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Event: Monster X Tour
Venue: Selland Arena
Location: Fresno, California
Date: January 14th-15th, 2011
Host: Colby Marshall
Videographer: Colby Marshall
Lineup: Black Knight (“Hillbilly”), California Kid (Garrett Ladelle), Play’n 4 Keeps (Tony Canedo), Rock Star (Bill Payne), Summit Bigfoot #16 (Dan Runte), Titan (Donald Epidendio) [Read more…]
We caught up with Eric Tack, legendary former Bigfoot driver who has returned to fill in for the injured Larry Swim, and he’s going to be our subject of second installment of In Focus. Eric drove for Team Bigfoot in the ’90’s and early ’00’s, but stepped out of the seat and has made a few come back appearances in recent years. Eric is currently piloting the Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 on the Monster Truck Winter Nationals series until regular driver Larry Swim is able to return.
Legendary BIGFOOT driver Eric Tack celebrates a big freestyle win at last April's Pontiac Silverdome event.
Chris Parrish: Eric, you’re back in the saddle driving Bigfoot again after a lengthy break, what’s it like to be back?
Eric Tack: It’s just another walk in the park, actually. It’s fun to sit back in the truck again and enjoy the thrill and excitement of it.
CP: We’re going to venture through your career. How did you get started with Bigfoot and did you work with any other teams before that?
ET: No, actually, years ago John Piant and Dan Runte were in Pittsburgh and I talked to them, and that was where I first made contact with Bigfoot. That would be back in ‘88 or ‘89. That was right when Dan started, I know. I used to race motor cross back in the old Camel Mud & Monster days. I talked to Dan and at that time, they had a deal where an insurance clause wouldn’t allow you to work for them until you were 25, so I had to put it off for a couple years. I talked to Jim Kramer in Bloomsburg, PA one year and he said the insurance thing went away, so I sent in my resume and two weeks later I was working for Bigfoot.
CP: What was the first Bigfoot you drove in a show?
ET: It would have been Bigfoot #8 in Illinois. No, I’ve got to back up there. It would have been Bigfoot #9, which had a Snake Bite body on it, in Craig, CO. That would have been my first show.
Tack has been on fire since stepping into the Bigfoot Bad Boy ride, winning nearly every event he has competed in during the first month of the year.
CP: Do you have a highlight in your career? Any particular high moment?
ET: Yeah, working for Zane (Rettew of Checkered Flag Productions). Not prompted there at all, he’s not standing close or anything (laughing). Really, wining the 2000 PRO MT championship would have been one. Jumping the airplane (In Firestone Wilderness) would have been a big one. Doing a lot of neat shows and meeting a lot of neat people.
CP: Speaking of the airplane jump, tell us a little bit about that. Thoughts, feelings… you’re jumping over an AIRPLANE in a MONSTER TRUCK!
ET: We did a bunch of test jumps out in the test field down at Bigfoot. I think I jumped 13 times just to make sure I could get the height and distance. Then there was about a month and a half until we actually did the jump. So, there was a lot of anxiety waiting and realizing what was going on.
CP: When did you get out of the sport?
ET: I think November 2003 was my last show. That’s when I moved from St. Louis and left Bigfoot full time and moved back to Butler, PA. I bought my dad’s excavating business and have been digging ditches ever since.
CP: Did you miss monster trucks during that time?
ET: It’s an addiction. I guess I’ve heard it before, you can take the boy out of the truck, but you can’t take the truck out of the boy. It’s something that you do miss, but running equipment you do get somewhat of the same satisfaction, but you don’t have as big of crowds.
Tack has typically made a cameo appearance here and there since stepping away from the sport, as he did here piloting Raminator in Canfield, Ohio in 2008.
CP: You stepped away for a while, but you’ve appeared to be willing to jump back in the seat. Would you have any interest in running a truck full time?
ET: I’d probably consider it, but running a business back home in the winter months right now, we’re slow and we’re just depending on the snow coming down because we plow snow, too. You kind of fill in, in between doing that. But, in the summer months when we’re busy, I don’t know how easy it would be to run full time.
