Gentlemen, start your engines!

The United States Hot Rod Association Takes Over the DCU Center
By Kim Dunbar

If you ever played with Hot Wheels when you were little or ever had dreams of driving big…really big… trucks, you’re not going to want to miss the USHRA (United States Hot Rod Association) Monster Jam when it roars into and takes over the DCU Center from February 16-18.
 
Spawned from folks fooling around on their four-wheelers, monster truck racing has evolved into a larger-than-life entertainment wonder. From racing and jumping over cars, buses and trailers to doing major power-wheelies, Monster Jam is truly a spectator sport. Where else can you find 11 foot tall trucks with 66 inch tall tires weighing in at a minimum of 9,000 pounds, not to mention 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower engines pushing through at speeds up to 100 mph? Nowhere else.
 
Just ask Scott Poirier, the driver of the beast that is Anger Management, who had always dreamed of becoming a monster truck driver. However, unlike many other young lads, Poirier actually became one.
 
But Poirier, who makes his home in North Sutton, NH, didn’t just get to drive the red 2006 Chevy Silverado (with Hot Wheels graphics running along the side of the car). He had to earn it.
 
“I used to be a technical official, part of the production staff of the show,” said Poirier. For five years, Poirier worked on the ground floor [literally], directing the drivers, enforcing the rules of the competition, and inspecting vehicles. Working in the pit allowed him to become friends with a lot of the drivers and owners, including Dan Glavis, owner of Anger Management.
 
“Glavis told me one day that he was interested in building another truck, and I put the bug in his ear that I wanted to drive,” says Poirier.
 
Glavis took the bait and invited Poirier to a race in April 2005. While Poirier figured he was along for extra support, Glavis intended for his new prodigy to test out the trucks. Poirier impressed, and Glavis found a rookie he could mold into the driver he wanted. Poirier has been at the helm of Anger Management ever since.

“The best part about it is going to different places and meeting different people,” says Poirier. “Our biggest fan base is children, so I enjoy seeing the kids come who think I am the greatest person because of what I do. When I get to shake their hand or sign an autograph, it makes me feel good to see them smiling and having a good time.”
 
But what Poirier does on the track is no child’s play. Using the same engines in the trucks as they use in drag racing, Poirier and his fellow drivers start the competition off by drag racing, making their way through the usually straightaway track over obstacles like cars and dirt mounds. At the end of the event comes the freestyle competition, in which each driver has 60 or 90 seconds to do crazy moves and tricks in order to impress the judges. While this part is exciting and unpredictable, Poirier likes the racing portion of the event best.
 
“When racing, you are racing against an opponent rather than being judged,” says Poirier. “I can control my own destiny. If I have a good lap and beat the opponent I know I’m in first place and if I screw up, it’s my own fault.”
 
Poirier is looking forward to the trip to Worcester, as he considers it one of the best stops on the tour. “There will be a lot of trucks, and it’s a dirt roundy-round [circular] course, which makes it more interesting to drive, requiring more skill and patience to finesse the truck around the curves,” he says.
 
Poirier is looking forward to stepping up his game this season, so expect a good fight from Anger Management. But competitiveness is only half the excitement. According to Poirier, Monster Jam is “…the wildest show you can pack into an arena. The noise, the vibrations, and the size of the vehicles, you just can’t beat it,” he adds.

Tickets are available at the DCU Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets at www.ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at (508) 931-2000.  For more information, visit www.monsterjamonline.com.

Poirier and Anger Management are sponsored by Dutcher Automotive Engineering, East Coast Chopper Works and Dillon Chevrolet.