Where Did Monster Jam's Crush Cars Go? 

"Doing what Monster trucks do best: Crushing cars!" - Scott Douglass, Monster Jam the video game (2007) Man, It doesn't feel the same anymore...

As a driver, I like the crush cars in the track. It's WAY easier on the trucks because the landing ramp absorbs the energy along with the suspension. Plus, as you said, it's more spectacular to see the destruction. However, having put on events myself, it's next to impossible to get scrap yards to let loose of 20 cars at a time, whether you pay for them or not. The yards will make the same money if they keep them and part them out, or crush them outright, so there's no sense in having to haul 15-20 cars back and forth to the venue to make the same money off of them. When I did the 42 car pyramid, all the cars were donated. I had 5 different scrap yards donate along with a few one and two car donations. NO-BODY was willing to transport them however, so some great friends and I, armed with car trailers and pick up trucks spent DAYS hauling cars back and forth from the scrap yards to the venue. That sort of thing just isn't cost effective when you can load 20 free loader tires and ten telephone pole sections in the back of an 18 wheeler and use them forever and they don't "go away" like a crush car would. ....and thank you for using a clip of my truck in your video. ;)

The tire idea is actually a really brilliant idea

For me the perfect use of crush cars in the modern day is as toppers for dirt ramps. The examples I always point to are tracks from the early 2010s. Those tracks in my eyes were the perfect combo and I wish they had kept using that style. In my opinion, the modern monster jam tracks aren't really well designed in general regardless of their use of cars, as they tend to just place ramps somewhat haphazardly and lack large obstacles. Even if the early 2010s styled tracks had no crush cars, I feel like I'd still be satisfied with that style as it included larger obstacles and a better variety of obstacles. As for independent shows, I think it's a case by case basis. I've been to many independent shows that use nothing but crush cars, and many that use only dirt ramps. I think it depends on many factors but overall I think in most cases, some combination of dirt and cars is the best case senario. In conclusion, I think people point to crush cars as the sole reason why Monster Jam, and to a lesser degree Monster Truck shows, aren't as good as they used to be but I think it has to do with the track designs regardless of the inclusion of crush cars.

I'm an avid crush car purist, I want them to always be used somewhere I the sport, mostly I see more dirt ramps with imbedded cars as time goes on, with yhe occasional concrete floor event with only cars but it's so small that like you said the debris won't kick up, we will always need that crushing element in the sport, even if we need to change around how its done

Yeah I noticed that and even though monster truck racing across cars has been an iconic scene throughout motorsports history it is sad to see it gradually disappear since Monster Jam trucks now just jump and hit dirt hills and perform tricks like two wheel front wheelies and backflips/frontflips, becoming more like ATVs and Motorcross than traditional monster truck racing.

Tbh i'd love to see more caravans and motrohomes in Monster Jam events.

Great video man! I wasn’t aware cash 4 clunkers had such a huge effect on the availability of potential crush cars. I also had no idea monster trucks had tried “crushing” hay bales before but damn it looks like a fire hazard. I’ve been working for awhile on a video about the same topic (ughhh). Over the past day I’ve been debating whether I still want to make it but after rewatching your video I think what I have so far would add to the conversation rather than plainly copy yours. I wanted to let you know beforehand so there’s no animosity. Of course I’ll give a shoutout to you/this video since I think you make a lot of great points and you beat me to it. Keep up the great work!

A silly idea i have is Why not scrap crushed cars and use the scrap metal to make more crush cars? Why not just recycle already crushed cars and make more crush cars out of them?

The early 2010s of MJ did crush cars the best way imaginable. Today the tracks just aren’t for them. But using other stuff like old tractor tires, busses, and maybe containers if done right. I think obstacles will always be apart of monster trucks along with dirt ramps. I’m glad MJ found a way to be safe about having cars on the track and they pulled it off well for the All star challenge in 2019 and WF 22

Great video and presentation! While the traditional fan in me will always yearn for some kind of crush cars at events, I understand how nowadays it's not always logistically and financially feasible. I do enjoy the consistency that logs, dirt, and tires provide though. I was also at the St. Louis 2006 Monster Jam when they had that large pad of crush cars, and that was such an awesome obstacle that led to some spectacular moments, especially for something so simple looking.

Thank you for making this video!!!!!!! I know me and a lot of other people are kind of ticked off about crush cars becoming less prominent but as you explained, there’s some decent reasons why. I think that there will always be cars, vans and buses to smash at monster truck shows just because that’s what the sport is built on. I like the freestanding cars but ones in ramps are fine with me as long as there’s enough of the car above the dirt to see get smashed. Thanks again for making this highly informative video man!!!!!!!

