The six-time world champion monster truck driver from Paxton monster mashed his old house Wednesday morning in a field just south of where he and his wife, Debi, built their new house. It was a stunt that included a truck leap over the house that reached a height that one expert said might have never been attained.
Mike McFarlin of Clear Channel Entertainment, Aurora, who headed a film crew for a show on SPEED Channel, estimated the 37-year old Meents and his Maximum Destruction truck reached 45 feet in clearing the house.
"That's probably the highest a monster truck has ever been," McFarlin said. "He was probably going 65 (mph)" when he hit a dirt bank designed to send him aloft.
Meents estimated the jump spanned 180 feet in length. The flight sent "oohs" and "aahs" through a small gathering of onlookers who had been invited to watch. (Meents told only a few people when the jump/demolition would take place to keep the crowd down for safety purposes.
Onlookers had to stand well back from the site, and nearby Stockholm Road was blocked off.)
A Monster On the Roof
Afterward, Meents used the monster truck to drive over and through the house, leaving it a splintered mass. The Maximum Destruction name was never more appropriate. Meents said he had been considering the demolition duty for about two years. "I had been trying to figure out what to do with the old house," he said Wednesday afternoon.
"Maximum Destruction built the new house and Maximum Destruction took the old house out," Meents said of a monster truck that has provided a nice living. He and his family had lived in the old house for the past 10 years.
The Paxton native, who started working on trucks as a hobby as a boy, said the jumps never get old. "It's really exhilarating," he said. "When it hit that ramp it actually bottomed out when it went up."
"When it hit, it hit pretty hard. It sort of fell out of the sky. It's a little rough on the body." Flight Meents landed squarely on all four tires following an engine growl that could be heard for quite a distance.
McFarlin said the monster truck - one of four in Meents' fleet - is equipped with the latest safety gear. "He's been on his lid more than anybody," McFarlin said. "He hasn't suffered any major injuries. That shows our safety equipment and the design and fabrication of the truck (are safe)."
Broken Bolts
Ater the first jump, a crew ran out to check on the vehicle. A couple of small broken bolts had to be quickly fixed, and Meents headed back out to start on the house demolition. He employs a crew that he estimated at eight persons, including six full time.
The rig is equipped with a remote ignition interrupter with which a crew member can stop the engine if he sees a safety or mechanical problem that Meents might not see. When Meents made one pass through the house, the engine was stopped when an emergency battery cable kicked off.
The entire event was filmed from a hand-held camera by a Clear Channel crew member plus cameras fixed inside the ill-fated house and attached to the front of the truck.
Many people pay big bucks to see Meents perform. McFarlin said Meents might be the biggest name in monster trucks. So big that Speed Channel, which runs a monster truck show at 4pm every Saturday, (Channel 50 on the Paxton cable system), makes sure Meents is on each show.
"The fans love him, and he puts on a heck of a show," McFarlin said.
Monster truck events are divide into two sections - racing and crushing cars - and are often run in large arenas such as Indianapolis' RCA Dome. One Meents trademark is driving up and putting his helmet on the head of some boy or girl in the audience, McFarlin said.
Originally competing in the mud-racing circuit, Meents moved to monster truck competition 23 years ago. "He now owns four of the most popular trucks that run with (U.S. Hot Rod Association)," McFarlin said.
Out to Entertain
"He's out to entertain the fans, regardless of what happens to the vehicle. That's why he's one of the most popular drivers with us."
McFarlin said Meents' top competition is Dennis Anderson of Kill Devil Hills, N.C., who drives Grave Digger.
The jumps are the fun part. In between there's a lot of preparation. (Meents is actively involved in the mechanical work.) "We travel into every state to jump," Meents said. "It's a lot of hard work, a lot of traveling, long hours. It was 43 weekends last year."
Because the Monster Jam television shows are shown in several overseas countries, Meents is an international name. Fans in such countries as Sweden and Belgium, for instance, know Meents well. McFarlin said Meents will be part of a 15-country monster truck tour this year.
Meents' trucks are also popular as part of the Monster Jam die-cast toy series manufactured by Mattel. "It's unbelievable how many of the toys people bring to the shows they want Tom to sign," McFarlin said.
Having won the world championship six times in racing and freestyle - something never before accomplished - Meents has jumped a number of obstacles.
As far as McFarlin knows, this is the first time he's jumped a house.
