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92-478: Maximum Destruction , also known as Max-D , was a monster truck team owned by Feld Entertainment and operated by Tom Meents that ran as part of the Monster Jam circuit from 2000 through 2024. In 1999, then-Monster Jam parent company Clear Channel Communications signed a cross-promotional deal with World Championship Wrestling to create monster trucks based on professional wrestlers. In order to ensure

184-406: A methanol -based fuel, and have displacement of up to 575 cubic inches (9.42 L). Axles are mostly taken from either heavy-duty military trucks or road vehicles such as school buses, and are modified to have a planetary gear reduction at the hub to help turn the tires. All trucks have hydraulic steering in both the front and the rear ( four wheel steering ), with the front wheels controlled by

276-540: A Lenco transmission, which traces its roots to drag racing . Most of the automatic transmissions are heavily modified with transbrakes , manual valve bodies, and heavy duty gear sets. Trucks running a Lenco use a centrifugal clutch as opposed to a torque converter , which are used in automatic transmissions. Lenco transmissions are usually found in two-speed or three speed configurations, and are commonly shifted using compressed carbon dioxide. The trucks have many safety features, several of which are required just to run in

368-585: A crash on stage one of Rally Argentina and one thirteenth place on the Acropolis Rally . Pastrana made his debut in NASCAR competition by driving in the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown , finishing sixth. Later in the year, he competed in NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin 's Short Track Showdown at Richmond International Raceway , finishing 31st after being involved in a crash on lap two. Pastrana later formed

460-536: A few of his records. On July 8, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Pastrana safely cleared three record-breaking big jumps, which consisted of 52 cars, 16 buses, and a fountain respectively, for a total of 484 feet (148 m) of jumps in a single night. The first jump over the cars was at 143 feet (44 m), the second jump over the buses was at 192 feet (59 m), and the third jump over the Caesar's Palace Fountain —

552-479: A few years most top-level teams built similar vehicles. In 1991, TNT was purchased by the USHRA and their points series were merged. The Special Events championship began to grow in popularity with teams as it had open qualifying spots which the invite-only USHRA championship did not have. The Special Events series lost its Pendaliner sponsorship in 1997. The short-lived ProMT series started in 2000. Even though racing

644-471: A friend of Pastrana, was invited to the 2009 World Finals for his second appearance. During the 2009 World Finals the "Pastrana 199" truck changed its name to Nitro Circus . Pastrana himself competed in the freestyle competition of the event debuting the Nitro Circus truck, finishing in a three-way tie for 5th place in a field of 24 trucks. On an episode of Nitro Circus , Pastrana attempted to backflip

736-889: A judged competition at events, and now awards a freestyle championship. The USHRA's Monster Jam series, now owned by Feld Entertainment , is currently the largest, touring through the United States, Canada and select regions of Europe. Other promoters of monster truck events include the Toughest Monster Truck Tour, the Monster X Tour, and Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live. The first monster trucks built were pickup trucks and SUVs that were modified with larger suspension and larger tires. Today, trucks now have custom built tubular chassis, with four-link suspension to provide up to four feet (1.2 m) of clearance, and they also now have fiberglass bodies that attach to

828-435: A jump that Knievel himself was unable to land in 1967, when he crushed his pelvis and his femur — was at 149 feet (45 m), performed with more elevation. These feats were televised live on History . Only Pastrana's personal sponsors are listed below. Sponsorships of his cars in NASCAR, which were provided through his teams and did not always overlap with his own endorsements, are not included. "I don't remember most of

920-516: A major role in the sport's development in the US and EU. With racing taking precedence, several teams began to think in new ways as to how the trucks could be built. Towards the end of 1988, Gary Cook and David Morris debuted Equalizer, a truck with a combination of coil springs and shock absorbers as the main source of suspension rather than the standard of leaf springs and shock absorbers. In 1989, Jack Willman Sr., now with his own truck, Taurus, debuted

1012-619: A monster truck was achieved in 2013 by Joey Sylvester in Bad Habit at a distance of 237.7 feet (72.5 m). The first monster truck backflip in a scored competition was achieved in 2010 by Cam McQueen in Nitro Circus. The first monster truck front flip in a scored competition was achieved in 2017 by Lee O'Donnell in VP Racing Fuels' Mad Scientist at Monster Jam World Finals 18. In June 2020, with touring suspended due to

