. Eliminator
Not a great run from either side, but Adams takes the win.
Bearfoot vs. Ballistic
Battle of the smoke spewers went to Ballistic.
Wild Thang vs. Monster Patrol
Brown had a significant jump on Dabney off the line, but didn't plant his right foot and that allowed Dabney to make a solid effort to come from behind and take the win. Wild Thang would also come back as Fast Loser.
Racing
Round 2
Monster Patrol vs. Ballistic
Plecker hung right with Dabney most of the way, but not enough power off the line to keep up with Monster Patrol.
Wild Thang vs. Eliminator
Brown used his foot properly this time and it paid off. Very close race and I think the long front teeth of Wild Thang saved Brown from being eliminated.
Racing Finals
Wild Thang vs. Monster Patrol
A hard-charging run from both drivers and for the second year in a row, the fast loser comes back to get revenge! Brown beats out the boss to take the win in Wild Thang.
Bobby Cox got a jump on the Freestyle action with his mini-truck. And I definitely want one of those Equalizer painted "Hardley Davidson's."
Freestyle
Monster Bucks
Not much happening for Monster Bucks. Truck did not sound proper and the ol' warhorse just couldn't do much more than flatten the cars.
Wild Thang
Brown has steadily made improvements behind the wheel of Wild Thang since becoming the full-time driver in early 2006. A surprise winner in Racing and a short but solid Freestyle showing. A few good jumps and about what you'd expect for this track.
Bearfoot
Still major engine issues for Bearfoot, but DeJulio didn't mind risking the equipment and managed a decent outing. Several very good leaps, but they came along with some rough landings, specifically on the left front end. The last hit really sent the smoke shooting out the back and definitely a sign to call it quits. This truck was repaired and made an appearance as "Red Foot II" the following night in Valparaiso, IN. There were two Bearfoot truck and instead of running both, identical bodies, Paul Shafer decided that a better idea would be to use duct tape to completely cover the "bear" part in the name and write on it with back marker the word "Red." He's ran two or three Monster Patrols at one time, don't see what the problem was this time.
Ballistic
The other half of the smoke-spewers also made a solid run considering the truck was obviously not at 100%. Plecker started slow & easy, but then really unloaded on the last two jumps and managed a slight rolling wheelie. Still not a great run, but enough to do the job.
Eliminator
Very good run from Adams. Lots of jumps, good momentum, and even though he didn't produce the biggest air of the night, it wasn't boring and he kept Eliminator at a fast pace. Freestyle leader thus far.
Monster Patrol
Dabney saved the night with a really solid effort and took the Freestyle win going away. Big air on every hit, clearing the cars every time from the right side and a big donut to finish it off.
A two hour drive for a 55 minute monster truck show just doesn't seem worth it. I set my expectations pretty low when coming to this venue, but I think I've had enough. There isn't going to be anything "new" about it any more. It is also a completely pain in the you-know-what to make it there on time and sacrificing more hours from work just to sit in traffic is equally pointless.
Thanks to Paul Shafer, Eric Stern, Mark Fontanetta, Ken Dickenson, Bruce Haney and anyone else I may have failed to mention. The 2008 Lake County Fair is scheduled, as of March '08, to have monster trucks back again. If you're interested in attending, the information will be available here: Lake County Fair, Grayslake IL
Thanks for checking out these brief Grayslake recaps and I hope you enjoyed the photos!