The Lucas Stabiliser, designed to look like a semi-truck, will compete with Linsey Read at the helm among 11 other monster trucks at Monster Jam. | Monster Jam
Published on March 7, 2024 at 3:00 pm
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The ground will shake, and up to 70,000 fans will scream Saturday night when a dozen monster trucks roar and rumble as Monster Jam returns to EverBank Stadium.
Weighing in at about 12,000 pounds each, with 1,500-horsepower methanol-fueled engines behind each driver, the leaping trucks of Monster Jam have become an annual crowd-pleaser in Jacksonville.
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That crowd is expected to create a monster traffic jam before and after the trucks fly, flip and race.
Linsey Read, who drives the Lucas Stabilizer monster truck, is a Texas native who started competing in Monster Jam in 2016. Rain or shine on Saturday, she said they will go out and “tear up this track.”
“Nothing is like actually seeing these trucks up close and personal and just feeling that 1,500 hp pumping through your body,” Read said. “I’m telling you, even though it is an open stadium, you can still feel the power of these things when you are sitting in your seats. We have so many fun things planned — we have our skills challenge, we have racing, and everybody’s favorite: freestyle.”
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The Monster Jam series began in 1992 and has grown to encompass multiple venues around the country and even overseas, ending with the 23rd annual Monster Jam World Finals on May 18 in Los Angeles. The series is managed by Feld Motorsports.
Jacksonville fans can meet the drivers and get a close look at the trucks during the Monster Jam Pit Party, set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday next to the stadium. It costs another $20 on top of show admission, and participants must also have a Monster Jam ticket. Or get a 1:30 p.m. Pit Party Early Access tickets, with a separate $35 ticket.
When the pit party ends at 5:30 p.m., the monster trucks will rumble into the stadium as gates open for the 7 p.m. main event. Tickets to the show range from $15 to $110, according to Ticketmaster. The main event starts with truck vs. truck races on a course, with a two-wheeled skills challenge. The trucks compete in a donut competition, with each surviving vehicle competing for a trophy in a freestyle event where they launch off ramps, do backflips and more donuts, and roll over for fan applause.
“Freestyle is my favorite by far because it really showcases what each driver does,” Read said.
Read said she got into Monster Jam driving when she was hired in 2014 to be a recovery driver — the person who drives the truck off the field after competition.
“But before that, we will rewind — I used to go to the events in El Paso all the time and absolutely loved it,” she said. “I saw (Monster Mutt driver) Candice Jolly one year performing and I thought, ‘Dang, that girl is awesome,’ and I wanted to go in the same path as she did, so I did a Tough Truck Challenge for Monster Truck.”
Placing second place in the Tough Truck Challenge her second year, Read was invited to train to drive the monster trucks and won the Freestyle Championship at Monster Jam World Finals XX three years later. Now she is competing Saturday against 11 other well-known trucks scheduled to appear:
- Grave Digger, driven by Tyler Menninga.
- JCB DIGatron, driven by Tristan England.
- Megalodon, driven by Todd LeDuc.
- Great Clips Mohawk Warrior, driven by Bryce Kenny.
- MAX-D, driven by Colton Eichelberger.
- El Toro Loco, driven by Jamey Garner.
- Kraken, driven by Nick Pagliarulo.
- Bad Company, driven by John Gordon.
- Jester, driven by Matt Pagliarulo.
- Shaker, driven by Ryan Disharoon.
- Black Pearl, driven by Cole Venard.
But drivers beware — Monster Jam will not be the only game Downtown on Saturday.
Cirque du Soleil will have two performances at 3 and 7 p.m. at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Zach Williams will have a concert at 7 p.m. at the Florida Theatre, and the Jacksonville Symphony will host a 7:30 p.m. Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony at 7:30 p.m. at Jacoby Symphony Hall. The stadium lots will be open but will fill quickly. Parking passes are sold through the stadium’s website.
When it comes to traffic, think a Jaguars football game — heavy congestion starting at 5 p.m., then getting heavier by 7 p.m.
No parking will be allowed on Bay Street starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. And with all those Downtown events on Saturday night, municipal and private parking lots will fill up quickly. Most parking lots open at 10 a.m., police said.
Starting at 3 p.m., Bay Street will have three lanes open for those traveling east (toward the stadium) and one lane open for those traveling west. Then at about 9 p.m. most roads leading away from the stadium will funnel traffic to the bridges as fans leave Monster Jam. One-way traffic patterns will be in effect for up to one hour.
Check @JSOPIO for traffic updates before and after the show.
