Tag Archives: Monster Machines

How’d They Do That? Bigfoot’s Long Jump Record

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This isn’t the first time we’ve covered Bigfoot’s Long Jump Record. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t seen the other video, nor will I be bitter about the fact that you haven’t read every single post I’ve made on this blog. I mention the other video because this segment by Popular Science is still very much worth watching. The Motor Trend video was about the birth and workings of the Bigfoot franchise. This video by Popular Science is more on the technical side of things as they take a deep dive into all of the systems on Bigfoot #18. It’s definitely cool to see everything that goes into making one of these trucks work the way they do.


Source: CAR and DRIVER on YouTube

Closeup with Grave Digger

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This is a video of one of the Grave Digger monster trucks getting ready to be serviced. The franchise currently has 9 trucks that are displayed or compete in Monster Jam events around the US. The fans in the YouTube comments have identified this particular truck as Grave Digger #23 built by Carroll Racing Development and driven by Carl Van Horn. Apparently the coilovers are a unique feature to this particular chassis. The little travel tires allow an unobstructed view of the inner workings of the truck including the engine and suspension.


Source: MadRam11 on YouTube and Wikipedia

Blastolene Piss’d Off Pete – Jay Leno’s Garage

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Jay Leno brings the creator of his Tank Car, Randy Grubb, onto his show to check out his latest creation. Piss’d Off Pete is the fourth car in Randy’s Blastolene line of gigantic automotive sculptures. It’s a scaled up hot rod built around a twin supercharged 2-stroke Detroit Diesel V12 that was originally used for industrial plant work. Each cylinder is 71 cubic inches which translates to a total of 14 liters. We’ve featured it here on the blog before getting frantically rev’ed to it’s 2800 rpm redline. Here Jay and Randy go over the inspiration and finer details of Piss’d Off Pete as well as take it out for a spin.


Source: Jay Leno’s Garage on YouTube

Bigfoot Attempts the Monster Truck Long Jump Record

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I know there’s a lot of stereotypes that link Monster Trucks with a redneck “WOOOOO, Hold My Beer and Watch This!!” mentality. If you go into this video with those stereotypes in mind, you will be surprised. I was. Yes this bit is about a monster truck attempting a long jump record, but that’s just the icing on the cake. The interview with Bigfoot’s owner, Bob Chandler, and Bigfoot 18’s senior driver, Dan Runte, is the real treasure. They talk about the start of what has become a 37 year legacy of motorsports in Bigfoot. It’s an intimate look into what it takes to run the organization and a tribute to the fans that make the whole thing possible. That being said, the long jump is also absolutely incredible. I think the longer it flew through the air, the more my jaw dropped.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube