I am Tom Meents, Monster Jam truck driver. AMA!

Hey Tom, how's it going? This is the Taylor Swift dancing tech official. Just wanted to pop in and say good luck with the double in Foxboro!

Hi Travis! I Hope My Moves in the Truck are Half as Good As Yours on the Track !! Thanks Man !! I'm Looking Forward to It!

Hi Tom! Just curious about the planning process that goes into your stunts, how much time do spend mapping things out and/or practicing them? What is the typical procedure?

In the Past We haven't Spent As Much Time, But for The Front Flip We Spent a Great Deal of Time Planning Practicing, Constructing the Ramp, Making Changes to The Stunt Truck, etc

If you could race something other than a monster truck, what would it be?

Top Fuel Funny Car !!!

Just saw the NHRA races in Epping NH this weekend. ..it was awesome! Any thoughts on a top fuel drag race monster truck?

It Would Be Perfect For Me If They Had Such a Class !!!

Hi tom! I'm a huge fan of monster jam and monster trucks in general. Watching the stream of your front-flip last weekend was incredible, and has to be the coolest thing I've ever seen. I know last year in Europe you drove Morgan's MaxD on it's CRD chassis. My question is what was that experience like in such a differently designed, rear-engined truck compared to driving the front-engined wilman style chassis you are used to?

In The Past Its been Hard for Me to Do, But Last Year I was Able to Drive Candice Jolly's Monster Mutt Dalmatian Chassis at the Training Track and That Experience Helped Me Greatly!

Hi Tom, long time fan. I was wondering what your thoughts were about Monster Jam and the absence of Bigfoot? is there any chance Bigfoot will ever get into the Monster Jam circuit?

Never Say Never !!!

Hi Tom, I have a couple questions about where the sport is headed:

I was a real big fan of the FS1 and #MMJ points series this year. With a little tweaking, I think it could be used across the entire sport. Do you think that's a direction Monster Jam is headed, and do you think it's a good thing?

Who will be your biggest rival after Dennis retires?

Going to miss you at Stafford again this year. I know the international expansion is a good thing, but I hope Monster Jam doesn't forget the speedways and stadiums that built it. Good luck on the double backflip Saturday, I'll have seen all 4 attempts live!

I Think They're Certainly Looking Into It, The #MMJ Tour was Really Successful, and Team Max-D won both of those So Needless to Say I Thought They Were Great! Geeez, Man There's a Million of Them - Both Adam and Ryan Want To Beat Me More Than Dennis Does! THANK YOU, That is so cool, Can't Wait to See You Saturday!

Hey, Tom, what do you drive when you're not operating Max-D? Favorite truck/muscle car? Thanks for the AMA. Good luck this weekend!

I Have a Cadillac Escalade, my Favorite Ride is my '72 Blazer. My Favorite car is a '69 Camaro. Sweet, Make Sure You Check It Out on the Website! Should Be Pretty Cool !!

Hi Tom, thanks for doing this. This is going to be a pretty long post, so I understand if you don’t want to answer all of the questions. Any you do answer will be greatly appreciated.

1: What do you believe was your best performance ever?

2: Who, other than Colton, do you think has had the most impressive rookie season from the past two or three years?

3: How much use does the practice/testing facility get? I saw that there was a #MoreMonsterJam track set up there. How many of the drivers used it? Did Colton practice the backflip he did in Des Moines at all?

4: Did you cleanly land the frontflip during testing?

5: Have you ever made any practice double backflip attempts?

6: Do you think a rear engine setup would be better for the stunt truck?

7: During the double backflip special on Fox Sports 1, you said the rear steering made the second rotation difficult. Why not get rid of the rear steering on the stunt truck? You barely used it in East Rutherford.

8: If you could drive any other truck for one show, what would it be and why?

9: Do you use Rigs of Rods or any other type of simulator? If you do, do you feel like you benefit from it?

10: A few drivers have spoken out against some of Monster Jam’s decisions this year, namely fan judging and track design. Do you feel like either of these have been an issue this year? How would you improve them?

11: Which body style of Max-D do you prefer, the 2003-2012 body, the 2013 LED (Non spiked) body, or the current spiked design? Which paint scheme?

12: Do you think the hesitation by officials to use the RII is an issue at all? We see a lot of upside-down trucks with the throttles pinned.

13: What is your favorite track you’ve ever competed on?

14: Do you like the new “hybrid” arena tracks or do you prefer when there’s racing in arenas?

15: How do the BKT tires handle compared to what you used previously?

