Grave Digger Monster Truck
. Morgan Kane. Charlie Pauken. Randy Brown.
Original Grave Digger passes the Monster Jam torch to his kids. Anderson’s willingness to create carnage on the floor elevated Grave Digger from monster truck to marketing and merchandising.
Krysten Anderson. Brandon Vinson. Tyler MenningaHome cityTruck informationYear created1982Body style1950 Panel VanChassisPatrick Enterprises, Inc. (PEI), Cohen-designed ('in-house built'), Carroll Racing Development (CRD), and RacesourceEngine540 cubic inch Merlin 1450hpTransmissionCoan 2-speed transmissionTiresBKT/66' TerraGrave Digger is a racing team in the series.
Grave Digger Monster Truck
There are nine Grave Diggers being driven by different drivers to allow them to make appearances at more events, but their flagship driver is/was creator. Grave Digger is considered to be one of the most famous and iconic monster trucks of all time. Contents.History Grave Digger was originally built in 1982 by Dennis Anderson as a. This first truck was originally a red 1957 Ford pickup truck. The truck received its name when Anderson, amicably trash talking with his fellow racers, said, 'I'll take this old junk and dig you a grave with it', a reference to the age of his old pickup in comparison to their relatively modern trucks.
Anderson gained a reputation for an all-or-nothing driving style and quickly became popular at local events. At one show, a scheduled monster truck failed to show up and Anderson, who already had large tractor tires on the truck, offered to crush cars in the absence of the full-size monster. The promoter accepted and Grave Digger was an instant success as a car crusher and led Anderson to leave mud bogging and pursue monster trucks instead. In 1984 Anderson rebuilt the truck as a true monster truck using a 1951 Ford panel van body originally sporting a silver and blue paint scheme.In 1986 Grave Digger first received its famous black graveyard paint scheme. In 1987 and 1988 Anderson drove the truck primarily at TNT Motorsports races and became a crowd favorite for driving hard despite lacking major funding that better-known teams, like, had.
In 1987, Anderson beat Bigfoot in on a show taped for. It was the first major victory for Grave Digger.Anderson moved to Grave Digger 2 in 1989, with a new 1950 panel van body. It was during this time that the reputation for wild passes was developed, and the popularity of the truck increased. TNT recognised his rising popularity and began promoting Grave Digger heavily, especially for races on the Tuff Trax syndicated television series. This was helped by Bigfoot not racing for points in the 1989 championship, leaving Grave Digger as the most popular truck on the tour.When TNT became a part of the in 1991, Anderson began running on the USHRA tour and debuted his first four-link truck, Grave Digger 3.
Throughout the 1990s, the popularity of the truck grew and forced Anderson to hire other drivers to run other Grave Digger trucks. Grave Diggers 4, 5 and 8 were built to suit this purpose, and were never driven in any major capacity by Anderson. Anderson drove Grave Digger 7, a direct successor to 3, for most of the decade. It was replaced by Grave Digger 12, well known as the 'long wheelbase Digger', which was also the first Grave Digger with purple in the paint job.In 1993, Dennis Anderson and Grave Digger #7 were heavily featured on the TV series. Anderson led the beginning of the season until breakages and disqualifications; he finished 5th. That year, Anderson won the 2nd USHRA wreck of the year title after he won and rolled over in Lebanon Valley Speedway, racing UFO. There was footage inside the cab of Anderson uttering his famous catch-saying “Yea we turned er over, she’s over, that’s what the people want, that’s what they got, I got a torn up truck!”In late 1998, Anderson sold the Grave Digger team to Pace Motorsports (now ).
Anderson continued to drive, being the most visible member of the team, and remained in charge of drivers and of training inexperienced team Grave Digger members.Anderson competed in his final event on January 14, 2017 at in Tampa, Florida. This section does not any. Unsourced material may be challenged. ( February 2019) There have been a total of 38 Grave Digger monster trucks built. There are seven trucks running. Grave Digger #1 – Original truck. The truck was taken apart and sat in the back of the Digger's Dungeon shop, until it was reassembled to make an appearance at as part of a 25th anniversary celebration of Grave Digger.
