USA-1 is a
monster truck
A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pic ...
that competed during the 1980s and 1990s, named after a
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
ad campaign. It competed against
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...
in the first televised monster truck race on the American television show ''
That's Incredible!
''That's Incredible!'' is an American reality television show that aired on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from 1980 in television, 1980 to 1984 in television, 1984. In the tradition of ''You Asked for It'', ''List of ...
'' in 1983.
Bigfoot Monster Truck Firsts
; Retrieved March 24, 2008 The truck was initially painted blue before it was repainted in white.
Everett Jasmer built and raced the truck in the late 1970s. USA-1 was a consistent winner in the mid-to-late 1980s with Steve Wilke and Rod Litzau sharing the driving, and is best known for its many wins and legendary crashes. It won the 1988 TNT Monster Truck Racing Series championship.[USA-1]
monstertrucks-uk.com; Retrieved March 24, 2008 It was one of the last nationally competitive monster truck
A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pic ...
s to use a leaf spring
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, it ...
suspension. Everett contacted Mark Hall, co-owner of Raminator, to campaign a USA-1 body in 1992 on their Executioner chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
. In the next year, Everett had Kirk Dabney campaign the body on his Nitemare 4 chassis. USA-1 stopped racing in the early 1990s, after the folding of the TNT Monster Truck Racing Series. As of March 2008, Everett owns the original vehicles and the trademark to the name.[Everett Jasmer interview on USA-1 at monsterblog.com]
March 13, 2008, Retrieved March 23, 2008 He has been trying to find a racing series that meets his vision of professional monster truck racing. In November 2011, Everett Jasmer was inducted into the International Monster Truck Hall of Fame
The International Monster Truck Hall of Fame, based in Auburn, Indiana, is a shrine to the best drivers in history of monster truck competition. The hall is part of the Kruse Automotive and Carriage Museum.
The hall also displays monster trucks ...
. In 2021, Jasmer sold his entire operation to James Trantina of Triple B Motorsports. James runs the name on a team-owned truck, which marks the first time since the early 1990s that the name would be ran on a truck owned by the team, rather than leased. In 2022, James would take the original USA-1 truck out and made a pass at a tractor pull.
See also
* List of monster trucks
This is an ongoing list of current and former monster trucks with their drivers.
List
References
{{Reflist
Lists of vehicles, Monster trucks
Monster trucks, * ...
References
Further reading
Everett Jasmer interview on USA-1 at monsterblog.com
March 13, 2008
USA-1 history by Scott Bryant
External links
USA-1 4x4 Website
*
Official Monster Truck Hall of Fame Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:USA-1 (monster truck)
Defunct monster trucks
Monster trucks
Off-road vehicles
Sports entertainment