Grave Digger still providing thrills for monster truck fans

Professional monster truck driver Dennis Anderson visited Hoover Dam on Tuesday and was impressed with the massive structure.

But his eyes kept glancing over to the rugged hills nearby.

"I kept thinking I'd rather be climbing some of those hills in Digger," he said.

Anderson isn't new to monstrous ideas. One he had 26 years ago spawned his Grave Digger monster truck, which he has turned into a richly successful business and career.

Anderson and his truck will be the biggest stars in the ninth annual Monster Jam World Finals on Friday and Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

A sellout crowd of nearly 37,000 is expected for Saturday's championship rounds in the final event of the season. Sam Boyd Stadium is one of the smaller venues for the Live Nation-owned series, which this year drew 70,611 to an event in Jacksonville, Fla., and 67,672 to another in Atlanta.

The spectacle delights both children, who see the trucks as toys come to life, and adults, many of whom dream of hopping into Grave Digger or one of the other 23 monster trucks at least once to have a smashing time in rush-hour traffic.

Kids relate to trucks with names such as Superman, Donkey Kong, Air Force Afterburner, Batman, King Krunch and Taz, which is driven by Anderson's son, Adam.

The trucks can cost up to $235,000 because everything is biggie-sized. Tires are 66 inches tall, and drivers ride about 6 feet off the ground in high-tech, tubular chassis with 1,500-horsepower engines screaming at their feet.

These behemoths are a long way from what began for Anderson as a salvaged 1951 Ford pickup with tires off a combine that he drove through mud bogs and over rugged terrain near his home in Kill Devil Hills, N.C.

"I never imagined back then I'd be doing this 26 years later," the 47-year-old Anderson said. "I still can't believe I see Grave Digger toys when I walk through Wal-Marts, Kmarts and toy stores."

A Monster Jam features heads-up competition in two-truck elimination races, but Anderson said fans are most excited by the "freestyle" rounds in which trucks take turns attacking and jumping over everything in the infield that isn't moving.

The rough-and-tumble ballet for the 10,000-pounders usually becomes a costly, demolition derby. Roll another truck and get rewarded by the judges.

"These trucks are unpredictable, dude," Anderson said. "It's crashin' and action. Our fans crave freestyle."

Anderson celebrated his 25th anniversary of truckin' last year at Sam Boyd Stadium by putting four Grave Diggers on the obstacle course of hills, cars, buses and anything else worthy of crushing.

Each of his trucks ended the session on its side, which left fans on their feet -- which is where they usually are during performances.

"Last year, we didn't make a buck here," says Anderson, the Finals champion in 2004 and 2006. "When we got the trucks back home it cost us around $200,000 to fix 'em."

But revenue from souvenir sales -- toys, videos, shirts, hats, etc. -- more than made up for the costly repairs.

"The fans drive that truck," Anderson said. "Kids bring their parents, and the parents become fans."

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0247.