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1104-641: A multi-purpose racing facility, in Sudlersville, Maryland . However, the project was shelved due to lawsuits filed by local conservation organizations. Later in the year, he created the Nitro Rallycross series as an expansion of the discipline's participation in the Nitro World Games . Ahead of the inaugural season in late 2021, he built a test track on a 150-acre lot he purchased near his home. He won two races, which helped him become

1196-517: A name which Meents had intended to run the year before until he delayed those plans out of respect for the September 11 attacks . The team has remained significantly popular, and is now generally regarded as the chief rival of Grave Digger, the tour's most popular team. In 2005 Meents jumped Maximum Destruction over his old house, before destroying the house with the truck. In 2013, Maximum Destruction celebrated 10 years. The trucks were decorated in

1288-551: A neck injury that ended his season. Colton Eichelberger returned to take over driving for a period, with Granger and Coty Saucier replacing Meents for the remainder of the year. On October 12, 2024, Max-D competed for the last time at Accor Stadium in Sydney , Australia . Since the truck debuted as Goldberg, the truck has become known for bouncy and wild rides, and for its ability to make large jumps and take several hits during freestyle runs and not suffer significant damage. The truck

1380-451: A new livery featuring spikes around the body and a large robotic face on the side and the truck began to be known as "Max-D". At World Finals 14, Meents won freestyle in Max-D, earning his 11th World Finals Championship. In 2016, Meents's two stepsons, Colton and Jared Eichelberger, joined the team. At World Finals 17, both Meents and Colton competed in the main events while Jared competed in

1472-629: A new truck which used a solid axle suspension system made of parallel four-link suspensions and coilovers that together weighed in at close to 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg). However, the biggest innovation came from Chandler, also in 1989, when the CAD-designed Bigfoot #8 debuted featuring a full tubular chassis and a long-travel suspension system made of triangulated four-link suspensions, bump stops, limit straps, cantilevers , and shock absorbers charged with nitrogen gas. The truck revolutionized how monster trucks were built, and within

1564-560: A new world record in a ramp-to-ramp car jump. He jumped his Subaru rally car off the Pine Street Pier onto a floating barge anchored in Long Beach 's Rainbow Harbor, breaking the existing mark of 171 feet (52 m) and establishing a new world distance record of 269 feet (82 m). To celebrate, after getting out of his car, he performed a gainer from the landing ramp into the harbor below. In June 2010, Pastrana entered

1656-439: A parachute in a carefully choreographed stunt. He met up in midair with another jumper, then latched himself into a harness to make a safe tandem landing. He "got in a lot of trouble" due to its illegality. On Sunday, February 8, 2009, at 10 p.m., MTV Nitro Circus , his new television show of which he is an executive producer, premiered on MTV. A spinoff of MTV's Jackass , the two shows shared producers, Jeff Tremaine and

1748-661: A partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing and Gary and Blake Betchel called Pastrana-Waltrip Racing , and in 2011, ran three K&N Pro Series East starts, with his debut at Richmond in the Blue Ox 100 , finishing 33rd. Pastrana's plans to compete in 2011 in the Nationwide Series were cancelled as a result of his injuries at the X-Games in July of that year; as a result, his scheduled race at Indianapolis Raceway Park

1840-575: A purpose-built ramp. However, the truck did not get enough rotation and slammed down onto the roof from about 40 feet in the air; Pastrana was uninjured. In 2009, at World Finals 10 in Las Vegas , Meents rolled on to the floor during the encore in Maximum Destruction. Nobody knew what he was going to do until he launched his truck off the backside of the center jump, which was almost a solid wall of dirt. The truck instantly bounced up into

1932-483: A race and a freestyle stunt driving competition, with an intermission at the midway point of the event. Races are conducted as a single-elimination tournament on short, symmetrical tracks, which may include obstacles such as junk cars or dirt mounds. 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. This has drawn comparisons to professional drag racing , and depending on

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2024-729: A sabbatical to concentrate on his career and family. Although former McRae co-driver Derek Ringer competed with Pastrana for the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri and Rally America, he did not announce a permanent co-driver. In September 2008, Pastrana took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally , a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. Derek Ringer

2116-465: A set time limit and only one truck is allowed on the track at a time as a safety measure. Freestyle 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

