#Monster transmission drivers#
#Monster transmission driver#

The length and complexity of the track can vary with the size of the venue, with courses in indoor arenas typically being shorter with fewer obstacles.

#Monster transmission driver#

In freestyle events, each driver puts on a performance consisting of stunts such as obstacle jumps, backflips, wheelies, and doughnuts. #MONSTER TRANSMISSION DRIVER#Ī panel of judges assign points to each performance and the driver with the most points is declared the winner.

#Monster transmission drivers#

Historically, additional vehicles for the drivers to crush, such as motor homes and school buses, were placed on the track specifically for the freestyle event, however incidents of debris flying into the stands and causing serious injuries have influenced most event promoters to turn away from such obstacles. Most freestyle courses now consist mostly of large mounds and ramps erected to allow the trucks to perform large jumps and wheelies upon landing. Freestyle performances have a set time limit and only one truck is allowed on the track at a time as a safety measure. Air Force-themed Afterburner performing at the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas in March 2008įreestyle events are typically the final competition of a show, as damage to the trucks would make them unable to race. In the late 1970s, heavily modified pickup trucks were becoming popular and the sports of mud bogging and truck pulling were gaining in popularity. Several truck owners had created lifted trucks to compete in such events, and soon competition to hold the title of 'biggest truck' developed.

The trucks which garnered the most national attention were Bob Chandler's Bigfoot, Everett Jasmer's USA-1, Fred Shafer and Jack Willman Sr.'s Bear Foot, and Jeff Dane's King Kong. At the time, the largest tires the trucks were running were 48 inches (1.2 m) in diameter. In April 1981, Bob Chandler drove over junked cars in Bigfoot in what is often believed to be the first monster truck to crush cars. Chandler drove Bigfoot over a pair of cars in a field as a test of the truck's ability, and filmed it to use as a promotional tool in his four-wheel drive performance shop. An event promoter saw the video of the car crush and asked Chandler to do it in front of a crowd. Initially hesitant because of the 'destructive' image that could be associated with Bigfoot, Chandler eventually agreed. At this show, Chandler also debuted a new version of Bigfoot with 66-inch tires.Īfter some smaller shows, Chandler performed the feat in the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. At a prior event in the early 1980s, when Bigfoot was still running 48-inch tires, Bob George, one of the owners of a motorsport promotion company named Truck-a-rama – later known as the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) – is said to have coined the phrase 'monster truck' when referring to Bigfoot. The term 'monster truck' became the generic name for all trucks with oversized tires.