Driver relishes what she says is perfect job
For The Madera Tribune
The Scooby-Doo monster truck, driven by Myranda Cozad, flies across an arena during a monster truck event.
When the Monster Jam Triple Threat series kicks off March 15-17 at Fresno’s Save Mart Center, one of the biggest cheers will be for the Scooby-Doo Monster Truck.
Like famous trucks such as Grave Digger or Bigfoot, because of the popular cartoon, the Scooby-Doo truck receives loud ovations.
“It’s so awesome,” driver Myranda Cozad of Davenport, Iowa, said. “I’ve been driving the Scooby Doo Monster Jam truck for three years. It’s been crazy. Scooby-Doo has been such an iconic brand for so long. People from generations know who Scooby-Doo is. I get just as big a response as Gravedigger. It’s a big name, for sure.”
For Cozad, 27, becoming a monster truck driver was just a natural progression for her.
“I’ve been in motorsports my entire life,” she said. “It feels like a natural thing to do. It’s not something off the wall. I went to a show as a fan and met Medusa, who drove years ago. I went up to her at a show and told her I wanted to drive. It goes to show that if you don’t ask and be persistent in what you want, no one is going to walk up to you and give you what you want. You have to work for it, you have to ask for it and be persistent.”
By being in the Monster Truck series, Cozad is in a great situation. She enjoys her time with the series and in the truck.
“It’s awesome to drive in the Monster Jam series,” she said. “We have ATV’s and features. It’s completely action-packed. It’s fun, for sure. The competitions we have are racing and two-wheel skills, doughnuts and freestyle. We all learn the same tricks. It’s who can do the best. We do some poppers and there’s so many trick we can do with the trucks these days.
“It’s quite the rush for sure. I’ve been racing since I was young so I’m an adrenaline junkie. This is definitely up my alley.”
Cozad and the series are on the longest tour of the season, going from January until May.
“We’ll be on the road every single week,” she said. “I get to come home a couple of days.”
Although Cozad hasn’t been to Fresno in three years, she is looking forward to the national parks.
“The last time, I came there, I went to see the Sequoia trees,’” she said. “I would love to see Yosemite. A lot of the other drivers try to find different restaurants unique to that area. Every place is so different. It’s good to see different types of things. We were in Portland last weekend and I saw a volcano.”
Cozad wants to work her way up in the company and become one of the best drivers in Monster Jam history.
“They say if you do something you love, you don’t work a day in your life.” She said. “That’s definitely what I’m doing. If you do something you would do for free. This is definitely my calling. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
“So many people dream of doing this and not many get to. I’m so lucky that I’m so blessed they have given me the opportunity to do this and something that I love.”
Tickets can be purchased through the Monster Jam website (www.monsterjam.com) or by visiting the Save Mart Center. Performance times will be at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
