The smell of racing fuel and popcorn filled the air at Cooper Steel Arena in Shelbyville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Oct. 25, as monster trucks revved their engines for a full crowd of all ages.

Kids covered their ears as trucks like Outlaw geared up to hit the dirt jumps. Outlaw, a custom 2021 Ford F250, has 1,750 horsepower, according to Monster Truck Wars’ website, which is about three times the horsepower of an average semi truck.

Monster Truck Wars is a touring entertainment company, showcasing a lineup of monster trucks and four-wheelers every weekend across the country. The show included races, freestyle competitions, merch giveaways and more.

“It’s crowd participation Saturday at the monster truck show,” the announcer said. “If you’re excited, make some noise!”

In the first round of races, competitors T-Rex and Tombstone Sheriff battled to be the first to successfully jump two dirt mounds, the second round being between trucks Shark Attack and Outlaw. Between the rounds of monster truck action, teams of four-wheelers zipped through the stadium. Three riders from Team Tennessee and three from Team Alabama raced against one another.

Rolling on a winning high from last week’s show on the East Coast, Alabama’s team captain, Kris “Big Sexy” Bartlett, took a few verbal shots at Team Tennessee’s female captain, Miss Heather.

“Your place is with a Betty Crocker cookbook, or maybe mopping the floor,” Bartlett said. “Your place is never going to be out here trying to boot me.”

Due to a mechanical issue on Bartlett’s two-stroke ATV, Team Alabama was disqualified, leaving the win open for Team Tennessee after the third race. Through some pretty hefty smack talk between the four-wheeler teams, fans of all ages kept entertained and engaged throughout the afternoon.

Middle Tennessee moms like Maggie Tate appreciate events like these that come to rural parts of the mid-state.

“It’s wonderful that they’re bringing events like this to small towns,” Tate said. “It’s hard to drive all the way to Nashville for things like this. It opens it up to a lot more families to have them local here.”

In an intermission from the loud motors and chaos, little racers and their PowerWheels (electric riding cars) made their way down to the arena floor with help from parents and guardians. About 10 children, aged three to nine, pulled up to the starting line with their vehicles. 

The crowd cheered the little tykes on from the stands, watching them complete three laps around the stadium.

The event ended with a freestyle competition between monster trucks. Each driver had the chance to wow the crowd with wheelies, doughnuts or any other trick they could pull off between four dirt ramps.

As the crowd erupted in cheers, Devin Jones, driver of T-Rex, competed last. Per the tradition of Monster Truck Wars, Jones threw a limited-edition racing helmet to the most excited fan in the crowd.

This show contained the drama of competition between teams, custom vehicles operated by highly trained drivers and opportunities to win merch by being a high-spirited audience member.

These events, hosted by Monster Truck Wars, are scheduled until late February 2026 across the Southeast, from Texas to North Carolina. The next Tennessee show is scheduled for Jan. 31 at Agricenter Showplace Arena in Cordova, Tennessee.