Big trucks draw fans of all sizes

These are big, blaring, menacing machines – monster trucks built to soar 30 feet into the air before smashing violently to the ground.

They crank. They crash. They crush.

And the audience can’t help but roar. Even the little ones – boys and girls half the size of the truck’s 66-inch wheels – get all revved up whenever the U.S. Hot Rod Association’s Monster Jam comes to town.

On Saturday, hundreds of kids and their parents got a close look at the monster trucks and met their drivers during a special “Pit Party” at the Spokane Arena.

For 1 1/2 hours, children of all ages stood in line to get the drivers’ autographs and learn more about the mighty machines with superherolike names such as Blue Thunder and Captain USA.

“I like all the noise,” said 7-year-old Geal Eller, who then started mimicking the sound of a motor. “Vroom, vroom!”

Eller, who attended the event with his grandfather, Bob Allison of Lewiston, has been a monster truck fan since he was 2 years old. During the pit party, the two wandered throughout the dirt-covered arena floor, checking out all the vehicles.

“He’s one of your biggest fans,” Allison told Pablo Huffaker, one of the drivers of the infamous Grave Digger, a green-and-purple 1950 Chevy Panel truck adorned with the names of all the vehicles it has destroyed in competition.

Huffaker signed his autograph in the boy’s 2006 Official Souvenir Yearbook before posing for a quick photograph. Allison appeared to be even more excited than his grandson.

“They’re fast, they crash, and there’s lots of destruction,” said Allison, describing the allure of the sport. “Racing’s in my blood. I love the excitement, the competition and the glamour of it all.”

About 30,000 people are expected to attend a total of four shows this weekend, according to Patti Mapes, promotions manager.

The event draws lots of families, she said, particularly those with little kids.

Boys, in particular, are mesmerized by these trucks, she said.

Many play with smaller, toy-size versions of these vehicles, so they’re thrilled to see the real thing.

On average, monster trucks stand about 11 feet tall and 12 feet wide. They’re custom designed, sit on 66-inch-tall tires and weigh at least 10,000 pounds. Built for short, high-powered bursts of speed, monster trucks generate up to 2,000 horsepower and exceed speeds of 70 mph.

“It’s a lot of fun to be behind the wheel,” said Chuck Jordan, driver of a tough-looking 2005 Chevy called Survivor.

But instead of driving, he spends most of his time fixing his truck and preparing it for competition.

A monster truck driver for the last 15 years, Jordan said some truck owners spend as much as $100,000 a year repairing their vehicles.

As they waited in line for autographs, many of the fans kept their eyes on a large screen in the arena that displayed all the mayhem of the monster truck world.

The video footage displayed all kinds of trucks in action – flying and spinning through the air, crushing cars, crashing so hard that they lost wheels and disintegrated into a pile of mangled metal.

“I like all the stunts,” said 9-year-old Conner Silflow shortly after getting the autograph of George Balhan, driver of a giant 2006 Cadillac Escalade.

Conner’s parents, Kippy and Randy Silflow, drove all the way from their home in St. Maries to bring him and 6-year-old Ryker to the show. They haven’t missed a Monster Jam in the last three years.

“I grew up on a farm and drove tractors,” said Randy Silflow, explaining his fascination with monster trucks. They’re about the same size as tractors, he said, and he always wondered what it was like to race one.

“He’s a boy that never grew up,” said his wife.