2208-407: A stock body, and heavy axles from military-specification vehicles to support the tires. For most of the early 1980s, monster trucks performed primarily exhibitions as a side show to truck pulling or mud bogging events. In August 1983, Bigfoot and USA-1 competed in the first side-by-side monster truck race, which was filmed for the television show That's Incredible . By 1985 major promoters, such as

2300-495: Is Bigfoot 5 , built in 1986, with tires that measure 10 feet (3.0 m). The world's longest monster truck is the Sin City Hustler, which measures 32 feet (9.8 m) long and was created by Brad and Jen Campbell in 2014. The fastest speed record for a monster truck was achieved on August 6, 2022, by Joe Sylvester in Bad Habit at a speed of 101.84 miles per hour (163.90 km/h). The longest ramp jump done by

2392-603: Is a list of accidents resulting in fatalities. On January 16, 2009, at a Monster Jam event in Tacoma, Washington 6-year-old Sebastian Hizey was fatally injured when he was struck by flying debris from the truck Natural High. Hizey succumbed to his injuries the next morning. On January 25, 2009, the monster truck Samson was involved in an accident in Madison, Wisconsin that caused the death of announcer George Eisenhart, Jr. after he accidentally stepped in front of Samson while it

2484-411: Is also known for its numerous crashes, often simply as a result of Meents' full-throttle driving. Meents' driving style is emulated by the other drivers, who are said to have graduated from the "Tom Meents School of Monster Truck Driving". Maximum Destruction is one of the few teams in the modern monster truck industry to use front-mounted engines as opposed to the more common mid-frame position. During

2576-605: Is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series , running a part-time season in 2012 and a full season in 2013 . He made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2023 Daytona 500 , driving the No. 67 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing . He finished 11th after leading a lap in the 2023 Daytona 500. In 2022, he became a world champion in Class 1 World Powerboat Championship alongside British offshore powerboat racer Steve Curtis . Pastrana

2668-508: Is typically 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, and equipped with 66-inch (1.7 m) off-road tires. Monster trucks developed in the late 1970s and came into the public eye in the early 1980s as side acts at popular motocross , tractor pulling , and mud bogging events, where they were used in car-crushing demonstrations. Today they are usually the main attraction with motocross, mud bogging, ATV racing, or demolition derbies as supporting events. Monster truck shows typically have two main segments;

2760-609: The 21º Corona Rally México . He finished fifth in the P-WRC (Group N) class (the best in-class finish by an American in a WRC event since John Buffum finished third in the Acropolis Rally in 1988 ), followed by a tenth place in Rally Argentina and an eleventh in Rally GB . Pastrana described his season as having gone "horribly". Pastrana's 2008 season in the P-WRC was even less successful, with one retirement following

2852-645: The AMA Motocross Championship in late 1999, where he took his vehicle number 199 which he used in all of his motorcycles and rally cars. He even sponsored a Monster Jam truck called Pastrana 199 and Nitro Circus , after his MTV show. He won the AMA Motocross Championship's 125cc national title in 2000, and the AMA Supercross Championship 's 125cc East Coast title in 2001. Pastrana competed in

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2944-685: The COVID-19 pandemic , Monster Jam staged an event for pay-per-view called Monster Jam Breaking World Records in Bradenton, Florida . As part of the event, many new Guinness-recognized world records were set. These include the highest ramp jump by a monster truck by Krysten Anderson in Grave Digger at a height of 10.3 metres (34 ft), the most monster trucks jumped by a monster truck, by Adam Anderson in Megalodon, jumping over 8 trucks,

3036-484: The Global RallyCross Championship . The next year, he entered a Dodge Dart at five races, but finished only one, with a win at New Hampshire. He also ran part-time with a Dodge Dart in 2013, claiming third-place finish at Las Vegas. Pastrana entered round 2 of the 2018 Americas Rallycross Championship at Austin, finishing fourth. In 2020, Pastrana announced plans to construct Circuit 199,

3128-523: The Nitro Circus -themed monster truck. Though unsuccessful, he walked away without injury. On February 27, 2010, in Jacksonville, Florida, McQueen successfully executed a backflip in the Nitro Circus monster truck during the freestyle competition, making Nitro Circus the first to do so in competition. The Nitro Circus monster truck made its final appearance and was retired after the 2011 Monster Jam season. On January 1, 2010, Pastrana officially set

