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Theyre excellent drivers. For the last decade, road racing has been her biggest passion as a co-founder of J2-Racing. Dennis stated that the first time he saw Krysten in a mud truck, he knew she had what it took. "My mom and I used to sing it together all the time when I was younger," she recalls. Every race weekend gives Anderson the chance to prove herself again as the rightful heir to Grave Digger and quiet the peanut gallery. I had the pressure of being an Anderson and my dad and my brothers had always brought the show home all the time. It can be a lot of pressure sometimes, but it fuels me when I have a rough show and Im getting the feedback of it, Anderson said. I think maybe here in a few more years Ill be at a very competitive level. So when asked about her favorite songs, Anderson says Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" sticks out to her the most. Deep down, he never believed his kids would enter the sport Weston, his youngest, may soon join in because he spent so much time on the road. After speaking with Kaylynn Simmons a couple years ago, we found out there are only a few women who work on the pit crews of the NHRA teams. When you put the helmet on, were competitors and it doesnt matter if its a girl or a guy in the other lane against you, you dont want them to win you want to win. My confidence wasnt high. My mom and everybody would go to shows with my dad. Anaheim 1: Tomac wins opener for the first time, How to Watch Daytona Supercross All the way from the start, me and Cooper [Webb] just locked up into two the whole time, Tomac said from the top spot of the podium as the stands emptied and fans rushed the stage. Krysten drives as part of the Triple Threat Series. We didnt get around the first turn too bad, but I just saw an opportunity in the sand section, Lawrence said. But, she has potential to be iconic. Is it even in my blood?, I went out there and took to it pretty naturally. I'm in the stands, and I had tears of joy. She's the sibling of Adam and Ryan Anderson, both of whom are Monster Jam World Champions, along with their dad. Ive got to be good because Im driving Grave Digger and everybody wants Grave Digger to do good. As a professional athlete, youre always under the microscope. on April 23-24 Renita Naraine. "When I think about where Grave Digger started in this tiny North Carolina town, literally up the road from my house, I can't believe it. Krysten realized she couldnt pass on such an amazing opportunity..and so she officially entered into the family business. ", Monster Jam has been involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for years. The Players' Tribune, which publishes first-person stories from top athletes, is featuring Monster Jam driver Krysten Anderson. My earliest memories are honestly nothing but monster trucks and Grave Digger. My brother, Ryan Anderson, drives a truck called Son Uva Digger, which is a flip off of Grave Digger, but his is a different design. I would sit there and watch videos and listen to peoples throttle rhythm and do this and do that. Three of Dennis' children have followed . Even after partnering with a promoter and growing the hobby into a fleet of trucks, he worried about where he might be in five or 10 years, fearing he would end up broke and selling everything for parts. I couldn't even make it down the track correctly," she says. According to Monster Jam, more than 3,000 cars are crushed at Monster Jam events every year. She had been on the circuit for a while, but he had been too busy. Its hard talking someone into to giving you a race when youve never been on a 450 before especially here at Daytona, Hampshire told NBC Sports Will Christien. That amazing Anderson driving DNA runs through her blood and she knows how to use it. My two older brothers, Adam and Ryan, are also involved in Monster Jam and they race for the Digger team. Most Monster Jam trucks have the driver seated in the center of the vehicle so they can best see the track and for weight distribution. Im not thinking about what could happen when I get out there because you never know what could go down while out on the track. Or, I could put on the show of a lifetime. Thrasher with a HUGE get off! As Andersons, we have a certain level of expertise for driving, Krysten told NBC Sports. I [worry] about doing badly -- that is my biggest fear every time in the truck. If you had asked me when I was 18 years old if this is where I'd be by 21 -- verified on Instagram, pushing 40,000 followers, racing a truck overseas and all over this country. But almost every parent understands the emotion that overcame Anderson. I think its a little different for guys and girls. Theres a lot of people that work very hard to chase their dreams and become famous NASCAR drivers or monster truck drivers or whatever it is. Once the truck had peaked at its highest point and the truck had hadnt started coming down yet, I was like, Oh my God, how high in the air am I right now?, Once it finally started falling and coming back down to earth, I was like, I am still falling right now. I basically had an idea of it from my dad and my brothers and what they told me and what its like and this and that, but I had never fully understood how complicated they can be until I actually sat in the seat of one. Your granddad was one, your dad was one, youre going to be one.. [8] In 2015, she published The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials are Leading America (and How Republicans Can Keep Up).