Monster Jam Legend Talks About What It Takes To Make A Record-Breaking Nine-Truck Jump

On Saturday, July 1, ThunderROARus monster truck driver Colton Eichelberger set a new world record by jumping nine monster trucks lined up side by side — but before Eichelberger could take on the challenge, he needed guidance from a Monster Jam legend: Tom Meents. And two days before the stunt, I had a chance to speak with Meents about just what it takes to guide a racer into history.

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Full disclosure: Monster Jam invited me to join the series at World Finals XXII in Nashville, Tennessee, where it put me up for a weekend and organized a great amount of behind-the-scenes access — including an hour-long round-table interview with icon Tom Meents.

After decades of competition, Meents was philosophical as he answered our questions during a round-table interview. He chose his words carefully, often after a wistful look out at the still-drying track. Each time he spoke, it was with the kind of deliberation you’d expect from a long-time legend and teacher at Monster Jam University.

“I can tell you for a fact we’ve never made it yet,” Meents told Jalopnik during the round-table after I asked how he and Eichelberger had been preparing to accomplish the demanding feat.

“Some of the requirements are going to be traction — which, if [the jump] happened today, that would be a challenge,” he said, referring to the damp track.

“We have a huge run in with a short stopping distance, so we’ve been coming up with the right gear, the right attitude to have in the air. Do you need to stop the tires in the air so when it lands, it’s already pre-braked? You have to just imagine.”

While the full slate of Monster Jam competitors feel like one big family, Meents and Eichelberger are quite literally that: Eichelberger is Meents’ stepson and has filled in for Meents in the past, all while carving his own name into the record books with a seven-truck jump at World Finals 20.

A nine-truck jump would be difficult for anyone, but Eichelberger would be facing a unique challenge: he was forced to drop out of his scheduled 2022 tour, making his World Finals XXII jump effort his official return to Monster Jam. Returning to competition just to face one of the most daunting feats in Monster Jam history up to that point wouldn’t be easy — but Meents revealed a bit about how his guidance aided Eichelberger.

“The cool thing about Colton is that he’s a young dad […] and I can just take him out of all that thinking,” Meents said. “With my stunt experience, I can take some worries off his plate, so all he has to think about is getting in the truck and hitting the switch.”

A severe thunderstorm postponed the start of the World Finals, leaving the track damp. Just as the two-wheel skills challenge wrapped up, the trucks set to be jumped rolled out into position, spanning a significant portion of the stadium. Meents watched on before running to offer a few final words of advice to Eichelberger. The pomp and circumstance was quickly cut short due to rain, and moments later, there was ThunderROARus lining up at the gate. The massive engine screamed, and then he was off.

For nearly four seconds, Eichelberger soared through the air as fireworks skittered across the circuit. Then, his wheels were on the ground. He had landed it.

Sure, ThunderROARus did slide into the wall and lose some of its fiberglass bodywork — but it was a small price to pay for yet another entry in the record books.