16: Why don’t you compete when you’re attempting a major stunt?

17: Think you could upgrade my seats for Foxboro? ;)

Whew! Let's GO! 1. I Don't Know if I Could Pick out One Performance, but my Favorite Move was Last Weekend's Front Flip! 2. Brianna Mahon ! She drives Scooby- Doo! 3. The Practice Facility gets a LOT of Use in The Summertime. From April- November We Have a Lot of Testing and Training Going On. Just the Current #MoreMonsterJam Athletes used it and the New Ones That We're Training for Next Season. Colton Never Practiced That Backflip, He Did It At The Event For the First Time Ever! 4. Hmmmmm....I'm Going to Have to Say Yes, But It Wasn't Consistent. We Did It More Than Once But Never Landed in Dirt (Crush Car Pile) 5. Not Practice, Only At Live Events! 6. No, I don't 7. We Got Rid of It After The First Couple Sttempts, Haven't Been Using It Lately Actually 8. DOOM'S DAY !!!! 9. I've Often Times Seen the YouTube Videos, Never Played It!! 10. Fan Judging Can Be Tough, but So Can Real Judging. I Don't Always Agree with the Judging Either Way, No Real Difference. I've Really Loved the New Track Designs, I Love the Constant Changes, Keeps You On Your Toes! 11. The Current Spike Design For Sure! I Am Partial To the Chrome, It's Just VERY Expensive 12. It's VERY Hard on The Engines, They're Gonna Allow Less of it 13. You've Stumped me! 14. I love the New Hybrid Arena Track! More Possibilities 15. By FAR the Best Tire We've Ever Had for Freestyle 16. To Make Sure Nothing Happens to Me So That We can Be Sure I'm Capable Of Doing The Stunt !! 17. Hahahahaha, please send photo !!

How long did you practice to perfect the front flip?

Ummmm, We Worked On It Starting Right After World Finals, About 2 1/2 Months. We Made over a Dozen Attempts

Hey Tom! I'm from New Orleans and went to the 2015 Monster Jam show and been going since 2000. 2 questions. At New Orleans this year, what happened in racing, did you have electrical issues? And why did you prefer double set coil over shocks in the rear of the truck for your frontflip?

We Broke An Intermediate Drive Shaft and it wrecked the Safety Loops, So It Took a Long Time to Get It Fixed !! The Double Coil Makes The Suspension Stiffer So It will Get More of a Spring off the Kicker Portion of the Ramp.

Hey Tom, Do you like milk?

Love milk !!

Tom, Monique Hart here from Chandler, AZ! We miss you! Why don't you come to Phoenix shows anymore? The trucks sent here are the lesser known guys except for the Cretens. We don't bother going anymore :( . We want you back here like in the good ole days when there aren't 5,000 people in line for your autograph! Why don't you ever come out West anymore?

I Wish I Could ! If You and Your Husband Will Have Another Kid, I'll Come Sign Their Wall Again !! Miss You Guys Too !!

Out of all of the trucks/drivers you no longer get to do events with, who do you miss doing shows with the most?

Tony Farrell, Really Funny Guy, Great To Be Around.

Hey Tom, considering all of your accomplishments in Monster Jam, what do you still want to do before calling it a career?

Who among the up and coming drivers do you think is poised to make the leap to dominate the sport in the coming years?

More Incredible Stunts and Win My 6th Title in Freestyle So I'd Have The Perfect Six Pack! There's aLOT of them Honestly, It Won't be Long Until These Young SuperStars are Dominating !! They're Screaming "Move Over, Tom!"

Hey Tom, big fan of yours since back in the USHRA Days, back when you were driving Monster Patrol. Do you still communicate with Paul Shafer, and do you wish Feld would bring back Monster Patrol, similar how they brought back Carolina Crusher?

Yes, Paul is Still a Good Friend, Whenever I'm in His Area We Go Out To Dinner ! It Would Be Cool to See Monster Patrol Again, I Like That

Hi tom, are there any new exciting things in terms of drivers, trucks, tracks and monster jam in general that you can tell us. Also is there any way we can make detroit Mi a two stop event again?

We're Looking to Add a Fourth Max-D Truck And Driver !!!!!

I saw the amazing front flip video! Can you take us through what was going through your mind once you hit the ramp? Also, do you have any rituals prior to big stunts like that and the double backflip attempts?