CP: The deal running the Bigfoot Bad Boy in Larry’s place during first quarter really works out well for you?
ET: Yeah, it kind of all came all together. When Bob Trent called and told me the situation and asked about it, it was great to know that they felt they could call and put me in that position.
CP: Throughout your career, who do you think was your biggest rival?
ET: Oohh…probably Dan(Runte)….within the Bigfoot organization. There are a lot of great drivers I’ve met out there. Gary Porter and Dan Patrick are probably two of the top ones, other than the Bigfoot drivers.
CP: You’ve mentioned that it’s hard to really get out of the sport, it’s always a part of you…what’s the biggest benefit to being out of the sport?
ET: None.. (laughter)….
CP: You’ve seen a lot of developments through your career in the industry. Is there any one item that you consider to be the biggest improvement in the sport?
ET: I’d say lately, probably the specialized seats that are custom made to the driver. That’s a huge, huge step. When I was at Bigfoot, Jim Kramer and I started the shocks that they are running now, and they have fine tuned them since. The shocks were a big step, but these ISP seats that Bigfoot runs, that’s a huge safety step.
CP: Where do you see the sport going in the future? Do you have any thoughts on where it might be heading?
ET: Well, I watch TV and watch Feld do their thing and watch all the promoters do theirs. I don’t know how much bigger you can go with it. (They’re) pushing the extremes of the trucks. I guess you can only go bigger.
Tack rides a wheelie over the massive center stack at the Pontiac Silverdome in Bigfoot #11. When the Bad Boy stint is over, who knows where Tack will turn up next?
CP: You mentioned watching it on TV. Do you keep up with the sport while you’re away from the seat?
ET: A little bit. I’m not computer oriented, so I don’t do the internet stuff, but when it’s on TV and I have time to watch, I flip through and watch it.
CP: Is there anything about the sport you don’t like these days?
ET: Down time.
CP: On a personal level, what’s your daily driver? What does a monster truck driver drive during the week?
ET: I start the morning in an F-150, then either move to a super duty or an International dump truck in the afternoon.
CP: Do you have any hobbies? I understand that you follow the Steelers.
ET: Oh, of course!
CP: Any other hobbies?
ET: I like to hunt and fish, ride quads, and just spend time with family.
CP: Pittsburgh fan all around?
ET: Ah, yes. Ehh…except for baseball. We won’t go there.
CP: Do you have a favorite monster truck?
ET: Blue. There is only one monster truck isn’t there?
We’ve got to thank Eric Tack for his time and participation. Eric has done a great job filling in for Larry Swim in Bigfoot Bad Boy. He has put on an excellent show everywhere he’s traveled, filling the Bad Boy shoes perfectly and we can only hope to continue to seeing Eric in the seat in some capacity in the future after Larry’s return sometime in February.
We hope you enjoyed another edition of In Focus, stay tuned next month as we detail another of the industry’s top personalities.
Photos courtesy Ross Z. Bonar and Paul M. Harry.
