Tickets to Pit Parties offer exclusive competition previews, backstage activities and pre-show entertainment, in addition to admittance for two hours of show entertainment.
People may believe Monster Jam has transformed from its motorsport roots into an entertainment event, but Dalsing believes this to be false.
Racing
Monster Jam drivers compete to race over ramps and junked cars on a dirt track, scoring points based on how well their fans assess them on a mobile app. Their ultimate aim is to cross the finish line first!
Before an event, crews use various types of dirt to build a course, only for it to be torn down at nightfall and rebuilt on day two – making a stadium event require five full days for construction and dismantlement alone!
Drivers of Monster Jam vehicles aren’t immune from injury either; they use protective suits and harnesses for extra neck and back support when jumping or flying over obstacles. Brianna Mahon of Whiplash driving fame says she finds Monster Jam more welcoming to women than competing in Motocross as she learns to navigate its 83 pounds of metal and tires around its track. Mahon also appreciates its industry being far less male dominated compared to competing on two wheels before joining Monster Jam.
Two-Wheel Skills
Drivers of these trucks occupy steel frames with safety cages to encase themselves for maximum protection, while being powered by 1,500 horsepower V-8 engines fed methanol fuel from special tanks at three gallon per minute.
Monster Jam events also include two-wheel skills competitions known as Great Clips Skills Challenge in stadium shows as of late 2017. Held immediately following racing but before freestyle, trucks may choose from performing cyclones, donuts or stoppies in this two-wheel skills contest.
Simply phenomenal is witnessing a Monster Jam truck perform an astonishing backflip! Only a select few drivers have accomplished such an feat – most recently Becky McDonough in El Toro Loco and Diesel Dave in BroDozer both achieved this impressive feat during a freestyle run in Jacksonville, FL.
Freestyle
Monster Jam’s freestyle aspect gives drivers the chance to ram cars, busses and vans as quickly as possible into each other or other obstacles in a short amount of time. Fans can watch trucks perform wheelies and donuts not normally seen during racing competition.
At the World Finals, both racing and freestyle competitions take place over two days. A truck that wins both events becomes world champion – historically, it has often been Grave Digger who triumphs at racing while Max-D prevails in freestyle.
Players in this video game can select from 20 real-life monster trucks, but its controls and trucks feel unresponsive – creating an experience not for the faint of heart.
Venues
While fans scream and cheer, hundreds of employees work to ensure the drivers’ safety. They arrange each driver’s entry into one of 47 hot pits that house trucks for racing, attend to any broken trucks on- or off-track, and ensure everything runs smoothly [source: Feld]. [source: Feld].
Fans also join in the action with merchandise ranging from plush toys and 24-volt ride-on trucks, as well as video games featuring Monster Jam characters. The company makes money licensing its name on clothes, electronics and even virtual shows – evolving continually with electric trucks and virtual shows being introduced over time.
International expansion also helps, as its demographics of fans become more diverse. Furthermore, as this sport combines endurance and strength training into one mental sport that women can compete equally on equal terms with men – indeed one of the truck drivers (as of 2024) was female!