The Westfield Fairgrounds shook under monster trucks this weekend as Monster Truck Wars made its debut at the Russellville Road venue, drawing families who lined up for photos, waved flags from the stands, and covered their ears against engines loud enough to rattle eardrums. At the center of it all was 19-year-old Colton Fowler, the youngest of four drivers on the tour, who launched his Tyrannosaurus rex-themed truck off a ramp and sent it airborne in front of a crowd that included seven-year-old Lukas Wizeman waving a T. rex flag from the stands.
A Family Business on Wheels
Monster Truck Wars featured matinee and evening shows on September 12 and 13 at the fairgrounds at 137 Russellville Road, complete with pit-party passes, Powerwheels races, and ride-truck experiences for fans, according to Event Tickets Center. As MassLive reported, the Westfield stop marked the first time the touring show had visited the venue, and Colton Fowler's oversized-tire truck was one of the main draws for young spectators pressed against the wire fencing.
Colton Fowler's father, Ricky Fowler, also drives in the show, and the family's involvement in monster trucks runs deeper than just the two of them on the fairgrounds floor. Ricky Fowler operates Fowler Motorsports out of Denton, Texas, owning trucks including Zilla, Texas Outlaw, and Gunslinger, and told MassLive that his other son is part of the Hot Wheels team, adding, “Both my sons are involved with monster trucks.” Colton made his driver debut in 2023 piloting Lethal Injection, according to the Monster Trucks Wiki, and drove T-Rex in 2026.
From Texas to Vermont — and Soon Australia
Monster Truck Wars schedules shows across the country, and per MassLive's reporting, this leg of the tour runs from Texas to Vermont, with an international tour to Australia planned for next month. The promoter's own materials show events in Virginia and Connecticut, per Monster Truck Wars, reflecting how independent promotions lean on county fairgrounds during the autumn season before heading overseas.
Colton Fowler arrived in Westfield with experience behind him. He piloted T-Rex at a 2026 event in Battle Creek, Michigan, according to footage reviewed by Monster Truck Daily on YouTube.
Young Fans, Big Noise
For nine-year-old Atticus Ryan, a Pittsfield native, the Westfield show was his second monster truck rally, following an earlier one in New Lebanon, New York, that MassLive noted had a larger arena with more room for the trucks to perform. Atticus and his six-year-old sister Winifred gripped the wire fencing to get a closer look at the drivers and trucks, and spectators who needed a break could step back from the stands for a more muffled distance from the engines.
Research on motocross and monster-truck events has documented peak crowd noise of 120 dBA and discusses OSHA's 85-decibel action level, according to the hearing study. Health guidance recommends hearing protection for children attending loud events like this one.
The Engineering Behind the Spectacle
The trucks that rolled through Westfield are far from ordinary pickups. Professional monster truck builds can generate 1,500 horsepower from supercharged engines and run on 66-inch agricultural tires engineered for aerial jumps and car crushing, according to Flamingo Magazine. Those powerful engines and large tires require specialized chassis design to absorb the impact of hard jump landings.
Fairgrounds like Westfield's have to adapt for that kind of punishment. The venue's dirt arena forms part of the fairgrounds setup. MassLive described the Westfield spectacle as scaled to fit the fairgrounds while still retaining the high horsepower and gravity-defying performance fans expect from monster truck videos of cars getting crushed and trucks launching over obstacles.
Built-In Safety Switches
The trucks use a Remote Ignition Interrupter, a radio-controlled switch that lets track staff cut a truck's engine instantly if a driver loses control. Bigfoot creator Bob Chandler is associated with the safety system.
Beyond the competition trucks, Monster Truck Wars also offers ride-truck experiences to paying fans, per Monster Truck Wars. The event also uses the fairgrounds' dirt arena.
Before the performances, guests lined up for photographs and asked drivers to sign merchandise. For families like the Ryans and the Wizemans, it was a chance to get close to the machines and the young drivers, including Colton Fowler, a young driver from a family involved in monster trucks.