3220-520: The Prelude to the Dream charity dirt track race at Eldora Speedway in a No. 199 Subaru. After starting 15th, he finished 23rd. In September 2010, Pastrana set the world record for fastest ascent of Mount Washington in a car, using his Subaru WRX STi : 6 minutes, 20.47 seconds. In June 2011, David Higgins set a new record for ascent of Mount Washington in a car, at 6 minutes, 11.54 seconds, using

3312-830: The Unión Latinoamericana de Motociclismo , the relevant sanctioning body in Latin America. His debut with the team took place on March 15, 2008. He qualified to the finals by winning the first heat, defeating Erick Vallejo of Mexico. In the finals he finished third, behind local Costa Rican racer Roberto Castro and Vallejo. In 2018, Pastrana returned to the Motocross of Nations as part of Team Puerto Rico with teammates Kevin Windham and Ryan Sipes in an effort to raise money and awareness following Hurricane Maria in 2017. All three team members eventually made it to

3404-448: The steering wheel and the rear wheels by a toggle switch . The tires are typically "terra" tires used on farm equipment, and are of size 66-inch (170 cm) in diameter, 43-inch (110 cm) in width, and fit on 25-inch (64 cm) diameter rims. Most trucks use a modified or custom-designed automatic transmission, such as a Turbo 400 , Powerglide , Ford C6 transmission , or a TorqueFlite 727. A limited number of trucks utilize

3496-582: The 1999 X Games, Pastrana clinched the gold at the inaugural Gravity Games in Rhode Island . Robert Pastrana, Travis' father, is of Colombian descent, but born and raised in Puerto Rico which made Travis directly eligible to represent Puerto Rico in international competition. The Puerto Rico Motorcycle Association provided him with a license to represent the Territory, which was accepted by

3588-642: The 2012 Monster Jam World Finals, Meents was driven to land the double. After months of preparation at his shop in Paxton, Illinois, on June 16, 2012, at the last show of the Monster Jam Path of Destruction Tour at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Meents came out in a modified Maximum Destruction stunt truck, built specifically for the double backflip. When Meents hit the jump, his truck completed one rotation, but started to twist in

3680-569: The 2013 season, posting four top-ten finishes with a best finish of ninth at Richmond International Raceway. The next race, Pastrana won his first career pole position at Talladega Superspeedway , with a lap speed of 176.500 miles per hour (284.049 km/h), but was involved in a late crash. Pastrana ended 2013 with four top tens, a pole and a 14th-place points finish, 429 points behind champion Austin Dillon . On November 11, 2013, Pastrana announced via Facebook that he would be leaving NASCAR at

3772-543: The 2021 champion as he claimed the tiebreaker over Scott Speed. On December 13, 2006, Subaru Rally Team USA announced plans to enter Pastrana in certain World Rally Championship events in 2007, 2008, and 2009. In the 2007 season , he raced three P-WRC events in the Group N class, driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STI –based rally car. During March 9–11, 2007, Pastrana competed in his first world rally at

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3864-513: The AMA Supercross Championship's 250cc class from 2001 to 2005, with a best season in 2002 where he ranked 16th. He also won the 125cc Rose Creek Invitational, and raced at the 2000 Motocross des Nations . Pastrana has always raced and competed on Suzuki motorcycles, and until recently remained fiercely loyal to the brand. On October 3, 2014, Pastrana competed in the first ever Red Bull Straight Rhythm competition, riding in

3956-474: The Daytona 500, Pastrana lead a lap under the first green flag pit cycle by accident. On the final lap, Pastrana was in a position to shoot for a Top 5 before being turned by Aric Almirola setting off a multi car crash that ended the race. Pastrana regrouped and came across the line 11th, completing all 212 laps. After the race, Pastrana was asked about his experience and he said he accomplished all his goals for

4048-417: The Las Vegas race again with Niece. This was also the first time Pastrana made more than one Truck start in a season. On January 13, 2023, NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI Racing tweeted a video teaser announcing that they would field a part-time third car in the 2023 Daytona 500 . In it, the driver of it is facing away from the camera and wearing a hat. After a Twitter user found an image of Pastrana wearing

4140-474: The Max-D team celebrated their 15-year anniversary of the truck with a special encore after competition ended, featuring all the Max-D truck designs throughout the past years, including the original Maximum Destruction appearance. In late 2023, Meents announced that the 2024 season would be his last as a driver, and he would be the sole domestic Max-D driver for the season, with Blake Granger driving international dates. However, on February 4, 2024, Meents sustained

4232-561: The No. 60 Ford Mustang. He also made one start in the Camping World Truck Series that year for ThorSport Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway , driving their No. 98 Toyota to a 15th-place finish despite a spin early in the race. In November 2012, Pastrana was revealed to have arranged a full-season ride for 2013 in the Nationwide Series with Roush Fenway Racing. He drove in the team's No. 60 Ford during

4324-679: The Open Class on a Suzuki RM-Z 450 with a Honda CR500 engine swap. He dubbed the bike the RM-Zilla. However, Pastrana was eliminated early on in the bracket and James Stewart Jr. took the win. At 13 years old Pastrana was already performing stunts during motocross racing. At age 14, Pastrana competed in and won the World Freestyle Motocross Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning a winning streak that lasted to 2003. After his gold medal performance at

4416-531: The Pastranaland Pit Bike Championship, an 11-team event that took place in his backyard on a track designed by Nitro Circus mechanic Hubert Rowland. Held on August 15, riders competed on Kawasaki KLX110 pit bikes . Pastrana and the rest of Nitro Circus appeared in the music video for " Spaceship " by Puddle of Mudd . Pastrana paid tribute to his role model growing up, legendary daredevil/stuntman Evel Knievel , by breaking

4508-492: The Truck Series in 2017, driving the No. 45 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports at Las Vegas. In 2020 , Pastrana returned to NASCAR for the first time in three years, competing for Niece Motorsports again. He drove their No. 40 truck in the second of two races of the doubleheader at Kansas . This was also his first Truck Series start that was not at Las Vegas. On September 17, 2020, it was announced that Pastrana would run

4600-619: The USHRA and TNT Motorsports , were racing monster trucks regularly. In 1988, TNT Motorsports created a series to establish the first national championship of monster truck racing; USA-1 and rookie driver Rod Litzau edged out Bigfoot, driven by Rich Hoosier, for the title. In 1988, to standardize rules for truck construction and safety, Bob Chandler, Braden, and George Carpenter formed the Monster Truck Racing Association (MTRA). The MTRA created standard safety rules to govern monster trucks. The organization still plays

4692-502: The WCW graphic on the front of the truck being replaced with a "Three-time world champion" sticker, and the image of Goldberg's face on the back of the truck being replaced with a photo of Meents's face wearing sunglasses. Neil Elliot began driving a second truck for the team that year as well. Once again, Meents swept both the racing and freestyle at World Finals 3. In 2003, saw the truck change both name and image to become Maximum Destruction,

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4784-702: The Wild West Rally in Olympia, Washington on December 31, 2006. On December 16, 2006, Pastrana competed at the 2006 Race of Champions at the Stade de France in Paris. He represented the United States in the Nations' Cup by himself, after injuries forced teammate Jimmie Johnson and his replacement Scott Speed to withdraw. February 19, 2007, brought news that Pastrana's longtime co-driver Edstrom had announced

4876-567: The Young Guns Shootout. During the racing encore, Meents jumped his truck over five monster trucks. In an attempt to break this record, he tried to jump over six trucks in April at Levis Stadium , though the trucks were positioned to either side of the area Meents was jumping, thus not breaking the record. This was mainly because of the conditions of the muddy track. He later reattempted this, successfully jumping over six trucks later in

4968-491: The air and managed to rotate one and half times backwards until landing on the tailgate, resulting in the truck rolling onto its roof. Although spectacular, it did not technically count because he did not land on his tires. It was later revealed in a special DVD release about Meents' build up to the backflip at the World Finals, that he had, in fact, landed a complete backflip in his backyard during testing. Therefore, Meents

5060-431: The cab for visibility. Most cabs are shielded with Lexan or comparable polycarbonate, which not only protects the driver from track debris, but also allows for increased visibility. Drivers are required to wear firesuits , safety harnesses , helmets , and head and neck restraints . Most moving parts on the truck are also shielded, and high pressure components have restraining straps, both in case of an explosion. Below

5152-406: The chassis separately and are designed to be easily removed and easily replaced when damaged. The use of fiberglass panel bodies has allowed monster truck owners to develop a wide variety of thematic concept trucks that scarcely resemble the modified stock trucks that became early monster trucks. Engines are now typically mounted behind the driver on most trucks and are typically supercharged, run on

