Monster Jam brings Grave Digger and company to Evansville's Ford Center

EVANSVILLE — A fan-filled Ford Center welcomed three shows last weekend featuring a famous purple-and-green 1950’s Chevy panel van with 1,500 horsepower. Monster Jam transformed the downtown Evansville arena into a dirt track for Grave Digger and company to spin their wheels and ramp their 12,000-pound trucks through the air.

Grave Digger driver Brandon Vinson spoke with The Herald before eager fans had a chance to enjoy the festivities.

Vinson began his 14-year career with Monster Jam as a mechanic and crew chief with the Grave Digger Team. The Outer Banks, North Carolina native has been one of five driving the truck for the past seven seasons.

“I started with Monster Jam working on trucks and traveling the world when I was 24,” he said. “I got the opportunity to get behind the wheel, tested and then a spot came open on the Grave Digger Team and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Being best friends with Adam Anderson, the son of Grave Digger’s founder Dennis Anderson helped open that door. The Anderson family remains behind the wheel as well, with Adam, Krysten and Weston Anderson, along with Tyler Menninga and Vinson completing the Grave Digger Team.

“A lot of it in the past was really knowing someone, knowing a team and helping out any way you can. It’s a lot of people’s dream to be a part of Monster Jam or drive a monster truck,” Vinson explained. “It’s kind of a tight-knit group, but nowadays you can actually go online, fill-out an application and audition. They’ll bring you down to Florida, where they’ll test you on microphone skills, personality and that type of stuff and then the next step is to get inside a truck and see how you drive. It’s changed from really having to know somebody, starting from the bottom and working your way up.”

In his six seasons, Vinson earned Rookie of the Year honors, a World Racing Championship in 2022, four series titles and more accolades. In Evansville, it was Vinson and Grave Digger who stole much of the three weekend shows. He was joined by Terminal Velocity, Just Get Er Done II, Monster Mutt Dalmatian and Wild Side.

“It’s a huge deal. I’ve had an awesome career in a short amount of time and I’ve loved every minute of it,” he noted. “Monster Jam is really hands-on with our fans, so we do a pit-party multiple times throughout the week. So the fans get to come out onto the track, hangout with me and the other drivers, get pictures and autographs. They get to checkout the trucks on the track, so just getting to meet with and hear stories from fans about how Monster Jam is awesome and why. They’ll say ‘I first saw Grave Digger in 1985,’ and it’s awesome to hear everybody’s story who comes through. It’s a good experience, you get to meet a lot of people. That’s my favorite thing. My second-favorite thing is getting strapped into the truck and actually competing—I’m competitive and sometimes overly competitive.”

He also noted that while Feld Entertainment owns Grave Digger and most of the trucks seen, but independent teams also compete on tour, with four independent trucks performing in Evansville.

Vinson admittedly has a big target on the back of Grave Digger each show, but he says he is built to take the pressure.

“I’ve always been that person who does better under pressure. It comes with the territory, you just have to go out there and compete, put points on the board and do a great job,” he explained. “There are 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 people there and at the end of the day—win, lose or crash trying, you don’t want to let the fans down.”