Event: Monster Nationals
Venue: Bank of Kentucky Center
Location: Highland Heights, Kentucky
Date: January 22nd, 2011
Photographer: Paul M. Harry
Lineup: Chalkboard Chuck (Jeff Hatten), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Snake Bite #15 (Rick Long), Star Marshall (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]
Event: Monster Nationals
Venue: Bank of Kentucky Center
Location: Highland Heights, Kentucky
Date: January 22nd, 2011
Photographer: Michael Harry
Lineup: Chalkboard Chuck (Jeff Hatten), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Snake Bite #15 (Rick Long), Star Marshall (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]
Event: Monster Truck Winter Nationals
Venue: Cincinnati Gardens
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Date: January 16th, 2011
Photographer: Paul M. Harry
Lineup: Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 (Eric Tack), Black Stallion (Jimmy Tracey), Illuminator (Jay Snyder), Screamin Demon (Dave Waple) [Read more…]
Event: Monster Truck Winter Nationals
Venue: Cincinnati Gardens
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Date: January 16th, 2011
Photographer: Michael Harry
Lineup: Bigfoot Bad Boy #14 (Eric Tack), Black Stallion (Jimmy Tracey), Illuminator (Jay Snyder), Screamin Demon (Dave Waple) [Read more…]
Monster Truck Radio With Host Jeff Richards
Date: Monday, January 3rd, 2010
Guest #1: Amber Walker, Team Bigfoot Driver
Guest #2: Ross Z. Bonar, TheMonsterBlog.com [Read more…]
Monster Truck Radio With Host Jeff Richards
Date: Monday, December 27th, 2010
Guest #1: Eric Tack, Team Bigfoot Driver
Guest #2: N/A [Read more…]
Monster Truck Radio With Host Jeff Richards
Date: Monday, December 20th, 2010
Guest #1: Dan Runte, driver of Summit Bigfoot #16
Guest #2: N/A [Read more…]
Monster Truck Radio With Host Jeff Richards
Date: Monday, December 13th, 2010
Guest #1: Gene Patterson, former Team BIGFOOT driver
Guest #2: N/A [Read more…]
Monster Truck Radio With Host Jeff Richards
Date: Monday, December 6th, 2010
Guest #1: Nigel Morris, driver of Europe’s Bigfoot #17
Guest #2: N/A [Read more…]
TheMonsterBlog.com Staff was in attendance this weekend for the 24th Annual Monster Truck Racing Association Tech School, Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet. Members from around the country visited the Sheraton Westport Hotel & Conference Center in St. Louis, Missouri to participate in productive discussion on rule changes and on the future direction of the organization as it prepares for its 25th year of working to improve safety in the monster truck industry. TMB is thankful for all those members who shared their thoughts, ideas and opinions this weekend and for all those members who participate throughout the year in doing the work of the organization.
To finish up the weekend, members gathered for the MTRA Awards Banquet where the membership honors outstanding achievements by those in the organization. Nominations by the membership were accepted and ballots mailed out, with all members having the opportunity to vote on who they found most deserving for each award. With all the votes tabulated, the winners in each category were announced and presented at last night’s banquet.
The first of the MTRA Awards presented was the Safety Award which is given to the individual who the membership believed did the most to advance safety during the preceding year. The winner was Dan Patrick for all his great work as the MTRA’s Technical Director, a very well deserved honor for a man who has done an incredible amount for the industry over the years.
The Sportsman of the Year Award followed, awarded to the member whose peers believed was the best example of sportsmanship in 2010. The award went to Team Scream who can always be counted on to help out a fellow competitor. A big congratulations on another well deserved award for the team consisting of great guys like new owner/driver members Jim Koehler and Chris Bergeron and the rest of their great crew. The MTRA was very appreciative of Jim and Chris joining the organization in 2010.
Each year the MTRA membership honors their fellow member they feel has done the best job wrenching on and setting up trucks over the long season with the Mechanic of the Year Award. Tim Hall was the winner for 2010 as he helped guide the Hall Brothers Racing team to another Monster Truck Thunder Drags title and to many big wins throughout the year.
Tim Hall, 2010 MTRA Mechanic of the Year
Team who have stepped up their programs with new trucks, better quality equipment and stronger performance are nominated by the membership for the Most Improved Team of the Year Award. The big winner this year was Tim Mente’s Team Natural Disaster with the Storm Damage and Hurricane Force monster trucks. The team expanded to two trucks for 2010, each with great looking graphics and ran strong all season, a big congratulations on a well deserved victory.
Steven Thompson, driver of Hurricane Force, accepts the Most Improved Team Award for Tim Mente's Storm Damage team.
The MTRA’s Jr. Associate program gets kids involved with the organization at an early age as a way for them to learn about monster truck safety. As a fun privilege, the members choose their favorite Driver of the Year each season and this year the winner was Doug Noelke and the great looking Tail Gator truck.
During the middle of the Awards Banquet, MTRA welcomed Promoter Members Family Events and Checkered Flag Productions as they honored their champions from the 2010 season. Family Events honored Mark Hall, their Monster Truck Thunder Drags Champion, Rick Long, the Monster Nationals Racing Champion and Jocelyn Perrin, the Monster Nationals Wheelie and Freestyle Champion. Checkered Flag Productions paid tribute to their 2010 points champion Larry Swim with a great video presentation.
Rick Long, driver of Bigfoot #15, is honored as the 2010 Monster Nationals Racing Champion.
Mark Hall receives his 2010 Monster Truck Thunder Drags Championship Award from Family Events.
Larry Swim gives his acceptance speech after being honored as the 2010 CFP Champion.
The 2010 season saw many great new drivers enter their first full season of monster truck competition. From young guys like Steven Thompson and Mat Dishman to Ryan Rice and even a veteran of the sport who completed his first full season of racing a truck this year, Greg Winchenbach, the MTRA membership had a really great group of rookies to choose from. Coming off a huge win at the Pontiac Silverdome a few weeks back, Mat Dishman was named the MTRA’s Rookie of the Year Award winner. Congratulations to Mat on a great honor from his fellow members.
Mat Dishman, driver of Rammunition, winner of the 2010 MTRA Rookie of the Year Award.
Each year the membership chooses the Promoter Member that they feel put on the best quality events, excelled in the area of event safety and who best supported the MTRA. As the only promoter in 2010 to require MTRA Membership from teams running their events and for operating a series that featured great shows all year with some of the top trucks in the industry, we congratulate Vaters Monster Motorsports on a very well deserved win in this category.
2010 Promoter of the Year, Mike Vaters, Vaters Monster Motorsports.
Every MTRA Certified Truck is up for the Truck of the Year Award which allows the membership to pick the truck they felt was the highest quality, best looking, best performing that season. After some great video clips from Colby Marshall and BMPS Video of all the MTRA Certified Trucks, the announcement came that Tail Gator from the Big Dawg 4×4 team was the big winner. Congratulations to Doug & Brenda Noelke and their great team on this honor from their peers.
Big Dawg 4x4 with their Truck of the Year and Jr. Associate Driver of the Year Awards.
Finally the night ended with one of the longest-running and most prestigious awards in monster trucks, the MTRA Driver of the Year Award. Every driver of an MTRA Certified Truck is nominated for this award and MTRA drivers had great seasons in 2010, many even winning championships in series they ran. On the strength of another Monster Truck Thunder Drags points championship and a great season overall, Mark Hall is your 2010 MTRA Driver of the Year. A big congratulations from all of us at TMB to Mark on this great honor.
Mark Hall accepts the MTRA Driver of the Year Award.
A big thanks from all of us at TheMonsterBlog.com to the MTRA for allowing us to assist in recognizing the accomplishments of this great group of teams in 2010. We always have a great time visiting with all of our friends in the monster truck industry and working with them to support our industry’s only safety organization.
TMB's Colby Marshall, Ross Bonar and Kaedon Berry at the 2010 MTRA Awards Banquet.
We would also like to our good friends “Roller” Jeff Richards and Tyson McKenzie from Monster Truck Radio for being on hand to broadcast live from the MTRA Weekend and for bringing the Banquet to fans live online. Monster Truck Radio is also joining the MTRA as a Sponsor Member in 2011 and we thank them for that support of the organization. Check out their MTRA Weekend Coverage on www.MonsterTruckRadio.com and you can see the full Awards Banquet presentation by clicking the link below.
We encourage everyone who visits TMB to consider joining the MTRA. MTRA is a member ran organization and can only make progress and advancements through the work, input and support of its members – whether you are a promoter, a driver, a sponsor, a fan, it doesn’t matter – everyone can play a part in improving your industry. Visit www.MTRA.us for more information on how you can become a member and roll your sleeves up – there is always work that can be done!
(Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany) BIGFOOT’s Dan Runte and the other Team Summit drivers, Jason Line, Warren Johnson, and Rickie Jones, have just completed their second day visiting troops in Germany. The USO sponsored support mission has taken the team to Kaiserslautern Military Community to visit the stationed troops, as well as many wounded veterans from Afghanistan & Iraq. Each day, a different Summit driver has been blogging about the experience. Today, it was Dan’s turn:
“I came into this trip a little leery for several reasons. First, I was the only monster truck driver in a group of drag racers, and even though I know the Summit guys, it’s not only been a while since I’ve been overseas, but I’ve also never been to Germany before this week, so heading into this week I have to admit I was a little nervous. However, as far as coming here, it has been an absolutely awesome experience. Summit and the USO have put this deal together to make it a life experience for each one of us that was fortunate enough to come.
Today was a very powerful day. After having breakfast at the Deutsches Haus, which is actually a German Air Force officers and NCO’s club run by them, we headed over to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, where we met some incredible people. We started in the ICU, where we were greeted by Dee Dee Price, an RN who has been there for five years. The ICU is a 12-bed unit where they receive patients from Iraq and Afghanistan, with the majority of their patients of late being Marines. They are the first stop for our most severely wounded warriors, with their assignment to treat them before their transfer to hospitals back in the United States. It is a state-of-the-art facility, with a computer assigned to a station outside each room. Every precaution is taken to protect their patients, including donning a fresh gown and gloves every time one goes into the room, which made for an interesting sight when the four of us did our quick-change routine. We had the privilege of meeting a few of the soldiers, including one who had arrived from Iraq just last night, and all I can say is that it made a huge impression on each one of us.
One item they were most proud to show us was a board filled with messages and news on former patients, including letters of gratitude from parents of soldiers who had not made it home, and it was obvious how much this meant to the staff from how Dee Dee Price talked about it. We then headed to the 13th Floor, D Section, where the charge nurse was Lt. Olson, an enthusiastic young man who informed us that their patients include American, as well as NATO troops, and that, depending on the severity of their injuries or length of their rehabilitation, their stay could range from a couple days to several months. Among the people we visited were two soldiers from Poland that had actually asked to see us through his translator. In addition, we met a young man from the Republic of Georgia, who had been taught to speak English by the night staff, and had his father in the room with him. Despite the severity of his injuries, we were encouraged after speaking with his doctor, who informed us that his functions had been steadily improving.
Before we left, the head nurse told us of a program where people back in the States make quilts that are presented to the soldiers upon their arrival at the hospital in order to give them a sense of home. It is a tremendous program that I suggest you check out. More than 30,000 blankets have been distributed, and the nurses wanted to honor our SFA hosts Wayne and Dieter by presenting them with their own quilt in thanks for their efforts with these troop visits, a gesture that truly moved our veteran guides. The four drivers were also presented with a special memento, as we were each given a Soldier’s Angel pin that we will wear proudly. From 13 Delta, we proceeded to the 23-bed 8 Delta wing, where Capt. Teresa Timms, who just got back from Iraq, took us around to visit with the troops. The best news of the day for me came at 10:21 however, when Wayne called United and learned that my suitcase had finally arrived in Frankfurt, and would be at the main gate in over an hour. Although it delayed my sitting down for lunch, it was great to know I would finally have some clean clothes to wear.
After a quick lunch (which turned into an impromptu autograph session) and a stop by the baggage office, which takes care of the troops personal belongings when they aren’t able to, we made the short drive over to the USO Warrior Center. Unlike your typical USO center, it is not open to the public, but it is instead reserved for the wounded on site. We spent about an hour and a half signing autographs and talking to the soldiers who came over to the facility, including Command Sergeant Major William “Buck” O’Neal, who welcomed us and thanked us for coming to see the troops.
Our official duties ended with another autograph session at the Contingency Aero Medical Staging Facility at Ramstein, who are among the first to see the troops when they arrive, and are the last before they head stateside, prepping them for the flight home.
