{"id":357826,"date":"2026-07-30T17:57:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/357826\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T17:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:57:15","slug":"an-air-conditioned-monster-jam-returns-to-tampa-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/357826\/","title":{"rendered":"An air-conditioned Monster Jam returns to Tampa this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"365503\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/tampafloridajuly172026-megalodonstarsandstripes\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Monster-Jam-Megaladon-YesIShootModels-shutterstock_2813499355-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Shutterstock&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright (c) 2026 Yes I Shoot models\/Shutterstock.  No use without permission.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Tampa,,Florida,July,17,,2026,-,Megalodon,Stars,And,Stripes&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Tampa,,Florida,July,17,,2026,-,Megalodon,Stars,And,Stripes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Megalodon Stars and Stripes truck at Walmart in Tampa, Florida on July 17, 2026.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Monster-Jam-Megaladon-YesIShootModels-shutterstock_2813499355-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Monster-Jam-Megaladon-YesIShootModels-shutterstock_2813499355.jpg\" alt=\"A low-angle close-up photograph showing the Megalodon Stars and Stripes monster truck on display at a Walmart in Tampa, Florida, on July 17, 2026. Custom-designed to resemble a 3D shark with a red, white, and blue patriotic paint scheme, the truck features large white stars across its blue fiberglass body, 3D shark teeth lining its gaping open jaw, and the &quot;MEGALODON&quot; logo in stylized silver lettering on its side panel. Massive black BKT tires with red rim accents and heavy-duty suspension shocks frame the lower portion of the vehicle against a bright outdoor sky background.\" class=\"wp-image-365503\"  \/>Megalodon Stars and Stripes truck at Walmart in Tampa, Florida on July 17, 2026. Credit: Yes I Shoot models \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tour <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/qIvGc2ZkJBM\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">doesn\u2019t crush cars anymore<\/a>, but attendees will be crushing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/TampaBayLightning\/comments\/1pkavei\/arena_food\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">$18 beers<\/a> this summer for Monster Jam.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The motorsports rite of passage returns to Tampa in August from Friday-Friday-Friday to Sunday-Sunday-Sunday, Aug. 14-16 promising racing, stunts, and motocross riders who\u2019ll team up with drivers for a joint competition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMonster Jam Freestyle Mania\u201d dates back to 2009. The format\u2014where the monster truck drivers and motocross riders work together to score points\u2014includes racing, skills and freestyle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Points go towards the overall event championship as well as the Arena Championship Series Central title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A press release says this is Tampa\u2019s first look at the \u201cFreestyle Mania\u201d format.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As usual, there are meet-and-greet opportunities during the pit party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Organizers say Monster Jam trackside starts one hour before the event time, featuring driver interviews, behind the scenes with the pit crew, opening ceremonies, giveaways and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/community.cltampa.com\/event\/monster-jam-freestyle-mania-presented-by-spin-master-21407116\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tickets start at $31.50 for Monster Jam Freestyle Mania presented by Spin Master Friday-Sunday, Aug. 14-16 at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785434235_755_hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Youtube video\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" nopin=\"nopin\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/altnewsfoundation.org\/cl-tampa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/tampa-newslettersignup-page\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAiECLjru3gB6BLYKOKFLfkVZsqFAgKIhAi467t4AegS2CjihS35FWb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbreak.com\/@c\/1599764?s=01\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/CreativeLoafingTampa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cltampabay\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cltampabay\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/cltampabay.bsky.social\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"collection-link has-small-font-size\">This article appears in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/collections\/jul-30-aug-05-2026\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jul 30 \u2013 Aug 05, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n<p>\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Megalodon Stars and Stripes truck at Walmart in Tampa, Florida on July 17, 2026. Credit: Yes I Shoot&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357827,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1412,135,137,136,4746],"class_list":["post-357826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-benchmark-international-arena","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-things-to-do-tampa-bay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/357827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}