Number One Thing was Steady Speed, Hit it 100% Square, and as Soon As The Back Tires Hit The Kicker, Gotta Get On The Brakes To help The Forward Rotation

You didn't get the Guinness World Records award for the front flip, what non-motorsports Guinness World Records award would you really love to have?

Man With The Most Money ! Is That One? Hahaha

First of all yeay PAXTON . I have family friends from Paxton and I grew up not too far from there so I've been going to see Monster Jam just about every year since I was a kid. I was pretty excited to see you doing an AMA. My question is, what got you interested in driving a monster truck?

My Cousin Richard had a Big Jacked Up 4-Wheel drive Truck With Oversized Tires and He Got Me Headed Down that path since I was 10 Years Old !!

"Grave Who? Grave Digger? Whos That?" Do you wish Feld would bring back the Flag idea that was used in the 1980's and 2000's and as well, do you want a Points Series similar to TNT and PENDA back then, where it doesn't matter what company you run with (Monster X Tour, Jamboree Circut, Monster Jam, Monster Truck Throwdown) You run for a TRUE championship?

The Flag Idea was a Great Idea, It did Give Fans something to Look Forward To- It was a Cool Idea! I Think We Should Focus on What The Fans Want from us- Whether Thats Pure Entertainment or a Points Series!

Hey Tom, you gave me a helmet at the finals in Vegas when I was 10. To this day one of the best experiences of my life! Which finals had in your opinion the best freestyle set up?

Oooooh. Wow. I Don't Remember What Year it Was (maybe 2006), When I Jumped Over my Other Max-D truck. I Put the truck ON Top of an Obstacle and Jumped Over the truck. It had a Big School Bus Too!

Hey Tom! Thanks for stopping by! You've always been a memorable driver. The Max-D (Goldberg) truck has always been my favorite. How did it feel the first time you did a cartwheel in the truck? Was it expected or just by fluke?

Just By Fluke !! It Felt REALLY Crazy Feeling Yourself Sucked Into the Seat... When You Flip Like that You Don't Fall Out Of The Seat... You;re Kind Of Stuck To It !!!

Hey Tom, big fan of yours and Neil's since I was a little kid. In all your years of driving either Max-D, Team Meents, Goldberg, Bulldozer, or Monster Patrol, what was the hardest hit that you ever took in your truck?

There Has Been Several ! The Hardest Hit I Can Honestly Recall was that Front Flip Last Weekend! Whoooweee

Hi Mr Meents!

Just wanted to say thank you to you and all of the Monster Jam drivers/crew. A year ago we took my son to Ocala, Fl (Sadly, you weren't there) to our first MJ event and it was incredible. The staff was very friendly and we got free pit passes to meet the drivers and see the trucks before the show! Thanks for providing such a great, family friendly experience!

My question: Other than Max D, Who do you think has the coolest truck design?

Mmmm, I Really like The Zombie truck!

What is Robosaurus like in real life?

It's HUGE, It Would Be a Nightmare To Work On I'm Sure

Did you start out in monster trucks or did you do other motor sports events first like drag racing, roundy round dirt track or tough truck stuff?

I was a Semi Professional Mud Racer for 8 Years !!

Hi Tom. I've been a fan of yours since near the end of your run with Monster Patrol. I finally had the chance to meet you at World Finals 15, which made that entire weekend (and my life). I'd attach the photo my Dad took, but I guess that I don't have it on my phone.

I just have a few questions about you and monster trucks in general:

1. If you had to guess, who will be the next driver to Double Down at the World Finals?
2. On that note, who's due to win their first championship?
3. Is there any possibility that Team Meents will be brought back, even if it's just for a Finals encore? I loved that truck
4. What was the most spectacular crash of your career? Because this one is often overlooked, but it was wild.
5. Is there a possibility that the World Finals field will expand even more, or is 32 trucks in the main show the max Feld is willing to do?
6. Who drove Doomsday at the World Finals? My Dad and I are convinced that it was Pablo Huffaker. Whoever it was drove too well to be a Vegas rookie... and it was a little odd that Pablo's Digger was there but he wasn't at the pit party.
7. Has FELD ever considered involving old school trucks as a side act, like Checkered Flag did for their Silverdome shows? Obviously racing leafers in, let's say, Vegas is a recipe for disaster, but just having them crush some cars during the downtime would be interesting.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer these questions. I look forward to seeing you in Vegas next year.