It is on display at Digger's Dungeon. Grave Digger #2 – Leaf-sprung race truck was rebuilt with a new frame for the world record sound crossing, now sits out front of the shop to draw in visitors. Grave Digger #3 – Race truck. Rebuilt into WCW Nitro Machine in 2000, then Inferno in 2001; and continued to run as Inferno until it was retired in 2007. Grave Digger #4 – Jack Koberna built leaf-spring race truck, ran 1990 to 1996.
Grave Digger #5 – Racesource designed race truck. Originally ran as Jus-Show-N Off/Purina Mainstay from 1992 to 1995.
Chassis sold to Mark and Sherry Wheeler formerly of the Terraduster Monster Truck Team and ran as Brett Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin sponsored WWF Wrestle Trucks. When the sponsorship ended, they ran it as Terraduster until they left the industry in 1999. It has been sold many times since, and was last ran as Dave Radzierez's Diesel Monster Truck.
The Grave Digger body that the truck ran sat in the team store for children to climb on for some time. Grave Digger #6 – Rebuilt as the Son-uva Digger mud bogger.
Was originally the 'Street Digger.' Briefly ran as the Bog Hog mud truck, now named Old #Six. Grave Digger #7 – Race truck. Retired and displayed at the team's headquarters, Digger's Dungeon. Grave Digger #8 – Race truck.
Retired from competition, was on display as part of a temporary museum exhibit in Chicago. Now it sits on display around the front of Diggers Dungeon. Grave Digger #9 – Ride truck, sold and is now Extinguisher, a ride truck. Grave Digger #10 – Racesource designed race truck. It became Radical Rescue. The chassis has been retired and scrapped. Grave Digger #11 – Ride truck, ran as the War Wizard ride truck but was then owned by Randy Brown and he turned it into the Pure Adrenaline ride truck in March 2010.
Starting at the 2012 World Finals, it ran as a Grave Digger 30th Anniversary ride truck. It was rebuilt in 2013 and currently runs as a Grave Digger Ride truck. Grave Digger #12- In-house designed race truck. Originally retired in 2010 as a Grave Digger after a crash in Wildwood, New Jersey, the truck was refurbished for 2011 due to a last minute change where Tony Farrell had to drive the second Grave Digger: The Legend as a field-filler for Son-uva Digger. It is now retired. Grave Digger #13 – Skipped per.
Grave Digger #14 – PEI chassis race truck. Retired in 2010. Grave Digger #15 – Racesource chassis race truck. Retired in 2008. Grave Digger #16 – Racesource chassis race truck. Retired in 2013. Grave Digger #17 – sponsored by the team.
(The IHRA and USHRA were previously under the same ownership.) No longer racing. Grave Digger #18 – PEI chassis race truck.
Retired in 2012. Grave Digger #19 – In-house chassis race truck. Retired in 2014. Grave Digger #20 – In-house chassis race truck. Retired in 2013. Grave Digger #21 – PEI chassis display truck. The truck sits in a BKT-sponsored trailer where fans can sit in the cab of the truck.
Grave Digger #22 – PEI chassis race truck. Originally ran as Batman from 2006 to 2008.
Appeared on in 2012. Retired in 2013. Grave Digger #23 – Carroll Racing Development (CRD) chassis race truck. Retired in 2017. Grave Digger #24 – In-house chassis race truck. Retired in 2015.
Grave Digger #25 – In-house chassis race truck. Retired from competition in 2016.
The truck was used at Monster Jam university in 2017 to train new drivers. The truck is now retired and scrapped. Grave Digger #26 – In-house chassis race truck. Retired in 2016.
Grave Digger #27 – Carroll Racing Development (CRD) chassis race truck. Retired in 2018. Grave Digger #28 – Racesource chassis race truck.
Retired from competition in May 2018. Now a display truck. Grave Digger #29 – In-house chassis race truck.
Currently serves as a back-up truck, used mostly for international shows. Grave Digger #30 – In-house chassis race truck. Retired in 2018. Grave Digger #31 – In-house chassis race truck. Currently driven by Brandon Vinson. Grave Digger #32 – In-house chassis race truck. Originally ran as 'Grave Digger: The Legend', a special retro paint scheme, for the 2014–2015 season.
