The Story Of BIGFOOT 14
BIGFOOT 14
BIGFOOT 14’s history is filled with innovation, wins and records. With its legendary driver, it came to dominate the racing scene almost from its inception, up until it was pulled from full-time service, all while also setting numerous world records. This truck is right alongside #1, #4 and #8 as the Bigfoot monster trucks with the biggest story to tell.
In the early 1990’s, Team BIGFOOT was in the midst of upgrading its entire fleet of monster trucks. Bigfoot 8, the team’s first tubular chassis, gas-charged suspension monster truck, came out in 1989. #8 totally revolutionized the entire monster truck industry. The truck was lighter, more agile, faster and most importantly, safer. #8 used a cantilever suspension system on both ends of the truck, to allow for more suspension travel with a shorter shock. The truck had 22" of suspension travel, as compared to earlier leaf-spring monster trucks, which usually only had 4-6". Bob Chandler quickly recognized these benefits and soon thereafter built #9 the next year, which was very similar to #8 except it had straight shocks on the front suspension with no cantilever.
In 1992, Chandler took another design leap by placing the engine behind the driver with Bigfoot 10, which not only lowered the center of gravity, but also made working on and changing the engine and transmission easier. In addition, the driver could then sit in the middle of the truck, giving more visibility and space in the cab. #11 came later in 92, which had even more suspension travel than its predecessors.
With the demand for state of the art trucks still in full swing, late 1993 saw another step forward with the design and build of the next racing Bigfoot, #14. The previous tubular chassis Bigfoot trucks all utilized cantilevers on the rear to get the desired amount of suspension travel. While this technology definitely worked, it did create more moving parts, maintenance and weight. Shock technology had advanced enough at this point for Chandler to now use a vertical, long-travel shock to achieve the same suspension travel and other benefits as was procured with the earlier cantilever trucks. So, in the design of Bigfoot 14, Chandler used these long-travel shocks on the rear, thus eliminating the cantilever and simplifying the suspension.
A young driver for Chandler at this time, who had been piloting Bigfoot 8 (as Bigfoot and as Snake Bite), was making a name for himself. With an older truck, he was able to secure multiple wins, including in the super competitive Penda Points Series, even over a couple of the newer Bigfoot trucks driven by his more experienced teammates. Chandler saw his potential and put him in the seat of the brand new #14. That driver’s name was Dan Runte.
Dan and BIGFOOT 14 from the Houston Astrodome in 1994
In late January, 1994, Dan debuted Bigfoot 14 at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA. After subsequent shows over the next few months, including Houston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Puerto Rico, Dan and #14 were making it known that there was a new force to be reckoned with. The Penda Points Series started in May, where Dan could really open up #14. The series event in Bloomsburg, PA saw the truck’s first points win, with more in Springfield, MO and Canfield, OH.
Dan being interviewed by Army Armstrong for TNN (The Nashville Network)
Dan racing teammate Andy Brass in 1994
1995 marked a turning point. After a strong winter, Dan and Bigfoot 14 went on a tear in the Penda Points Series that summer, winning an unprecedented 8 of 14 races. Dan secured his first points championship and the two started an amazing run of winning and domination. The 1996 points series saw more of the same, with Dan and #14 winning 8 of 13, including 7 in a row! No one had ever come even close to that kind of winning, as this series ran some of the tightest racing and was one of the most competitive out there. Needless to say, they won the championship for that year too. Over the next couple years, this truck and driver continued their winning ways, even taking another championship in early 1999.
BIGFOOT 14 racing in the Penda Points Series in 1995.
1999 proved to be quite the year for #14, as truck and driver went after numerous world records, forever putting itself into monster truck lore. In September, Dan and his teammate Eric Tack attended an air show in Smyrna, TN with their respective trucks to attempt a flat-out crazy stunt. A grounded 727 jet airliner was put out in a field at the airport and the goal was to jump OVER this giant airplane while also breaking the long jump record. After having tested over the summer, to figure out how tall and long the launch ramp needed to be, and how fast the truck needed to be going to fly the truck over an airplane, the team made its calculations and took that knowledge to Smyrna. With the plane in place, and the dirt ramp built, Eric Tack and BIGFOOT 15 was the first to actually attempt to jump over the plane. He successfully did so, only clearing the top of the plane by 2 or 3 feet with the back tires. It was an awesome jump, but Eric was not able to break the world record. On day two of the air show, Dan Runte and #14 took their hack at it. Little did Dan know, he was about to embark on what would become the most iconic launch in monster truck history.
One of Dan's long jumps in the Pontiac Silverdome.
