Grave Digger is rolling into Gwinnett County this weekend, and the driver behind the wheel of one of motorsports' most recognizable trucks is making history every time she straps in. Krysten Anderson, the first full-time female driver of Grave Digger, is set to compete at Gas South Arena in Duluth as Monster Jam brings its high-powered engines and massive dirt stunts to the region.
Anderson's path to the driver's seat began in 2017, when Monster Jam officials invited her to audition during the truck brand's 35th anniversary year, according to Wikipedia. She was recruited shortly after her father, Dennis Anderson, retired from driving following an injury that same year, making her ascension to the cockpit of the family's namesake truck a direct continuation of his legacy. Anderson is set to compete at this weekend's Gwinnett County show.
Her résumé extends well beyond her last name. In 2022, Anderson became the first female points series champion in Monster Jam history, winning the Arena Series Central title after competing for about 18 consecutive weeks against male competitors, per Monster Jam's own driver profile. She also holds the Guinness World Record for the highest ramp jump ever recorded in a monster truck, soaring 33 feet and 9.6 inches into the air during a 2020 stunt, according to Wikipedia.
From Art Student to Record-Holding Driver
Before she ever climbed into a monster truck, Anderson was studying studio art with plans to become a graphic designer, creating paint jobs and custom artwork for Monster Jam vehicles rather than driving them, Monster Jam's driver biography notes. She took college-level art courses before the call came to audition for the franchise, a detail that adds an unexpected layer to her trajectory from aspiring designer to world-record holder behind the wheel.
The truck she now drives has its own decades-long origin story. Grave Digger was built in 1982 by Dennis Anderson out of a salvaged 1951 Ford pickup truck and tractor tires, according to Outer Banks Coastal Life. Dennis Anderson sold the team's rights to Pace Motorsports in 1998 before Feld Entertainment eventually acquired the brand, transforming a homemade backyard project into a multi-truck motorsports franchise that now spans generations of the Anderson family.
The Machines Behind the Mayhem
The trucks fans will see at Gas South Arena are engineering extremes in their own right. Standard Monster Jam competition trucks weigh between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds and run on supercharged V8 engines powered by pure methanol, producing roughly 1,500 horsepower, according to specs cited by Sinjan Gergick. Each engine is custom-built to withstand severe impact forces.
Those trucks ride on specialized BKT tires, engineered to help absorb the shock of landings after jumps like the one that earned Anderson her world record.
The Venue
Gas South Arena itself is a major event venue, hosting everything from minor league hockey and lacrosse to volleyball and major touring entertainment, according to the Gas South District.
High-profile family shows like Monster Jam arrive at the venue. Fans attending this weekend's show at the arena will see Monster Jam competition. The show also includes skills and freestyle contests.
Anderson's appearance in Gwinnett County adds another stop to a Monster Jam season that has taken the franchise through arenas across the country. For local fans, though, the draw remains simple: a driver who once planned to paint monster trucks now pilots the most famous one in the sport, carrying forward a legacy her father started in 1982 with a salvaged pickup and a stack of tractor tires.