5244-447: 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

5336-539: The end of the 2013 season, citing a lack of sponsorship, frustration regarding his performance and a desire to spend time with his family as the reasons for his decision; Pastrana wrote: "I hate to quit and I hate to fail, but sometimes things work out as they should. I've never been able to figure out the finesse required in pavement racing and that is disappointing, but I'm looking forward to driving more rally and racing more off-road trucks and there will be some announcements on those fronts shortly." However, he left open

5428-482: The entire motorcycle upright. He was severely injured, his spine having been separated from his pelvis. It also left him in a wheelchair for three months. "I was in and out of consciousness for about three days and had six blood transfusions ," said Pastrana. He also added that according to doctors, only three people in the U.S. have ever lived after such an injury. It was a long and difficult recovery, though Pastrana would routinely ride wheelies in his wheelchair around

5520-423: The exact same hat, Jordan Bianchi from The Athletic reported that Pastrana would be the driver of the car. On January 17, it was officially announced that Pastrana would attempt to make the Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing, driving the No. 67 Toyota with sponsorship from Black Rifle Coffee Company . On February 14, Pastrana made the entry field by scoring the second fastest lap among the non-chartered teams. During

5612-566: The feat in the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. At this show, Chandler also debuted a new version of Bigfoot with 66-inch (170 cm) tires. At a prior event in the early 1980s, when Bigfoot was still running 48-inch (120 cm) 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

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5704-475: 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. After some smaller shows, Chandler performed

5796-496: The freestyle portion of a European tour event in Gothenburg, Sweden, Meents hit the backside of a 'step up' jump which caused the truck to rotate backwards, land on the roof at the top of the obstacle and then continue to roll backwards back onto the wheels where Meents continued his run. This inspired drivers to attempt a complete aerial backflip. Travis Pastrana made an attempt during a Season 1 episode of Nitro Circus using

5888-664: The front-mounted engine usually used by the team. NOTE : All racing, freestyle, and 2-wheel skills championships have been won by Meents. Blake Granger won the 2019 ATV racing championship. Monster truck A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension , four-wheel steering , large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), they have evolved into purpose-built vehicles with tube-frame chassis and fiberglass bodies rather than metal. A competition monster truck

5980-568: The gold medal in the first rally car competition at the X Games, edging out rally legend Colin McRae by 0.53 seconds after McRae rolled his car through the last jump. Pastrana and Edstrom clinched the 2006 Rally America National Series overall and open class championship on October 22, 2006, during day one of the Lake Superior Performance Rally. The team finished out the 2006 series with another first-place victory at

6072-474: The hospital and therapy areas. While in the wheelchair recovering, he vowed to continue motorcycle jumping. He was also injured in July 2011 while competing at the X Games when his motorcycle did not rotate to the landing position, crushing his ankle and causing a fracture. However, Pastrana was back in his Subaru Impreza and competing in the Rally Cross final where he overshot the corner, forcing himself into

6164-410: The indoor arenas that the trucks frequent. Trucks are equipped with three shut-off switches: a remote ignition interrupt (RII), which allows event stewards to stop a truck remotely, a switch within the driver's reach in the cab, and another at the rear of the truck so that all electrical power may be shut off in the event of a rollover. Many trucks are constructed with the driver sitting in the center of

6256-483: The injuries, there have been too many." – Travis Pastrana Injuries have often taken Pastrana off the circuit for weeks or months at a time. As of 2006 , his medical history included: a dislocated spine; torn ACL, PCL, LCL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee; broken tibia and fibula ; two surgeries on his left wrist; one on his left thumb; two on his back; one on his right elbow; nine on his left knee; six on his right knee; and one shoulder surgery. When Pastrana

6348-579: The lead driver. Pastrana was signed as a substitute for Johnson, who was tied up with 2024 Daytona 500 during the weekend, for the first two rounds of the season to partner Gray Leadbetter . The team finished in sixth in Rounds 1 and 2 at the Desert X-Prix while scoring its first Super Sector in Round 2. On September 26, 2007, Pastrana jumped out of an airplane over Arecibo, Puerto Rico , without

6440-701: The main event, qualifying via the B-final. Pastrana won five gold medals at the Gravity Games during its run from 1999 to 2006. In 2003, Pastrana opened a rallying career in the Race of Champions , and began driving for the Subaru -backed Vermont SportsCar rally team in 2004. Starting in 2006, Pastrana was signed by Subaru to lead their new Subaru Rally Team USA , being paired once again with veteran co-driver Christian Edstrom . On August 5, 2006, Pastrana won