I think having them incorporated in any way shape or form is better than removing them outright, such as incorporating them into ramp structures like on old DVD's I watched when I was a kid and the trucks were racing around the arena. I wish there was a way to make crush cars just for the purpose of monster trucks in every way that the old ones were good for, without using actual automobiles, like the vegan option of a burger tasting similar enough that it's not a big issue as an example.

I swear everytime i watch a car documentary cash for clunkers comes up like the 9/11 for the used car market

This was a really well-made video

One of the reasons why Monster Jam doesn't really use cars much anymore at their shows is because their sponsor tires bkt.. They tend to pop easy on Sharp metal. There's been numerous of reasons why monster Jam won't use a lot of cars to smash for a show

I miss the olds tracks

It's because FELD is cheap. And BKT tires tend to pop more often. Using hay would be a disaster if it caught fire.

I honestly do miss seening mobile homes getting destroyed during freesytle

2:47 Pontiac What? - Nearly everyone except Canadians 😂

Nothing like the sound of the cars being crushed

Cash for Clunkers wasn't a rebate for donating your car. It was a rebate for buying a new car and guaranteeing that the dealer would crush your car. The only way you're donating the car is if you consider the crusher a person and the recipient. Otherwise, good video.

11:59 , in the bowl.. Not a full panel HHR , those are rare ! I'm grateful to have one

My prediction is that trucks will be launching themselves on street obstacles, like rails and ledges (oversized perhaps), and grind. Can you imagine locking in a 50-50?

In the recent season they had some crush cars

What show is that last image from

Hay would never be used purely because it's a fire risk

They did bring them back in 2020

I would put reinforcement plates or beams in the cars so they don’t crunch so easily

hey you actually did do a video about this

I just went to a Hot Wheels show and I completely understand why they don't use them anymore!

That's the reason why I love new crush cars rather than older ones. Their destruction is much greater and significant then with the older ones. In my opinion why not put a bulettproof glass wall around the arena so people wouldn't get hurt or even better why not make some specially made dummy crush cars thet wouldn't explode with debree when smashed yet still be awesome to be destroyed?

Total BS on all of it. They've just gotten lazy. Too easy to clean the dirt off the floor after a show than crushed cars. They don't want to do the work and they like their little high flying boredom machines.

I think one of the reasons it fell off is because more and more people want these older cars, simply because of how basic their systems are. 80s cars are cult cars now, such as Saabs and Pontiacs. 70s cars are worth a small fortune to buyers, even if it's a parts car. Cars today are such piles pf crap that people don't want them. Nobody cares about Bluetooth radio of the seats are uncomfortable. If you buy a modern car, you can't work on it yourself unless you go to school for it. 70s cars and prior are extremely simple machines that are dirt cheap to repair. I can pull the A/C compressor out if my old truck in ten minutes, but in my much newer car, I have to take the wheel off, drop the subframe, and drop the engine to get the serpentine belt and compressor off. I gave up halfway through after spending six hours on it. The pros heavily outweigh the cons with these old cars. Any performance issues can be fixed with a trip to a junkyard and elbow grease. Their comfort was vastly superior, with the seats of 70s Lincolns and Cadillacs practically being luxury recliners that never wore out. The old Detroit engines were practically bulletproof. They were classy land barges. I'm not even from that era and I want it to come back. The cars were so much better back then.

I'm just glad to see less spare parts getting ruined for chuckles. I've always kind of resented these shows because what's a monster truck actually good for? Even as a kid, I just thought the way they build "traditional" monster trucks, they barely get any better ground clearance than a normal truck with a lift kit and big tires, they're too top heavy to actually drive anywhere in the real world, they don't have a bed to use around the farm or to load up and go overlanding and even if they did, it'd be too high to use anyway. Just a huge waste of money and time. If you want a giant blown engine, put it in something that actually works well, not something with 1600HP and a top speed of 60.

Theres still no shortage for vans, and busses which leave less fragments to collect at the end of the show. They just choose not to use them because its more work to secure scrapyard sponsors or pay for them. They forget why the stands arent packed anymore. It;s not the economy & its not covid. look at NFL games. Theyve ruined the vibe of what the shows once brought and its sad

Personally don't like the crushed cars. I prefer smoother jumps that allows bigger air time

I'm sure these comments will contain calm and reasonable discussion.

Tires and hay bales would be a nice replacement

WRONG... 2016 Dodge Challenger weighs more than a 1972 Chrysler New Yorker. Do some research next time.