Dan had done a few long jumps in previous years, most notably inside the Houston Astrodome in 1994 for a then amazing 117’. This jump was especially difficult since it was inside a walled stadium. Dan was not afraid to send it though. On one attempt he had to land the truck and then stop by sliding across a slick concrete floor, coming within only a couple feet from the wall of the stadium floor. The other attempts he had to run the truck up into the tunnel leading out of the stadium to avoid hitting the wall. Other jumps he and #14 had done were inside the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan and at the fairgrounds in Bloomsburg, PA. In Bloomsburg in July of 1999, even though it was outside, Dan had to use the corners of the infield oval horse-track to build up speed to hit the ramp as fast as possible. This particular jump was to a then record of 145’. Even with this feat, after the jump, Dan drove right over to the other side of the track and raced #14 in the racing series at the event. While these previous jumps were amazing in their own right, none of them compared to the stunt that he was about to attempt in Smyrna, which was a completely open field, with no restrictions on either side and over the top of a gigantic airplane.
Lined up for the "plane jump" in September of 1999
The time had come for Dan to make his “jet jump" in Smyrna, as it came to be called. Dan lined up the truck with this huge white jet airliner directly in front of him, with the thought fresh in his mind of how close Eric had come to clipping the plane the day before. Not wanting to suffer a potentially catastrophic fate, Dan made the decision right then and there that he was going to push BIGFOOT 14 to its limit and possibly even beyond.
He put his foot on the throttle, pressed it all the way to the floor and did not let up. First gear, second gear and then into third gear, the truck streaked across the field. By the time the truck reached the launch ramp, Dan was going almost 70 m.p.h., much faster than any of the testing. The truck hammered the ramp and shot up and out into the air. Bigfoot soared over the plane … WAY … over the plane, flying much higher and further than Chandler and crew had calculated. While in flight, Dan focused on keeping the truck’s nose up, as he revved Bigfoot almost to the rev limiter over and over again. Keeping the giant Firestone tires spinning helped to keep the truck flying as close to level as possible. If he had let up at all while in the air, the truck would have nose dived drastically. Mid-jump, this is where Dan said that he realized how high he was, as the plane was way below him.
Now, the hardest part of the whole jump came, and that was the landing. With the truck going about 70 m.p.h. and having flown a very long way and very high, Dan continued to burp the throttle to hold the truck as level as he could. Even with this effort, the truck still landed nose-heavy, and then on impact it kicked the truck back up into the air, taking another long leap just from the impact. Dan carefully feathered the throttle to bring the truck back down on all 4 tires, eventually slowing down to a speed slightly faster than idle. He made the turn and headed back to stop in front of the huge crowd that had gathered to watch. After the crew had measured the landing spot, it was determined that this long jump had shattered the previous record by 40 feet, flying an astonishing 202 feet! Driver Dan Runte had just pulled off a ridiculous jump with a 11,000 pound monster truck, Bigfoot 14.
Truck and driver flying WAY over the top of the huge 727 airplane
Amazingly, with this crazy jump and hard landing, Bigfoot 14 held together. It did, however, bend the front of the chassis from the nose-heavy landing. The entire front section of the chassis had to be cut off and rebuilt. Overall though, the truck was drivable and the driver was not hurt. Just as Eric had done the day before, Dan had on a HANS device. HANS stands for Head And Neck Support, which is a brace worn over the shoulders and attached to the helmet. This device helps support the head and neck to prevent whiplash, and head and neck injuries in motorsports. This September weekend in 1999 was the first time that anyone had used such a device in the industry. Today, a HANS device is standard equipment for all monster truck drivers.
As if this super long jump was not enough, later in 1999, Bigfoot 14 and Dan once again attempted a stunt that was almost even more spectacular than the jet jump. This time, it was for a television show called “I Dare You” for the network UPN. To add to the visual, this attempt was at night and in Las Vegas, NV AND was over a tractor-trailer lengthwise plus 7 cars. This jump proved to be more difficult than the previous one, as the dark made it difficult for Dan see and to make it even worse, the surface was loose. The day of the stunt, Dan decided to make a speed test to make sure that he could reach the speed needed to clear the tractor-trailer. In doing so, he realized that he was going to have his hands full to keep the truck in line to hit the ramp square. Dan knew his truck and knew what he had to do though.
When it was go time, Dan lined up and decided to go for it. Easing into the throttle a bit, so as to not break the tires loose, adding more and more pressure to the gas pedal, fighting the steering wheel to keep Bigfoot 14 straight, and finally with his foot mashed to the floor, with the loose surface, the truck reached 61.2 m.p.h. and hit the ramp. Yet again, the truck launched up and out. Preset explosives fired off from the ground beneath the truck, and it flew high and it flew far. The speed was less than the jet jump, but it was enough, as they flew over the cars and tractor-trailer. The truck, just like it had done in the plane jump, started to nose dive. Dan burped the throttle to do his best to keep the truck flying good. Even so, Bigfoot 14 nosed down and landed even harder than it did for the jet jump. This time, the front right tire broke off and the whole front axle started to fold up under the truck. Dan, doing all he could to keep the truck upright, worked the throttle, as the truck slowed down, all while dragging the front axle across the dirt and with the broke off tire rolling away and eventually falling over harmlessly in the field. Luckily, some of the impact from the landing was absorbed by the tire that broke off, making this jump a bit easier on Dan. Nonetheless, this was still a crazy jump, going even higher than they had on the jet jump.
