There was little doubt that Krysten Anderson would become a formidable Monster Jam truck driver.
The 25-year-old North Carolina native is the only daughter of Monster Jam Hall of Famer Dennis Anderson (creator of the popular Grave Digger monster truck), and Krysten helped take over her family business in 2017 when her father (now 62) retired after an injury.
She won her first Freestyle competition in just her second event, and in 2022, she became the first-ever female Monster Jam tour series champion by winning the Arena Series Central championship.
“That was a big deal – I had to win five months straight,” Krysten said Tuesday in a phone interview, to promote the upcoming Monster Jam shows May 6 at Vibrant Arena at The MARK. “It was a huge deal.” She also won the 2022 Rising Star Award.
“I’ve done a pretty good job representing the Grave Digger family,” she said, noting women are still fairly rare in the Monster Jam universe. “A lot of the guys are afraid of me, to be honest…There are few limitations that separate me from the guys. We can drive a monster truck; there are pretty incredible things women can do.”
Grave Digger – created by Dennis Anderson in 1982 (he lives in the aptly-named Kill Devil Hills, N.C. — is one of the most decorated Monster Jam trucks in the world. Dennis Anderson won four Monster Jam World Finals championships, capturing the racing title in 2004 and 2006, and the freestyle title in 2000 and 2010.
“Monster Jam is all I know. I was born into the sport through my dad,” Krysten says in her online bio. She has three brothers (all Monster Jam drivers) and said her favorite part about competing in Monster Jam is getting to carry on the family legacy.
“During the peak of his career was the early stage of my life, and one of the coolest things was my dad being the Grave Digger creator,” Krysten said Tuesday. She recalled bringing her 4th-grade class to her father’s shop and them being super impressed.
There are six Grave Digger trucks that tour with Monster Jam and she was the first female driver for it; there are about 50 drivers for them today, including her big brothers Adam and Ryan.
Krysten said her dad became a different person when he got behind the wheel of the huge truck (its tires alone are 66 inches tall and 43 inches wide.
“People loved my dad – he’s super down to earth, he’s the salt of the earth, so humble,” she said. “When he drove the truck, he became a madman. The crowd would go crazy; they’re going frickin’ insane. This guy doesn’t care if he breaks the truck. He’s there to entertain us. My dad was a major crowd-pleaser.”
Krysten was floored seeing the reactions her father inspired.
“It was crazy – so many people would get so emotional,” she recalled. “My dad was their hero. He’s hugging people, signing autographs.”
Inspiring others
As a pioneering female monster truck driver, Krysten also sees it as part of her job to inspire girls.
Last November, she posted on her Facebook page: “In a world that wants women to whisper, I choose to yell. Take up space in this world girls.”
On her Monster Jam page, when asked about advice she’d give to kids, Krysten says: “No dream is too big. Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do something because of your gender, age, race, etc., because you can! Work hard, stay focused and follow your heart… it will take you far.”
“I wanted to be an inspiration for girls,” she said Tuesday. “It’s really heartwarming to see little girls come up after a show. I love them so much. They say, ‘You’re so brave’; that’s cool. I want them to have someone who looks like them.”
Krysten didn’t feel very brave in 2017, when she did her first back flip (by driving forward and then turning the truck upside down and back up) in Grave Digger, at a sold-out Las Vegas venue with 65,000 screaming fans.
“It’s a 13,000-pound truck and you have to be right on the money with a back flip. There’s no room for error,” she said. “And it’s at the World Finals – it’s our Super Bowl, the World Cup. It’s my dad’s 35th anniversary (of Grave Digger), and he had been injured. We were feeling very emotional.”
“I had to time it perfectly,” Krysten recalled, noting she only had one practice run there before the actual show. “I’m like, ummm, I’ve been literally driving a monster truck for five minutes – I can do a back flip, whatever.”
She did it and the crowd went predictably crazy. “I was so proud of myself, I was tearing up in my cab…I’m so glad we landed it, and now I have one of the best back-flip averages of all the drivers.”
Finding her own style
Krysten credited her brothers for helping prepare her for Monster Jam.
“Adam is more a wild card, super technical. He’s a really great racer,” she said. “Ryan is super, super controlled chaos. He’s insane – easily one of the top drivers in Monster Jam.”
“My style, a lot of people tell me I remind them of my dad,” she said. “I’m also a little unpredictable. I am very competitive – I like to do my best, very clean and consistent.
“I’m crazy too; I can keep up with the guys,” Krysten said. “I’m willing to push the limits to win.”
One of the other women among Monster Jam drivers is 32-year-old Davenport native Myranda Cozad, who was part of the April 2022 tour that came to the Moline arena.
“Myranda is a tough cookie,” Krysten said. “She has grown by leaps and bounds. She’s one of the toughest competitors, too. She’s a little wild card.”
The May 6 Monster Jam shows will be at 1 p.m. at Vibrant Arena, 1201 River Drive, Moline. Tickets are $24 to $69, available at the box office or online HERE.
For more information, visit the Monster Jam website HERE.
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