- [Narrator] This is Monster Jam,
the monster truck spectacular that electrifies
audiences in stadiums and arenas around the world.
- [Announcer] Oh my goodness.
- [Narrator] These drivers put their lives on the line
every time they suit up, but thanks to extreme safety
precautions, they often walk away unscathed
after even the most intense accidents.
One of the sport's rising stars is probably not who you'd
imagine would behind the wheel of a monster truck.
- My name is Brianna Mahon, I'm driver of the brand new
Whiplash Monster Jam truck.
- [Narrator] Brianna Mahon may not look like
your typical Monster Jam driver,
but she definitely drives like one.
- I'm out here in a male world,
you know, dominating for the females
and to have a truck that stands out so brightly against
everybody else's, it's such an honor.
- [Narrator] Brianna Mahon's need for
speed evolved on the motocross track.
- I was born into the fast lane and I never left.
We were in a male-dominated sport
and the men didn't really want us there.
They felt that we were a threat because
we were faster than them.
And, I mean I remember sitting on a line
and the guy next to me, his dad
would hit him in the back of the shoulder and say,
"You better take that girl out. Don't let her beat you."
[Narrator] An injury to one of her hands brought
Mahon's motocross career to an end.
- In 2014, I was sitting in cosmetology school
and kinda got a phone call from Tom Meents himself
and he had heard about my background
and thought I'd be a great candidate to try out.
So I spent all of 2014 training and driving a truck
and learning about Monster Jam.
And in 2015, I won Rookie of the Year.
- [Narrator] But Mahon wasn't done
with her career in the beauty industry.
Today, she owns a hair salon in Illinois.
- When I get new clients, I tell
them and they're just floored.
Like, "You don't look like a Monster Jam driver."
- [Narrator] Of the 83 active Monster Jam drivers,
only 14 are female.
- Seeing men in the sport is, it's cool,
but when you have a lady that rocks the house, that's epic.
- Honestly, it's an adrenaline rush that
I just don't even think you can explain until you're in it.
It's an awesome, awesome experience.
- The women in our sport, they've proven
they're just as good as the men.
You could tell there was something special about her.
Competitive, tough, and never wants to give up on training.
- [Narrator] The drivers get to hone their skills at
Monster Jam University, a facility in
Paxton, Illinios that's operated by Tom Meents.
- They have a place like Monster Jam University
where they can prefect their craft,
get better when they're out there,
and then they can bring their
epic performances to the track.
- [Narrator] According to Monster Jam,
each truck costs around $250,000 to build.
- Our trucks are 12-foot tall,
they're about 12-foot wide and they weigh anywhere
from 10 to 12 thousand pounds, 1,500 horsepower.
Our tires are 66 inches tall. They're massive!
They're like the biggest tires on any vehicle around.
And, you know, it's just so cool to
drive such a big beast of a truck.
- They maneuver around the stadium at amazing speed
and can fly over 40 feet in the air.
They're 100% like engineered fighter jet airplanes.
- [Narrator] On a rainy night at MetLife Stadium
these trucks were put to the test.
Due to a lack of traction on the track,
the drivers couldn't perform a lot of their
signature maneuvers like full backflips
and riding on two wheels.
What the show lacked in fancy tricks,
it made up for with mud.
- We have the best safety technology.
We're fireproof head to toe, head restraint,
neck restraint, we have 7-point harnesses
that hold us into the seat, fire shoes and gloves,
and we take every precaution necessary.
And that's why you don't see the injuries in Monster Jam
like you do in any other sport.
Because we're head to toe, fully protected.
- [Narrator] The drivers first compete in races,
followed by a freestyle round.
There's no cash prize for the winner,
the drivers are all salaried employees.
Monster Jam wouldn't share specifics
about the drivers' salaries.
- We're all hired contract workers, basically
and we come in and do our job
and get to go home at the end of the day.
Awww, thank you.
I get messages all the time of girls that say,
you know, "You're my role model, I look up to you."
You can't put a price tag on that.
We get to compete on the same tracks,
in the same trucks on the same level as the men
and that's really what makes it special
and a really cool sport because there's nobody here
pushing us down, everybody's building us up.