NTNT Season 2 RACE 1-East Coast Monster Jam 2003

FREESTYLE Part 2

Alex Weber is the front man in IMTR and Team Savage Racing, and after Jon's freestyle he had a fantastic run, just one point short of the lead with a 25.

Max is behind the wheel of Gun Slinger for NTNT, and his freestyle ended a bit early with a 21. It was still a solid night for him though, and he told NTNT that he'd be cocked, locked, and ready to rock next week at ProDRO World Finals 3.

Next came NTNT rookie Kevin Kaffenberger...and obviously the word "rookie" is only used because it has to be for him in freestyle! Kevin shocked the crowd at East Coast with a 29 that included moves like these:

Matt Stewart had a very nice save from flipping to start his run, then caught the side of a car and flipped early, still managing a 20 in his debut freestyle.

Robbie Milburn was eliminated a bit early in racing and was headed to a 30 in freestyle until he caught a bad bounce and rolled early, receiving a 20 in Rare Breed.

Robby Haught, last season's runner-up in freestyle points, fell short of the lead after looking like he was headed for it. Robby nosed the truck over into the wall and flipped after a huge jump on the large container on the track, still scoring a 24 with 40 seconds left on the clock. Robby told the fans he was unhappy with his night and vowed to better his 24 at ProDRO World Finals 3!

Other freestyle scores were as follows:

Robby Haught (Reptoid, subbing for Corey Davis)-24

Robbie Milburn (Bigfoot 10, subbing for Eddie Carmichael)-25

Jeremy Murphy (Python)-21

Johnel Everett (Blue Thunder)-did not freestyle due to mechanical problems.

Johnel Everett (Team Meents, subbing for Mike Alston)-did not freestyle due to mechanical problems.

Josh Coleman (Titanic)-21

All Out War (Lost Soul 3)-19

Landon Harrison (Mechanical Stimulation)-17

Kyle Carr (Sudden Impact 2003)-24

That left Josh Rhodes, also known as Dig, also widely agreed upon as the best freestyler in MTM2. It was his retirement night, and he didn't disappoint. The score? A perfect 30 for the victory and a successful retirement. The moves? Absolutely STUNNING. Dig outdid even his high expectations in his run, saving the truck from flipping, flipping over and back onto his wheels...it was all there, a classic freestyle that will be remembered for a long time to come. It was an emotional night for Josh, and as he hopped out of an overturned Half Breed 3, he finally let his emotions out. With tears streaming down his face he thanked his fellow drivers, the MTM2 community, Team XFA, and the fans for a great night...and said he had a few special things planned just for the fans as a final send-off. Take a look at the pictures from his run, then download the video below:

CLICK HERE to download Dig's final officially scored run in NTNT (A bit laggy because of length, approx. 1:59)!

As Dig said, the trucks weren't done yet...last year he retired the first Half Breed in style, and this year Dig decided that he'd do two things...the first, he announced, was a tribute to his captain...And Wild Side 3 stormed out onto the track with none other than XFA founder and captain C.J. "METH" Bar behind the wheel!!!

Dig and METH decided to do one last race, just the two of them, for the fans. Both trucks got wild in the turn and it ended up being METH taking Dig out by a few cars! Both drivers hopped out and shook hands, with METH, the person who taught Dig to freestyle, congratulating him on a great career. Here is the picture of the finish.

Dig got on the mic one last time and announced that he wanted one more crack at a freestyle run in Half Breed 3...and there were other motors running in the pits for something at the end! What is it? We'll have to find out as Dig takes his half-trashed Half Breed 3 out for a finale freestyle...

WHAT A SAVE!!! Dig wheelied the entire track's length, nailed a car-van setup and rode out a ONE-WHEELED nose dive and save (shown above)! Absolutely AMAZING! But he's not over yet, and it's Dig's rule not to be done until he is...

...and a fitting end comes in the form of a wild flip over the garbage container!

CLICK HERE to download the video of Dig's "for the fans" run.

But what's this, Dig isn't done? What about those engines in the background? Dig got the NTNT officials to right his truck for the second time tonight and see if it fired back up...YES IT DOES! And his message to the crowd? "This is what you guys paid the money to see...here's a four-truck TEAM XFA final freestyle to end your night!"

And with that, Dig hopped back in and C.J. Bar, Robby Haught, and Robbie Milburn all bombed onto the track and began launching their trucks everywhere with Dig until nobody was left running!

Meth and Robby each pull a save off, then get wild and roll at the exact same time!

Robbie does two great Dig-style sidesurfs in the truck that Dig built for him, Rare Breed! Robbie rolled shortly before Dig.

...and you knew Dig had to finish on his lid again! To end the night, ladies and gentleman...JOSH RHODES AND HALF BREED 3!

Josh headed to the Winner's Stage after his teammates called him there, and as their trucks were being towed off, NTNT Owner Robby Haught surprised everyone in the building by letting out a secret...he presented Dig with a plaque that read "NTNT HALL OF FAME, FIRST INDUCTEE."

Josh didn't know what to say for a minute, then smiled a mile wide and said nothing more than "It's an honor, I can't tell you how much this means to me, all of you....my teammates, everything. You guys are the greatest, and you will see me around!" before saying one last goodbye to everyone and ducking away to get ahold of himself. Dig will be missed by everyone who knew him.

You heard right, ladies and gentleman. On this night, we had great racing, an attendance record broken, incredible freestyle, and the founding of the NTNT Hall of Fame! What will next week hold? We'll have to have all our racers at ProDRO World Finals 3 decide that, but if it's anything like the first week, nobody should miss it! So long from East Coast Monster Jam, and see you this Wednesday!