Nitro Circus was a 2008 Ford F-150 monster truck owned by FELD Motorsports and Travis Pastrana, based around Pastrana's show of the same name. It was the successor to Pastrana 199 and debuted at Monster Jam World Finals X under Pastrana. Cam McQueen then drove the truck full-time through the 2010 and 2011 seasons, while other drivers had their turns piloting the truck. Nitro Circus accomplished several achievements throughout its rather short lifespan, becoming the first monster truck to successfully perform a backflip in competition, doing so in 2010 at Jacksonville and World Finals XII.
History[]
Nitro Circus makes its unofficial debut during an episode of the TV series Nitro Circus in February 2009. During that episode, Travis Pastrana would unsuccessfully attempt a backflip with the truck. Just over a month later, Nitro Circus makes its official competition debut on March 28, 2009, during the freestyle competition at World Finals X, serving as the successor to Pastrana 199. Travis Pastrana pilots the truck and goes on to finish 5th in freestyle, with a score of 26. Following the World Finals, Nitro Circus would compete exclusively in that year’s European tour on the Safe Auto Minimizer chassis. Lee O’Donnell would drive the truck to a racing championship in Arnhem, Marc McDonald drove the truck in Cardiff, and Cam McQueen would first drive the truck at Barcelona.
In 2010, Nitro Circus entered its first full year of competition, with Cam McQueen behind the wheel. McQueen and the truck would compete in various televised Monster Jam events and would also win a racing championship in New Orleans, defeating Ricky Ownley in Mopar Magic. Later in the season, Nitro Circus would make history by successfully attempting the first backflip in competition in Jacksonville, Florida. Both McQueen and the truck would later be invited to compete at World Finals XI.
2011 marked Nitro Circus’ final year of competition. McQueen and the truck would be invited to compete at World Finals XII, where he would successfully attempt a backflip again, making Nitro Circus the first truck to do so in World Finals history. McQueen and the truck would go on to tie with Jim Koehler in Avenger with a score of 32 but would lose to the tiebreaker by a single point. Alex Blackwell would drive the truck at Quincy for the Friday and Saturday shows, taking Bad Habit driver Joe Sylvester's place. Afterward, Pastrana would drive the truck exclusively at Monster Jam’s inaugural event at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 9th, 2011.
Events competed[]
2009[]
- World Finals X, Las Vegas, NV, Mar 28 (freestyle only)
- Cardiff, Wales, Jun 6
- Gothenburg, Sweden, Jun 13
- Arnhem, Netherlands, Sep 26-27
- Barcelona, Spain, Oct 24
2010[]
2011[]
World Finals appearances[]
- 2009 - Travis Pastrana (freestyle only)
- 2010 - Cam McQueen
- 2011 - Cam McQueen
Trivia[]
- Nitro Circus is one of three trucks to make its official debut at the World Finals, the others being Hot Wheels (2002) and Captain's Curse (2007).
- As Nitro Circus used the former Pastrana 199 chassis, the truck featured two extra passenger seats inside of it. This was due to the original truck being used for the VIP driving experience at previous World Finals, as well as for camera mounting.
- The reason why Nitro Circus ran a single cab Ford F-150 for the 2009 and 2010 European tours is due to Disney XD running on its original chassis.
- The truck's theme song ("The State of Massachusetts" by Dropkick Murphy's) was also the theme song for the Nitro Circus television show.
- Travis Pastrana drove the truck in both its first and last event.
Gallery[]
