BIG THRILLS
Driver of famed truck Grave Digger thrives on excitement of Monster Jam
Randy Brown enjoys adrenaline rushes.
As the driver of monster truck Grave Digger for 16 years, he has made excitement part of his life.
“Each year keeps getting bigger and better,” he says. “I also keep challenging myself, because the younger drivers keep pushing me. The competition has changed so much over the years. There are more specified competitions, like doughnuts, wheelies and two-wheel tricks. The entire competition has been elevated.”
Brown and Grave Digger will arrive in Albuquerque to compete in this weekend’s Monster Jam at Tingley Coliseum.
Monster Jam features drivers who are trained, world-class male and female athletes who have mastered not only the physical strength and mental stamina needed to compete, but the dexterity to control 12,000-pound machines capable of doing backflips and vertical twowheel tricks and racing at speeds up to 70 mph to produce jaw-dropping, live motor sports action.
The tour gives fans in every city a the chance to vote for the winner in the two-wheel and freestyle competitions by real-time, in-stadium voting on smartphones.
Pit parties are also held so fans can see the monster trucks up close.
“One of the best parts is being able to meet the fans and talk with them,” Brown says. “The fans are what have kept the competitions going. It’s amazing to have the support after all these years.”
Brown started driving monster trucks with his own, called Pure Adrenaline.
He grew up right down the road from the Grave Digger team.
“They approached me before I started my own monster truck,” he says. “It wasn’t the right time for me. I drove my own truck for three years, and they came back to me and made me an offer.”
Dennis Anderson came up with the concept for Grave Digger in 1981. Originally built out of a 1957 Chevy panel wagon and parts that he scrounged from junk yards, Grave Digger has grown by leaps and bounds. No longer do the trademark red headlights come from old school buses, and the paint job has changed from a dull orange to the current green and black flame motif.
“When you join a team like Grave Digger, you take on a responsibility,” he says. “There’s a legacy with this truck. Because we’ve been around longer, we do carry a little bit larger fan base.”