Monster Truck Week: Interview With USA-1's Crew Chief, Part II

It’s officially Monster Truck Week here at BTE, where we’re featuring the largest vehicle we sponsor throughout the year: USA-1 monster truck from Gauger Motorsports. To get some information on this beast of a truck, we talked to USA-1’s crew chief, Scott Bryant, who told us all about the monster truck world. Part 1 of this interview ran Tuesday, March 31.

The USA-1 Crew

What is the most exciting part of a monster truck event?
Each part of a monster truck event has its own elements of excitement.  Kids always enjoy the pit parties because they can get up close to those big trucks. Racing has the competitive element that any motorsports fan can appreciate. In freestyle, drivers perform moves that shock and wow spectators.
           
For the team, the most exciting part is when we win. We have run with several very competitive teams so far this year on the Monster X Tour. Any time we take a racing, wheelie, or freestyle victory, it means a lot because every team on the Monster X tour is very tough and works very hard.

How old is USA-1?
USA-1 was one of the first monster trucks created. It began performing in 1981. In 1988, a second USA-1 was built for racing. It won the inaugural Monster Truck Racing Championship that year. However, save for the occasional cameo appearance, the USA-1 name has been absent from competition for over 20 years. Gauger Motorsports was able to partner with USA-1’s creator, Everett Jasmer, to bring this name back to competition. It has been a huge honor running USA-1 this year.

Who is the driver of USA-1?
Roger Gauger is not only the driver of the truck, but also a 23-year veteran of the monster truck industry. He is also an accomplished fabricator, which comes in handy as a monster truck driver and owner. Roger and his wife, Kathy bought their first monster truck in 1991 and have kept the business going through their company, Gauger Motorsports. USA-1 is a new addition to their fleet.

How many crew members go along with USA-1 to events? What do they normally have to do during the course of a night?
We typically have two crew members travel to shows. The first thing that must be done upon arrival is unloading the truck and mounting the large tires. In order to fit the truck into the hauler, the large tires must be dismounted and “toter” tires installed so the truck is narrow enough be loaded. Once “tired up” the truck is then moved into the stadium into pit position. Then the tools are moved in and the pit area is set up. Suspension and tire pressure adjustments are made and final cleaning is done before the pit party. Next the trucks are moved into positions for the pit party, then back to the pits afterwards. Once the event starts it’s all hands on deck to do what it takes to keep the truck running its best. If something breaks we do what it takes to get the truck back in the show. After the event, we “tire down” and load everything back up.  It’s a very full day.

Car of the Week: USA-1 Monster Truck

Welcome to the BTE Racing Car of the Week series, where we feature our customers and fans, and the cars (and trucks) they love to race. Today, we have a special edition for our first ever Monster Truck Week: USA-1 from Gauger Motorsports, which is sponsored by BTE, running a BTE Powerglide transmission as well as a bolt-together torque converter under the hood.

How did the Gaugers get into monster trucks?

Roger Gauger (USA-1’s driver and owner) saw Bigfoot when it first came out and was immediately bitten by the “Monster Truck Bug.” He decided early on in life that he wanted to run his own monster truck. Roger and his wife, Kathy purchased the Bad News Monster Truck back in 1991 while they were on their honeymoon. USA-1 is their fourth monster truck.

When and where was USA-1’s first race?
We debuted the new USA-1 on January 9^th at a Monster X event in Augusta, GA. Everett Jasmer, USA-1’s original owner even traveled all the way from Minnesota to be there.

What model/year is USA-1?

The body is a 2013 Chevy Silverado extended cab shortbed. The chassis was built by Concussion Motorsports.

What's under the hood?

The engine is a supercharged, methanol injected, 572 ci Donovan, with Brodix XXX heads. It was built by Cummins Racing Engines in Princeton, IN.

Which BTE products do you use in your vehicle?

USA-1 uses a BTE ProMod Powerglide shorty transmission and 10” billet bolt-together converter with tailored adjustments to our specific application. We also use BTE’s transmission fluid and their heavy duty flexplate. We run two transmission coolers to help the transmission survive.

Someone you look up to in racing?
Obviously we look up to Everett Jasmer, the creator of USA-1. Bob Chandler and the Bigfoot team have our respect as well. Marty Garza and the Overkill trucks have also been a huge inspiration.

Any rituals before an event?

Team fist bumps.

Monster Truck Week at BTE: An Interview With USA-1's Crew Chief Scott Bryant

It’s officially Monster Truck Week here at BTE, where we’re featuring the largest vehicle we sponsor throughout the year: USA-1 monster truck from Gauger Motorsports. To get some information on this beast of a truck, we talked to USA-1’s crew chief, Scott Bryant, who told us all about the monster truck world; its history, some stats on the massive size of the vehicles and tires, why a transmission takes a beating at each event and why BTE was the right choice as a sponsor. Part 2 of this interview will run Thursday, April 2. 

How did the monster truck industry begin?
 As a phenomenon created when off-roaders started to modify their pickup trucks to make them more capable. The more impressive units had heavy truck running gear and adapted to them with tires that were 46-48 inches tall, making them stand out figuratively and literally. They became known as Monster Trucks. USA-1 was one of the first trucks to be given this distinction.

Some stats on today’s monster trucks:
-Use agricultural tires 66” tall and 43” wide
-Weigh between 10,000 to 12,000 pounds (5 to 6 TONS!)
-Truck bodies are made from lightweight fiberglass with reinforced factory frames and suspicions on custom tubular chassis with 20-30” of suspension travel (no longer modified street trucks)
-Average 1200-1800 HP
-A wheel and a tire can weigh between 500 and 800 pounds alone

Why would the right transmission be important in one of these monster trucks?
Having a 1500 Hp engine in front of the transmission is one thing, but having 2400 pounds of wheels and tires to get spinning adds a new level of strain. Additionally the hard hits and huge jumps send tremendous shock loads through the driveline. Monster truck racing and freestyle requires drivers to rhythm on and off the throttle which can add even more strain. This strain generates incredible heat inside the transmission. This shock, heat, and strain is basically a worst case scenario for a transmission. If a transmission can handle a monster truck, it can basically handle anything.

How would having quality parts help your truck win an event?  Why BTE? 
We did exhaustive research to find the best components available often working with companies to build specific items for us. We looked at several transmission companies but approached only BTE. With a long standing history in the motorsports world, BTE has established itself as one of the premier transmission builders. The testimonials of their customers regarding not only the quality of their components but also their dedication to service showed them to be the kind of company we wanted to work with. The extensive research they perform at their own facility is very impressive. We knew this was a company that wasn’t satisfied with the status quo, but wanted to continually improve their products and services. From the very beginning of our relationship, they have worked with our team to tailor a transmission and convertor combination that best suits our engine and driveline.

In addition to the great support we receive from BTE, we have several other sponsorship partners that supports us: Evansville Bolt and Nut, MSD Ignitions, Cummins Racing Engines, Hedman Headers, Perfection Driveline, Hooker Racing Harnesses, Impact Safety Apparel, KC Lighting, VP Racing Fuels.