Common misconceptions in the monster truck industry

Common misconceptions in the monster truck industry.

Trucks

 * Bigfoot was actually not the first ever monster truck to be built. It is credited as such because it the truck that made monster trucks popular, and into a sport. In other words, it became the first famous monster truck, and possibly the first named one as well, but was not the first monster truck period.


 * On most trucks, the headlights are not real, they are just there for decor, similar to Nascars. Grave Digger however is a notable exception, though its headlights serve more as a stylistic decor, as tracks are always lit at night time anyway, thus why monster trucks (and Nascars) tend not to have them.


 * Scooby Doo is actually not related to the six year earlier Australian version of the same name. They are different trucks running under different licenses. Though it is possible that the Australian version is what inspired the U.S version.


 * Brutus was not always a 3D dog: it debuted as a pick-up body in 2001 before becoming a dog in 2004.


 * Avenger was not always a Bel-Air, it ran for the first three years as a Chevy S-10.

Grave Digger

 * Grave Digger technically does have "doors", although they are only stylistic and are not actually used for getting into the truck. To get inside, the drivers climb in between the body and the chassis, just like any other truck (except for ride trucks, which do in fact have true doors since they lack a rollcage).


 * Despite their high quality and quantity, Grave Digger bodies are not mass-produced by a manufacturer, each body is actually hand-painted.


 * Not every Grave Digger is actually a monster truck. Grave Digger 17 is a speed-dragster.

Stunts

 * Larry Quick was not the first driver to do a backflip, it was actually Tom Meents, who first did the stunt in March 2009 at the Monster Jam World Finals 10, although it was exhibition only.


 * On the other hand, Tom Meents was actually not the first to land a Frontflip. It is true that he was the first to attempt the frontflip, but one his first, and so far only attempt at the East Rutherford show in 2015, he did not technically land the flip. Lee O'Donnell driving VP Racing Fuels The Mad Scientist was the first to land it at Monster Jam World Finals 18, which earned him the freestyle title.

Crush Cars

 * Crush cars do not still contain the engines, as many believe: they are removed from the cars before they are crushed. There have indeed been instances where cars with engines have been crushed, causing a small explosion from the car. This happened when King Kong accidentally crashed into two police cars, which parked off to the side and were not part of the track. Many people believe they do because this is their notion that Monster Jam decreased the use of crush cars over the years, because they believed that the engines were too valuable, but this is false, as they are removed before being crushed. The confusion may come from the fact that other items, such as the seats, steering wheel, and even seatbelts, are completely intact in a crush car.

Monster Jam

 * Although the Monster Jam name has only existed since 1999, the actual organization has been around for 25 years as of 2017. It was known as "Motor Madness" before becoming Monster Jam.

World Finals

 * Monster Jam World Finals 1 was, in fact, not the first World Finals to take place. An earlier World Finals, known today as Motor Madness World Finals "0", took place while the league was still running as "Motor Madness".


 * Fan Judges are not relatively new to the World Finals as many believe: in fact, the use of fan judges dates back to as early as Monster Jam World Finals 2. However, fans still agree that the use of fan judges today are less practical than they use to be, as they argue that fan judges tend to be more biased today than they used to be.


 * The Young Guns Shootout was not originally designed to determine a final spot in the main-line up for the Monster Jam World Finals. Although the Young Guns began in 2012, it was actually not until 2013 when the idea came about to present the winner into the main-line up.