The Back To School Monster Truck Bash at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway has a legacy as one of the best monster truck events in the country, and the Hooked Monster Truck team returned for the third year in a row on a quest for victory. The massive track would put Steven Sims and the Hooked team to the test in both racing and freestyle alike. Heavy rains before the event would add to the challenge ahead, but Sims was up for the test, proving so with another stellar freestyle performance.
The large infield of The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway was converted into a monster truck playground for the Back To School Monster Truck Bash Saturday night, with the crossover racing course returning for 2014. It’s one of the few tracks that has trucks jumping over one another while racing and is one of the most challenging and exciting in the sport. With muddy conditions the difficulty was raised significantly as Steven Sims found out first hand in qualifying. Sims was on his way to good pass in qualifying before sliding around a corner over a small ski jump, rolling the truck over onto its side. The damage was mostly cosmetic and they would be back for round one. Their round one opponent would be none other than his dad Steve Sims and the Stone Crusher. Steven found himself in trouble early after sliding into a bus buried into the landing ramp of the crossover jump. As Steven tried to correct the truck, his father Steve and the Stone Crusher went flying overhead. In an effort to make up some ground Steven went into the corner before the crossover jump too fast, sliding the truck over a ski jump and rolling over much like he did in qualifying. It was a frustrating evening for racing but freestyle was still on the horizon.
With the frustrations of racing behind him, Steven Sims was ready to cut loose in freestyle and rock the house with Hooked. As the second to last truck out he knew what to expect from the course and what it would take to grab the lead. The only truck after him would be two time freestyle world champion Avenger, adding some extra pressure. Sims was unfazed and took to the track on a mission to take the freestyle trophy back to Virginia Beach. It was a relentless performance as Sims gave the truck and track everything he had, getting massive air over and over again. The action packed run had no downtime as Sims flew Hooked from obstacle to obstacle, taking on everything in his path. Just before the 90 second mark Sims lined up for a bus and soared the truck high into the sky with by far the biggest jump of any driver on the night. The truck slammed down to the ground, ripping the left rear wheel off on impact. A determined Sims didn’t stop there as he tried to continue onward and hit another jump, but rolled the truck onto the side of the obstacle in the process.
The crowd were on their feet and cheering as Sims got out of the truck and waved to the fans. It would be a tough performance to top, and Avenger would succumb to breakage during his run, making Sims the winner. In his post freestyle interview Sims promised to be back next year to thrill the fans once more and go for the win once again. The truck was battered and bruised from a hard battle, but rest assured Tommy Powers and the crew will have Hooked back together soon. Thanks to all of our fans and sponsors for your support!
