12,000-Pound Monster Truck Breaks World Speed Record At The Indianapolis Motor Speedway

A speed like 103 mph may not seem that fast at a track like Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Most track days with tiny four-cylinder sports cars see those kinds of speeds on a regular basis. But in a monster truck, that's not only fast — it's fast enough to set a new world speed record. IndyStar reports that during a break in Indy qualifying, Camden Murphy did exactly that. He didn't even have to jump over any other trucks on the way to set the speed record, either.

This was no ordinary monster truck. Okay, there is no ordinary monster truck. This particular one, though, named "Power Rush," was built specifically for this record attempt. It's 12 feet tall, 12 feet wide, and weighs 12,000 pounds. A claimed 1,500-horsepower engine makes up for all that bulk, making it one of the most powerful engines ever put into a monster truck. The big balloon tires look like typical monster truck fare, but they appear to have been shaved down for the paved surface, not the dirt these trucks usually drive on. 

The driver of the truck, "Monster Jam Cam," is no stranger to Indy, either. Though he's driven with Monster Jam since 2017, he's raced on Indy's road course before. From IndyStar:

"Man, I've been 200 miles an hour down this straight away," Murphy said after the run in reference to having run the IMS road course in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. "Let me tell you, that was one of the most exciting things I've ever done ever in my entire career.
"To take this world record means the absolute world to me."

The previous monster truck speed record was 101.84 mph, set in Norwalk, Ohio, by Joe Sylvester in 2022. This record has been climbing, slowly but surely, for over a decade. Not only does it take a lot of power to move something this large so fast, but it also requires a lot of durability. The "average" monster truck usually just needs a quick burst of speed before a big jump, but Murphy had the throttle pinned down the entire back straight. As @Blackhawkveteranretired said in a YouTube comment on the video:

I was in the infield talking to the crew of the Blackhawk helicopter on display when he took off.
Never in all of my years of motorsport fandom have I heard a monster truck engine howl that loud for that long and not explode.
Not what I was expecting to see at the track today, but I'm glad I was there for it.

It was no doubt an eye-opening experience for fans who came out to see Indy qualifying, and then saw this as well. I've driven faster than the new monster truck world speed record in a Miata, but Murphy did it with a lot more style. Even if they aren't your particular brand of motorsport, you should check a Monster truck event. Monster trucks are utterly ridiculous, a lot of fun, and put on a great show for children of all ages.