INTERVIEW: MONSTER JAM DRIVER JAMIE SULLIVAN

The ground will shake and the dirt will fly on May 2, 2026, as Monster Jam roars into Huntington Bank Field! This isn’t just a show; it’s a high-stakes competition where world-class drivers push 12,000-pound machines to their absolute limits. For decades, Monster Jam has defined “big air” and gravity-defying stunts, and this upcoming Cleveland stop promises to be one for the history books.

One of the biggest storylines heading into the event is the return of a local standout. Jamie Sullivan, the driver of the fan-favorite truck Sparkle Smash, is heading back to the region where she honed her technical skills. Sparkle Smash has quickly become a cornerstone of the tour, bringing a burst of energy (and plenty of sparkles) to the dirt. But don’t let the name fool you—this truck is a beast on the track, and Sullivan knows exactly how to handle it.

Sullivan’s journey to the professional circuit was built on hard work and grease. She credits much of her expertise to the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH), a premier destination for high-performance automotive education located just a few hours from Cleveland. Returning to Ohio for this stadium show is a meaningful homecoming for the rising star.

Performing in front of a Cleveland crowd at a stadium like Huntington Bank Field is a completely different experience than the smaller indoor shows fans might see during the winter. Sullivan was asked about the difference between performing at indoor venues versus massive outdoor shows:

“Both, of course, are really cool events. We can go out there and, I say the indoor events, the littler arenas, like the hockey arenas or the basketball arenas, they actually challenge us more because we get the chance to try to perfect skills in such a smaller space. It’s really challenging, but it’s so much fun, too, because you see so many different technical moves that honestly are insane to be happening in such a small place, especially the Cleveland Arena. That’s one of our smaller arenas, but the stadiums are a lot bigger floor, almost triple, maybe quadruple in size, of course. It’s a whole different track. They’re two whole different events altogether. But the stadium event, we have a whole different track. It’s a track that we’re actually used to though. So they introduce us to the track the first week of tour, which is quarter one. It’s got a lot more jumps, a lot bigger air because of course, we’re outdoors, so we can get that massive air and a different style of racing. As in the arenas, we have a head-to-head racing or timed racing for Cleveland. So we’ll go against the clock in an arena. Whereas in the stadium, we actually go against each other and we’re going around different turns, going around a berm, doing a couple jumps, and racing. It’s definitely a whole different ball game. And then, of course, when it comes to two-wheel skills and freestyle, we have a lot of different jumps that we can hit or different skills that we can do because we’re in a bigger space.”

Monster Jam isn’t just about looking cool; it’s a battle for points. Sullivan broke down the different segments of the night that fans can expect:

“We’ll start out with racing and we’ll go head-to-head racing. It’ll start with 12 drivers in total. And then we’ll go down to the last two into the finals, and then whoever wins that gets a total of 12 points for that competition and then so forth down the line, depending on where you finish in racing. Then we’ll go to two-wheel skills competition, which is so much fun, because us drivers get the chance to either do a donut, a moonwalk, a wheelie, like a slap wheelie, which is a whole different wheelie where you can kind of slap the truck onto the ground and it bounces it up into a wheelie. Then, of course, whoever wins that gets the 12 points and then so forth, depending on where you finish. And then freestyle, which we all say is kind of our favorite because we kind of get to combine the two—racing and two-wheel skills—and get some bigger air all at the same time in freestyle. So we have two minutes to do whatever you want to do on the track, whether we’re getting that big air, we’re getting backflips, two-wheel skills, different kinds of things in freestyle, and it’s just so much fun altogether. But then, of course, at the end of the night, whoever has the total most points for that event, they get the overall event championship. It’s really cool because the fans actually have the chance to actually judge us as well.”

For Sullivan, this career didn’t happen by accident. She’s been behind the wheel since she was a child, working her way through the ranks of motorsports long before she ever touched a Monster Jam truck.

“I actually started racing when I was nine years old. My parents got me into it very young and I kind of started in go-karts when I was nine and worked my way up in oval track racing. I did stock cars at 11 years old and just kind of moved up the ranks and asphalt in dirt. I did asphalt super late models, pro trucks, some dirt stock cars, and now I actually have a dirt modified as well. But in 2019, I took a tour of the University of Northwestern Ohio, and being from Florida, I did not want to move 16 hours from home. It was tough for sure, but to go out there and tour that university, it was amazing in itself because they have so many different programs to be involved in, and also different clubs and organizations. It was just so cool to see what they’re doing in motorsports.”

While the world of professional racing has traditionally been male-dominated, Monster Jam has become a leader in inclusivity, showing that the equipment doesn’t care who is driving it. Sullivan shared her perspective on the shift she’s seen in the industry:

“It’s definitely gotten a lot easier with Monster Jam. When I did racing growing up, it was definitely a lot more tough. My dad actually told me if I wanted to make it in the sport, because it’s such a male-dominated sport, that I had to work on my own stuff. I kind of became a part of the boys and I worked on my own stuff, I drove my own stuff, and it kind of definitely helped me get a foot in the door and not get that criticism as much as other drivers who just drove the cars, especially women. But now in Monster Jam, it’s an equal playing field. We all get to come out there and compete against each other with the same equipment, the same rules and regulations, and we all get to go against each other and have that support behind us. It’s not as bad now because we’ve got more women involved. Out of the 60 drivers we now have, I think 12 that are women in the sport, which is still obviously not half, but we’re trying to get more and more women involved, with the support of the fans, too. Now, having such a good truck behind the women and everything in the sport, I feel like it also helps getting the fans to kind of support me when I’m out there on the track, too, when I do things that the boys can do.”

If you want the full experience, you’ll want to arrive early. The pre-show Pit Party is a unique opportunity for the Cleveland faithful to see the scale of these vehicles up close—just remember that this experience requires an additional ticket purchase!

“We’ll actually start out the day with a Pit Party. Fans get the chance to meet us drivers. You can get our autographs. Of course, see the trucks and see how big they really are because the tires are usually actually bigger than most of the people that come to the Pit Party. And it’s amazing to see how shocked they are to see how big and massive the trucks are because they’re 12 feet tall, 12 feet wide. And it’s really crazy to be up close and personal with them. And then, of course, sometimes you get the chance to actually go on the track as well. Usually, some of our pit parties will actually be on the track and you get to feel the dirt that we’re going to be driving on, which is amazing in itself.”

Mark your calendars for May 2nd, Cleveland. With Jamie Sullivan and Sparkle Smash ready to light up the dirt at Huntington Bank Field, this is one event you won’t want to miss!