E3 Spark Plugs News

Kid KJ, who made history when he became the youngest professional Monster Truck driver, appeared on ABC's 20/20 Friday.

Did you see Friday night’s episode of ABC’s 20/20? We here at E3 Spark Plugs tuned in to see Kaid Jaret Olson-Weston, a.k.a. “Kid KJ” featured on the show’s “Xtreme Parents” episode. The pint-sized phenom from Ft. Lauderdale became the first professional youth mini-monster truck driver two years ago at the tender age of six. Now a seasoned 8-year-old, Kid KJ has a huge following and his own team.

The Lil Mighty Monsters team is made up of Kid KJ, who drives Monster Bear; his 6-year old brother Jake Olson-Weston, driver of Sir Crush-A-Lot; and friends, 9-year-old Morgan Matheny and 14-year-old Cassie Berry, who split time behind the wheel of Demolition Diva.

“The way I explain it is it’s the craziest rollercoaster you’ve ever been on but you’re the driver,” Kid KJ tells interviewers about being in the driver’s seat of an 11-foot-tall, 3,000-pound, $50,000 crushing machine. Yet, he also calls monster truck driving “pretty much the safest thing you can do.”

Kid KJ’s parents back up their talented young son, detailing safety features on trucks like Monster Bear including full roll cages and five-point harness systems that keep their kids from harm, even in the event of a full flip-over. A particularly rough-looking flip is prominently featured in the show’s final segment. But Kid KJ emerged unscathed, remembering his first flip as “really fun.”

The show also featured 11-year-old competitive bullrider Lane Huzar. And an accompanying online article includes 8-year-old Motocross racer Jay Cramer (who started racing at age four), plus several young mixed martial arts competitors. Kid KJ and his parents aim to help make youth monster truck driving as mainstream as soccer and perhaps even start a summer camp that teaches kids to drive the half-scale monster trucks that members of the Lil’ Mighty Monsters team operate.

So what do you think? Would you send your preteen to a monster truck camp? Watch the full “Xtreme Parents” episode of 20/20 (hover your mouse over the status bar and click on the last section to see Kid KJ’s segment) and let us know how far you’d let your child chase a potentially dangerous dream. Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page. A

Kid KJ made history two years ago as the world's youngest Monster Truck driver at just six years old.

If you’ve made any of the stops on the Monster Truck Nationals Tour featuring the E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot, you might literally have seen the next generation of monster trucking. A few years ago, Kaid Jaret Olson-Weston, a.k.a. Kid KJ, made his historic debut as the world’s youngest Monster Truck Driver, driving his pint-sized Monster Bear truck and wowing the crowds with his seasoned moves despite being just six years old at the time.

Today, at the ripe old age of eight, Olson-Weston leads his own team of drivers dubbed Lil’ Mighty Monsters and made of up of his brother Jake Royce Olson-Weston, 7, driving Sir Crush A Lot, and friend Cassie Berry, 14, driving Demolition Diva. Together, they travel the show circuit performing crowd-pleasing aggressive freestyles over jumps, around tight turns and through obstacles.

Kaid Jaret Olson-Weston has always been a bit of a daredevil, skateboarding at a year old, snow skiing and driving ATVs at two, snowmobiling and dirt biking since three, jet skiing and go karting since four, according to his booker, Uncle Tod Motorsports. But mom Nancy and dad Tod, who also is the team’s manager and crew chief, have always made sure their wild-child brood was safe. Before suiting up and climbing behind the wheel, the three Lil’ Monsters underwent specialized training to learn the driving skills and mechanics for their half-scale monster trucks. The kids wear fire suits and safety helmets and communicate with adults via a driver-to-crew radio system installed in their trucks.

“They’re driving in a controlled environment,” says said Emily Boden, marketing manager for Family Events, the producer of Monster Truck Nationals. “They understand the ins and outs of a truck better than you or I would. They’re very knowledgeable and they do it every weekend, so they get a lot of practice.”

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates Kid KJ and his Lil’ Monsters team and looks forward to watching them take over the Monster Truck scene in the coming years.

Want to take a spin of your own in a racing truck? Enter to win a three-day driving adventure at the E3 Spark Plugs-sponsored Utah Off Road Nationals Presented by Toyota. Among the prizes are rides in racer Jerry Daugherty’s E3 Spark Plugs off-road truck, a Ford Racing GT Mustang and a Baja Challenge car. Enter by visiting the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page and clicking the Off Road Contest tab. Good luck!