Adam Anderson used to hate it when his father, Dennis, pushed one of his toy cars out of line growing up. Playing in a makeshift arena, Adam carried monster trucks through the air.

Last December, nearly 30 years later, Adam’s young sons put on a show in the family’s North Carolina home. Adam used an iPad for a jumbotron and a Bluetooth-compatible microphone to play music. Still, that didn’t mean Adam could move the trucks. He had to pay attention, Dale and Luke pleaded. They were trying to teach him.

They performed tricks and instructed their dad to it himself, just with his truck: Grave Digger. The 12,000-pound wrecking ball that acts as his desk. In a way, his children were embracing Monster Jam’s new era.

“There was not even a thought in the world that a 12,000-pound truck could do a backflip,” Anderson said.

Now, backflips are routine. And Grave Digger is synonymous with Adam and the entire Anderson clan. Dennis started driving in the 1980s as Monster Jam catapulted into the mainstream and his family soon followed. Adam first drove in 2005 at 18 years old. His sister, Krysten, began three years ago as the first woman driver of Grave Digger.

Dennis is helping his youngest son, Westin, break into the business. His other son, Ryan, is currently second on the Stadium Series I scoreboard driving Son-uva Digger. And as Krysten finds her way, Adam has used his fatherhood to appreciate his own upbringing. When they compete Saturday in the Carrier Dome, it’ll be the next step in the sport’s evolution. One that’s been defined by Andersons.

“People are less interested in the destruction, the damage and the chaos,” Krysten said. “They’re more interested in the skill set and the skill level in what we can do.”

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It started with Dennis taking his kids off-roading during their summers in North Carolina. But eventually, Dennis always had to get back on the road as a one-man driver and crew, Adam said. He hauled merchandise up and down interstates and connected with fans.

His first “mud truck” was built with spare parts. Dennis cobbled together scraps and assembled what would soon be the family’s truck. Other drivers, noticing the trash on the track, laughed at Dennis. His retort served as inspiration — “I’ll take this old junk and dig you a grave with it!”

“(They) were the engineers,” Adam said. “(Dennis) would build it, break it, fix it and make it better.”

After upgrading to his first monster truck, known for its red highlights, Dennis gained a cult following. He rivaled Bob Chandler, the well-known driver of Bigfoot, and further popularized the sport. Some battles were even televised on ESPN.

But Dennis’ successes often left Adam and his siblings without their dad for months. As a child, Adam often woke up hearing Grave Digger’s engine charge toward the next show. When he accompanied Dennis to shows, Adam was jealous of the attention his dad received as his popularity rose.

In the last five years, as Adam’s work schedule has significantly lightened, he’s understood Dennis’ work schedule, and why he wasn’t always around. Grave Digger provided for the family and soon grew into a family business. Adam joined as a crew member for different teams before getting in a car for the first time in 2005. Two years later, he replaced Dennis for Grave Digger’s 25th anniversary after Dennis suffered a shoulder injury.

For his current routine, Adam typically flies out to shows on Thursday after dropping his sons off at school. Throughout the week, drivers and crew members transport each truck from venue to venue. Adam sometimes sees families in the stands and misses home.

“It is great to be able to come home and have a life,” Adam said. “You can have a life outside of (Monster Jam).”

Courtesy of Monster Jam Communications

Krysten, on the other hand, graduated high school in 2015 and a year later she was in Paxton, Illinois for Monster Jam University, a training school. She loved graphic design and the art brandished on each truck, but then she received a phone call from Monster Jam executives. They wanted her to be the face of the new Grave Digger. She had never driven before but she considered her pioneer father and all-star brother.

“I literally said, ‘Yes,’ out of nowhere,” Krysten remembered. “I felt there was no way I could turn down an opportunity like that. …Three years later, I’m still doing it.”

Since her start, the sport has become more innovative and challenging. Gone are the “iron giants.” Instead of car-jumps, steam-rollers and head-to-head races, now there are two-wheel skill competitions, freestyle trick circuits and backflips. Drivers challenge each other, displaying new skills like balancing a truck on its nose for 30 seconds. Dennis, who retired in 2017 after injuries from a failed backflip in Tampa Bay, joked to Krysten that he “got out easy.”

Krysten’s schedule is different than Adam’s. As a part of the Triple Threat Series, she performs more often than Adam. The extra reps can be an advantage at bigger events. Her dedication has paid off. She’s climbed the standings in each of her three seasons while Adam has remained near the top.

Two years ago, Krysten traveled to Helsinki, Finland, for her first event overseas. Even though she was replacing a veteran driver, some fans recognized Krysten. They asked her about her journey, her family and her love for Monster Jam. A first-hand look at the effect of her family’s legacy.

“My dad built Grave Digger out of junkyard parts in his backyard and these people know who he is and know who I am,” Krysten said. “Monster Jam has taken my dad’s creation all over the United States and all over the world.”

Published on April 3, 2019 at 11:33 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez