A Glossary of Common Monster Truck Terms and Definitions
Have you ever attended a Monster Jam show? If you have, then clearly you appreciate the high-power thrills the motorsport offers.
But, perhaps you have not. Why is that? Does it seem intimidating? Does it sound like people are speaking a different language when they talk about monster truck racing?
These events are so much fun to attend and enjoyable for the whole family. We at The News Wheel do not want you to miss out on experiencing the spectacle of a monster truck in action. So, we’ve defined some basic terms to help the monster truck language be more approachable.
- Auger In – When a truck crashes nose first, also called a “nose plant”
- Bite – Traction from the tires
- Blower – This forces air and fuel into the engine to create more power
- Burn Out – Clearing mud by spinning the tires
- Case It – When the peak of the obstacle hits the lowest part of the truck frame
- Cut Tires – Process (completed by hand) of shaving off tire thread for traction
- Cyclone – A donut at high-speed
- Dry Hop – Clearing the starting line of loose debris by doing a burnout
- Endo – A crash where the vehicle rolls end-over-end
- E.T. – The elapsed time it takes for a car to get around the course
- Five-Point Harness – Mandatory driver lap belt that connects to a mount between the legs
- Four Link – Adjustable suspension of a monster truck
- Hammer – The throttle
- Headers – Pipes for free-exhaust flow
- Hole Shot – The first truck off the starting line
- Hook Up – Accelerating quickly to getting traction
- Hooking Clay – Track dirt that helps with traction
- Nitrogen-Charged Shocks – Shock absorbers filled with nitrogen
- Pogo – When a truck bounces on rear tires while doing a wheelie
- Power Out – Using acceleration to keep from rolling over
- Riding the Wave – Bouncing on the front tires
- Roll Cage – Steel safety structure surrounding the driver
- Sky Wheelie – A truck standing straight up with tires in air at a 90-degree angle
- Slap Wheelie – Front of the truck comes down from a wheelie and then goes back up
- Teeter – Front tires are in the air while rear tires rock from side to side
- Walk It – Single-tire wheelie involving hopping back and forth between the rear tires
- Wheelie – When front wheels are up in the air and the truck is driving on its rear tires
Of course, the most important terms to know are any that mean to “go fast.” “Hot Shoes” (top drivers) like to “mash the throttle,” “drop the hammer,” “gag it,” and/or “grab a footful.” All these refer to hitting the throttle and accelerating.
Hopefully this guide has increased your fluency of monster truck lingo. Now you can go to the next monster truck rally in your town and yell, “Mash the hammer!” while watching trucks perform“slap wheelies” and know exactly what the announcers are talking about.
Source: Feld Motorsports
Vicki Widmar is from the small Ohio town of Prospect. As a science and English teacher who also writes curriculum for a post-secondary program for adults with disabilities, Vicki loves writing about a range of topics, including the automotive industry. When not in front of a class or behind a computer, she enjoys being outside and exploring new locations with her husband and her 2014 Hyundai Elantra. Vicki is eager to share her stories with anyone who will listen—including her experience learning to drive in a manual-transmission 1986 Isuzu Turbo.