After a strong 2014 campaign Steve Sims and the Stone Crusher Monster Truck team were invited to be a part of the all new Monster Jam Fox Sports 1 Championship Series in 2015. The series features 16 of the industry’s top trucks in a nine week tour across the United States at some of the nation’s most prestigious stadiums. With both Steve and son Steven with the Hooked Monster Truck apart of the series, the father and son duo were excited to start off the new year.
The first stop of the series brought the team to Houston, Texas at NRG Stadium where the Stone Crusher team started off their 2014 season as well. Before the event, a practice session was held Friday night where each truck received an opportunity to make a racing pass. For Sims and the Stone Crusher practice wasn’t what they were hoping for as a bad water pump lead to the truck overheating during it’s practice pass. Crew chief Tommy Powers got the truck repaired Friday night and it was ready for action Saturday night. In Qualifying things were looking up as many drivers were struggling with the tacky dirt conditions on the Chicago style course. A levelheaded Sims stayed smooth in the turns and was able to keep the truck from bicycling into the turns like many others. The result would be the second fastest qualifying time of the night which would advance him into the racing bracket.
Round one didn’t hold the same fortunes for Sims and the Stone Crusher. After the first jump it looked like an easy win was on the horizon for the Stone Crusher, as their opponent Donald Epidendio and Titan suffered a blown motor over the first jump. Epidendio was a good sport and pulled off the track to allow Sims to finish his race. Unfortunately for Sims he was battling his own engine issues as the truck lost oil pressure during the race. As he pulled into the pits Tommy Powers diagnosed the issue of a broken fuel pump. With damage already done to the motor the decision was made to sit out the rest of the night’s competition to save it from further damage.
While the start of the season was disappointing, Sims proved that he and the Stone Crusher have the speed to compete against the best of the field in the Monster Jam Fox Sports 1 Series. With Houston in the books they’re now looking ahead to next weekend in Atlanta as they return to the Georgia Dome. Be sure to catch the Houston event airing on Fox Sports 1 next Sunday January 11th at 12:00pm EST/9:00am PT. Thanks to Matthew Ison Photography for the photo!