Elizabeth Tarlton
Professor Pratt
ENGLISH 1102
April 7, 2014
GROWING UP WITH A MONSTER TRUCK DRIVER FOR A DAD
Growing up in a household where monster trucks were a way of life was exiting, every
weekend during the summer I would travel with my dad to his shows. We would always plan to
do something fun (other than his monster truck show) before we left. One time I remember going
to the upside down house attraction and although we didn’t have much time to stay, we still had
fun. Each weekend would be different, different drivers, different trucks, different people. Every
time I would go to a show with my dad I would meet someone else who was over the company,
which really helped me when it came to socializing with all kinds of people. Being around the
different drivers taught me how I should, and should not act. I found out very quickly that there
are some drivers who drive because they love to see the fans happy, and others just for a job. I
never would have guessed that one day I would be lucky enough to drive a monster truck myself,
but in a few weeks I get to practice in front of the most important people in the sport.
HOW DO PEOPLE EVEN BECOME MONSTER TRUCK DRIVERS?
So how does one become a monster truck driver? For my dad it was luck, he worked on
cars, never even thinking he would drive a monster truck one day. The knowledge of cars helped
him get a job with one of the truck drivers. Not long after that he found out there was a position
open to drive a truck for a driver who couldn't make it. A week before the show, my dad was
asked if he was interested in driving, he said yes and began to practice that week. After showing
the officials he had what it takes, he was hired permanently with the company (Feld
Motorsport's). But today, becoming a monster truck driver is much more difficult. First you have
to be qualified, you need to have knowledge of how the trucks work and be at least 18 years of
age. If those expectations are met, you go through your first 2 weeks of training where you learn
to drive and the safety aspects of the job. If your lucky enough to get a plane ticket to florida,
you go though the second part of your training where you get to jump cars, do wheelies, etc.
After this, you go though your final training task, a simulation show which is put on by the
company just for new drivers to see how they interact with each other and the small stadiums.
You are chosen from dozens of other drivers who will be competing with you, not only do you
have to be good, you have to be able to listen to what they tell you, and follow the directions.
Fortunately, being a girl I have a step up above the rest because the company is looking for
dozens of new female drivers this year.
NEGATIVES OF BEING A MONSTER TRUCK DRIVER
To start off with my dad had been driving monster trucks for over 8 years now, he has
driven 5 different monster trucks including spiderman and monster mutt. When he first started he
was aware of the physical strain that driving monster trucks would have on his body. At the
beginning of his career drivers protection was thought of, but it really wasn't a concern. It wasn't
until he had his first back surgery that he realized something had to be done, after Feld
Motorsport's was contacted about this problem all the drivers trucks were now equipped with
new seats that were made just for them. Things were great until my dad had his second surgery,
this time his neck. Different measures were put in place and now, thankfully driving a monster
truck is as safe as its ever been. Although concussions can still occur, back and neck injuries are
almost unheard of in the monster truck world today. So now that you’ve heard about the drivers,
lets talk about the fans of a monster truck show....
WHY THE FANS LOVE IT
With so many trucks it’s not hard for someone to find one that appeals to their
lifestyle or hobby. The kids like the marvel super heroes, disney characters, and animal themed
trucks. The adults enjoy trucks like grave digger or big foot because they have been around for a
while and maybe they saw them as a kid. A reviewer from ticketmaster.com says that he and his
grandson loved the monster truck big foot. The reviewer says” Its just great to see the legend
back.”(gearheadSENIOR # 11) This shows that trucks from long ago were brought back to
appeal to the older male audience members.
Although it is dangerous for the drivers , the crowd absolutely loves to see a driver flip or
turn over on it’s hood. A big favorite of mine is when the truck actually saves themselves from
flipping over. A reviewer states that her favorite moment in the show was seeing Big Foot save
the the truck from a roll over.(qws123 #30). Normally when the trucks saves themselves or flip
they get a higher score from the selected judges from the audience. The kids see this as very
exciting , but they love to see the driver come out of the truck safe.(The crowd always screams
when this occurs). This also allows for a little variety in the show as each driver reacts differently
after a flip.
WHAT AN ACTUAL MONSTER TRUCK SHOW LIKE
THE PIT PARTY.
Most shows have a pit party before the actual show begins. The pt party allows the fans a
chance to see the trucks up close and interact with the drivers. This is very exciting for the kids ,
because they can get autographs and photos from the drivers. One fan says “my son loved to see
the trucks and meet the drivers personally.” (82andArmywife). Even for me this is a very
exciting aspect of the show. This lets me meet drivers I will be driving against in a few months.
The drivers are as interesting as the trucks they drive and this really shows in the pit party.
THE WHEELIE COMPETITION
The wheelie competition starts off the beginning of the events. For some this can be the
most dramatic because its the real start to the show. This is also where they get to hear the
engines crank up for the first time. The object in the wheelie competition is to see who can get
their trucks back two tires to ride across the junk car stack. The best wheelie gets the highest
score out of 10. Although this isn’t the most loved part of the show it helps fans get intrigued as
to what they are going to get to see happen. Several trucks never make it past this event. If a
truck hits wrong it can tear up something leaving them out for the other parts of the competition.
