Monster Jam smashes into Wichita for three weekend shows

If anything can distract a child of the digital age it might be a monster truck show. This weekend, Monster Jam will roll into Intrust Bank Arena to crush cars with 66-inch tires, perform gravity-defying wheelies and rev engines to thunderous applause. Drivers will showcase their skills inside Grave Digger, Barbarian, Jester, Big Kahuna and Scooby Doo, among other trucks. Recently, the Eagle talked on the phone with Scooby Doo rookie driver Linsey Read about the sport, being a female driver and what fans can expect.

Q: How do you think the appeal for monster trucks has remained so strong?

A: The size of the trucks is just crazy for kids. They get to actually go up to the trucks at the pit party (where fans can meet and greet with drivers) and see how big they are. Once they actually hear them get started, I think that gets their attention right away. And of course, we have some great characters to grab their attention, especially with me driving Scooby Doo. Everyone watches “Scooby Doo.”

Q: I see you’re a rookie. How’s your season going?

A: My season is going great. I’ve been out two weekends so far. We’ve done five shows, and I’ve taken home two wheelie wins.

Q: You drive the Scooby Doo truck, and I noticed that you’re stepping in for Nicole Johnson, who seems like a popular driver with a solid reputation. Is Scooby Doo a female-only truck? What kind of pressure does that bring with it?

A: As of right now, it is a female-only truck. We have four drivers for Scooby Doo. We have Nicole (Johnson), we have Bailey (Shea), and we have Briana (Mahon). And we’re all on different tours; that way Scooby Doo can be at four different locations every weekend. … They’re all great drivers, so with me coming in, of course, I feel a little pressure to step up to the plate and be the Scooby Doo driver that they are.

Q: It seems like there are quite a few female drivers on tour. What’s it like being a female in a “testosterone” sport? Are a lot of fans surprised when they meet you?

A: I love it. Cause I know that they see me walk in there, and I’m just a little girl at 5-foot-4 inches. I walk in there, and they think, “Wow, she’s just this little girl, is she going to do something?” Then I go out there and prove to them that I can drive just as good as they can.

Q: What safety precautions do you and the other drivers take?

A: From start to finish of a show, it’s all safety. That’s our No. 1 thing that we always touch on, from our meetings in the mornings to when we first get into the truck. We have our helmets, our harns, we have our complete fire suits, fire gloves, fire shoes. The seats that we actually have in our trucks are custom built for us so that we’re snug in them. We have the five-point harness. Then, of course, we have all of our safety officials that check our trucks before we go out. There’s no miscommunication whatsoever.

Q: Even with the safety, what kind of injuries do drivers receive?

A: Most of the time, everyone might get stiff necks from our huge jumps that we do, but other than that we really don’t receive any injuries at all.

Q: Can you describe what it feels like to perform inside that massive truck?

A: You know, it’s a huge truck, but once you get in there, you’re really tight in there. So it’s kind of a small space. It’s an unreal feeling. I can’t really describe it for anybody until you actually do it, but once you get there and you start up that truck and feel the rumble of it, it’s unreal. And once you put your foot on that gas pedal and you start it, it’s crazy.

Q: What can fans expect Friday and Saturday at Intrust Bank Arena?

A: They can definitely expect to be wowed. I am going to go out there and try my best to win…again. So that way I can share it with you guys. I think it’ll be a great show. We have a lot of really great trucks that’ll be there, and I know that we’ll be trying to compete against each other as best as we can to win that title.

Q: Any final thoughts?

A: I would really like everyone to show up to the pit party on Saturday the 16th from 11:30 to 12:30. They can come down there, take pictures with us, get autographs and also just get up close with the trucks so they can see how huge they are themselves before we go out there and tear up that track.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Monster Jam smashes into Wichita for three weekend shows."