6532-412: The most donuts (spins) in a monster truck in one minute by Bari Musawwir in Zombie, spinning 44 times, the most consecutive donuts (spins), also by Musawwir, with 58, the longest stoppie (nose wheelie) by Tom Meents in Max-D , at 63.77 metres (209.2 ft), the farthest bicycle (side wheelie) by Ryan Anderson in Son Uva Digger, at 271.83 metres (891.8 ft), and the longest monster truck wheelie

6624-439: The phrase "monster truck" when referring to Bigfoot. The term "monster truck" became the generic name for all trucks with oversized tires. King Kong and Bear Foot each followed Bigfoot to 66-inch-diameter (1.7 m) tires, and soon other monster trucks, such as King Krunch, Maddog, and Virginia Giant were being constructed. These early trucks were built on stock chassis which were heavily reinforced, used leaf spring suspension,

6716-493: The possibility of running occasional Truck Series events, and has expressed a desire to compete in the Daytona 500 . On September 23, 2015, Pastrana announced he would make his comeback to NASCAR, signing a one-race deal with NTS Motorsports to race the No. 31 Chevrolet in the Truck Series race at Las Vegas on October 3. After qualifying 17th, Pastrana finished 16th, two laps behind race winner John Wes Townley . He returned to

6808-460: The promoter or size of the event, may even make use of a christmas tree starting procedure. In freestyle events, each driver puts on a performance consisting of stunts such as obstacle jumps, backflips, wheelies , and doughnuts . A panel of judges assign points to each performance and the driver with the most points is declared the winner, though the exact scoring format can change from promoter to promoter. Historically, additional vehicles for

6900-458: The race. Pastrana also said that he would not attempt another NASCAR Cup Series race. Pastrana debuted in Monster Jam on October 16, 2006, driving the "Pastrana 199" monster truck . Mainly on the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) circuit, the truck was owned by Live Nation/FELD Motorsports and sponsored by Pastrana. The truck was originally driven by Paul Cohen, then later driven by Chad Tingler, Courtney Jolly and Cam McQueen. McQueen,

6992-477: The right front tire and bounce back. Again, he would not complete 2 rotations. A double backflip has yet to be landed. Since the debut of the Maximum Destruction name in 2003, there have been 9 trucks fielded by the team: Additionally, a truck with a modified design used only for special stunts debuted in 2012. Also, the Maximum Destruction body design has been used on chassis owned by Monster Jam parent Feld Entertainment for international tours; these do not feature

7084-544: The same model vehicle. Pastrana retook the record in July 2017, driving his Subaru WRX STi up the mountain with a time of 5 minutes, 44.72 seconds. In August 2021 Pastrana surpassed his July 2017 record by more than 16 seconds with a time of 5 min. 28.67 sec. in his 862 hp “Airslayer” 2020 Subaru WRX STI. Pastrana competed in the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona for AF Waltrip , with NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip , Michael Waltrip Racing owner Rob Kauffman , and road racing veteran Rui Águas as codrivers. After starting 38th,

7176-401: The same month at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In 2017, Meents sustained an injury and was unable to compete. Due to his injury, Meents did not compete in World Finals 18. Dennis Anderson also sustained an injury, making this the first time where Meents and Anderson both did not compete in the World Finals; Anderson would retire after that season. In 2018, at World Finals 19,

7268-462: The second rotation then landing on the roof, coming up just short. Then, on Saturday, March 23, 2013, he attempted it again in the encore portion of Monster Jam World Finals 14. The truck landed on the sides of the left side tires, and bounced back on all four wheels. This would not count as a double backflip as he did not complete both rotations. Meents would try again in 2015 at Foxborough's Gillette stadium with an all chrome Max-D body. He would land on

7360-588: The success of the truck of Bill Goldberg , one of the most popular WCW wrestlers, Clear Channel contracted the team of Tom Meents (who was already popular from driving Monster Patrol and Bulldozer ) to build and campaign the "Goldberg" truck. Meents debuted in the truck in January 2000 at the Georgia Dome , where he won racing and finished third in freestyle . As the year progressed, and as Dennis Anderson struggled in Grave Digger , Meents dominated and capped

