That leaves only me to blame 'cause Mama tried.'". I think maybe here in a few more years Ill be at a very competitive level. Grave Digger driver Krysten Anderson discusses her sense of daring when driving and previews the Monster Jam World Finals XXI. Ive grown in leaps and bounds over the span of four years.. They kept no shortage of tractors and trucks and hot rods on the property, and each required some minor maintenance to get it started. But while Anderson has embraced her family legacy, her mother, Carisa, wasn't necessarily always on board. Every race weekend gives Anderson the chance to prove herself again as the rightful heir to Grave Digger and quiet the peanut gallery. Krysten Anderson carries on family's Grave Digger legacy in Monster Jam Her original plan was to go to college and study studio art and graphic design. I hit it nice and square and then I came up in the air and the truck just kept climbing and climbing and climbing. Kristen Lynne Soltis Anderson is a Republican pollster, television personality, and writer whose work has appeared in The Daily Beast, [3] Politico, [4] and HuffPost. Jordon Smith backed up his second-place finish in Arlington with the fourth-place finish. Find out more about this up and coming diesel drag racing star. Carmichael won his five Daytona races in a row. A typical Monster Jam track takes 1,500 hours to build and remove. The only time I ever really get nervous in the truck is right before Im about to go out, Anderson told ESPN. Carrying on a family tradition 23| Driver of Grave Digger | Daughter of Dennis Anderson Instagram: @krysten.anderson #mamatried #teamdigger '", At Anderson's first World Finals in 2017, she was nervous. This is the first time Feld Entertainment has staged the Monster Jam World Finals outside of Las Vegas. "I try to keep my mind clear," she says. That was an incredible phenomenon to happen this past year at our world finals in 2019. Dating & Relationship status He is currently single. [Times Files]. Last week, Deegan struggled at Arlington on a track that was hard and slick. Krysten didnt set out to drive for Monster Jam. Krysten Anderson Breaking The World Record for the Highest Jump 61,541 views Aug 8, 2020 933 Dislike Share Monster Jam 814K subscribers Watch how Krysten Anderson gets the World Record for. This is Dad and Dad's got to win. Her two older brothers, Adam and Ryan, both drive for Monster Jam as well. Over a stupid donut?. Ill be one to look out for.. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The Monster Jam truck is considered one of the most iconic and recognizable monster trucks in the world. San Diego: Tomac, Jett Lawrence double down Anderson spun yarns about his early days at a Tampa sports bar last month, but the conversation just as easily could have taken place around a campfire or on a front porch adorned with rocking chairs. 334 talking about this. As a teenager, she had dreamed of attending college, but the world of monster trucks caught her attention. The first two trucks had already rolled, so Anderson was focused on just not rolling at that point, which stops the time and disqualifies the driver. Don't miss a story! To this day, we still love to go out and watch races.. Advertisement. I [worry] about doing badly that is my biggest fear every time in the truck. I had to get up to speed and even progress even farther than that in my first year, so it was really challenging and there were sometimes where it was pretty disheartening, but I wouldnt do it any other way.. Keep it up, Krysten! It was something that we always loved to do. Authored by Samuel Reiman on February 16, 2019. With Dennis's legendary career, and Adam Anderson being a five-time World Finals champion, the female Grave Digger driver surely has a high bar set for her. I didnt even know if I had it in me. For some reason, I had such a hard time finding that sweet spot or finding that balancing point. Monster Jam truck tires are designed differently to satisfy various track conditions and driver preference. Andersons resilience has paid off. I could hear them every lap going down the frontstretch and I am so excited to be up here in my fourth race.. Anderson grew up in Kill Devil Hills the son of Gail and Jesse Anderson, who worked as a part-time farmer and part-time shipyard worker. I fell completely in love with it and I put my art portfolio away and I said college would always be there for me and I could always go back, and I might go back one day. [8] After Mitt Romney lost the 2012 youth vote, she co-developed a guidebook outlining strategies for the Republican Party to garner more votes from young people. Fittingly, he also broke out of a tie with Carmichael for sole possession of third on the wins list. Event after event, weekend after weekend, so many failed attempts to get these complicated two-wheel