American Daredevil, the monster trucks that changed the world, part 2...

 

The USA has always had a fascination with cars. That deep interest is a reflection of our pop culture. It is constantly changing and evolving. Trends flow from state to state, cross pollinating with local car scenes. Southern California for example gave rise to hot rod's Kustom Kulture. Enthusiasts could express themselves through their cars. The freshly paved freeways of post-WWII America were ripe for cruising and racing. People began modifying old cars and turning them into sporty coupes, race cars, or dragsters. All over the country similar opportunities were happening for DIY mechanics, engine builders and fabricators. Trucks were included in the changing landscape.

 

In the American Southwest trucks and buggies were modified to cross the desert, quickly and easily. Suspensions evolved to clear brush and rocks. Four-wheel drive technology was essential in taming the Rockies in the mountain states. Jeeps, and trucks were outfitted with aftermarket parts, winches, roll bars, and lights to safely get out of the worst situations. In the South trucks had to power through swamps and mud. In the Midwest trucks had to be workhorses on the farm, capable of handling any terrain, and strong enough to double as a tractor. Four wheel drive culture evolved from every corner of the USA. It influenced the evolution of both sport, and work trucks. Monster trucks were almost a mash up of all of these influences.

 

In St. Louis Missouri a guy named Bob Chandler would take his 1974 blue Ford F-250 truck out on weekends and show it off with friends. He would often drive it too hard and break something. He’d manage to get his truck back to work, the Midwest 4 Wheel Drive Center. His general manager Ron Magruder would ask “what did you and your big foot break this time?” Chandler would rebuild the truck, trying to make it bigger and badder than the rest. He made the engine more powerful, changed out stock parts for military components that could take much more abuse. Every time it went out it turned heads. It was fun and free advertising for his shop. The truck was quickly gaining a reputation. He thought that the oversized tires he and his friends used made the trucks look silly. He called them “silly trucks.” His wife Marylin said no, they looked more like monsters. He recorded himself driving over some old junk cars and would play the video in his shop. One day a promoter saw this and asked if he could recreate the stunt in front of a live audience. He would be paid handsomely of course.

 

Chandler pulled off many crushing exhibitions in small venues, but one night opportunity struck. In 1983 the Pontiac Silverdome was filled to capacity, some 70,000+ people were watching a tractor pull motorsports spectacular. The big blue Ford was a sideshow. It was bigger and more powerful than any other truck they had ever seen. Chandler had introduced 4-wheel steering, which he said made his truck a "4x4x4." It allowed him to “crab walk” the truck almost sideways. He quickly became the main attraction. The stunt that he pulled off was the most insane thing anybody had ever seen. The reaction would tear the roof off of the building, and thankfully video proof exists. The audience couldn’t believe that “Bigfoot,” now equipped with 66 inch terra tires, drove right over some cars. It was like the moon landing for the four wheel drive community. Monster trucks were about to take over our collective consciousness.

 

Bigfoot had been featured in off road magazines years before the Silverdome. Four wheel drive enthusiasts and manufactures were always looking for the next big thing. Magazines would send out reporters to look for hot reader builds. Few were as big as Bigfoot. It was much more than a “show” truck, whose polished chrome engine and accents could have collected ribbons at car shows. It was a fully functional four wheel drive truck. It proved its worth at every possible challenge. It performed exhibition hill climbs, mud bog runs, drag races, and tractor pulls. These were things that sometimes required a dedicated vehicle. A tractor for example wouldn’t run a mud bog, a hill climber wouldn’t be much use in a pulling competition. The Ford seemed unstoppable, crushing any obstacle in its path. It was a true star and it wouldn’t be long before Hollywood came calling.

 

Its breakout role was in the 1981 film Take this Job and Shove it. Sadly getting wrecked by stuntmen in the middle of filming, it forced a sloppy rebuild. It appeared on screen many more times. In Cannonball Run II in 1984, and in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment in 1985. On and on through many features over the years. To say that Bigfoot absolutely owned the ‘80s would be an understatement. I was smitten by the big blue Ford. I had seen the aforementioned movies, and had started gathering tidbits of information in the various off road magazines with articles on Bigfoot and his contemporaries. I think the mainstream breakout for the truck wasn’t in the movies as much as it was in the television show That’s Incredible!

 

The show filmed people all over the country performing daredevil feats, crazy stunts, or showing off inventions. Sometimes they would invite guests to perform in front of the studio audience. A young Tiger Woods and Rodney Mullen appeared on the show, respectively they grew up to become the most influential pro golfer and skateboarder for a generation. Bigfoot was tasked with competing in the first televised monster truck race. Chandler was pitted against his friend Everett Jasmer and his truck USA-1. I couldn’t wait for the race, and counted down the days for the next episode. It was all my kid brain could think about morning, noon and night. Just like the Brodozer jump some 36 years later captured my imagination. My brothers were hopeful that the truck I idolized would come out victorious. I bugged all my friends at school to see if they would be watching the telecast. They didn’t believe me when I told them that two giant trucks would be racing each other on top of parked cars. They simply couldn’t wrap their heads around the idea. Secretly I was praying that my hero would win in the end. Thankfully I was not disappointed!