Snapshot from the TV show "ET: Entertainment Television" of the tractor-trailer jump
After all was said and done, Dan and Bigfoot 14 had done it! They had pulled off two of the craziest stunts that a monster truck had ever attempted, especially in this era of lean, light race trucks. Each had put their mark in the record books. The plane jump for long jump distance and speed in a monster truck, at 202’ and 69.3 M.P.H. respectively, and the tractor-trailer jump for height, at 24 feet.
Dan and #14 from a race during the ProMT series in 2000.
Dan racing in Detroit, MI at the 100th Anniversary of Ford Motor Co. celebration.
For the next 5 years, Dan and #14 would go on to win 3 more championships, including the uber-competitive ProMT racing series. This truck-driver combination (from 1994-2004) is arguably one of the most successful pairings in monster truck history, having won an unprecedented number of races over that span, not to mention the world records and even an appearance in the Hollywood film "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle". Dan would go on to newer Bigfoot trucks and would win numerous other racing championships, but his time in #14 is cemented as one of the best runs ever!
Various drivers piloted #14 after Runte, including Dave Harkey, Keith Sturgeon, Larry Swim, Darren Migues, Kyle Doyle and Josh Gibson, to name a few. Dan Runte even got back into the seat of #14 for a couple select events in later years. One of these was when Runte and crew took #14 to Kuwait as part of Summit Racing Equipment's Operation Appreciation for the U.S. troops stationed there. Dan did an exhibition car crush/freestyle for the troops at the military base there.
Dan waving to the troops after performing at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
Dan, Larry Swim, AJ Straatmann and Bryan Bertoletti with some of the troops in Kuwait.
A couple stand outs from this list of other drivers are Larry Swim and Josh Gibson. Swim and #14 won 3 championships together. He became a crowd favorite as he was notorious for exciting freestyles. Josh Gibson was the other standout driver, as he also pushed #14 to its limits and was very aggressive in freestyle. It was the early to mid 2010's at this point and the old truck was still proving to be formidable.
Dan being filmed for coverage of a race in Indianapolis, IN in 2004
The late Dave Harkey in #14 doing his favorite move, a long wheelie, in 2005
Larry Swim and #14 in 2009
Kyle Doyle in #14 during the inaugural SST race in Phoenix, AZ in 2013
Josh Gibson in #14 from Indianapolis, IN in 2015
However, with newer technology creeping into the Bigfoot fleet, #14 was gradually relegated to smaller shows with newer drivers, being a great starting platform for drivers to learn. Bigfoot 18, 19 and 21, and more recently 23 and 24, all proved to be much more suitable for the newer style events which incorporated even bigger freestyle competitions. The days of building racing-only monster trucks was a thing of the past. Now it was about making the trucks more stout, with bulkier frames to handle the stresses of aggressive freestyles.
Rodney Tweedy doing a donut during a Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live event in St. Charles, MO in 2000
All the wear and tear, breaks and rebuilds, and this shift to more freestyle, began to show through this now almost 30 year old truck. In 2023, #14 was taken out of competition circulation and is now mainly used for car crushing exhibitions and displays.
In the end, even though it was built as a race truck, Bigfoot 14 proved to not only be at the top of the heap on the track, over the years it proved that it was much, much more than that. It had one of the longest and most historic journeys in all of monster trucks. From unleashing Dan Runte, to unmatched winning (racking up 9 championships), to amazing world records, to longevity, Bigfoot 14 will go down as one of the most renowned monster trucks of all time. Even with newer trucks being built more substantial, it will be hard for one truck to make it through so many eras of monster trucks, all while staying relevant and formidable.
BIGFOOT 14 as it looks today
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BIGFOOT 14 Firsts & Records:
Indoor Long Jump - Dan Runte - 117 feet - Houston, TX - 1994
First monster truck to win 8 consecutive points races - Dan Runte - Penda Points Series - 1996
World Record Long Jump - Dan Runte - 145 feet - Bloomsburg, PA - 1999
Guinness Book of Records - Monster truck long jump - 202 feet - Smyrna, TN - 1999
Guinness Book of Records - Monster truck recorded speed - 69.3 mph - Smyrna, TN - 1999
Guinness Book of Records - Monster truck jump height - 24 feet - Las Vegas - 1999
First monster truck to jump a tractor-trailer & 7 cars - Las Vegas, NV - 1999
First monster truck to perform in Kuwait - Dan Runte - 2016