RACING
The racing event is the second part of the show. This consists of two trucks going head
to head in a race. There are multiple track types set up depending on the arena. Chicago style, It
is one of the most enjoyed racing styles, because it allows for high speeds on the straight aways
while also challenging the drivers to handle turns on both ends of the floor. This track was first
used in Rosomont , Illinois just on the outskirts of Chicago. The second racing track style is St.
Louis style. It is two separate race track with each truck on it’s own oval. The next style was
created to accommodate for the baseball stadiums Monster Jam competes in. It is the Western
U.S. style. This combines left and right hand turns and ends with the trucks side by side. The
original style is Straight Line. This race style relies on the drivers reaction time and horse power.
The most unique style is Vegas Style. The trucks come into the stadium by negotiating the
chicane which is an artificial track creating extra turns for racing purposes. Then they go down a
straight away where speeds top 70 mph. The Monster Jam world finals is determined on this
track each year.(2014 Monsterjam year book 8)
INTERMISSION
If you go to a monster truck show, chances are there will always be an intermission.
During this you get a chance to buy food and merchandise. While doing that the track is being
set up for motocross drivers to jump a huge ramp and do stunts. Depending on what show you go
to will determine what time of intermission show you will get to see. There is a robot named
Megasaurus that comes out breathing fire and eats a car right there in front of your eyes. While
this might not sound entertaining for adults the younger children are amazed. You can see the
robot at www.robosaurus.com as well as the different types that have been created in the image
of large transformers. With 20 foot flames shooting from it’s nose and 28,000 pounds of pressure
this is definitely something to see. (robosurus.com)
EVERYONES FAVORITE! (FREESTYLE)
Freestyle has to be one of everyones favorites out of the entire show. Running freestyle
each truck gets to do whatever they want. This might include jumping the largest stack of junk
cars flying thru the air. This could be wheelies or doughnuts. Drivers have 60 seconds in a arenas
and 90 seconds in larger stadiums. Drivers really show off their skills and the crowd goes wild.
This is also my favorite part of the show because it’s really fun to see all of the trucks show their
different abilities. This part of the show has the largest amount of rollovers . The drivers
personality comes out during free style.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
There are a total of 80 different monster trucks involved in Monster Jam all with their
own body style and theme. Although there are 80 different truck bodies the most popular bodies
have more than one. For example there are 8 different Grave Digger trucks all with 8 different
drivers. This is due to the amount of shows in many different places all around the world. With
300 shows per year there has to be a surplus of drivers and trucks to meet the expectations. In all(
duplicate trucks included) there are over 300 drivers and trucks around the world at different
times.
WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN A MONTER TRUCK SHOW
To run a successful show there needs to be a lot of people and resources. To start off with
someone needs to plan the show and be able to manage multiple people on the floor at once. The
track or stadium has to have dirt brought in . In a small stadium there is around 700 tons of dirt
for the track. There are about 30 “track crew “ workers on the floor at once. The announcer keeps
the fans entertained while the trucks are being moved in and out of the arena. Each of the trucks
usually brings 2-3 “pit crew” workers with them incase one of the trucks break and needs to be
fixed. These repairs can be small to very extensive requiring long hours after the show is over.
There is a need for paramedics on site constantly incase there is an injury. Fire fighters also need
to be on stand by incase one of the trucks catches on fire. In some cases officials are in the stands
to track carbon monoxide levels. The safety of everyone is a large priority. The trucks have a
feature that shuts them off in case of an emergency.
MOST OF THE MONSTER TRUCK DRIVERS ARE MEN
It is easy to see Monster Trucks as a male dominated sport. You may also be questioning
my own interest in monster trucks personally. I got interested in monster trucks because my dad
has been a driver for 8 years. My main focus on these trucks is to create a female influenced
monster truck line. This would include “Hello Kitty” ,”Disney Princess “ or “Barbie” There are
already a few female trucks like Madusa who inspires girls that they can do anything they put
their mind to. By doing this I can push for little girls to see that they don’t have to limit
themselves to by anything because it is thought to male oriented. If there are more female
monster truck drivers and female inspired trucks this can create a positive roll model. I want
young girls to come to a show and see a female driving a truck and think this sport isn’t just for
boys anymore. I can do this too!
The 300 plus shows a year already shows the monster truck appeal to many. The
merchandise sold at shows , in stores and online proves the appeal to fans. The Monster Jam
world finals held in Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium holds 50,000-60,000 was sold out 2 weeks
ago. It is clean family fun . I hope I have given people a different perspective of what a monster
truck show really consist of.
Works Cited
Crouse, Mark. “Tracks.” 1 january 2014. Magazine. 28 march 2014.
GearheadSENIOR.”Bigfoot is back” 27 Aug. 2011. Ticketmaster.com. Web 24 march 2014.
Qs123.”AAWWEESSOOMMEE” 8 Jan. 2011. Ticketmaster.com. Web. 4 April 2014.
82AndArmyWife.”Thunder Slam Monster Truck Show was Awesome!” 8 Jan. 2011.
Ticketmaster.com. Web. 4 April 2014.