Boogey Van was a 1995 Ford Aerostar monster truck currently owned by Triple B Motorsports. It was previously owned and driven by Pam Vahle, and then owned by Paul Shafer. The truck was one of the earliest monster trucks to be driven primarily by a woman. The truck was also a staple of various monster truck events in the 1990's, including those hosted by both USHRA and PENDA.
History[]
Boogey Van was originally built in 1993 and began competition later that year with Pam Vahle behind the wheel. At the time of its creation, Vahle and the truck competed alongside her then-husband Michael Vaters. Boogey Van would compete throughout various USHRA and PENDA events throughout the 1990's, finding most of its success in the latter.
In 1995, Boogey Van was involved in one of the most infamous crashes in its career. During a USHRA event at the Pontiac Silverdome, the truck was unable to stop following a long jump attempt and crashed head-on into the stadium wall. The resulting impact resulted in two tires breaking off the truck and Vahle being injured in the process. Vahle and Boogey Van would eventually return to competition, with the truck receiving a new paint scheme the following year.
In 1999, Pam Vahle sold the entire operation to Paul Shafer following her divorce from Michael Vaters. Although Shafer became the new owner of the truck,
In 2000, Pam and the truck competed in the Monster Trux 2000 event which marked her final TV appearance and her only TV appearance post-divorce.
In 2001 Pam retired, afterwards various other drivers including Amber Walker, Sherry Harwood, Brian Townsend, Rodney Tweedy, and Charlie Miller would drive Boogey Van until the name was retired in 2005.
Afterwards, the chassis was converted into Captain USA, being driven by Rodney Tweedy. It would also run as Monster Patrol before being sold overseas to Mark Gilbert out of Australia, where it is still performing to this day under the Monster Patrol name.
The Boogey Van name would be absent from competition for seven years, until 2012, when Zane Rettew of Rettew Motorsports leased the name for use in competition. Boogey Van would return to competition under Rettew’s ownership later that year, serving as the teammate to his truck, Stinger. However, the truck would only compete for a few months before being retired and sold to Mike Harper.
On January 27, 2022, James Trantina III would buy the name from Paul Shafer and has expressed interest in running it in the future, but with no official plans yet. Also in the same year, Spin Master would produce the first 1:64 die-cast of the truck under the Danger Divas subseries. Since the buyout, the identity has not been run.
Video game appearances[]
Trivia[]
- The original Boogey Van featured parts from the previous Auto Value King Krunch.
- In 2007, Boogey Van's chassis would run as Monster Patrol at its final Monster Jam event in Miami.
- Spin Master announced a Boogey Van diecast prior to Trantina purchasing the name. Making it the only Paul Shafer owned truck to be made and released by Spin Master.
Gallery[]
