Monster Trucks Coming To Local Fair
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Dave Harwood was to be a replacement for three shows. Four years later, the Syracuse native is still driving monster trucks for well-known team owner Paul Shafer.
After five years of driving his own equipment and handling all the responsibilities that came with it - most notably paying the expensive engine and tire bills - 49-year-old Harwood was offered a full time driving opportunity with Shafer Motorsports.
Filling that seat the past four years, Harwood has seen the country coast to coast. He's driven a monster truck in all but four states - Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington - and even driven in the West Indies.
It's a show Monday evening at the Kosciusko County 4-H & Community Fair, which begins at 7 p.m. in the grandstand, that he's most excited about.
The closest Harwood has driven to his hometown is the Elkhart County Fair in Goshen, and there hasn't been a monster truck show here at the fair in Warsaw in 10 years.
"About 10 years ago they had a show here and they had four trucks," said Harwood, who will drive the Wild Thang, powered by a 540-cubic-inch Chevy Rodeck engine that produces nearly 1,400 horsepower.
"We did a show at the Elkhart County Fair and there were 8,000 people there watching us. I've been wanting to do a show here, and I hope we sell it out. I hope there's standing room only."
Harwood's wife, Sherry, will drive the Boogey Van, a 1995 Ford Areostar Van powered by a 572-cubic inch SVO Boss Ford engine that generates 1,500 horsepower, at the fairgrounds Monday evening.
Harwood jokingly referred to the Boogey Van as "one heck of a grocery getter."
It's his wife, who suffered an injury last year and is coming out of retirement for the local show, that Harwood credits his interest in monster trucks to.
Sherry was the first to climb into a monster truck, and while she competed in the side-by-side racing that has become so popular, Dave was in charge of a ride-along program at the shows, allowing fans to experience the thrill and horsepower of these mighty machines.
Now Dave has been driving full-time for Shafer Motorsports for nearly half a decade.
He's been on ESPN, beat such well-known monster trucks and drivers as Grave Digger and Dennis Anderson.
His schedule this year includes 40 shows, and he says, "I'm never home." But Monday evening he'll be home, the first of six shows in seven days, and he wants the crowd at the fairgrounds to get their money's worth.
Joining Wild Thang and Boogey Van Monday will be Bear Foot, Monster Patrol, Black Label Society, Scorpion King and Frankenstein.
All the forementioned trucks are owned by Shafer Motorsports, which maintains a fleet of 21 monster trucks.
Shafer Motorsports' most well-known truck is arguably Bear Foot, which has appeared in movies such as "Porky's Revenge", been on television show "Knight Rider", and appeared in music videos for ZZ Top and Kid Rock.
Both Dave Harwood and event director Bobby Paul made note that Shafer Motorsports created the first ever monster truck, Bear Foot, though fans are also very familiar with Bob Chandler's Big Foot, which was the first monster truck to drive over cars.
Harwood said his monster truck burns eight gallons of fuel every 100 feet, and it's 66-inch Goodyear tires cost $2,500 each.
Monday's show includes side-by-side monster truck drag racing, a freestyle competition and a local tough truck competition.
Also scheduled to appear at the monster truck show Monday are X-Games participants Kenny Yoho and Rudy Waller, who will show off their freestyle motocross skills.
"We want everyone to come out and see it," said Paul, the full-time promotions director for Shafer Motorsports. "We think people will like what they see." [[In-content Ad]]
Dave Harwood was to be a replacement for three shows. Four years later, the Syracuse native is still driving monster trucks for well-known team owner Paul Shafer.
After five years of driving his own equipment and handling all the responsibilities that came with it - most notably paying the expensive engine and tire bills - 49-year-old Harwood was offered a full time driving opportunity with Shafer Motorsports.
Filling that seat the past four years, Harwood has seen the country coast to coast. He's driven a monster truck in all but four states - Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington - and even driven in the West Indies.
It's a show Monday evening at the Kosciusko County 4-H & Community Fair, which begins at 7 p.m. in the grandstand, that he's most excited about.
The closest Harwood has driven to his hometown is the Elkhart County Fair in Goshen, and there hasn't been a monster truck show here at the fair in Warsaw in 10 years.
"About 10 years ago they had a show here and they had four trucks," said Harwood, who will drive the Wild Thang, powered by a 540-cubic-inch Chevy Rodeck engine that produces nearly 1,400 horsepower.
"We did a show at the Elkhart County Fair and there were 8,000 people there watching us. I've been wanting to do a show here, and I hope we sell it out. I hope there's standing room only."
Harwood's wife, Sherry, will drive the Boogey Van, a 1995 Ford Areostar Van powered by a 572-cubic inch SVO Boss Ford engine that generates 1,500 horsepower, at the fairgrounds Monday evening.
Harwood jokingly referred to the Boogey Van as "one heck of a grocery getter."
It's his wife, who suffered an injury last year and is coming out of retirement for the local show, that Harwood credits his interest in monster trucks to.
Sherry was the first to climb into a monster truck, and while she competed in the side-by-side racing that has become so popular, Dave was in charge of a ride-along program at the shows, allowing fans to experience the thrill and horsepower of these mighty machines.
Now Dave has been driving full-time for Shafer Motorsports for nearly half a decade.
He's been on ESPN, beat such well-known monster trucks and drivers as Grave Digger and Dennis Anderson.
His schedule this year includes 40 shows, and he says, "I'm never home." But Monday evening he'll be home, the first of six shows in seven days, and he wants the crowd at the fairgrounds to get their money's worth.
Joining Wild Thang and Boogey Van Monday will be Bear Foot, Monster Patrol, Black Label Society, Scorpion King and Frankenstein.
All the forementioned trucks are owned by Shafer Motorsports, which maintains a fleet of 21 monster trucks.
Shafer Motorsports' most well-known truck is arguably Bear Foot, which has appeared in movies such as "Porky's Revenge", been on television show "Knight Rider", and appeared in music videos for ZZ Top and Kid Rock.
Both Dave Harwood and event director Bobby Paul made note that Shafer Motorsports created the first ever monster truck, Bear Foot, though fans are also very familiar with Bob Chandler's Big Foot, which was the first monster truck to drive over cars.
Harwood said his monster truck burns eight gallons of fuel every 100 feet, and it's 66-inch Goodyear tires cost $2,500 each.
Monday's show includes side-by-side monster truck drag racing, a freestyle competition and a local tough truck competition.
Also scheduled to appear at the monster truck show Monday are X-Games participants Kenny Yoho and Rudy Waller, who will show off their freestyle motocross skills.
"We want everyone to come out and see it," said Paul, the full-time promotions director for Shafer Motorsports. "We think people will like what they see." [[In-content Ad]]