How to go
What: Monster Jam
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Wright State University’s Nutter Center, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Fairborn
Cost: $15 and up for adults, $8 and up for children
Party in the Pits: Saturday 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; pit passes $10 adults, $8 children
For tickets/more info: www.nuttercenter.com, 937-775-4789 (Nutter Center box office) or Ticketmaster.com
Monster Jam truck facts
Height: Approximately 12 feet
Width: Approximately 12 feet
Length: Approximately 20 feet
Tire size: 66 inches
Weight: 10,000 pounds
Top Speed – 70 miles per hour. Monster Jam trucks are equipped with tachometers, which measure the working speed of an engine versus speedometers which measure vehicle speed.
Fuel Economy – 7 gallons per mile
Monster Jam events
Monster Jam trucks face off in two different forms of competition — side-by-side racing and freestyle. Side-by-side racing: traditional bracket racing, where the first truck, with the least amount of penalties, crosses the finish line is declared the winner. Freestyle competition: allows drivers a limited amount of time on the open floor to show off their skills. In this category, the fans serve as the judges.
More than 4 million Monster Jam fans attend events each year worldwide.
A Monster Jam truck race team will travel 45,000 miles a year by land to attend events.
Typical Monster Jam trucks cost $600,000 yearly to build, staff, compete, transport and maintain on the Monster Jam tour.
Steel body full-size cars are the vehicles typically crushed during a Monster Jam event. On average, 3,000 cars are crushed per year.
For better or for worse … for richer for poorer … in a monster truck or on a tractor.
R.B. and Chrissy Moler are not your typical married couple — far from it. The West Virginia husband and wife, who met 13 years ago, will both be crushing cars and flying through the air as Monster Jam returns to the Wright State Nutter Center for three shows Friday and Saturday. They are the only married couple in the show.
“Yeah, we’re a little different than most couples, but we love it,” R.B. said with a smile. “But these trucks are hard on you. It’s not for the weak, we work our butts off.”
A strong work ethic is nothing new for the Molers, who are full-time farmers raising corn, wheat and soybean in Harpers Ferry, W.V. The parents of three children, ranging in age from 3-10 years old, climb into their monster trucks for as many as 30 shows a year. He drives the West Virginia Mountaineer and she is in XXX.
“A lot of people — usually women — tell me I’m crazy,” Chrissy said. “But there are crazier things out there. I’m not a heights person, so I think airplane travel is crazier.”
And, after all, drivers have a five-point racing harness, a fire-resistant suit and racing helmet for protection.
R.B., 45, got his first taste of motor sports decades ago in truck and tractor pulling before making the transition to monster trucks. Chrissy’s introduction to monster trucks was a bit more abrupt in the summer of 2011.
“I had put her on every piece of equipment on the farm – you name it. So, one night, when we didn’t have a driver, I put her in a truck,” R.B. said. “She never wanted to get out. She loved signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans.”
The former nursing assistant and mother of three was hooked.
“The adrenaline rush was incredible and I really liked meeting the fans,” Chrissy said. “We have met so many great people.”
The couple frequently travels with their children. In fact, 10-year-old Katelyn is already driving in mini freestyle events, which doesn’t bother her parents a bit.
“People love watching their kids play sports and this is no different,” Chrissy said. “In fact, I’d rather watch her than drive myself. Watching our kids succeed is such a thrill.”
The Molers are just two of the drivers slated to perform this weekend at the Nutter Center including fan favorite Grave Digger. Monster Jam truck Superman has been revamped this year as Man of Steel and will also be part of the high-flying action. Monster Jam trucks can fly up to 125 feet — a distance greater than 14 cars side-by-side — and up to 35 feet in the air.
Diehard fans will have a chance to meet their favorite drivers and get an up-close look at the massive 10,000-pound Monster Jam trucks at the Party in the Pits on Saturday before the matinee show.
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