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Big
Trucks
For
those living outside the USA, monster trucks have been a part of the American
entertainment and racing landscape for decades.
Some
of the most popular monster trucks right now are Batman, the Carolina Crusher,
Donkey Kong, Iron Outlaw, King Krunch, the Predator and the USA-1.
Monster
trucks are modeled after a pick-up truck but come with modifications, massive
modifications.
Monster
trucks are built higher up off the ground than a pick-up truck, have a larger
body size and have incredibly large wheels and suspension.
Monster
trucks appear at Monster Truck Rallies throughout the US which entail the truck
running over and crushing smaller cars underneath it on a course.
Monster
Truck Rallies are so popular that they need to be held in large arenas or outdoor
venues. A Monster Truck Rally ends with a freestyle competition where the driver
can pick his course and what he wants to do with the vehicle.
The
drivers like to perform donuts, cyclones and destroy even more tiny cars below
their massive wheels. Sometimes a monster truck will even try to crush a motor
home. A motor home! Monster trucks are so large that they can destroy a motor
home.
Monster
Trucks became popular in the decade of the 1970s after regular pick-up trucks
were being modified to compete in mud bogging and truck pulling competitions.
Some owners of the pick-up trucks were modifying their vehicle to the point of
raising it higher into the air. The lifted trucks led to the invention and development
of the Monster Truck. The trucks that became nationally known were Bigfoot, Bear
Foot and King Kong. These were the first known Monster Trucks. They were owned
by Fred Shafer, Jack Willman Sr. and Jeff Dane respectively.
Regular
racing of Monster Trucks came into play in the 1980s, specifically 1985, when
the USHRA and TNT Motorsports delved into the business. TNT established a championship
points system in 1988, which is when most trucks used Fiberglass bodies and a
lighter axel to create more speed and shave off some of the weight of the truck.
Monster
Trucks and Monster Truck Rallies have become so popular since the 1980s that competitions
have been televised; video games have been produced where the player can drive
a truck through different levels of competition and magazines have been published
about the industry.
There
have been movies that have included Monster Truck competitions within the plot
as well.
Monster
Truck Rallies were advertised time and again in the 1980s and 1990s on radio with
different spots featuring a fast-talking radio announcer that would scream at
the top of his voice. This was the industry's way of informing the people about
the rallies and races. Loud noises and excitement were what grabs people's attention
when listening to the radio and watching television.
Monster
trucks bring excitement and entertainment to the auto racing industry, selling
out arenas and venues across the country each and every year. The business of
Monster Truck racing and Monster Truck shows has escalated since the advent of
the monster truck in the 1980s so much that it has become a multimillion dollar
industry.