I am of the mindset that if American Motors had managed to hang on just another four years, that we’d still have the Big Four. Hear me out: Their main products at the time were the XJ Cherokee, the Eagle, and they had the Concept 1 (the early form of what would be the ZJ Grand Cherokee) on the show circuit by 1989. If they had made it to 1991 unscathed, they would’ve nailed the timing for the popularity of the sport-utility vehicle and if they read the tea leaves correctly, would’ve kept the lineup minimized to what was selling, whether that meant adopting Renault products that were selling or sticking with Jeep-like products.

Even if that line of thought is out in left field (and at an early hour of the morning, it just might be), there is no denying that AMC’s contributions to Jeep were solid. The XJ Cherokee might be AMC’s finest hour, even above the Hornet. The XJ brought car-like features to a small four-door sport-utility vehicle…they created the mold for the Ford Explorer, four-door S-10 Blazer, and even the success that the Grand Cherokee enjoyed. The AMC six was the top dog throughout the production run. The monocoque body design didn’t hurt the Cherokee’s tough nature one bit and they can take an outright beating and return back for more.

These two Cherokees went head to head at the Harrisburg, PA Farmshow Complex Monster Trucks Show. Matt Boyet and Gary Greene battled it out in an indoor sprint and pushed their XJs as hard as they could, up to the final battle to the finish line. Rubbing is racing, right?