Retired in 2018. Grave Digger #33 – In-house chassis race truck. Currently driven by Morgan Kane. Grave Digger #34 – CRD chassis race truck. Currently driven by Krysten Anderson.
Grave Digger #35 – In-house chassis race truck. Currently driven by Adam Anderson. Grave Digger #36 – CRD chassis race truck. Currently driven by Tyler Menninga. Grave Digger #37 – CRD chassis race truck. Currently serves as a back-up truck, used mostly for international shows. Grave Digger #38 – CRD chassis race truck.
Currently driven by Charlie Pauken. Grave Digger #39 – CRD chassis race truck. Currently driven by Randy Brown. Grave Digger #40 - CRD Designed Ride Truck - Will be used for the Cedar Point 'Monster Jam Thunder Alley' Experience.Hallmarks. Grave Digger is well known for its gnarly crashes.Grave Digger's origins, the imagery associated with the truck, and the truck's wild reputation, are all considered part of the mystique of the truck and have contributed to its continued popularity.
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Although originally a Ford, the 1950 Chevrolet Panel Van body has become the standard body for all trucks. Likewise, the paint scheme, combining green flames, letters dripping blood, a foggy scene with bearing names of competitors, a silhouetted by a, and a giant shaped ghost, is considered a part of what Grave Digger is and, although being tweaked over the years, has not strayed far from the first incarnation of the paintwork from 1986.Perhaps the most visible trademarks are the red which glow menacingly whenever the truck is in competition. The lights were first used when Anderson was building a transporter out of a and removed the red stop lights.
After realizing they would fit in the headlights of the van, he installed them and the truck has had them ever since. During the TNT days, announcer started telling fans that when the red lights were turned on, the truck was 100% ready to run and Anderson was going to go all out. Fans began to take notice and Anderson, who would keep the lights off if something was not working properly, began receiving letters saying that he was not at 100% at certain shows because the lights were not on.
To this day, the lights are turned on for every run. Grave Digger 7 with part of its body missingThe reputation Grave Digger gained shot the truck to super stardom in the 1980s and continues to draw fans today. In the late 1980s Anderson gained the nickname 'One Run Anderson' for his spectacular but often destructive qualifying passes which entertained the crowd but on many occasions put truck out of competition for the rest of the event. With the advent of, Anderson gained a means by which he could entertain the crowd with wild stunts while also focusing on winning races. Today, Grave Digger, no matter which driver is appearing, is traditionally the last truck to freestyle at most events, providing the 'grand finale' which caps off the show. These freestyles often end up in crashes, which Grave Digger is known to do much more frequently than other trucks.
The crowd typically loves to see the wrecks but some criticize the team for what they feel is the glorification of crashing.The immense popularity of Grave Digger has made it the for Monster Jam, and in some cases monster trucks in general. There is much debate over whether Grave Digger has taken over the title of 'Most Popular Monster Truck' from.
Grave Digger Monster Truck Tour
As a result, the Grave Digger vs.
Have you ever wanted to know a whole bunch of facts about the Grave Digger? If so, you are in the right place, because I know a whole bunch of facts about the Grave Digger and I really want to share them all with you. So, settle in and join me on this journey of Grave Digger knowledge.
You’ll want to get comfortable because as I stated about 1 sentence ago I know a whole bunch of facts)Let’s start at the beginning, the Grave Digger was originally created by Dennis Anderson in 1979, and guess what—it wasn’t even designed for monster truck racing. When Dennis first created the Grave Digger it was for mud bog racing. Anderson used the body of an old 1952 Ford pickup truck that he lifted and equipped with mud bog tires and a small block Chevy engine.The Digger reportedly received its name when Anderson, who was fed up with trash talking from fellow drivers said, “I’ll take this old junk and dig you a grave with it.” This was in reference to the age of the old pickup, and the fact that many of the parts were found in the junkyard. Anderson’s competitors loved to make fun of him for tinkering with an old beat up truck, especially since they were driving much newer and “nicer” trucks.But, let’s keep going because there is certainly a lot more to this monster truck racing legend than a little anecdote about how it got its name. So let’s go deeper and find out more than we ever thought we would want to know about the Grave Digger and its creator, Dennis Anderson.Dennis Anderson: An Original IconCan you imagine being the guy who created one of the most famous monster trucks of all time?
