Monster Jam was created by Live Nation, which was formerly Clear Channel Entertainment, and is a series of live events and television show. The series mainly takes place in the United States and is endorsed by the USHRA. Individual event formats can differ greatly based on the intermission entertainment, but the main entertainment is the monster truck racing and freestyle competitions. The traditional competitive season generally runs from January to March, even though Monster Jam events are held all year. There are a few events to begin the season in November, though. It is not uncommon for up to 10 events to take place in different areas on the same weekend. There are usually one or two stadium events that have 10-16 trucks and a group of smaller events with 4-8 trucks. The season ends in the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas, which is held in late March.

The list of competing trucks is the longest of any promoter because of the numerous events and immense popularity of the series. The most popular trucks (which are generally featured on the television show) come from three main groups: Trucks owned by Live Nation, like Grave Digger and Medusa, independents or “privateers,” like Gun Slinger and Avenger, and “corporate privateers,” which are independently owned but sponsored by major companies, like Bounty Hunter (sponsored by CSK Auto) and T-Maxx (sponsored by Traxxas). There is a constant criticism because some trucks are owned by Live Nation: the deck is stacked in their favor to win, if not rigged. Live Nation says the events are run fairly and there isn’t evidence to support the claim.

The Monster jam television show began as “Inside Monster Jam” in the United States. When Live Nation Motor Sports bought out USA Motorsports, the show was cancelled along with Motor Madness on TNN. It became known as Motor Madness: Monster Jam” and then just “Monster Jam.” In 2002, the show was cancelled and the 2003 season wasn’t aired, except that year’s World Finals, which was aired on Speed Channel. Since February 2004, the entire series has been broadcast on Speed Channel. From July 2005, the show was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Kerrang! TV and intermittently on The Hits. As of 2007, the show is now on Bravo 2 and sometimes Channel 4.

Mattel’s Hot Wheels come in toy versions of the monster trucks under the Monster Jam name. Three official Monster Jam video games have been made: Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction, a vehicular combat game, Monster 4x4: Masters of Metal, an arcade racing game and Monster Jam.

The Monster Jam World Finals is held annually in late March at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. It is the championship event of the series and includes racing and free style segments. The winner of each segment is considered the series champion for that division in the coming year. This year, the Monster Jam World Finals will be held on March 29, 2008 at 7:00 PM with a Pit Party starting at noon. If you want to see a lot of speed and some destruction, get your tickets for this event now!