BALTIMORE — The ground is about to shake in Baltimore as Monster Jam returns to the CFG Bank Arena, bringing massive tricked-out trucks weighing up to six tons.
Drivers compete in events ranging from head-to-head racing to donuts and freestyle challenges.
One of the trucks to watch this weekend is Sparkle Smash, driven by Loghan Ashline. Standing roughly 15 feet tall, the truck is hard to miss with its unicorn horn.
Monster Jam is back at the CFG Bank Arena
Ashline says her journey behind the wheel has been years in the making.
“I started in motor sports when I was three years old,” Ashline said. “I went through a whole bunch of other things before Monster Jam reached out to me about their tryouts, and then they trained me on how to drive these beautiful beasts.”
Ashline, a graduate of Monster Jam University, is making her championship debut this season as a lead driver. One of her main goals: securing the overall event championship.
Another fan favorite heating things up this weekend is El Toro Loco, driven by MJ Solorio, who says getting behind the wheel is the realization of a childhood dream.
“That love just kind of never went away for me, all through school, all through college,” Solorio said. “I went to school to become a mechanic. That was my full-time job for a while, but I still had that crazy dream in the back of my head that I wanted to drive monster trucks.”
While fans watch the massive jumps, drivers say there’s a lot happening inside the truck that spectators don’t always realize.
“There’s a lot going on when you’re inside a Monster Jam truck,” Solorio explained. “You’re strapped in super tight, you can’t really see much, and your depth perception can be a little off, but we still throw down.”
Monster Jam will feature four shows in Baltimore this weekend. For more on showtimes and ticket information, visit here.
