MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Sand Scorpions 2026 Extreme Mudfest brought by Experience Powersports brought locals and visitors alike to experience an afternoon of excitement at the Mud Flats and Sand Dunes over the weekend. 

"It was epic," said Brandon Douglass, President of the Sand Scorpions. "All the work was worth it." 

The Mudfest featured two events for the afternoon with a bounty hole and a freestyle mud truck event. The prize for each competition was $5,000 for first place.

This year's 15 competitors for the bounty hole had to first drive through the mud hole called "The Gatekeeper." Douglass said around half of the contestants couldn't get through the gate keeper, which eliminated them from the bounty hole. 

The main bounty hole was about 700-feet long and had a deep mud pit that the competitors had to either try to get as far as possible or get the fastest time all the way through to win. Only two contestants drove all the way through the bounty hole being Wade Reese from Canada and Justin Gilbert from Moses Lake. 

Reese took first in the bounty hole event as he had the fastest time driving all the way through the hole. Gilbert took second for going all the way through and Aaron Gustafson took third with his rig that had 80-inch tires. 

"Awesome bounty hole event," said Douglass. "Everyone seemed to enjoy it." 

He said the freestyle event saw a total of eight competitors this year, which brought more airtime and action than he's seen in previous years.  

Jeff Bainter, also known as Captain U.S.A., came out for the second year in a row in his monster truck where he caught air, did a few slap wheelies and flung around some mud for a third-place finish.  

Gilbert coming off a second-place finish in the bounty came back in to compete in the freestyle where he took his rig "The FrakenBogger" out to perform. With jumps off the side of the dunes into the mud and splattering of mud, he claimed a second-place finish. 

The grand champion of the freestyle was another Canadian, Matt Watson, who put on a show where he jumped his rig high in the air multiple times. Watson also attempted a jump off a backflip ramp specially made by Turnkey Mini Storage.  

"We'd been talking to this guy for a few months planning out something special, we had kind of been keeping it a secret," said Douglass. 

While Watson didn't get to do a full rotation back flip, he did land on his roof with enough momentum to get his front tires underneath him. From there he hammered the gas and got back on his tires to keep going. 

"Pure madness," said Douglass. "He kept jumping, he kept hitting the mudholes, he even caught fire briefly. The fire was put out promptly by him hitting a mudhole at full speed." 

Through Watson's efforts, he earned himself a first-place finish for freestyle. 

"He threw down hard," said Douglass. "Literally a 'Crazy Canadian', craziest thing I've seen in freestyle." 

When the day was said and done, he said the Mudfest saw up to 5,000 spectators with the campgrounds at the dunes more full than even on some holiday weekends. The Sand Scorpions were also assisted by over 40 volunteers and plenty of vendors who helped make this event possible. 

"The community support to make this event possible is astounding in so many aspects," said Douglass. "Just thanks to everybody who makes it possible, thanks to those who put 20-30-40 hour weeks with me to make it happen and a special thanks to my wife (Tori), she's there working too supporting me. I've realized she's kind of married a lunatic because it takes a lunatic to put this kind of stuff on year after year and still want to grow it." 

    Matt Watson goes airborne and attempts a full backflip during Saturday's Extreme Mudfest where he took first in the freestyle mud truck event.
  

    While driving through the pit, Matt Watson's vehicle catches fire. Watson was able to continue his performance in the freestyle mud truck event after dousing the fire in the mud.
  

    A Jeep plows through the mud during the bounty hole event Saturday at the Extreme Mudfest.
  

    Aaron Gustofsen drives his rig with 80-inch tires through the mud as he competes in the bounty hole Saturday afternoon.