7452-482: The team's Ferrari 458 finished 35th overall, 22nd in the GT class. As part of Rally America, Pastrana raced at the 2004 and 2005 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb . He returned in 2018, in this case driving a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, claiming a class win with a 10'33.9 run. In February 2024, Legacy Motor Club joined electric off-road racing series Extreme E for the 2024 season with Jimmie Johnson as

7544-472: 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

7636-531: The year by winning the first Monster Jam World Finals Racing Championship. The following year saw a continuation of the dominance, when Meents won the world racing and freestyle championships. In 2001, WCW was bought out by the World Wrestling Federation and the deal with Clear Channel was dropped. For 2002, Meents kept the same truck and body but renamed the truck Team Meents, even retaining much of Goldberg's color scheme and graphics with

7728-629: Was by Adam Anderson in Grave Digger, at 190.46 m (624 ft 10.44 in). Travis Pastrana He is a four-time Rally America champion and has also raced in the Global RallyCross Championship , Monster Jam , and Race of Champions . Pastrana has also driven in NASCAR , which he competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series , driving the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports (as well as 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020). He drove for two years in what

7820-412: Was 14 years old, he was severely injured while competing in an FMX competition. He came up short, landing on the top of the front side of the landing ramp and the motorcycle decelerated from 50 mph (80 km/h) to 0 mph (0 km/h) in less than one second. The bike was stuck into the dirt ramp with the front wheel just over the top and the crankcase smashed into the dirt deep enough to support

7912-520: Was born on October 8, 1983. He is of Colombian descent by his grandparents from his father's family. His uncle, Alan Pastrana , played as a quarterback from 1965 to 1968 at the University of Maryland , which Travis Pastrana also attended. On June 11, 2003, 19-year-old Pastrana was seriously injured when he crashed his Corvette into a tree in Davidsonville, Maryland . Pastrana debuted in

8004-409: Was dominant as a competition, USHRA events began having freestyle exhibitions as early as 1993. These exhibitions were developed as drivers, notably Dennis Anderson of the extremely popular Grave Digger , began asking for time to come out and perform if they lost in early rounds of racing. Promoters began to notice the popularity of freestyle among fans, and in 2000 the USHRA began holding freestyle as

8096-448: Was his co-driver and they entered in a historic Ford Escort RS1600 . He was one of a number of celebrity drivers to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007. On August 29, 2009, Pastrana claimed the overall victory at Ojibwe Forests Rally, his fifth of the 2009 Rally America season. The victory sealed his fourth consecutive Rally America driver's title, the most in series history. In 2011, Pastrana began competing in

8188-652: Was moving. On October 6, 2013, the monster truck Big Show plowed into a crowd of spectators in Chihuahua City , Mexico, killing 8 people and injuring 79 others in the Chihuahua monster truck accident . This is the deadliest monster truck incident in the history of the sport. On September 29, 2014, a monster truck named Eurol's King On Wheels plowed into a crowd of spectators in Haaksbergen, Netherlands , killing three people. The world's biggest monster truck

8280-680: Was officially written off as a withdrawal. In 2012, he planned to run a full season in the Pro Series East and select Nationwide Series races. On April 27, 2012, Pastrana made his Nationwide Series debut, finishing 22nd at the Richmond 250 . In his first seven races, driving the No. 99 Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in an association with MWR, Pastrana posted a best finish of 13th in the inaugural Indiana 250 ; at Richmond in September, he drove for NASCAR powerhouse Roush Fenway Racing in

8372-514: Was partially created by Jackass frontman Johnny Knoxville . It features Jolene Van Vugt , Erik Roner, Streetbike Tommy, Andy Bell, Jim DeChamp, among others doing dangerous stunts. Jackass' Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera , Chris Pontius and Steve-O ; BMX freestylers, T. J. Lavin and Mat Hoffman ; and actor, Gary Coleman have guest starred on various episodes. Nitro Circus was also featured in an episode of MTV's Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory and vice versa. In August 2020, Pastrana organized

8464-504: Was the first to land a successful backflip. In 2010, Cam McQueen, driving Pastrana's Nitro Circus truck, completed a backflip in Jacksonville, Florida. This was the first backflip landed in competition. Since then, there have been many successful and unsuccessful attempts from several drivers. A few drivers have even completed corkscrew type flips where the truck backflips and lands facing the opposite direction. After George Balhan, driver of Mohawk Warrior, landed two consecutive backflips at

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