Wait, we're not just talking about any Monster truck, here, but the Last of the ORIGINAL monster trucks. Sure, Everett Jasmer's USA-1 still does car crushes, but it's long left competition, becoming an evangelical platform. Gary Porter and Fred Shafer have sold their Carolina Crusher and Bear Foot identities, respectively, to Paul Shafer of Monster Patrol, who runs his own little three-ring circus. King Kong and Awesome Kong have long dissappeared, along with forgotten names such as the Michigan Ice Monster, Monster Vette, Frankenstein, Rollin' Thunder, and the original Blue Thunder (a Camaro, not the current Ford Super Duty, which has nothing to do with the old one.)
And Grave Digger. Oh, gawd, don't even talk to me about that. Dennis Anderson sold his truck, name, and image to the promoters of Monster Jam, in a move that reeks of sellout. Besides, he, like Dan Patrick's Samson, really came on the scene in the late '80s, during the Gen II era.
So we have the Big Blue Ford, still owned by Mr. Bob Chandler, still based in Hazelwood, MO, and still one of the most competitive teams out there, even if they did get banned from Monster Jam. (and, frankly, I think they're better for it.)
It's interesting: all Bob really wanted to do starting out was promote his 4WD shop. He built up the shop truck, a '74 F-150, putting it up higher and higher, until it sprouted 48s and 4-wheel steering. Then, he filmed the truck running over a set of cars, in the middle of a field. A promoter saw it, and wanted bob to do that in front of a crowd. Eventually, Bigfoot performed what's commonly held as the first public car crush....(although others claim that they were crushing cars earlier.)
Throughout the '80s, Bigfoot appeared in several films, the first being "Take this Job and Shove it," Which featured the truck before it sprouted 66" tires. Later trucks appeared in films like Police academy...and who can forget running over a 928 in Cannonball Run?
In '85, Bigfoot IV won the first known elimination event, at the New Orleans Superdome, racing in the finals against the 3000HP Allison V12 powered Awesome Kong II. The event was filmed for a TV special, "Return of the Monster Trucks." Bigfoot IV was the first of the Gen II trucks, a vehicle meant purely for racing, and would remain competitive throughout the '80s, until Chandler introduced the first modern (Gen III) truck, the gas-shock suspension Bigfoot 8, in 1990. In fact, when Bigfoot 8 was banned for three months for being TOO advanced, Bigfoot IV took it's place.
I think the reason I like the truck is that it was always one of the best-prepared vehicles on the circuit. Even when the Chevy guys started to really make the horsepower, the Bigfoot trucks made up the difference in suspension preparation. Even in the leaf sprung era, the trucks flew further and landed better than much of the competition. The team still has an air of professionalism about them, even compared to the high-budget Monster Jam teams...most of which are owned by Live Nation (or whatever they're calling themselves nowadays,) including Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction. And, "Bigfoot" is what people call any monster truck in some countries.
So, do I really need to say how I voted?
I just agreed with Stotty that I've never "got" the Monster Truck thing...
