Those amazing young men in their flying ....trucks!!!

4X4 Proving Ground owner Kurt Zeller looks out over the "arena" where many of the events will take place. The five-foot high mound his golf cart sits upon is the launch pad for trucks to see how far they can "fly" before coming back to earth. (TLV photos)

EAST LEBANON - Those "mudders of invention" are out to prove whose truck's the best this weekend at 4X4 Proving Grounds's Spring Sling, but the real winners will be the spectators who'll have ringside seats to watch the belching behemoths do battle in the arena below.

Proving Ground owner Kurt Zeller has made beaucoup improvements to his property, including an obstacle course, a new course for lawn mower races and a Hell-N-Hole bump run where tough trucks will hit a massive jump going almost 50 mph. Drivers will first negotiate a smaller bump, the speed up for the second OMG bump soon after.

There's other massive jumps planned in which monster trucks will dive over a manmade cliff five feet high and see whose can go the farthest distance.

There will also be the usual mud pit runs and tuff truck divisions, too, as well as truck tire pulls and an aqua tug-o-war.

The weekend of competition and partying gets started this afternoon with some fun but easy events like a Cat-n-Mouse Derby, an aqua tug-o-war and some practicing on the obstacle course, Zeller said on Thursday.

A new track was built for the Lawn Mower races, seen above.

After the events are done today a live band will perform on a newly constructed stage. The musical group, Doctor Fatfinger (rock, blues, funk, pop), will also play Saturday night.

The competition gets tougher on Saturday with a full line-up of mudder attractions beginning at 11 a.m., with the obstacle course, Tuff Trucks. After that it's the mud pits, mega and race trucks and then the tire pulls and aqua tug-o-war and race truck single eliminations.

Longtime 4X4 attendees will notice the much more spacious viewing areas that circle the arena, a several-acre sort of mudder coliseum from which to watch the galvanized gladiators do pitch battle against one another.

Zeller continues to make improvements to his primitive campground, too, and camping is free for ticketholders, he said.

Tickets are $10 for Friday and $20 Saturday and Sunday, $50 for the full weekend.

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