Throughout the day, the one thing that impressed me the most was the incredible attitude displayed by the both the patients and the medical staff. As we all agreed, these are some awesome people treating some very special folks. It was an extremely humbling day that gave me an even greater appreciation for what those guys do, and the sacrifices they make for our country. I could say my hat is off to those guys, but that would be an understatement. It’s a life changing experience that I’m glad we did, and I would do it again in a heartbeat if the occasion ever arises in the future.
The last event of the day was a tremendous dinner at the Spinnradl, a restaurant located in the oldest building in Kaiserslautern, where we had some tremendous food typical of the area. Finally our hosts Wayne and Dieter were again honored, as their friend and German officer Stefan Roth (who leaves for Afghanistan in the next few days) had successfully petitioned General Petraeus for a commendation, which was presented to them before dinner – a well deserved honor. Well, that about does it for today. We have another full day of activities planned for tomorrow, for which I will turn you back to one of my drag racing buddies, so I invite you to stop back in and see what we’re up to.”
For more information on Team BIGFOOT and driver Dan Runte, visit www.Bigfoot4x4.com.
The 2010 season marked the return for one of the most prestigious venues in the history of monster trucks: The Pontiac Silverdome. TMB was fortunate enough to be part of both the inaugural event (Domination in the Dome) and this November’s “Monster Truck Fall Shootout”. Between the two shows, names including Bigfoot, Excaliber, and Virginia Giant made their return to the hallowed building to once again do battle. Other story lines, including the return of Eric Tack to pilot Bigfoot 11 for the show and the rebirth of the “Michigan Ice Monster” added nostalgic flavor and got my wheels turning as to how the legacy of the Silverdome could be further amplified.
The Pontiac Silverdome 11/13/10
Would a promoter in today’s monster truck world be able to successfully market an old-school style monster truck show in the Silverdome, including a full on truck and tractor pull and mud bog, alongside a full on “Battle of the Monster Trucks” between some of the old school trucks that are being plucked from fence rows and revived today? Would the average fan in Detroit who is used to the fast paced and high flying nature of today’s monsters be interested in paying to attend a show that showcases the roots of monster trucks? After seeing the immense success of Jeff Cook’s 4×4 Off Road Truck Show Challenge in Auburn, Indiana this past October, I think the answer is yes. What do you think? If you were given the opportunity to promote a show in the legendary Pontiac Silverdome, what style event would you promote and why?
(Hazelwood, MO) Team BIGFOOT, creators of The Original Monster Truck®, are set to debut their all-new Summit Racing Equipment/Firestone BIGFOOT paint scheme at the 2010 edition of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show in Orlando, FL December 9th through the 11th.
BIGFOOT #16, the team’s most technically advanced race chassis to date, will be skinned in F-250 fiberglass and will sport an all-new custom paint scheme that is similar in concept to that used by Team Summit drivers Pete Berner (ADRL Extreme Pro Stock) and Tim Wilkerson (NHRA TF/FC), and will showcase the team’s two primary sponsors, Summit Racing Equipment and Firestone tires.
Although Team BIGFOOT is well-known for many of their in-house custom paint schemes, the team’s deep racing heritage helps make the trucks a suitable canvas to display corporate paint schemes shared by fellow racers under the same sponsorship umbrella.
“In the past, we’ve coordinated with Summit, Firestone, MAC Tools, and others to create new twists on paint schemes found on other race vehicles that share the same sponsors as us,” explained BIGFOOT VP of Sponsorships, Bob Trent. “However, unlike a smaller race vehicle like a pro-stock car or stock car, our monster truck bodies offer much more real estate on which to showcase both our sponsors and the paint scheme itself. And I think this is going to be one of the sharpest ones we’ve rolled out in some time,” he added.
Keep watching www.Bigfoot4x4.com for more news on the new paint scheme and for all your Team BIGFOOT news and updates.
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