Tuff Trucks Takes Over The Orange County Fair

Summer is the fair season in Southern California, bringing the return of Tuff Trucks to the Orange County Fair after a few years away.
Tuff Trucks returned to the Orange Country Fair along with monster trucks and freestyle moto. Steven Olsewski

The desert may be too warm this time of the year to go and have fun, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place to go. Summer is the fair season in Southern California, bringing the return of Tuff Trucks to the Orange County Fair after a few years away.

After a day of walking around the fairgrounds, seeing all the animals, and gadgets you didn’t think you needed, everyone headed to the Action Sports Arena for the Monster Truck Nitro Tour featuring Tuff Trucks. The event would have not only the Tuff Trucks but also monster trucks and high-flying freestyle motocross.

Fans in attendance got an up close look at the vehicles before the show started. Steven Olsewski

The night started off with the freestyle moto doing tricks high above the arena. The louder the crowd got, the crazier the tricks got. With a mix of backflips and whips, the riders’ height in the limited space was very impressive.

Up next was Round 1 of Tuff Trucks, and each truck would snake its way through the infield course. The course had a couple of smaller rollers that the trucks would easily hit, but the three tight 180-degree turns would level the field back out, putting each truck’s lap time under 30 seconds.

No hands! The freestyle motocross demo opened the show. Steven Olsewski

Ignoring the elephant in the room was hard as the 10,000-pound monster trucks lurked in the background. They were up next for their first run of the night, filled with jumping, crushing cars, and massive donuts that gave the crowd plenty to cheer for.

The excitement didn’t stop there; as soon as the winner was declared, the Tuff Trucks were back out for Round 2. When the dust settled at the end of the night, it was Kyle Power in first with a combined time of 52.45 seconds, James Williams in second with 53.56 seconds, and Nick Puccio in third with 54.22 seconds.

Rich Henry’s no. 2021 flying during Tuff Trucks. Steven Olsewski

“At a normal desert race, we prepare to go into battle with the desert, mother nature, our competitors, and friends both mentally and physically,” Williams said after the event. “At Tuff Trucks, we are here to put on a show.”

“Little preparation goes into it compared to desert racing, but it is all pure fun. Yes, we all like to have the best times and to win, but it’s all about the next generation seeing the trucks at the pre-show event and watching us send it and race. The exposure to sponsors, cool pictures, meeting new people, and having five nights of just hanging with new and old friends is great.”

Monster trucks putting on a show between the Tuff Trucks rounds. Steven Olsewski

Finishing off the night was the second round of monster trucks putting on another great show for everyone in the stands.

If you are in the Orange County area and are looking for something to do this weekend, be sure to head to the OC Fair and check out the nightly edition of Tuff Trucks running all the way through Sunday, July 24th. For more information, be sure to check out the Orange County Fair website.