Childhood Dreams Become Reality For Local Driver

Tyler Menninga and his father after building a snow Grave Digger. "Who would've thought that 17 odd years later I would be driving that truck! Gotta thank pops for planting that Motorsports seed in me!"

Tyler Menninga and his father after building a snow Grave Digger. “Who would’ve thought that 17 odd years later I would be driving that truck! Gotta thank pops for planting that Motorsports seed in me!” (submitted photo)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – When it comes to monster trucks, there are only a few that even the most casual watcher will recognize, like the one known as ‘Grave Digger’.

For Oskaloosa’s Tyler Menninga, a childhood love of monster trucks and that iconic truck collided on the 35th anniversary of Grave Digger, when Menninga got behind the wheel.

We first caught up with Menninga in May 2015, before he turned 18 and walked across the stage to receive his diploma from OHS. That’s a magical number, age 18, for drivers waiting their turn to test out a monster truck. “We’ll see what happens” was the response from a then high school senior.

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 that we just built a buggy out of it.”

“I always had Monster Jam in the back of my mind. That’s the main goal is Monster Jam after high school,” Menninga told Oskaloosa News back in 2015.

At the end of 2015, Menninga was the youngest person ever selected to drive in Monster Jam, and was selected to drive ‘Blue Thunder’.

A young Tyler Menninga meet Grave Digger creator Dennis Anderson.

A young Tyler Menninga meet Grave Digger creator Dennis Anderson.

Menninga has enjoyed success this past year in ‘Blue Thunder’, but he’s been all smiles since the opportunity arose to drive the truck.

Menninga is known for his ability to ‘moonwalk’ a 1500hp monster truck. A ‘moonwalk’ is a trick in which the driver puts the truck on its front wheels, and then drives backwards while the back of the truck is pointing straight up in the air. He’s currently only one of three drivers able to accomplish the maneuver.

“People love it. People love to see that,” says Menninga.

Menninga will always have a soft spot for Blue Thunder. “I love that truck,” Menninga said about the machine that carried him through his first year in Monster Jam.

On January 4, 2017, Menninga will get his first opportunity to pilot the iconic ‘Grave Digger’ in Birmingham, Alabama, and will be on an East Coast tour from there.

Dennis Anderson created Grave Digger in 1992, and Menninga says, “To be a part of his team is something special.”

In 2002, Menninga had his first personal encounter with Grave Digger at Veterans Auditorium in Des Moines, with Randy Brown as the driver. “Ever since then, I’ve been a Grave Digger fan. There’s always these other monster trucks, but Grave Digger’s the one. To be driving it, it’s crazy.”

The Grave Digger shop where Menninga spent two summers driving the ride truck for the Andersons.

The Grave Digger shop where Menninga spent two summers driving the ride truck for the Andersons.

“It’s really special,” added Menninga. “To be doing this my second year, I can’t even believe it.”

Menninga has had a close relationship with Anderson and the Grave Digger team before Menninga got behind the wheel in Monster Jam.

Adam Anderson hired Menninga in the summer of 2014 to drive the ride truck. The ride truck holds 12 people, and Menninga spent two summers giving rides to the visitors at the ‘Grave Digger’ shop. “Seeing people smile when driving them around”, is a big memory for Menninga.

“Without him, I definitely wouldn’t be driving in Monster Jam”, says Menninga of Anderson.

Now to start his sophomore year in Monster Jam, Menninga says the experience has been everything he had hoped it would be. “There’s nothing better.”

Blown transmissions, smashed bodies and the experiences gained since he was six years old have played a big part in preparing. “There’s so much stuff I learned then, that I took with me to Monster Jam, that has helped me with my career so far,” added Menninga.

Menninga will be on tour with Grave Digger starting in January.

Menninga will be on tour with Grave Digger starting in January.

Since the announcement of his new ride, Menninga says he has his sights set on the world finals later in the year.

Menninga recently completed his last show with ‘Blue Thunder’ in Puerto Rico. He is home right now working his other job at Kraig Ford and lives with his parents in Oskaloosa. “I guess I just haven’t found anywhere else better yet”, says Menninga. “I’m sure they will kick me out soon though.”

Menninga says he enjoys his everyday life in Oskaloosa, being with the people who helped make him who he is. “You can’t always be the guy in the suit.”

You can follow Menninga on his Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/TylerMoonShiner/

OHS Senior Looks To Drive Into His Future – http://oskynews.org/?p=71263
Recent Osky Grad Has Monster Dream Job Come True – http://oskynews.org/?p=75799

Posted by on Nov 20 2016. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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