Monster Jam series roars into town March 10-11

The 2,000-horsepower engines of beastly trucks will rev up in Save Mart Center on March 10 and 11 as drivers compete in the Monster Jam Triple Threat Series presented by AMSOIL.

“Monster Jam is an assault on the senses,” said Bryce Kenny, who drives Great Clips’ Mohawk Warrior in the series. “When you come, you are experiencing things you haven’t had the opportunity to experience. You see what these trucks do and you can’t fathom (the stunts). You can smell it — it’s a riveting smell, the smell of fuel and 100 truckloads of dirt. You can feel these trucks… the vibrations under your seat. Bring earplugs or buy them in the (Save Mart Center) because it’s loud and something you’ve never really heard before. And all of this while you’re eating cotton candy. People have forgotten what that really looks like to get all of your senses involved … this is five-dimensional, if you will.”

The 29-year-old has a background in “chaotic speed,” he said, getting up to 300 miles per hour in four seconds as a professional drag racer. When offered the opportunity to attend Monster Jam University in Paxton, Illinois, the North Carolina native immediately said yes.

“Who would say no to that kind of opportunity?” he asked.

Kenny was trained by Tom Meents, “a legend in the sport,” Kenny said. Meents drives Maximum Destruction, also known as Max-D, as has won 11 Monster Jam World Finals championships.

Three events in Save Mart Center on Friday, March 10, and Saturday, March 11, will give Monster Jam drivers a chance to compete in the Triple Threat Series West Tour, with hopes of gaining enough points to earn a spot in the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas at the end of the month, Kenny said.

“We’re trying to give it our absolute best,” he said. “There’s not a night where we’re saving parts or saving the truck — every single point matters.”

This mentality provides for an exciting show, Kenny said.

“It’s very intense and we drive three different machines in the series — Monster Jam trucks, Speedsters and ATVs,” he explained. “We’re constantly running from one machine to the next for the next series of competition.”

His favorite part of competition is the Monster Jam freestyle, which is the last event of each show.

“It’s 60 seconds of us basically getting free reign, doing anything and everything we can in this Monster Jam truck,” Kenny said. “We’re getting big air, smashing crush cars, doing wheelies, donuts — you take the previous five events and in 60 seconds do it bigger and do it better. It’s my time to go out there and play and have a good time and put on an awesome show.”

Monster Jam fans will have the opportunity to meet Kenny and the other drivers Saturday morning from 10:30 a.m. to noon during the Pit Party.

“Fans get to come onto the floor, feel the track and see these trucks up close and personal — touching these 56-inch tall BKT tires,” Kenny said. “That’s the best part of the weekend for us. It’s a family event and we are all big kids at heart. It’s our opportunity to really connect with the 5-year-olds, 15-year-olds and 55-year old fans.”

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Monster Jam series roars into town March 10-11."