 

Most kids my age in So Cal were rooting for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson. They were the star players with the Showtime-era Lakers. Others at school were all about the Dodgers, Angels, Rams or Raiders. I tended to gravitate more towards motor-sports, and drivers. I had a list of favorites, Richard Petty for NASCAR, Don “ Big Daddy” Garlits and Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney in top fuel dragster, Don “the Snake” Prudhomme in funny car, and Mario Andretti in Formula-1 and Indy Car. Of these Bigfoot and Bob Chandler were unique. They were the stars in an entirely new type of motorsport. A sport where ordinary people started with a stock truck and turned it into an absolute beast. It was something that anybody could do. It carried the same spirit that founded hot rod culture decades earlier.

 

The whole DIY mentality was the heart and soul of the four wheel drive community. It was the same thing that sparked hot rod culture for cars. As I learned from magazines no two trucks were alike. The way they looked, handled and performed spoke volumes about each builder. Some were mild, but several were outrageous, featuring engines pulled from jets, and helicopters! None of the trucks seemed to have the class or pedigree of Bigfoot and his growing family. Chandler went from rebuilding Bigfoot to starting from scratch and making better versions. Bigfoot II, III, IV... were seemingly coming out every year. Money for these new builds was not from winning races as much as from licensing deals. The Bigfoot brand grew to include toys, games, and even a cartoon show. Everyone wanted a piece of the truck, myself included.

 

The technology behind Bigfoot evolved along with the sport. Despite the hundreds of monster trucks that would appear over the next two decades, only a handful could compete at the same level as the big blue Ford. The best often had corporate sponsors helping pay for the builds. Veteran four wheeler enthusiasts teamed up with race car builders, and engine tuners to shape future trucks. Monsters began touring the country year-round. Appearing at state fairs, in organized competitions, and car shows. The biggest names commanded thousands just to show up. With multiple Bigfoots available, the team could appear every weekend at different venues. They did this over the next 40 years. With monster trucks going mainstream there were bound to be some accidents.

 

Chandler began pushing for increased safety for the trucks, drivers and spectators. His contemporaries were suffering severe neck and back injuries while driving the trucks. Worse yet runaway trucks had injured and killed spectators in small venues. The industry needed to learn how make things safer for everyone. Chandler and George Carpenter helped establish the nonprofit Monster Truck Racing Association (MTRA) in 1987. Almost 50 owner / drivers showed up for the first meeting. The MTRA drafted rules and regulations for operators and invited promoters to attend meetings. The US Hot Rod Association (USHRA) was recognized as the organizing body of the racing events. They helped standardize safety rules while brokering deals to get events on network and cable TV. Essentially helping expose monster trucks to the rest of the world.

 

The USHRA was acquired by Live Nation and Monster Jam was born in 1992. Feld Entertainment took over Live Nation in 2008. Feld was a family-owned company that ran the Disney on Ice, and also the Ringling Bros. and Barnun & Bailey Circus. Feld went on to buy the rights to several classic monster trucks. This created the appearance that they founded the sport. Many owners thought that Feld would continue to push the circus-like atmosphere when Live Nation ran the organization. With colorful, over-the-top monster truck bodies, and camera-friendly personalities on television the veterans weren’t far off the mark. Monster Jam became a traveling show featuring racing and “freestyle” competitions with dozens of trucks jumping over giant piles of dirt. The DIY uniqueness of Chandler and his friend’s trucks gave way to corporate branded monsters, with licensed names, and homogenized construction. The “best” trucks were the ones that performed the most outrageous stunts. Often these were either wrecks or incredible saves.

 

While Monster Jam provided exposure, and paid drivers well, they controlled many of the names, and prohibited some trucks from appearing on other circuits. If you are familiar with the world of professional wrestling I want you to think about the McMahon family, the WWE company which they own, and the wrestlers they hire. Yes the wrestlers are famous and get paid well, but they are all treated like independent contractors and not employees. They don’t own their “gimmick” or stage name, are prohibited from appearing at outside promotions, and do not have health or retirement benefits. Any appearances in games, or merchandising are shrewdly negotiated. The lions share of the profit stays with the WWE and the McMahons. The family didn’t create wrestling, they just cornered the market, and bought out the competition. Feld had been essentially using the same business model.

 

Chandler refused to have Bigfoot appear under the Feld umbrella. He was one of the few owner / operators to go independent and survive. Others would join Monster Jam for a season or two and drop out. They’d either retire, sell their name, or join independent shows as well. Of course no other circuit had guaranteed television broadcasting rights, meaning that the competition would be small at best. It was the price to pay to control your own brand. Indy shows such as the Monster Truck Throwdown, Monster Truck Nationals, Monster X Tour, and Toughest Monster Truck Tour continue to build a following. They are organized by owner / operators, highlight the veteran trucks, and new blood keeping the sport fresh. Coincidentally the indy wrestling promotions seem to do the same for that community.

 

Some of this might be common knowledge to you. Some of it may be completely new. I recalled a lot of this history while watching the Brodozer stunt on Memorial Day. It made me realize that it had been 36 years since Bigfoot raced USA-1. So much had happened in that time. The Brodozer was a star on the Monster Jam circuit. It joined legends like Max-D (Maximum Destruction) and the Grave Digger. Incidentally Dennis Anderson sold Feld the Grave Digger team in 1998. I wanted to make sure that people didn't forget the origins of the sport. We shall dig even deeper, and explore the pioneers that made the Brodozer possible in the next blog. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!