Especially when all you started with was a truck made from junkyard scraps. Personally, I can’t even kind of imagine it, but this is the reality of Dennis Anderson.Dennis is from Kill Devils Hill, North Carolina (which, sidenote, is a really rad name for a towndon’t you agree?) He built his original Grave Digger and began competing in mud bogging when he was only 21 years old, back in 1981. Despite being so young and starting out with so little he has risen to fame in the monster truck world. In fact, even people who don’t follow monster truck racing have probably heard of the Grave Digger.Actually, after writing that sentence I decided to do a little experiment. I mentioned Grave Digger to several people that I know don’t follow monster truck racing to see if they know what it is.
And guess what, they do. Random folks with no knowledge of the monster truck world do know Grave Digger, that’s crazy.Dennis had a certain flair and once he began competing he quickly rose in popularity. He had a unique driving style and the audience definitely noticed. He pioneered the full-throttle method of Monster Jam racing. He was known for hitting every jump and trick with his pedal to the metal.Anderson suffered many crashes during his career, due in a large part to his wild racing style (aka his tendency to drive full throttle, spraying mud everywhere). In fact, his intense and all-or-nothing technique landed him with the nickname “One Run Anderson,” because he tended to crash so early on during his events.
Unfortunately, this meant that given the destructive nature of his qualifying passes, his monster truck would often have to be left out of competition after sustaining so much damage to its body and performance engine.Luckily as the freestyle event was adopted by the monster truck races, Anderson was able to modify his racing style to ensure that he would be able to entertain his fans at each event, while at the same time keeping his eyes on the prize and winning the race that he was taking a part in. Although, he never let go of his full-throttle driving that got him noticed in the first place. As a matter of fact the Grave Digger is able to go from 0 mph to 30 mph in 1.52 seconds. For reference and comparison is takes the 2010 Nissan GT-R 1.78 seconds to do thatand that’s on pavement, Grave Digger does it in the dirt. So, way to go Dennis and his Grave Digger.Over the course of his career, Dennis has received several injuries. His first serious injury happened when he hit a wall and broke his kneecap in 1991. Then, in 1992 his truck side-slapped a wall and he cracked several ribs.
His cracked ribs have caused recurring issues throughout his career. In 2003 he rolled into a dumpster and hit his head, but he was luckily able to walk away from that accident. He also injured his wrist in both 2003 and 2006. In 2015 he injured his foot when his truck rolled and in 2017 he suffered internal injuries and had to be treated at the hospital when his truck shut off due to RII malfunction during a backflip attempt and the truck landed directly on the roof and caused the roll cage to sink in.As Anderson told The Daily Journal back in 2014, “I drive it hard and drive it into the ground.
If I drove it for myself, I wouldn’t dare drive it the way I do. I drive it for the fans.”So, regardless of what else anyone might say about Anderson and his driving style he certainly put on a show, and it was a show the crowds loved.But, it wasn’t always easy for Anderson, in the early days of the sport, monster truck racing was mostly sideshow action for tractor pulls. He had to hold day jobs and and he was often in debt. But, he worked hard both in and out of the truck.
He pushed hard for t-shirts and posters and did all he could to keep his fans hyped. Thanks to all of his hard work and his unique and exciting driving style he was able to gain a huge following even without any sponsorships. Sponsorships that his competitors did have.
Eventually, thanks to his skill and determination he received an offer from TNT Motorsports, the monster truck PR company at the time. This offer meant that Anderson would now have a guaranteed payday every time he raced and TNT Motorsports started to promote the truck for its syndicated television series, Tuff Trax.In 1991, TNT entertainment officially joined the US Hot Rod Association. For Dennis Anderson, this meant that he would now start participating in all the USHRA tours.Anderson went on to win many awards, including:. Motor Madness World Finals Points Champion – 1999. USHRA World Finals Freestyle Champion – 2000. USHRA World Finals Racing Champion – 2004, 2006, 2010Anderson is now retired, his last event was in Tampa, Florida on January 14, 2017; but during the entirety of his career he never lost his balls to the walls racing style that he had from the beginning. He always remained the guy that fans loved to watch.Oh, and in case anyone cares, Dennis Anderson now has a networth of $3 million.