tricks down. I got around Tom [Vialle] in the whoops and if got a little sketchy at the midpoint with a light sprinkle. When youre out there on that floor, and you got 50,000 people supporting you good or bad, and you look up in the stands and see that you got the most tee shirts, you win. As a professional athlete, youre always under the microscope. Meet Grave Digger's First Female Driver Krysten Anderson | The ", "When I pull out on the tracks," she says, "I have no idea what's going to happen. In 2022, she would win Arena Championship Series Central, becoming the first (and so far only) woman ever to win a championship series in Monster Jam. He had a huge foot in the door for me. Hes gotten all of his world championships there. Contact Ernest Hooper at ehooper@tampabay.com. While the North Carolina-based driver says she likes all kinds of music, the genre she never gets tired of is "outlaw country," or classic 1970s and 1980s country featuring a good dose of honky tonk plus classic rock and folk rhythms. 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. One of the main goals that Id like to accomplish is to retire with at least one world championship under my belt. Theyve added five competitions and, of course, the popular pit parties will be held from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day. Meet Krysten Anderson, Grave Digger's driver - YouTube Digger!' If youve never been to a Monster Jam event or seen highlights, drivers today break the laws of physics at every show. I love the city of Nashville. She multi-talented and draws from a unique background to push herself in motorsports and in Monster Jam in particular. I think a lot of people underestimate that. Thats something that my youngest brother Weston actually does right now. Well send you major developments in the local, state and national sports world as they happen. One of Anderson's pre-show rituals is taking some time to herself in her trailer. I know Im still in the infancy of my career, but as far as how long I want to race, Im not really sure. Krysten Anderson (born May 16) is a driver out of Currituck, North Carolina who drives Grave Digger since 2017. I told the guys we were going to get a holeshot no matter what. [7] She graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. Krysten is very family oriented and the whole Anderson clan is super tight-knit. Their love for them seems to have rubbed off on me. Now he oversees their efforts, unabashedly admitting to living through their performances. Three of Dennis' children have followed . 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. Krysten's diet is quite intense as she has cut out several things from her diet, including gluten, fish, and dairy products. He may be Dennis' most accomplished child but he is far from the only sibling to take a Grave Digger for a spin. I was driving Grave Digger, which is basically the most iconic truck in monster truck history or Monster Jam history. Its that same scheme, the same name, everything. Theres pressure from your own team, the fans and typically, the athletes themselves are their own biggest critics. 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. Im going to guess yes. I think thats awesome because its all an equal playing field. My dads 35th anniversary of driving Grave Digger was going to be coming up in the next year and they had a seat that was opening up in Grave Digger, she says. My two older brothers, Adam and Ryan, are also involved in Monster Jam and they race for the Digger team. And, she was also the first female driver for the Grave Digger team. I was a rookie. I'm not thinking about what could happen when I get out there because you never know what could go down while out on the track. My brothers and my dad, as long as their careers have been, theyre always telling me that theyre impressed with me, Anderson said. And, like I mentioned earlier many people are looking to her as a new beginning for Monster Jam, not just with more female drivers but more female fans as well. Todd LeDuc, who drives Mutant Super Soda for Monster Energy and is a veteran Monster Jam participant and world champion, takes some of the newer recruits through Thunder Alley. Power Rankings after Arlington Her siblings, Ryan and Adam, also compete in Monster Jam . "I just really liked her truck," she says. However, shes been surrounded by monster truck culture her entire life. With the last name Anderson, people naturally expect the "all or nothing" performances that they normally see from the truck. Krysten Anderson is a true triple threat. She had been on the circuit for a while, but he had been too busy. The long, strange journey of Rays spring training, Blahs and bad dreams in the pandemics fourth year, Hillsborough again seeks to redevelop MOSI property, MORE MONSTER TRUCKS: Look back at some of