MANSFIELD — It was the kind of night Cody Sommer envisioned when he returned the Mansfield Motor Speedway to dirt in 2017.
Great summer weather. Huge roaring engines. A big, appreciative crowd that filled the grandstand.
That was Monster Truck Mania 2018 on Saturday night, featuring eight monster trucks and also eight participants in the Ohio Pro Rough Truck Invitational.
“Absolutely, it was nice to have an event go pretty smooth and finish without any weather issues,” Sommer said. “Nothing makes me feel better than to see little girls and boys and their parents coming into the facility and having a good time.
“I am the type of person who holds a high standard and expectations on myself, so I am sitting here thinking what we could and should have done better. But events like this are what I have always wanted to do here.
“This venue and facility warrants big, successful events,” Sommer said.
BIGFOOT SUCCESS: The event was another definite success for Bigfoot driver Larry Swim, from St. Louis, who won two of the three competitions on Saturday to earn the overall All-Star of the night.
The eight-time monster truck series champion won the Best Trick event and also the Drag Race, falling just short of Kurt Phillips in Lumberjack in the Freestyle competition.
“It was lots of fun,” Swim said as he and other drivers took on a long line of autograph seekers. “Everyone here runs hard. It makes it exciting for the fans and pushes us drivers to run hard. It was a blast and the track was fun.
“This facility is awesome. Everyone here is great. We love coming here. I am glad they had us back this year and hopefully they have us back again next year.”
Swim said competing inside a monster truck is controlled chaos.
“The trucks have come a long way. But (when) you’re still putting a 12,000-pound truck 20 or 30 feet in the air, you become one with the truck. I tell people when I go to my office, I gain 12,000 pounds,” Swim said. “I am living my dream. I was one of these kids that grew up in the stands saying I wanted to drive a monster truck and here I am driving bigfoot.”
BUSY SCHEDULE: It was the second event of the season at Mansfield Motor Speedway, a busy schedule that offers several more events before it ends.
“We have a great staff. We went through a lot in the last year and a half, with the staff learning what we are doing and want to do, and we also learning from them and working together,” Sommer said. “Most anyone who comes to our events consistently has felt like they are seeing an advancement or improvement. We have a good foundation and core. I just feel like we need a larger team with more good people doing more good things. We are in the process of doing that.”
Up next on the schedule is the July 1 Lucas Late Model Dirt Series Freedom 50 and Fireworks. For more information and tickets, visit http://www.mansfieldmotorspeedway.com.