No biggie.The History of the Grave DiggerThe Grave Digger’s big break came pretty quickly in its career when a monster truck driver failed to appear for a show and Anderson was given the opportunity to drive in his place. He crushed some cars, the crowd went wild and the event producer went on to include the Grave Digger in subsequent events. After that, Anderson decided to leave mud bogging and pursue monster truck driving instead.In 1984 the Grave Digger became a true monster truck when the Ford pickup was replaced by a 1957 Ford Panel van and had an even larger engine and tires. At this point in time the Grave Digger sported a blue and silver paint job, not the green and black “graveyard” themed look everyone knows it for now. That look appeared in 1986 after Dennis commissioned his friend to create the iconic paint scheme, which was inspired by 1950s horror comics.Although the dates for when Anderson and the Grave Digger rose to true fame vary among fans, most people recognize 1986 as the break out year.
It was in 1986 that Anderson and his Digger took on Bigfoot, a rival monster truck.Grave Digger vs. BigfootThe rivalry between Grave Digger and Bigfoot quickly became one of the strongest in the sport. Producers played up the rivalry between these two drivers and their trucks to help create drama–and it worked.At this time Bigfoot was the truck everyone wanted a piece of, the “King of the Monster Trucks.” And Grave Digger was the unsponsored, but fan loved, truck that was on the rise.The tables began to turn and Grave Digger skyrocketed in fame when Anderson and his Digger beat Bigfoot during a competition in Minnesota.
This competition was aired by ESPN and Anderson beat Bigfoot. Bigfoot was number one, the guy to beatand the Grave Digger beat him.Anderson was now, The Man. And his truck was, The Truck.To this day the Grave Digger vs.
Bigfoot rivalry is still the most talked about rivalry in the sport, in spite of the fact that the two have not competed against each other since the 1990’s. Grave Digger’s Red LightsLet’s talk for a minute about one of the Grave Digger’s most iconic features. A feature that has been there since the beginning, a feature that has always signaled to Grave Digger fans that something amazing is about to happen. I’m talking about the red headlights. Early on in his career Anderson figured out that the red taillights from a school bus fit perfectly on his truck, and the rest, as they say, is history.When he was still competing in TNT, Army Armstrong, one of the announcers at these events started a rumor that whenever the red lights were switched on, it meant that the truck was ready to go into action and that its driver—Dennis Anderson—would go all the way. Fans immediately began to notice this fact. Anderson responded by ensuring that the lights were off if something was not right with his monster truck.
But, this lead to his team receiving letters from fans expressing concern about the lights being off during certain events. They didn’t like the idea that the truck was not functioning properly or that Anderson was not ready.This caused the team to make some changes and led to them ensuring that the those signature red headlights remained on for all of their shows.Grave Digger 2 and BeyondIn 1989 Grave Digger 2 was built and the decision was made to switch the body from the Ford Panel van to a Chevy Panel van. (Clearly it was a good choice because the Chevy Panel van is the body that has been used in all subsequent Grave Diggers.) 2 years later Anderson debuted Grave Digger 3, the first four-link Grave Digger while on his first very tour with the US Hot Rod Association.The 1990s saw the Grave Digger’s popularity continue to rise across the country, in fact Grave Digger became so popular that Anderson had to hire additional drivers to race more Grave Diggers across the country, and he built Grave Diggers 4, 5 and 8 for his team to drive.
Anderson himself never really drove any of those Grave Diggers, instead Anderson drove Grave Digger 7, which was a direct successor to Grave Digger 3, for most of that decade.In 1993 Anderson and Grave Digger 7 were highly featured on the TV series Monster Wars. At the beginning of the season Anderson was in the lead but breakages and disqualifications led to him coming in 5th.In 1998 Anderson reached an agreement to sell his brand to Pace Motorsports (which is now Feld Motorsports). Anderson continued to drive and be the most visible member of the team, he also remained in charge of the drivers and their training.After purchasing the brand, Feld Motorsports began to use Grave Digger as the flagship in its Monster Jam series.To this day the Grave Digger has managed to remain in the spotlight. It’s fans from the early days have remained loyal and new fans are able to discover the awesome wonder of the Grave Digger all the time.
