Shaun and I will be attending the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam show in Baltimore, MD on 6/2 (Saturday) and we are super excited. If you are interested in attending we are holding a giveaway and you can click HERE to enter.
Shaun and I have attended a few shows since last year and are becoming really huge fans and recently learned a few things that we found very interesting.
Not sure how much you know about Monster Jam or the trucks but I will share some fun facts with you.
Trucks: Usually 12 feet tall and about 12 feet wide, a monster truck must weigh a minimum of 10,000
pounds, with some Monster Trucks weighing as much as 12,000 pounds. The less the body weighs,
the more strength and weight can be put into the frame and engine without sacrificing speed and
maneuverability. Average cost: $250.000.
Engines: Custom-built, supercharged and methanol-injected, a monster truck engine burns up to 2.5
gallons of methanol per run. The size of the motor is limited to 575 cubic feet of displacement. The
average monster truck team will go through five engines in one year. Average cost per engine: $50,000.
Body: Made of fiberglass, a monster truck body is custom designed. A fiberglass company generally
owns the mold to the design. Average initial cost: $15,000. Average cost of remakes: $8,000.
Tires: Manufactured by Goodyear and Firestone, monster truck tires must be 66 inches high and 43
inches wide. Tires are customized and hand cut to accommodate track conditions and reduce weight.
Cutting one tire takes approximately 50 hours. Average cost: $2,600 each.
Shocks: Most Monster Trucks run with nitrogen gas shocks. Some trucks run with one shock per tire,
while others run with as many as two per tire. The complete shock package includes a coil-over-shock kit
and spring. Average cost: $1,600 each.
Paint: A monster truck must be painted to cover the rough fiberglass body. Airbrushing logos and
specialized artwork add to the cost. Average cost: $5000.
Race Team Budget: A monster truck team incurs a number of expenses throughout the year from repairs
and maintenance on a monster truck and the hauler to fuel, racing uniforms, lodging and food. Average
cost per year: $250,000
Crushed Cars: Steel body full-size cars are the vehicles typically crushed during a monster truck event.
Cars, as well as vans, buses, motor homes, airplanes and ambulances, are attained from local junkyards
and returned after each event. Average number of cars crushed per year: 3,000.
Tracks: A crew of eight works 18-20 hours for three days to construct a monster truck course. It is not
uncommon for dump trucks to make more than 200 trips to deliver the dirt to each stadium. Average
amount of dirt used per track: 700 cubic yards for an arena, 3,500 cubic yards for a stadium. Each year
700,000 cubic yards of dirt are used to put on Monster Jam events.
Tickets: More than 3.5 million people annually attended the Monster Jam events in North America,
Canada and Europe.
Hopefully Monster Jam will come to an arena near you so you can get a chance to experience how awesome Monster Trucks really are!!
