Friday 10th July 98
John had to be up very early on the Friday morning, to do a radio
interview over the phone for a local radio station, promoting the Bloomsburg
show.
With that out of the way, John & I then traveled to Bloomsburg,
taking with us enough stuff to last us until the sunday night, when we
would be returning home.
John's crew guys came each day, as it wasn't very far for them to
travel.
On the way John, who is also a volunteer Firefighter, pointed out
a couple of burnt down houses which he had tackled earlier on in the year.
At his home he has some fire masks that have started to melt under
the intense heat, while tackling fires. He has saved many lives & even
had to pull one of his fellow firefighters out of a burning building when
he became trapped. John also goes to the local schools & gives talks
about fire safety.
We arrived about 10:30am & I was supprised to see what seemed
like a deserted fairgrounds, the afternoon before, full with pick-up truck,
& spectators.
Andy Hoffman in Nitemare, Mike Vaters in Black Stallion & Guy
Wood in Bulldozer had also arrived. Kirk Dabney in Overkill & Paublo
Huffaker in Grave Digger arrived shortly afterwards.
Guy Wood putting his tires on
For the drivers who had only just arrived, it gave spectators a chance
to watch the drivers & their crew working on their trucks. For people
like Mike Vaters of Black Stallion & Dan Runte of BIGFOOT, it was a
chance to relax, while fans looked at their trucks.
Time to relax
For John it was time to give his truck a quick hose down.
With the racing not until 5pm, it gave John time to ensure his truck
was all set to go. It also gave him time to have a walk around the fairgrounds.
For me I was lucky enough to meet up with friends Dave, Bev &
Dan Huntoon, reporting for Truckworld Online. They had managed to secure
a golf cart for the weekend. I managed to hitch a lift & squeezed
on the back of that. This allowed me to see the thousand of pickup trucks
on display, without wearing my legs out in the process.
Before the first days racing, all of the drivers had an autograph
session, signing pictures & t-shirts for the spectators.
With the autograph session over it was time to move the trucks into
the infield before the racing.
Before racing John puts Nitrogen into the shocks, & has another
quick check over the truck, to make sure everything is safe.
"Whether I win or lose, it's the taking part that counts. Just
to see the smiles on the fans faces is enough to make me feel like a winner"
John Seasock, Dan Runte & Dan Patrick waiting for the show
to start.
Samson, BIGFOOT, Bulldozer, Grave Digger, Sudden Impact,
Black Stallion, Nitemare & Overkill lined up ready
to race.
With the National Anthem & introductions out of the way
it was time for the drivers to move their trucks to the other side of the
infield.
To see full racing coverage of Bloomsburg go to my Bloomsburg
coverage page.
Between races the teams work on their trucks, or watch the racing
themselves.
John hiding behind his tire, with Andy Slifko & crew member
Rob Reese.
To the right, Andy Hoffman with his father, who was crewing
for him.
For other drivers like Dan Patrick of Samson, why stand & watch
the racing, when you can sit down !
John was knocked out in the first round of both the roundy round
& straight line competition & the Friday's racing saw him break
a couple of bump stops as well.
For other drivers like Paublo Huffaker who broke his drive shaft &
also had to change his transmission, he & wife Tina worked well into
the night getting it fixed.
With the show over & the crowds of people gone, the fairgrounds
started to look empty again. With a few pickup trucks left, covered over
to protect their gleaming bodies, the only people left where those competitors
stopping in the fairgrounds & the security guards patrolling.
For the Monster Truck drivers it was time to fix minor problems
on their trucks & get freshened up, ready to go out & get some
food.
After racing John always likes to phone his wife Hollie, as soon
as he possibly can, to let her know he's all right.
"I don't know what I'd do without the support that Hollie gives
me. My family are the most important thing in my life & I always miss
them when I'm on the road"
For both the Friday & Saturday night most of the drivers all
ate at a local hotel, where the Special Events officials where stopping.
For me it was a chance to hang out with the other drivers. On the
Friday night I had dinner with Dan Patrick, Dan Runte, John Seasock, some
of the Special Event officials & some of the crew guys. After the meal
it was time to unwind at a local bar for a few drinks.
