But everybody is entitled to their own opinion. LR: There's always going to be somebody out there that doubts you or doesn't think that you deserve it. I can't believe that I've made it this far."ĮspnW: How do you handle those who doubted your capabilities simply because you're a woman driver? intermission, when I was still in first place, I looked at my husband, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, this is so crazy. I never thought I was going to make it through to the end being in first place. I didn't want to roll over, and I wanted people to be on their feet cheering. I wanted to put on a solid performance, especially going second out. I wanted to hit that big jump and land it - it just happened to be a cartwheel. LR: I wanted to successfully land a backflip. It was an unreal feeling for sure.ĮspnW: What was it like being the second performance of the night, scoring so high and having to hold on to that score with 22 other competitors performing after you?
Let's do this." I've seen it so many times that I felt like just watching so many people accomplish a backflip let me know that I could do it, too. I got to go." It was so funny because right before I hit it, I had a brief hesitation, and I could even see it in the video. As soon as I landed it, I think I was cheering for myself from inside the truck, and I'm like, "Hold on a second, my run is not done yet. For freestyle, we do our shocks different, so that way it lands better, and it hits better.ĮspnW: How did you feel once you successfully landed your first backflip in the truck? You have to walk out there, see all the different jumps and obstacles, and get a game plan.
Linsey Read: We had to go out there and look at the track because it changes from night to night. Credit Feld EntertainmentĮspnW: How did you prepare for the freestyle event? Linsey Read, with family, is the second woman ever to take home the sport’s most coveted prize. By 2016, Read was performing in arena tours, quickly becoming a fan favorite in her Scooby-Doo truck.ĭays after World Finals, Read discussed her historic win with espnW. Read's performances became increasingly better, and after two years, she caught the eye of Monster Jam personnel. In 2011, Read's road to Monster Jam slowly began to come together, beginning with an invitation to participate in Tuff Truck Racing competitions during intermissions at events in Texas. I was that girl looking up to them thinking how cool they were." "I saw Candice, I saw Madusa (Debrah Ann Miceli) and I thought that they were so cool," Read said. Like many of the current drivers, it was a dream of Read's to one day join the ranks of those she admired. Read, who is from El Paso, Texas, would attend Monster Jam events as a fan whenever they rolled into town. This one's for you."įor Read, this was a lifelong dream come true.
"You guys are awesome for coming out here and supporting Monster Jam. "I did this for all the moms in the audience," Read said after her win. On Mother's Day weekend, the mom of three young girls made history as the first mother to win a Monster Jam World Finals championship and only the second woman to win freestyle. Outlasting 23 opponents is something even Read herself had not expected. Although Read's performance was only the second of the night, her score of 9.371 remained at the top of the leaderboard. Later in the performance, Read sent her 12,000-pound Scooby-Doo-themed truck soaring through the air and unexpectedly cartwheeling upon landing. After taking the track for one of Monster Jam's most anticipated events, freestyle, Read wowed the crowd by going for and successfully sticking her first-ever backflip. Linsey Read took the podium at Monster Jam World Finals XXI in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday with excitement and surprise.