• Erin Pradia •
• Originally published January 6, 2012 at 10 p.m., updated January 7, 2012 at 12:30 a.m.

• IF YOU GO:

• WHAT: Outlaw Monster Truck SpectacularWHERE: Victoria Community Center, 2905 E. North St.WHEN: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. SaturdayTICKETS: Advance tickets for children are $10 and $17 for adults. They are available at Rent-A-Tire, 1701 N. Navarro St., and at ...

• SHOW ALL »

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Outlaw Monster Truck SpectacularWHERE: Victoria Community Center, 2905 E. North St.WHEN: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. SaturdayTICKETS: Advance tickets for children are $10 and $17 for adults. They are available at Rent-A-Tire, 1701 N. Navarro St., and at OutlawMonsterTrucks.com. A limited number of $10 advance tickets are available. Tickets at the door are $15 for kids, $20 for adults.BONUS: Tickets include access to the pit party, where you can see the trucks, talk to the drivers and take pictures. The pit parties are at noon and 6 p.m.

DOUBLE BONUS: The first 500 kids to show up to the 2 p.m. show on Saturday get a free toy monster truck.

• MONSTER TRUCK SPECS

• HEIGHT: 10- to 12-feet tallWEIGHT: About 10,000 poundsTIRE SIZE: 8 feet; 1,000 poundsHORSEPOWER: Reaching up to more than 2,000 hpFUEL ECONOMY: 7 miles per gallonOIL CHANGE: After each showTRUCK SAFETY: Each truck has a remote shut-off switch that allows ...

• SHOW ALL »

MONSTER TRUCK SPECS

HEIGHT: 10- to 12-feet tallWEIGHT: About 10,000 poundsTIRE SIZE: 8 feet; 1,000 poundsHORSEPOWER: Reaching up to more than 2,000 hpFUEL ECONOMY: 7 miles per gallonOIL CHANGE: After each showTRUCK SAFETY: Each truck has a remote shut-off switch that allows someone on the sidelines to shut down the truck at any time.Source: Steve Quercio and MonsterJam.com

More than 850 people yelling and clapping were drowned out by the revving of truck engines in the Victoria Community Center on Friday.

It was the opening of the Outlaw Monster Truck Spectacular.

And Robert French, 45, was there, 21 years after attending his first monster truck show. Now, French is building and driving the huge machines.

The Outlaw Monster Truck Spectacular, based in Arizona, performs about 100 shows a year across the United States, featuring monster trucks, motorcycles and four-wheeler quads, said chief operating officer Ron Woodbridge.

While he still owns a tow-truck company in Georgia, French gave up being a full-time business man to drive monster trucks in shows since that first show years ago.

French built the truck he drove in Friday's show, "Formula 1 Noni," about four years ago.

French went into the monster truck business with a friend, Calvin Carrington - at one time owning 16 monster trucks between them. Carrington passed away in 2006 while driving a monster truck.

Two years later, French married Carrington's widow, Kelly Carrington French, also a monster truck driver. Their son, Kyle Carrington, 16, is the youngest professional driver of a full-sized monster truck in the United States.

There is no special license required to drive monster trucks.

"You gotta be able to reach the pedals. That's it," Kyle Carrington said.

This is his sixth show performing wheelies, doughnuts and drag racing in a monster truck called "Wildfire," which was completed 16 years ago - on the day he was born.

The drivers crawl into the cab of the truck through the bottom, using the undercarriage of the truck as a ladder.

Carrington said he enjoys spending time with his family, smashing cars in his monster truck and interacting with excited fans.

"I didn't have much interest in toy cars when I was little," Carrington said. "I see all these people so excited about seeing these trucks, but it is just another day for me."

Gabriel Garza, 9, of Victoria, was in the audience, attending the opening night of the truck show.

"Look how tall it is, Dad!" Gabriel exclaimed as the crowds who had been lining up outside for more than two hours before the show poured in the front doors. Gabriel attended the show with his two brothers, his dad, Junior Garza, 30, their cousin Crystal Salazar, 10, all of Victoria.

"We play with monster trucks at home all the time," said Gaven Garza, 11. "But these are way better."

Ethan Garza, 5, pressed his face against the chain-link fence to get an early glimpse of the monster trucks before joining the throngs on the racetrack for the "pit party."

"This is a dream come true for them," Junior Garza said.

The Victoria family watches monster truck races on television.

"Have you met Grave Digger?" Gabriel asked French.

"Next week, I'll be beating him in Atlanta," replied French as he signed hats, T-shirts and race car flag souvenirs.

French currently owns three monster trucks, valued about $250,000 each, including two of the four trucks at Friday's show. When the French family is not driving the monstrous vehicles, they keep them on a farm in Georgia.

Looking like huge monster truck toys, the loud machines and their drivers crushed old cars, pushed dirt on the track and kept little boys wide-eyed in awe - adults, too.

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