Recent Osky Grad Has Monster Dream Job Come True
2015 Oskaloosa High School graduate Tyler Menninga will be piloting the Blue Thunder Monster Jam truck on the west coast tour. (submitted photo)
Oskaloosa, Iowa – A recent Oskaloosa graduate is flying into the world of monster truck racing.
Tyler Menninga walked across the stage in May of 2015 to receive his high school diploma, but on January 9th, 2016 Menninga will be putting all of his driving skills he acquired in his off-road buggy Moonshiner to full use.
Menninga was selected as the newest driver for Monster Jam and the Blue Thunder truck. Menninga is the youngest person selected to pilot a monster truck, having just recently turned 18.
We spoke with Menninga in May when he told us, “I always had Monster Jam in the back of my mind. That’s the main goal is Monster Jam after high school.”
On Saturday night, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Menninga’s goal and dream will come true when he fires up his truck and drops the hammer on his new career.
Menninga will be headed out on tour driving Blue Thunder while looking for a shot to get into the World Finals, “Which is the biggest show of all of them,” says Menninga. “I’m definitely going to be going for that for sure.”
If the youngest driver ever did miss the big show in Las Vegas, he would be more disappointed in not learning something from every show. Making that World Finals show could prove to be difficult for the rookie, as he is in a division filled with veteran drivers.
The first tour for Menninga will take him to ten different cities, and then potentially some time driving overseas.
The trip to being a Monster Jam driver came from those initial outings with his father, remembered menninga. “Ever since I was little, my dad has always taken me out 4-wheeling with him,” Menninga remembers. “I was 2 I think, the first time he took me out.”
Menninga remembers getting his first off-road truck when he was 6. “I upgraded to a bigger one, and ended up smashing the body up on that one so much, we just built a buggy out of it.”
Menninga’s father was part of the local off-road club, and they were invited to be a part of setup for Monster Jam. That was one of the first experiences with the touring series.
During the summer before Menninga’s senior year at Oskaloosa, he spent the summer in North Carolina “and lived with the ‘Gave Digger’ guys and drove a ride truck for them”. The ride truck holds 12 people, and Menninga spent those days giving rides to the visitors to the ‘Grave Digger’ shop. “Seeing people smile when driving them around”, was a big memory for Menninga.
Those folks at the ‘Grave Digger’ facility put in a good word for Menninga.
So Menninga got his chance to test out for the series after spending time at “Monster Jam University”, and he was offered the Blue Thunder ride.
Menninga hasn’t yet learned how to back-flip a monster truck. Those machines are approximately $300,000.00, so on the job training will help him hone his skills. What they do teach you at driver training is how to be a safe driver while still putting on a show for the fans.
The fans and interacting with the fans is often times more important for a driver than actually driving the truck. “The more you are a people person, the better,” says Menninga, who will be facing crowds of Blue Thunder fans.
The sport is known as a family friendly experience, where fans of all ages can have access to their favorite drivers.
One might think that Menninga would be nervous for the first show, but he says “I’m actually not that nervous. I’m more excited than I am nervous.” Menninga believes that excitement might be from opening his career in monster trucks so near to home. You can find tickets HERE – https://www.monsterjam.com/events/council-bluffs-ia
Menninga said that his parents thoughts on his career are, “They love it, because they know it’s something I’ve always wanted to do with my life.”
