The final day of the 4-Wheel Jamboree in Bloomsburg could be summed up with one word: breakage.
Heading into Sunday's festivities, there was already one blown motor, two repaired transmissions, a flat tire, a replaced torque converter, and a substitute driver. However, all the bolts were tightened and every truck was ready to go for one more round of side-by-side racing.
Right away, more breakage was the name of the game. Mark Hall and Raminator drew a bye since Rich Hilgendorf did not have reverse gear in his Avenger, which is a requirement to race. However, at the hit of the throttle, the big Hemi motor ran high on RPM's, and coasted to a stop.
Out came the tow truck as yet another transmission met it's demise in Hall's truck, meaning he was done for the weekend.
Not wanting to end the weekend on a sour note, teammate Mat Dishman made sure the Dodge team wasn't ending the day on a bad note. After beating the Lucas Oil Stabilizer in round 1, then defeating Bigfoot in the semi-finals, Dishman lined up against Steve Koehler in the General Tire truck.
The Hemi power was too much and the Mossy Oak Rammunition cruised onto the victory, giving the Hall Brothers race team three of the four wins over the weekend.
But with freestyle yet to come, it was expected that more destruction would arrive.
The first victim of freestyle was Dave Radzierez in the Star Marshall Cadillac. He would put on the best run of his entire weekend, with major air and lots of momentum, kicking up lots of dust in his truck. But, as he was pulling around for another jump, his transmission gave way. Each hit of the throttle, no response except for the rev of the engine.
It was expected that Bobby Holman would freestyle next-to-last, but he pulled off the track rather than perform, discovering an issue in the truck.
Holman wasn't even at the post-show autograph session, meaning something terminal was happening.
The last truck of the weekend to put on a show for the fans was Dan Runte, ready to cap off an incredible Bloomsburg event. But, after two hits, his rear steer locked in a left turn. He made a few attempts to correct, but pulled into the pits. He didn't unstrap from the seat, with his team looking over the truck and possibly getting it back on track.
Unfortunately, track announcer Doc Riley got the call from race control that the truck was not able to run, ending the Bloomsburg weekend on a sour note.
Overall, the entire Bloomsburg Jamboree had some rough moments, whether it was repairs to the trucks or some of the weather that hit the area. Yet, it was a successful weekend for all the patrons that made either the long drive across states to get there, or for fans like me that made a quick run on the interstate to the fairgrounds.
Not one person was complaining, but rather praising the event staff, the fairgrounds crew, the sponsors, and everyone else involved in making the event a yearly success.
The final 4-Wheel Jamboree of the year is September 16-18, and it's the biggest show of the year for the summer. The Indiana State Fairgrounds play host to the final Lucas Oil 4-Wheel Jamboree event of 2011, and has always been the event where the racing has been close, and the points are tight. With two wins in Bloomsburg, Hall is closing in on Runte and may already have the lead. Runte only made the finals once, with Hall going twice.
One of these two veterans will earn the title at the end of that weekend, so it is sure to be a must-see event for any monster truck fan.
Tickets are available online at FamilyEvents.com or 4WheelJamboree.com.
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