BIGFOOT 50x50 Day 37, 1988: “On the Fast Track”

By 1988, racing really started to become the focal point of monster trucks. Over the past two years the Battle of the Monster Trucks style races had become more and more the norm. While these events crowned a “champion,” the events in and of themselves were non-linear. There was a demand for the monsters to move into a more legitimate, season-long points battle for a championship and prize money.

Enter TNT Motorsports, who partnered with Pinkerton Tobacco Company to put together the Renegades-TNT Monster Truck Challenge. BIGFOOT 4, piloted by Rich Hoosier, was the dominant force for most of the season. Only succumbing to mechanical failures and the occasional loss. During the summer, Rod Litzau and USA-1 began making a charge and gaining serious momentum on BIGFOOT’s points lead. Even shutting out the big blue Ford during both events in Nashville. Rowdy Rod and USA-1 could not be denied and would meet Rich and 4 for the championship in Louisville, Kentucky’s Freedom Hall.

After the green light Rod was able to keep USA-1 steady after the first set of crush cars while Rich nosed down and sent 4 skyward on the second set. As they came over the line USA-1’s left wheel tucked under the truck and it rolled over onto its side. Nevertheless, it was Rod Litzau and USA-1 who would be crowned the first ever national champion of monster truck racing, and not the perennial favorite in BIGFOOT. And as if to add insult to injury, another loss would come in the event finals to Steve Dane and Awesome Kong.

While dismaying as losing out on the championship, and the retirement of Rich Hoosier was, there were still many things to celebrate in the BIGFOOT camp. In February, John Byrnes, then the regional marketing manager of the McDonald’s Corporation announced that a sponsorship deal had been reached with BIGFOOT 4X4. This would include a plethora of BIGFOOT toys included in the BIGFOOT-branded Happy Meal line, while the real trucks wore the McDonald’s logo on their bedsides for the next year.

Meanwhile, in May, filming would take place in Reedley and Valencia, California for a new movie called Road House, starring Patrick Swayze. In it, film veteran Ben Gazzara’s number one thug, Gary, drives a monster sized blue pickup. In one of the more famous scenes from the movie, Gary drives the truck through a car dealership, absolutely decimating everything in its path. In reality, this was Jim Kramer driving the brand new BIGFOOT 7 through a set that cost half of a million dollars to shoot, in one take. And he nearly didn’t make it! The broken glass from the massive show room windows shredded the engine’s blower belt and nearly stopped the truck dead. But Jim made it through and into one of the most iconic monster truck scenes in movie history.

Also debuting in 1988 was a vehicle that was a radical departure from ANYTHING that carried the BIGFOOT name thus far. Half Ford Econoline, and half M84 Personnel Carrier, this dual engined, tracked machine was christened BIGFOOT Fastrax and would make its debut at the Pontiac Silverdome, on October 1st, and give a smashing performance alongside BIGFOOT 7.

As the sun was beginning to set on the 1980’s, the dawn of a new era was fast approaching.