It was initially a hobby and then he figured he could make money off of it so he bought Samson from Don Maples at its peak. Don had had it for 3-4 years and had gotten a new one so he lost interest in this one and so he bought it as a business. He bought it on a Thursday and then drove it on Friday which is unheard of. Prior to monster trucks he was a tractor puller (funny cars). Currently 100% of his income comes from this industry. He builds trucks for other teams, livenation, etc. His hope for this next season is to have a good clean race and of course he wants to win some races. He plans to step it up. His career highlight was in ’96 when he won wreck of the year. His favorite stop on the Monster Jam series is Houston because he always seems to do well there. He actually likes racing anytime it is in a stadium versus an arena. His favorite two competitors are Gary Porter (Gravedigger) and Diehl Wilson (Virginia Giant). He says he is different from the others in that he is more conservative, he doesn’t overdrive so he doesn’t wreck as much, he says he is more methodical and thinks through the best and worst cases of things. He also pays a lot of attention to his competitors watching them drive. The advice he would give to people out there is that what you want to achieve is out there, you just gotta do it. He likes hearing from his fan base and appreciates them. He loves hearing stories from fan saying they watched him as a child and now they are bring their own children out to watch him.
How did you get involved in monster trucks?
I bought my first truck back in 88'
What's
the best thing about being a monster truck driver?
Meeting new people every week
Career
highlights? First Win?
Too hard to pick just one. I can't recall over the years.
What is your most memorable moment so far?
Racing Dennis Anderson in Ohio and rolling my truck over. The funny thing is that I had dinner with him later that night and he refused to ride in the passenger seat of my car.
Describe
what it is to be a monster truck driver in one sentence.
The ability to do amazing things repeately with a 10,000 lb truck
Give
4 separate words that describe you.
Particular - Methodical - Friendly - Creative
What
is the best part about signing an autograph for a child?
When they truely want an autograph not because everyone else is getting one, but because they really want to meet you.
What
do you do to prepare for a new season?
We take the truck apart and go through every piece.
Whats
your favorite stop on the tour?
Houston
Are
you working on anything new right now?
Making the truck more refined
Whats
the best thing about your truck?
It is dependable
What
gets you pumped to compete?
Somebody telling me that they're going to kick my butt.
Where
are the best fans?
They're everywhere
Best
advice to kids who want to become monster truck drivers?
Nothing is out of reach
Fun Facts
Favorite Food:
Hamburgers
Favorite Color:
Blue
Type of Music You Listen to:
Classic Rock
Hobbies:
Woodworking and yardwork
Superstitions?
LOTS!! He likes to stay in the same lane all night. He never likes to race after someone just wrecked because you never know why they just wrecked (he just doesn’t like to be that next guy)
It was initially a hobby and then he figured he could make money off of it so he bought Samson from Don Maples at its peak. Don had had it for 3-4 years and had gotten a new one so he lost interest in this one and so he bought it as a business. He bought it on a Thursday and then drove it on Friday which is unheard of. Prior to monster trucks he was a tractor puller (funny cars). Currently 100% of his income comes from this industry. He builds trucks for other teams, livenation, etc. His hope for this next season is to have a good clean race and of course he wants to win some races. He plans to step it up. His career highlight was in ’96 when he won wreck of the year. His favorite stop on the Monster Jam series is Houston because he always seems to do well there. He actually likes racing anytime it is in a stadium versus an arena. His favorite two competitors are Gary Porter (Gravedigger) and Diehl Wilson (Virginia Giant). He says he is different from the others in that he is more conservative, he doesn’t overdrive so he doesn’t wreck as much, he says he is more methodical and thinks through the best and worst cases of things. He also pays a lot of attention to his competitors watching them drive. The advice he would give to people out there is that what you want to achieve is out there, you just gotta do it. He likes hearing from his fan base and appreciates them. He loves hearing stories from fan saying they watched him as a child and now they are bring their own children out to watch him.
