Alex Blackwell drives Captain's Curse, a 10,000-pound truck, in the Monster Jam circuit.If you go
› What: Monster Jam.› When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 8-9; gates open at 6:30 p.m. Pit Party, 5-6:30 p.m. each day.› Where: UTC McKenzie Arena, 720 E. Fourth St.› Admission: $20, $30 or $45 adults, $10 children under 12 (certain sections); $2 more on event day. Pit Pass additional $10.› Phone: 423-266-6627.› Website: https://www.monsterjam.com/tickets.
See the trucks
Two of the Monster Jam trucks (subject to change) will be on display today, April 7.› Monster Mutt Dalmatian: 2-6 p.m. at MetroPCS, 3837 Ringgold Road, East Ridge (get a free pit pass for the Saturday event at this or other participating MetroPCS locations).› Extermigator: 3-7 p.m. at Circle K, 8935 Lee Highway, Ooltewah (adults can save up to $10 on tickets here or other participating Circle K or Kangaroo Express stores)
Alex BlackwellIt was only a test drive, but it catapulted Alex Blackwell into a new career. Of course, it was a monster test drive.
Now, Blackwell, 42, drives monster trucks for a living - one of almost 100 men and women who navigate more than 70 of these 12- by 12-feet, 10,000-pound behemoths in the Monster Jam circuit, a series of racing and freestyle competitions sanctioned by the U.S. Hot Rod Association.
Monster Jam returns to McKenzie Arena this weekend, April 8-9. Blackwell will be behind the wheel of the 1,500-horsepower, pirate-themed Captain's Curse.
Also competing will be Randy Brown driving Grave Digger; Candice Jolly in Monster Mutt Dalmatian; J.R. McNeal in Xtermigator; Buddy Thompkins in Razin Kane, and a driver still to be determined in Doomsday.
"I've always competed in some sort of car sports," says Blackwell, who previously developed electrical parts for trucks. "It's something I'll always do. But when I started driving in Monster Jam events, it's something I knew I'd want to do forever. And though I don't develop electrical parts for trucks any longer, I do know how to diagnose anything electrical, which comes in handy. It allows me to fix something whenever one of the trucks has an electrical glitch."
The Pennsylvania native who moved to Virginia Beach, Va., in 2005 to start his new truck-driving career has always loved all sports involving motorized vehicles. He was in motocross as a pro rider for 16 years before an injury in 2002 forced him to retire.
He found solace, though, in his career developing specialized parts for monster trucks, including the Gazoo motor, a rear-steer motor that spins 2 1/2 times faster than a typical motor. He mounted the first Gazoo on owner/driver Andy Slifko's Eradicator monster truck in 2003, he says, and now 40 of the top Monster Jam trucks in the country are equipped with the motor.
Blackwell first got involved in Monster Jam in 1992 when his truck club was asked to coordinate the infield activities at the Bloomsburg (Pa.) Jamboree. It was there that he met Slifko and soon began traveling with his Eradicator team. Six months later, after one of the events, Slifko let Blackwell drive Eradicator over a few cars, and that was all it took to hook Blackwell on driving.
In 2005, Blackwell made his professional debut at the Birmingham, Ala., Monster Jam show. He also earned a Rookie of the Year nomination for his creation of the Gazoo motor.
Trucks attempt plenty of tricks in competition, and, though the rides may look precarious suspended upon those 66-inch wheels, it's rare that anyone gets hurt in competition, Blackwell says. Strict safety protocols see to that.
"I wear seven seat belts, and my seat (including a neck restraint) is molded to my body," he says. "I feel safer in my truck than in my regular vehicle."
Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com.