1. Ryan Anderson Probably, He Got The Closest This Year
2. Ditto ! Ryan Is Due For One !
3. It Would be Very Honoring to Bring back Team Meents!
4. Probably Phoenix, AZ Air Show around 2000 !
5. I Could See Them Expanding It, But I'm Not Sure !!
6. The Doom's Day Driver ;)
7. That's a Great Idea !!! Haven't Heard Anything About That Yet Though

Hi Tom! I'm from Minnesota i've been to a alot of the events they've had the metrodome over the years. I was at the last one before they shut down for construction too. What was your most memorable experience at the Metrodome in Minneapolis Minnesota?

Probably For Me, The First Time I EVER Did Freestyle in My Career was at The MetroDome In Monster Patrol ! I Think It was '94 (Have to Check) But I'll Never Forget That Moment !!

Hey Tom! Been a fan since the old TNN days with Goldberg and Team Meents through today and I gotta say it's amazing how much you've done over the years! We miss ya down in ATL!

My question is what would you say has been the biggest overall change to your truck's design from 2000 with Goldberg to present day with Max D?

Other than the scheme of course! haha

The Biggest Change would Be In The Last Couple Of Years Would Be Our Team's Dedication To Making Parts That Are Almost Bulletproof !!!

Amen to that! Seriously the fact that the truck drove away after the frontflip and all that was damaged was the body is astounding!

In Addition to that, Same Night, Neil WON Freestyle and the Truck Sustained No Damage

Hi Tom! Meeting you in Memphis this year was one of the best experiences I've had with with a monster truck driver. I've always wanted to ask if you've ever thought about bringing Goldberg back for a show or two?

No I Haven't But It was AWESOME To See Bill Goldberg and His Son this Year at World Finals ! That Was a Great Time !!! May Be Even Cooler if Bill Got To Drive Goldberg At a Show ! HaHa!

I know nothing about this stuff, but it looks pretty intense! Good luck to you.

Who are your top 5 favorite bands?

Motley Crue and Van Halen are Definitely My Top Two ! I Love Me Some T. Swift- Looking At You, Travis!

Hey Tom! Did you start off your career racing anything? And at what point did you decide to switch over to monster truck driving?

I was a Semi Professional Mud Racer - but I always wanted to drive monster trucks. When Paul Shafer from Monster Patrol gave me that Chance in 93, I Took it!

Hey Tom! I've been a fan ever since you drove Bulldozer back in 1999! So, I had a question, Back in 2000 when WCW was around and you were driving Goldberg, the truck showed up on Nitro a few times. Was that you driving or someone else? Also, good luck on the double this weekend!

That was ALWAYS Me ! Thank You!

What's your favorite day of the week?

Saturday Night !!!!

Tom! Huge fan, seen you in Toronto several times and you never disappoint, especially with the backflip this year! Congrats on landing the double too!!

My question is if you could race anyone, past or present, who would it be?

Thanks Man !! Former Bearfoot Driver Fred Schaffer, Because He was the MOST Competitive !

Another question I was going to ask but forgot, back in 2003 the season wasn't broadcasted except the World Finals and Those late 2003 events for the 2004 season. But, a video on YouTube shows you doing the "first" sidewall in Atlanta. How was that experience when it happened out of nowhere?

It Was Crazy ! ItJust Gave Us a New Way To Entertain Fans and Save Trucks!

Hey Tom! What's your spirit animal?

A Bear.

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Team Max-D man.... We Run 'Er Til She's Done.

What are your top 3 favorite Monster Jam drivers to watch?

I Can't Limit It To 3, but Man I Really Do Like to Watch Them All. I Know That's a Pretty Dumb Answer ! I'm a Fan of a LOT of Them ! I Really Like Watching the Young Up-And-Comers. I Love To Get the Rare Chance To Watch My Teammates Run Too!

Is there anyway to get a former college football player and current firefighter a chance to get out on the test track and see what he can do?

Always !!! Write To Monster Jam !!

Hello Tom! Who designed the art on your current monster truck? It's awesome :-D also what is your favourite kind of cracker/cookie?

It was a Team Lead By Neil Vandenburg and Jay Laws !! OREOS !! The Original Oreos !! I Also Like Rollos and Mountain Dew

Is it expensive to keep fixing the art on the truck if it gets ruined after each performance? and you can't go wrong with Oreos! you do dip them in milk right? because it's like tradition to dip them.

Very expensive ! And OH Yeah, I am an American After All.

Do you guys tour outside of North America? Has there been a push to get Europe or Australia more interested in the sport?

DUH !!!! We're in Barcelona This Weekend, my Son Colton is Driving In That Show !!! We Will Have An Australian Tour Later This Year !!

Hey Tom, based off of personally driving the truck or just simply seeing it compete, what do you think is currently the best handling truck on the circuit right now?

In Terms of Racing, I Really Like Grave Digger The Legend - I Think my Max-D Truck is the Best Performing In Freestyle Right Now

What do you think or know the next big advancement will be in the sport? Thanks for doing this ama!

Better Suspension Systems !!

I was at Eastrutherford last Saturday, you were awesome!!! How did it feel when you were in the truck rotating like that with everyone watching you, hoping to execute the front flip?

I Hope I Can Get This Truck To Fully Rotate- If Nothign Else I wanted It To Be BIG! It Turned Out To be Both. I Didn't Want To Make a Mistake

Do you have a favorite spot in Las Vegas that you enjoy during the MJ World Finals?

I Really Like Looking at the Bellaggio Fountain, As Dumb As That Is !

Hi Tom, How many helmets do you go through every MJ season?!

Probably About 30 !

Also, another question, why have all your attempts (Ex: 2 double backflip attempts, and front flip attempt) been at MetLife Stadium? I love getting to watch and see them, but why there and not anywhere else?

Monster Jam is a world renowned show, and being so close to a big city like NY, We Want as Many People To See It as Possible !

Hey Tom first off i like to say you are the most insane monster truck driver i've ever know but i gotta ask what goes on in your head that makes you do the crazy stunts you do?

I Really Want To Push Monster Jam Higher Than Any Other Sports Entertainment - That's Really What I Live For. I've Been Competing For Monster Jam For 22 years, It's Been My Life

Hi Tom! I'm a retired arenacross and supercross racer. Did you lean on the freestyle dirtbike backflips and front flips for inspiration on your amazing feat?

Absolutely ! I Like Dirt Bikes and I Do Look at Some Of The Stuff From Supercross/Arenacross to Bring Those Ideas to Monster Jam !

I grew up playing Monster Truck Madness on Windows 95! Ever played that one or any of the other Monster Truck Madness games?

Yes I Have, But It's Been a Very Long Time ! I Don't Have Much Time For Games Now, Unfortunately !!

If you didn't drive monster trucks for a living, what would your profession be?

I Don't Know, I've Just Always Had My Heart Set On This. I Like Driving Semis Believe It Or Not. That Big Fancy Rig, Cruisin Around, hahah

What sort of changes are you going to do to the truck for the double backflip this weekend?

Really We Have To Reverse a Lot of the Front Flip Technology- now We have to make the front end stiffer, the rear end softer, We Have to unlimit the engine so it will Pull Off the backflip Ramp, Instead of being at a Steady Speed, Like When we front flipped, We have to get a Lot of Speed and Power Off the Backflip Ramp!

Is there any place you've never performed at, but always wanted to?

Great Question !!! Probably Soldier Field In Chicago !!!

Hi Tom How are you doing? I'M A HUGE FAN of MAX-D! 1. First the Front Flip the the double Backflip what is it like in your head right now? 2. Also what is it like in the truck when your doing the flips? 3. Are you ever planning on retiring? Whats your thoughts on Dennis retiring in 2017? 4.Also another question why does your son drive Grave digger and Morgan Kane who grew up with the Andersons drives Max-D? 5. What was your favorite body concept at the world finals this year? 6. Do you think you will ever attempt a barrel roll or a double barrel roll? 7. What is your favorite stadium to go to during the season? 8. What was your favorite monster truck growing up? 9. What is your favorite truck besides Max-D? 10. What are you going to do for your 15th anniversary? 11. why when you do the double backflip the truck twists at the end? 12.Do you think they should have the world finals at different venues like the super bowl? 13. when did you start giving away your helmets? Also one of these ears i would love to meet you!Also i would love to have your helmet=D! I Hope You Land the Double this weekend! Good luck! Your Biggest fan Taylor

Hey I'm Doing Great ! I am Not Planning on Retiring For Quite a While Yet. When Dennis Retires, It's Going to Be a Sad Day For Monster Jam ! Morgan Was Already Doing a Fantastic Job on Team Max-D and When Colton Came into The Sport the Grave Digger Team Had an Opening- But Nothing Ever Stays The Same Here ! My Favorite Body was the Red Max-D ! Neil's Truck. I Want To Attempt it All, so probably! My favorite Stadium is Lucas Oil in Indianapolis ! My favorite truck growing up was Grave Digger, HAHAH! The Truck Twisted From The Torque of the Engine and The Drive Train. Thanks Taylor !!!