Despite stereotypes, monster truck racing is the second most popular travel entertainment for families after Disney On Ice. These highly customized vehicles began in the 1970s and have evolved into modified buggies with fiberglass bodies, supercharged engines, and custom transmissions. Safety is a top priority, and there are several series of events that operate worldwide.
Although many associate monster trucks and monster truck racing with rednecks and mullets, surprisingly, the monster truck industry ranks second to Disney On Ice in popularity as travel entertainment for families. You can’t say you’ve lived if you’ve never sat in an arena filled with exhaust fumes, taking in the sights and sounds of these monster trucks crushing everything in their path. These highly customized vehicles are highly specialized to withstand the rigors of smashing cars, jumping over mounds of dirt, and performing various other acrobatic and destructive feats.
Monster trucks began in the 1970s, when a few men who dreamed of bigger, stronger trucks began jacking up or hoisting their trucks to better compete in local truck pulls and mud bogging contests. Awesome Kong, Bigfoot, and Bear Foot were among the first “monster trucks” to gain recognition for their mods and prowess in contests. These trucks had reinforced chassis and 48-inch (1.21 m) tires.
Awesome Kong would be the first to technically crush the cars, but it was Bob Chandler and Bigfoot who were the first to do so for an audience at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. It was at this time that 66-inch (1.67 m) tires introduced to monster truck fans. The 1980s would be the decade when methods of “monstering” trucks were streamlined and regulated by the Monster Truck Racing Association. With the popularity of monster truck racing, the need for speed prompted builders to find new ways to lighten bulky monster trucks.
Today, monster trucks are less trucks than modified buggies that look like trucks. They are built with fiberglass bodies, tubular chassis, supercharged engines, and custom transmissions. All of these pieces working together make a monster truck capable of overcoming obstacles in races and freestyle events where drivers wow audiences with their ability to maneuver their truck over seemingly impossible obstacles. Safety is of the utmost importance, and drivers are equipped with several kill switches, as well as a remote kill switch to shut off the engine in the event of an accident.
There are several series of monster truck events that operate throughout the United States, as well as other countries around the world. Monster Jam, Monster Truck Challenge Series, and Major League of Monster Trucks are popular events that tour the country throughout the year.
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