SACO — The city of Saco is not usually associated with monsters, but it that’s all going to change soon.

Southern Maine Motors on U.S. Route 1 in Saco is going to host a Monster Truck Appearance and Car Crush Demonstration on Friday, Aug. 17 and Saturday, Aug. 18.

The Rammunition Monster Truck will be on display both Friday and Saturday at the facility from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, and a Car Crush demonstration will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18.

 A monster truck is a pickup truck modified with a larger suspension and larger tires, usually for recreational uses.

Competition monster trucks typically are 12 feet tall, 12 feet wide, and usually are equipped with special 462 lb BKT 66-inch off-road tires.

Years ago monster trucks used to be opening and side acts at motocross events, but now they are the star attraction at many car- and truck-themed events.

This will be the second year in a row that Southern Maine Motors has hosted an event of this type and in 2017, more than 500 participants attended monster truck activities there.

Admission is free and food and refreshments will be available for purchase, with prize drawings taking place throughout the day on Saturday.

The event will be conducted rain or shine.

The featured trucks Raminator and Rammunition are sponsored by the Ram Truck brand and owned and operated by the Hall Brothers Racing team, based in Champaign, Illinois.

The Hall Brothers Racing team consists of nine-time “Driver of the Year” Mark Hall, and five-time “Mechanic of the Year” Tim Hall, who serves as crew chief. In addition, the Raminator monster truck has won the coveted “Truck of the Year” a total of six times.

Both Raminator and Rammunition have 565 cubic-inch supercharged Hemi® engines that can certainly take care of business — and the competition.

In 2014, Raminator, broke the Guinness Worlkd Record for the Fastest Speed for a Monster Truck at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

Hitting a record speed of 99.10 mph, Raminator with driver Mark Hall secured the world record title, breaking the previous record of 96.8 mph.

Throughout the year, the Ram monster trucks compete in races and freestyle events and tour the country, making appearances at dealerships to offer ride-alongs and car-crushing spectacles for hundreds of thousands of fans of all ages.

The Hall brothers have been involved in racing since the late 1970s and moved into monster trucks in 1987.

For more information about the Raminator and Rammunition trucks or Hall Brothers Racing, visit http://www.raminator.com/

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com

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