2018 Toughest Monster Truck Tour Champions – Larry Swim and BIGFOOT

Pacific, MO (April 25, 2018) – To say that the road to the 2018 Toughest Monster Truck Tour Championship was not easy is an understatement. The season was long and hard, with 26 events over 12 Cities. It was tough on the drivers, the crews, the shop and the trucks!

The 2018 season started off in Rio Rancho, NM with not the greatest results for Team BIGFOOT. We fought king pin issues all Friday night and Saturday afternoon, but, amazing enough, still made it through the weekend. But at that point, we had dug ourselves into a hole, and with the competition at these events, that is a hard thing to come back from! At one point during the season, BIGFOOT was over 40 points behind Team DCT’s Quad Chaos. And anyone that follows the series knows they don’t call Aaron Cain “Big Air” for nothing!

After we decided on a direction, and with the undeniable driving skills of Larry Swim and the technological expertise of our entire crew, Team BIGFOOT began its march forward. From that point on, week in and week out, Larry and the Summit Racing Equipment BIGFOOT did what they do best – win races. Larry and the team were almost unstoppable in racing, taking 16 races out of 22 after the rough start in Rio Rancho!

While Larry’s racing wins kept accumulating, he also stepped up his momentum in Freestyle, and put on solid performances that were technically almost perfect. As we crept up in points, and moved past Aaron at one point, the two contenders began a back and forth battle for the Championship Points lead. Prior to the season ending final on Saturday, April 21st in Grand Forks, ND, Larry held a mere 6-point lead.

Then came the grand finale. The wheelie contest at this last event started out great for Larry, but Aaron tied him there. Then came Race Qualifying, on a track that was very different from anything else seen all year (it was twice as long and much more technical). But, again, Larry did what he does best – he was the #1 racing qualifier. Unfortunately, that was when the problems started. During that qualifying pass, a front sway bar mount broke. A sway bar is an easy fix, but the mounts are a much bigger issue, and there wasn’t enough time to fix it.

But Larry did not let that defeat him. He ran the rest of the night without a front sway bar, making racing very tough, if not almost impossible. Larry lined up against Dragon Slayer and, after a valiant effort and getting it up on 2 wheels at one point, narrowly lost the first round. Aaron Cain and Quad Chaos then went on to win their first round against their own teammate.

At this point, things were looking pretty grim, but Dragon Slayer was able to take out Quad Chaos in the next round, leaving Larry and Team BIGFOOT just 3 points ahead with Freestyle remaining.

Larry went out before Aaron and, again, without a front sway bar, drove an almost flawless Freestyle. Aaron followed, beating Larry by just 1 point. So, when the smoke cleared, and the points had all been added up, Larry and the team took the Championship by just 2 (out of a possible total of 1,100 Points)!

Kelly and Dave Goldman, the Owners/Promoters of the Toughest Monster Truck Tour, had this to say: “We are so fortunate to have such world-class competitors and teams on our tour. Because of this, the race for the championship gets tighter every year. Larry Swim showed impressive grace under pressure on the road to the 2018 Championship – when times got tough, he didn’t falter or let it get him down; he stayed the course and focused on what he needed to do to achieve the championship goal. Which is why he is a true champion.”

Brian Manson, Event Producer of the Tour, added this: “Everyone involved with the Toughest Monster Truck Tour has a passion for producing the best events we possibly can. The level of competition and entertainment that Larry Swim and Aaron Cain delivered this season is what keeps that passion alive. Through 22 events they tried to top each other in every contest and in the end were separated by a mere 2 points. While Team BIGFOOT came out on top, everyone involved in this effort and mainly the fans were the real winners. Congratulations to Larry Swim on a hard fought and well earned championship!”

And Larry wanted to add, “Thank you to everyone at Team BIGFOOT and at the TMTT for the great shows. It was a rough season, but we pulled it off. There was a lot of great teams and everyone always helped out when needed. It was so close that it came down to the very end – never give up, we didn’t! Thanks to Summit Racing Equipment, Firestone, and all of our other great sponsors. And, of course, thank you so much to my wife Susan for letting me live my dream.”

Team BIGFOOT would like to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone on the Toughest Monster Truck Tour team, including Kelly, Dave, Brian, and their crews, and all the other Monster Truck teams. And we want to recognize Aaron Cain specifically for all his hard work and week after week consistency, and for making this the hardest fought Series that we have had in years!