the different versions of Grave Digger, Monster Jam World Finals at Orlandos Camping World Stadium, MORE MONSTER TRUCKS: Meet two women who drive monster trucks, Dick Vitales gala rises above college hoops dark clouds. Hosts: Sarah Jessica and John Cameron. ", The male-dominated environment doesn't bother Anderson. I was the first and only female to ever drive Grave Digger and Im the only female Anderson. I can do it now. NAACP wants reparations for Tampas Black cemeteries that governments stole, Tampa Bay harbor pilots pay raise request stirs storm at Tampas port, Hooters celebrates 40 years with specials and deals at all Tampa Bay locations, Bucs raise ticket prices by 7.5 percent on new season-pass members, State OKs Tampa Bay harbor pilots fee hikes, despite ports objections, Indoors? Krysten Anderson (@krysten.anderson) - Instagram "My mom and I used to sing it together all the time when I was younger," she recalls. "My mom never wanted me to be a Monster Jam driver," Anderson says. Results and Points after Arlington One lap earlier, an aborted block pass almost sent both riders to the ground. 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. This post was originally published on April 15, 2020. 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. With this win, Hunter joined his Jett Lawrence as the only brothers to win this race as the 250 East points leader stood on the sidelines to watch. I hit neutral kind of randomly and he was able to get by. My brothers have gotten all their world championships there. We will update Adam Anderson's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. Especially me being the first and only female to drive Grave Digger, I feel like I have extra eyes on me., Anderson has heard the questions that surround her new role: How will she do? Why is she driving Grave Digger?. Kristen Soltis Anderson - Wikipedia Best Bets: Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, Boyz II . I'm nervous as hell, you know, Dennis Anderson said. 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 . Krysten is a rad driver with amazing skills and a solid head on her shoulders. Chase Sexton finished third, losing just a little ground in the standings. Grave Digger 34 | Monster Trucks Wiki | Fandom When complete, the truck weighs 12,000 pounds. While Krysten currently leads the Arena Championship Series Central standings, she admits that at first, when she learned that she would be competing alongside drivers such as Tony Ochs (Soldier Fortune Black Ops), Blake Granger (Max-D) and Elvis Lainez (El Toro Loco), she wasn't expecting to. Its been a baptism by fire, but Ive done well with the pressure so far, Anderson said. I realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of people. Of course, youre also in the city of Las Vegas, so thats awesome. He remounted and climbed back to 10th at the checkers. You want me to go do some kind of insane jump or something like that. Krysten broke the record for highest monster truck leap in 2020 at 33 feet and 9.6 inches. It was rough for me. According to Monster Jam, more than 3,000 cars are crushed at Monster Jam events every year. "I didn't want to look back, I didn't want it to be a big 'what if,'" she says. Nashville to Tampa: Hey, nice Riverwalk you got there. Take a look at this video from her freestyle run at a Monster Jam event in Fargo, North Dakota back in 2018, and you'll see what I mean. When a driver levels up and takes on a new challenge, there is always a heightened level of scrutiny. They had never, ever had a female drive Grave Digger before and they thought who better than Dennis only daughter Krysten. "She hoped I'd go on to college and be a veterinarian.". But these question were far from her mind when Anderson climbed up into the most famous truck in the stadium at Houston. Only Cory Rummell in a truck named Rage was better the second night with his 9.551. Adam Anderson, Krysten Anderson and Ryan Anderson carry on the Monster Jam legacy created by their father, the original Grave Digger Dennis Anderson. Krysten Anderson | Cameo After finishing last in the opening night with a score of 6.071 to Todd LeDuc and Monster Energy's 9.437, Anderson improved massively in Night 2 and scored a 8.919. 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. We have the trucks that look like dogs and theyre called Monster Mutt. This series involves driving a monster truck, a speedster, and an ATV. In fact, shes already being hailed as the new face of Monster Jam. He put his elbows wide and kept the lead. Other. In 2021, she made her Stadium Tour debut at Houston on January 30. However, Krysten Anderson is in a league all her own. I've always told my kids, remember, youve got to learn to lose before you can win, but I'm going to tell you that's a hard knot to swallow when you are the flagship truck..