Deltona's Pagliarulo family takes Monster Jam by storm: 'It's been crazy to see it evolve'

SANFORD — Laura Pagliarulo inadvertently foretold her family's future more than 30 years ago.

Her eventual husband, Matt, designed a detailed monster truck chassis in a computer animation and showed it to his parents. She said that, one day, they would own a truck — a declaration captured on video, and one that resurfaced decades later, around the time the couple discussed a six-figure financial investment.

"I did not really think that would be the case," she said. "When he brought it up to me, I said some choice words and thought that he was a little crazy.

"That wasn't the real word I said."

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The Pagliarulos acquired that first truck in 2013, and will have four inside the walls of Tomfoolery Motorsports' headquarters by year's end — a fleet fit for the Deltona family, lifelong fans who have gained a significant following as regulars on the globally recognized Monster Jam series.

Three of the family's five members will drive in Saturday night's Monster Jam event at Camping World Stadium in Orlando: Matt (51 years old) drives Jester, Nick (24) is behind the wheel of Kraken and Michael (19) will fill in for the injured Cole Venard in Black Pearl.

Youngest daughter Brooke (16) plans to compete in future events, having driven mini-monsters since the time she turned nine. Laura served as Nick's crew chief through last season, and manages the team's merchandise tent.

"It's been crazy to see it evolve," Matt said. "If you would have told me that this would have happened — like, 10 years (ago) — I would have told you there's no way that’s going to happen. It can't happen. I couldn't comprehend it. It's continually evolving and moving the chain just a little bit further."

For Matt, the dream began in the mid-80s. He had posters of the era's iconic monster trucks on his bedroom wall, including one of Excaliber — a property he now owns, along with Jester, Kraken, Wreckreation and Michigan Ice Monster.

He and Laura have taken their children to live events for more than 20 years, traveling all the way to Las Vegas in 2012 to attend the World Finals. Shortly after returning home, Matt purchased the first chassis after meeting with three builders and went to work on a two-year process of getting Jester on the circuit.

"That passion kept growing, and growing, and growing. … It’s always been there," Matt said. "The opportunity came where we both worked for ourselves, and we are able to afford to miss work whenever we can and whenever it’s possible. In doing that, we started off with one truck and built the name. We were getting booked more through our popularity to where we were able to afford a second truck, and a third, and a fourth. You have to have some (money) up front to get started. Once you’re started, it sustains itself."

Matt aims to run events in 42 weekends out of the year. That's in addition to serving as principal owner and project manager of a technology integration company. Nick recently took time off to celebrate the birth of his 3-week-old daughter Jadyn, but returned in time for the Tampa and Minneapolis events in February.

"Of those 42 weekends, you’re looking at 80-plus hours a week. It’s like having two full-time jobs," Nick said. "Me and my crew guy drove 26 hours (from Minneapolis) in the semi home.

"We’re already working this week anywhere from 40-60 hours to get the trucks ready. And then we have to drive and set up. … It's a lot, it's very stressful at times — especially being a new dad, where I’m not that comfortable or nervous leaving the baby at home.

"There's a lot just to going into get it ready for five minutes of fun time."

That adrenaline rush — drifting around corners in a closed-circuit track, balancing on a single axel, launching off dirt mounds to performing aerial acrobatics and being in control of a 12,000-pound machine with a 1,350-horsepower engine — is intoxicating.

"When you're strapped in that truck and ready to do anything, it's crazy. Your heartbeat is just up. It's fun, super cool to experience," said Brooke, a junior at University High and a member of the school's bowling team.

Monster truck driving is in the Pagliarulos' blood, they unanimously believe. So, too, is competition.

Laura said she only gets nervous when Matt and one of her sons, or both of her sons, go head-to-head in competition — perhaps with good reason.

"If we matched up against each other, and it wasn't the final round of racing, you would think it was a final. We would go all-out," Nick said. "Best friends, father-son at the line, but when the light goes green, it's game on."

Matt describes those situations as win-win: either he proves that "the old man still has it," or his sons show off their rapidly improving skills. He's proud to give his children a foothold in the sport, having made his way into Monster Jam without any sort of auto racing background.

Asked what he hopes his legacy will be, though, Pagliarulo thinks back to the those early days in the stands, and how he felt watching as a child.

"I want our legacy to be that we performed for the fans," he said. "That's what started this. I have been a fan my entire life. We are going to give it 110%. Sometimes the trucks don't cooperate, they break and they don't run right, but at the end of the day, our main focus is making sure the fans enjoy the show.

"We’ve established what we have from literally nothing. We have been able to put on a show and entertain people for a long time and, hopefully, for a long time to come."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Monster Jam: Deltona's Pagliarulo family drive Jester, Kraken trucks