When Ryan Anderson visits Central Florida, he is never short on ways to keep busy. “Florida is the mecca for the fun-haver,” says the North Carolina native. “The biggest problem I have is I don’t have enough time to do all the fun stuff I want to.”
For monster-truck driver Anderson, the excitement isn’t just at the theme parks or the beaches. It’s found wherever engines roar. “I have a ton of friends … heavily involved in the mud-racing world, which is huge throughout the Florida region,” he says. “Whenever I get a chance to go watch a race, I always do so.”
Anderson, 27, is in town for this weekend’s Monster Jam at Camping World Stadium. The son of driver Dennis Anderson, pilot of the iconic Grave Digger, the younger Anderson is going on his seventh year of driving Son-Uva Digger in the monster-truck competition. Brother Adam is also on the circuit.
The sport of pitting these raised-up, souped-up pickups against each other dates to at least the 1970s. Monster Jam features each truck in two kinds of competition: racing or time trials, and freestyle, where drivers are given two minutes on the open course of dirt and ramps to show off their skills and agility. Think of it like a gymnast’s floor routine, but where a car might get crushed.
The event is produced by Feld Entertainment, which also produces Supercross and other motor sport events. Anderson sees a lot of common ground with his other racing friends. “These people are just like us,” he says. “They’re gearheads who want anything and everything — with horsepower, that does burnouts — to have fun with.”
Still, those smaller vehicles aren’t for Anderson. “Monster trucks is the epitome of what I think is very cool,” he says. “Monster Jam is where it’s at. Biggest of the biggest, baddest of the baddest.”
Built in 1982, Grave Digger was a star before Anderson was born. While the driver admires his familial contributions to the sport, Anderson doesn’t let the legacy weigh on him. “Honestly, if I go out and don’t do the run that I want to do, I’m disappointed in myself,” he says. “It’s the way I was raised.”
Flying through the air in several tons of fiberglass and steel is not without its dangers. Dennis Anderson was injured in a show in Tampa this month. (He’s recovering and will not appear on Saturday, but Grave Digger will.) Ryan Anderson, however, isn’t concerned. The mandated safety precautions, he says, are “more than enough” to protect the drivers. “There’s an inherent risk, but just like there is in everything in life.”
Whether he nails a perfect back flip or winds up upside-down, Anderson knows it’s all for the fans and they love it either way. “If we crash, they love it. If you make it, they like it. No matter what, you’re still a hero.”
Monster Jam rolls into Camping World Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21. Tickets are $22-$138 at ticketmaster.com.
