Attack of the old taxicabs! A collection of mostly mid-80s, full-size Fords and Chevys battled in the Autocross portion of the show, prompting the announcer to explain, “In NASCAR they say that rubbin’ is racin’. Well, in Autocross, wreckin’ is racin’.” After a pair of nine-car qualifying heats, the entire field squared off with Joie Chitwood of Anderson, SC, cruising to a relatively easy win. (No word if he’s the Joie Chitwood, but judging from his driving, he may well be.) |
Between racing rounds, four motocross riders thrilled the huge Atlanta crowd with high-flying stunts. Trevor Hines was declared the “winner” based on audience applause and rewarded their support with the night’s only 360-degree backflip. |
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Dennis Anderson is one of the select few monster truck drivers with instant fan recognition. Anderson, the creator and superstar driver of Grave Digger, a 1950 Chevy panel truck on Olympic-sized steroids, is enjoying his 25th anniversary tour this year and clearly commands the most attention from fans and media alike. Think John Force-like popularity. On raceday, which began with a meet-and-greet session for the drivers on the floor of the Dome, the line-up for Anderson’s autograph was so long it prompted organizers to start broadcasting apologies to those who would miss out more than an hour before the floor had to be cleared.
The evening got off to an inauspicious start for at least one P.R. type who apparently got caught up in the excitement during a pre-race display drive as he got a bone-stock Ford pick-up stuck after attempting to be the first to crush the junk cars on hand in the Dome. |
Weighing in at more than 10,000 pounds with 1,500-plus horsepower on tap, a modern monster truck demands a highly evolved, purpose-built chassis. As evidenced by the underside of Randy Moore’s “War Wizard,” the build quality and workmanship on the trucks is every bit the match of what is typically seen in tube-chassis drag cars. |