[7]. I was like, man, I dont even know if I have it in me. They have roll cages and custom-built seats molded to the drivers' bodies, as well as a five-point harness system keeping them strapped in tight. Every weekend, on the Triple Threat Series that Im on, we could do four, five, even six shows or events in one weekend, so I was getting so much seat time. "I'm an Anderson -- everyone looks at me the same way they look at Adam, Ryan and my dad. Krysten is very family oriented and the whole Anderson clan is super tight-knit. Krysten wants to add her name to that list of Monster Jam World Champions as well. Building a truck takes nine months. "The kids in my class took a field trip to my house because we had a huge monster truck shop and gift [store] attached to it. Click to reveal He was outside the top five in practice, rose to fourth in qualification, but once the money was on the line, he won his heat to gain a great gate pick. As a widely visible and talented female driver, she is showing progress and more gender equality in the world of Monster Jam. Not that I dont love Grave Digger. Other. The fans there are crazy. She cant go on the road without her makeup bag and you would be hard pressed to catch her without her nails done. I think that another one of our cooler designs is some of our concept bodies. Safety is a big priority and Anderson says she never feels at risk when on the track. That same emotion will grip Dennis Anderson, 58, Friday and Saturday when he watches three of his four children - 21-year-old Krysten, 29-year-old Ryan and 33-year-old Adam - compete in the . Ok so we all agree, right? Hes been doing that for a few years and I actually named and designed my brothers truck, Bog Hog, and named and designed my dads mega truck King Sling. I was driving Grave Digger, which is basically the most iconic truck in monster truck history or Monster Jam history. I didnt even know if I had it in me. I guess when the family business is a mega-successful and mega-cool monster truck its hard to not follow suit. Carrying on a family tradition 23| Driver of Grave Digger | Daughter of Dennis Anderson Instagram: @krysten.anderson #mamatried #teamdigger Originally from Currituck, North Carolina, Krysten became an official driver back in 2017, which is around the same time as Dennis's accident. She recalls thinking at the time, "You know what -- I'm the first Grave Digger to ever be in the Double Down Showdown Field, I'm the first girl to ever drive Grave Digger, my last name is Anderson and I'm in front of the biggest crowd I'll be in front of all year. Kristen and Chris Anderson were married on April 28, 2012. In 2021, she made her Stadium Tour debut at Houston on January 30. in political science in 2005; she obtained her M.A. (@SupercrossLIVE) March 5, 2023. You cant know monster trucks and not know Anderson. I had been around them, involved with them and sat in them my entire life, but I had never sat in the seat, turned the engine on and actually drove it before until that point, Anderson says. Thank you so much for your message for my son Lucas. Thats plenty of pressure to perform at a high level. Ive been working my butt off and a lot of people doubted me, but I ended up getting third place and the crowd is sick. Anderson's resilience has paid off. She got her drag racing license before she got her regular license, and that tells you everything you need to know about Johnna Dunn. Im not scared, Ill do it. Howd you do it? [Times Files]. However, when you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. ", On her first race of the night, Anderson was up against Tony Ochs in Black Ops. When he told friends he had to hit the road to go perform, they said, You act like youre some kind of rock star.. That is where every world champion had been crowned to date all the way up until we moved to the Camping World Stadium in Florida. Her height is 5 feet 9 inches or 175 cm (1.75 m), and her weight is only 57 kg or 126 pounds. Initially, she wanted to work for Monster Jam designing the trucks instead of driving them. Within Monster Jam, were not men and women in the sport, were drivers and were competitors and thats it. Shes been quoted saying her dad is her role model and she makes frequent Instagram posts about how much she loves and appreciates her mom. A lap later, Sexton bobbled exiting a turn and the two made contact again. Because obviously theres more to her than the fact that shes a rad lady Monster Jam driver. Shes the sibling of Adam and Ryan Anderson, both of whom are Monster Jam World Champions, along with their dad. Her family had a lot of history on that track; she'd seen her dad and brothers competing in that field for nearly two decades. My brothers and my dad, as long as their careers have been, theyre always telling me that theyre impressed with me, Anderson said. My brother Adam had a ride where, for $5, you could get on the back of a monster truck.". It was a tough morning and I had to take a few belly breaths after the heat but we came back swinging, Anstie told NBC Sports Will Christien. This is a sick moment for me right now. Krysten Anderson, 21, has rounded out her first year as a professional Monster Jam truck driver with Grave Digger as her chariot. Even though Grave Digger and Max D are supposed to be archenemies and the Max D team is our biggest competitor, they do have a really cool scheme on their truck. Height and Weight 2023. I was the first and only female to ever drive Grave Digger and Im the only female Anderson. Krysten has no fear sending that 12,000-pound truck off some jumps to get some serious air time. But, maybe hands down the coolest venue that Ive ever got to compete in, and Im really proud that I got to compete in it before Monster Jam stopped going there, is the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. But, even though Dennis Anderson has ended his Monster Jam career, he still has children who followed in the same footsteps who can carry on the family legacy: Adam Anderson, Ryan Anderson, and the newest driver of the three, Krysten Anderson. The shop is very heavily focused on Honda cylinder heads and engine work to the tune of 300+ engines and 1,000 cylinder heads annually! Spinning in a circle may be the simplest of all tricks in the monster truck world, but one tip got her on track. Lawrence had one previous start at Daytona. That leaves only me to blame 'cause Mama tried.'". For Krysten Anderson, 23, of Currituck, North Carolina, Monster Jam is a family affair. Racing up Thunder Alley like that is the fastest racing that we do all year and its the most fun. I wanted to go and learn how to do it digitally, but I still wanted to be involved with my dads family business and what weve always done. Two of our world reigning champions right now are women. Tomac stayed on his back tire until a little mistake with 12 minutes remaining on the clock allowed Tomac to pass.