Beyond her red hair, Monster Jam’s Kayla Blood is a total badass
A thrilling monster truck show will return to South Florida Saturday and Sunday with its usual vehicle-crushing, high-speed driving excitement. But this year, Monster Jam Triple Threat Series also promises competitions between the customized mid-sized Speedsters and smaller ATVs.
Monster Jam fans will get a thrill out of 66-inch tires, speeds that can hit 100 mph and tricks that send the massive five-ton trucks flying as many as 35 feet into the air.
But maybe it’s not such a bad idea to learn about the daredevil drivers behind the wheel. One of them, Kayla Blood — the mastermind inside El Toro Loco — has a mane that’s hard to forget.
She’ll face off against seven other drivers for the chance to win a bid to the Monster Jam World Finals. Those participants are Grave Digger (Tyler Menninga), Max-D (Colton Eichelberger), Zombie (Bari Musawwir, Scooby-Doo (Myranda Cozad, EarthShaker (Tristan England), Blue Thunder (Matt Cody) and Monster Mutt Rottweiler (JR Seasock).
Blood is one of the few women in the show. She joined the Monster Jam crew on tour two years ago.
“We’re out there going head-to-head,” she said. “And us females don’t give the boys no slack.”
To say that Blood is not intimidated in a male-dominated field is an understatement. Her attitude is as fiery as her Day-Glo red hair.
“It’s kind of funny, though,” Blood said. “Because that’s motivation, and that’s fire, and I like kind of being the underdog, and to show people I’m not here to joke around. I’m here to win.”
That feisty outlook is no accident. Blood dabbled in mixed martial arts before the Monster Jam opportunity presented itself.
“When I was in college, I started boxing, and I noticed real quick that I kind of liked that adrenaline rush and I liked that environment,” she said. “I did two fights and won both. And I never really got punched in the face, so that’s good.”
Blood’s MMA experience turned out to be perfect preparation for her new career with Monster Jam.
“[MMA] definitely teaches you confidence, and it teaches you to turn that fear into the fire that makes you go out there and compete,” she said. “You can’t be scared to go inside the cage, and you can’t be scared to be in your Monster Truck with 1,500 horsepower, airing it out. You have to be fearless.”
Monster Trucks have been known to jump 35 feet in the air, and Blood suspects she might have equaled that feat, if not surpassed it.
“Last year at an event in a stadium, right off the bat I came out and hit the ramp, and I just flew in the air, I don’t know how high, but I could see the top of the stands,” she said with a laugh. “It was an amazing feeling to know you can actually jump that high and land on all four of those BKT tires, and be perfectly fine. It’s the best thing ever.”
To people with decidedly less of a daredevil streak, all this metal mayhem might sound dangerous, even terrifying. But Blood shrugs it off.
“We have the best safety equipment with harnesses, and our seats are actually molded and measured to us,” she said. “When I get in my Monster Truck, I’m actually suctioned back in my seat and strapped down, and it’s the most comfortable ride ever. You feel that much more confident to go big or hit that extra bit of air, so we are most definitely safe out there.”
For those who wonder about Blood’s name: It’s real.
“Yes, Kayla Blood is actually my maiden name,” she said. “I get told that all the time, like, ‘You were made for this!’ And I say, ‘Well, yes, I was!”
IF YOU GO
What: Monster Jam Triple Threat Series
When: 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday (Pit Party 10:30 a.m.-noon both days)
Where: BB&T Center, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise
Info: Ticketmaster; Tickets start at $20
This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 9:08 PM.