On July 31st to August 2nd, NAPA Auto Parts World Series of Monster Trucks made its 13th annual visit to Eastbound International Speedway, bringing seven monster trucks from across the United States and Canada to Avondale’s backyard. Amongst the competitors for that weekend was an eighth driver, one who – while he did not race – still loves to get behind the wheel after 44 years of racing: Dennis Anderson, the creator of Grave Digger.
While Anderson is most commonly known for his Grave Digger days, he also has a second monster truck under his belt: King Sling. Originally a mega truck, King Sling has been upgraded to its bigger and more famous cousin, now with 66 inch-tall, 43 inch-wide tires. While the mega truck still exists, the new monster truck version of King Sling was created to allow Anderson to travel to more monster truck events outside of Monster Jam.
“[Grave Digger has] five-year terms that they pull with Monster Jam…it’s an exclusive deal”, Anderson explained to The Muse, “so I’m coming out and doing fan appreciation tours, bringing King Sling because we can’t bring a Grave Digger truck”.
Anderson retired from Monster Jam in 2017, following a horrific injury from a failed backflip attempt at Raymond James Stadium in Florida.
“[I] broke my ribs…fractured my back, [and] tore a main artery going through my pancreas”, Anderson went on to highlight the crash “put [him] out of commission for over a year and a half”.
Despite the wreck ending his Monster Jam career, Anderson continues to race monster trucks to this day, primarily during a tour across the American West Coast in January through March. During this tour, Anderson drives Extreme King Sling, a monster truck designed to carry two passengers that Anderson picks from the crowd.
“I’m not out there doing crazy cartwheels and backflips with my fans in there”, Anderson explained to The Muse, “but I’m still getting on it, I’m jumping buses with them…it’s a big boy ride”.
When The Muse asked Anderson why he keeps racing after all these years, he told us it is because his family has followed him into the monster track business, and he hopes his fans will follow his children into the next generation of monster truck drivers. Dennis has four children: Adam, Ryan, Krysten, and Weston. While Ryan drives his own truck, Son-Uva Digger, Dennis’ other three kids all race under the Grave Digger banner, winning a total of fourteen championships in their combined careers so far (Adam has eight titles, Weston has five, and Krysten has one). In addition to driving for her father, Krysten also created the name King Sling and designed the truck. None of the Andersons drove King Sling at Eastbound, instead, the truck was driven by Dennis’ nephew, Jeremiah Paras.
The integration of Grave Digger into the Anderson family does not stop at driving. In addition to their race team, the Andersons also own Digger’s Dungeon, a monster truck garage shop that also serves as a tourist destination. On the property, fans of Grave Digger can be treated to ride trucks, a gift shop, Digger’s Diner, and the Rust in Piece museum, which houses both replicas and restored parts of former Grave Digger trucks.
The name Grave Digger has gone beyond Dennis, it now operates as a brand that lives and breathes through the entire Anderson family, a brand that Dennis is extremely proud to pass down to his children.
“If your fans love you, you’ll last forever”, Dennis told The Muse, “[my kids are] carrying on a legacy, and I was just so honoured when they followed my footsteps”.
Today, Grave Digger remains one of the most recognizable names in monster truck competition. With the success of his children, Grave Digger’s brand recognition, and the rise of King Sling, there is no doubt that Dennis Anderson has left an impact on the monster truck world that will be felt for decades to come.
When asked for any final thoughts, Dennis concluded his interview with one of his infamous lines: “Thank you guys for every nut and bolt on my truck and every shingle on my roof. Maybe I’ll see you guys at some fan appreciation tour or even at Monster Jam World Finals, I’m always there”.