Even though Dennis is now retired he still remains behind the scenes and in the pit, he is never far from his beloved Grave Digger, the truck that began as a bunch of junkyard scraps and has now become a legend.An Insider’s Look at Grave DiggerGrave Digger currently runs a 2-speed automatic Powerglide transmission. It also boasts one of the most expensive engines in the sport. The engine is located in the center as a way of helping to lower its center of gravity and comes with a 1,500 horsepower rating.Unlike other trucks which require the driver to use the crawl space beneath the truck to access their seat, Grave Digger has been customized with a swing-out door. The driver’s seat is found in the center to help enhance the driver’s safety.The gas pedal is fitted with a special toe hook that makes it easier for the driver to pull upwards in the event that the truck gets stuck.Other features inside the Grave Digger are pretty comparable to other monster trucks.How Many Grave Digger Trucks Are There?There are currently 9 Grave Digger trucks in circulation.
This number allows them to make appearances at more events, including some that are overseas.They’ve got to give the people what they want, right? And the people want the Grave Digger.Who Currently Drives and Owns Grave Digger?As I briefly mentioned before Dennis Anderson reached an agreement with Feld Motorsports and sold them his brand. Randy Brown Motorsports is now also a partial owner of Grave Digger. So, once you add in Anderson Boys Racing (aka Dennis and his family) the Grave Digger has three official owners.The 2 Grave Digger Spin-offs, Son-Uva Digger and Grave Digger: The Legend, are also owned by Feld Motorsports and Anderson Boys Racing. Son-Uva Digger and Grave Digger: The Legend made their debut in 2011, being driven by Dennis’s sons Ryan and Adam respectively.The 2019 lineup of Grave Digger drivers is: Adam Anderson, Krysten Anderson, Randy Brown, Morgan Kane, Tyler Menninga, Charlie Pauken, Brandon Vinson and Chad Tingler-who is overseas. Carl Van Horn is also in the lineup as a backup driver.Adam and Krysten are the son and daughter of Dennis Anderson.
Adam used to be the driver of Grave Digger: The Legend until he switched to the Grave Digger team in 2015.There have been several drivers over the years, a lot of people want to get on the Grave Digger driving team. I mean, wouldn’t you? If you were a monster truck driver and you had a chance to do what you love for a super successful, well-loved team why would you pass that up? I know I wouldn’t.
Side note: Grave Digger, if you’re hiringI’m interested. I don’t have any experience at all though so I hope that’s not a problem.Digger’s DungeonDigger’s Dungeon is a monster truck destination spot located in North Carolina about 30 minutes away from Dennis’s hometown, Kill Devils Hill.
If you are a fan of the Grave Digger then this is definitely a place you need to add to your bucket list. There are several former Grave Diggers on display, including Grave Digger 1. Digger’s Dungeon is also the place where Team Digger works on developing new Monster Jam technology. Today’s Grave Diggers are able to jump 40 feet high and a distance of 125 feettalk about some sweet technology.At Digger’s Dungeon you can sit in a display Grave Digger to see what it’s like inside and take a ride in R.I.P Tide, a ride truck owned by the Andersons. During the ride you get to go up a dirt ramp and over a school bus.
I’m not going to lie, that sounds pretty dope.The man himself, Dennis Anderson, will occasionally visit Digger’s Dungeon and sign autographsso if the odds are in your favor maybe this will happen while you’re there.So, who wants to plan a trip to Digger’s Dungeon with me? We can also hit up Digger’s Diner which is located next door. The ceiling of Digger’s Diner is decorated with signed Grave Digger hoods. I’ve also heard great things about their friesGrave Digger Trivia.Grave Digger’s theme song is “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood and the Destroyers-This song is also the trucks motto.There have been a total of 39 Grave Digger trucks built.Grave Digger, regardless of who is driving, is traditionally the last truck to freestyle, providing a sort of “grand finale.”.Grave Digger is notorious for ending freestyle in a crash, more so than other trucks.