Rain throughout the day Saturday couldn’t dampen the spirits of a packed house at The Dirt Track at Charlotte as fans were treated to an action-packed night at the Circle K Monster Truck Bash that saw Bad Company prevail in head-to-head competition and Toxic take the top spot in freestyle after a fan vote tie-breaker.
After a brief rain delay to start the night, a modified course threw a curve to 10 of the best monster truck drivers on the planet as they faced off in a side-by-side tussle for supremacy.
Nick Pagliarulo and his Kraken machine seemed to watch his chance at victory slip away in the semifinals after rolling across the finish line, giving the round win to Bad Company and driver John Gordon of Hiram, Ga. But in a wild turn of events, Kraken got a second chance after trouble sidelined the other semifinal winner, Cory Snyder and his Toxic machine, opening the door for a Kraken-Bad Company rematch in the finals.
With a trophy on the line, Pagliarulo once again rolled his 2019 Squid, as Bad Company rolled to victory.
“That ain’t the track we wanted to run, but we came here to put on a show for you guys and that’s what we did,” Gordon said.
The freestyle competition came down to two drivers as Snyer and Gordon, who mastered the muddy, diabolical course to a tie with 32 points each, bested the remainder of the field. As Charlotte Motor Speedway’s mantra is “Fans First,” officials decided the tiebreaker come down to a first-of-its-kind fan vote, and a roaring crowd ultimately chose Snyder and Toxic as the victor.
“I was happy to have a semifinal finish, but I never thought in a million years I’d come out with a freestyle victory against some of the most awesome monster trucks around,” Snyder said. “I love you guys. I can’t wait to come back here next year!”
MORE FAMILY FUN:
The Circle K Monster Truck Bash kicks off a busy fall season at America’s Home for Racing. Next up is the Charlotte AutoFair, Sept. 9-11; the DEWALT NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 17-19; and the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400, Oct. 9-10. Visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com for a complete schedule of events, information on tickets and camping and all the latest news and information.
