Gary Porter
Encyclopedia
For the footballer see Gary Porter (footballer)
Gary Porter is a monster truck
driver that races on the USHRA circuit. He is currently a member of the Grave Digger
team.
with his brother. In 1985, they built their first truck to promote the business and compete in local shows. Soon afterward, they modified the truck, and Gary began his monster-truck racing career. In 1987, Gary started competing in a monster truck called the Carolina Crusher with TNT Motosports. The Porters participated in exhibitions from 1985 to 1988. He placed fourth in 1988, second in 1989, and third in 1990.
Beginning in 1991, Gary raced in the USHRA/Camel Mud & Monster Series. The Carolina Crusher placed sixth and became the series champion of the Special Events season. In 1992, the Porters decided to build a second truck to be able to compete in three different monster truck series. A third Carolina Crusher appeared for the 1994 season, as did a new shop to host Carolina Crusher Racing. The trucks made 125 appearances in 1994. 1995 saw Carolina Crusher finish fourth in the Special Events Penda Points series and winning a race. Gary continued to race Carolina Crusher until after its sale to Paul Shafer in 1999.
In 2000, Clear Channel Entertainment
hired Porter to drive various trucks for them, notably Ragin' Steel and Spider-Man. The following year, at the behest of longtime friend and rival Dennis Anderson
, he began driving Grave Digger 12, which is similar to his last incarnation of Crusher.
2 driving Spider-Man. He was eliminated in the first round by Avenger, but returned when Avenger broke down. He was eliminated in the second round by Destroyer. He later finished seventh in freestyle with a score of 31.
In World Finals 9, he was involved in an encore driving the new Spitfire truck.
of all the Digger drivers. At the same time, his truck control abilities are exceptional, and he has been a USHRA points champion many times.
Off the track, Porter is regarded as one of the sport's true gentlemen. The 1992 USHRA Yearbook referred to him as "Mr. Nice Guy".
Gary Porter (footballer)
Gary Michael Porter is a former footballer who played either as a left-back or a midfielder. He spent 13 years at Watford, and also played in the Football League for Walsall and Scarborough. He was capped 12 times for England at under-21 level.Porter spent the majority of his professional career...
Gary Porter is a monster truck
Monster truck
A monster truck is a pickup truck, typically styled after pickup trucks' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension...
driver that races on the USHRA circuit. He is currently a member of the Grave Digger
Grave Digger (truck)
Grave Digger is the name of a team of monster trucks currently racing in the USHRA Monster Jam series. There are several Grave Diggers being driven by different drivers to allow them to make appearances at more events, but their flagship driver is creator Dennis Anderson...
team.
History
Gary's involvement in monster truck began in 1981 when he opened Porter's 4x4 Shop in Wadesboro, North CarolinaWadesboro, North Carolina
Wadesboro is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,780 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Anson County.-Geography:Wadesboro is located at ....
with his brother. In 1985, they built their first truck to promote the business and compete in local shows. Soon afterward, they modified the truck, and Gary began his monster-truck racing career. In 1987, Gary started competing in a monster truck called the Carolina Crusher with TNT Motosports. The Porters participated in exhibitions from 1985 to 1988. He placed fourth in 1988, second in 1989, and third in 1990.
Beginning in 1991, Gary raced in the USHRA/Camel Mud & Monster Series. The Carolina Crusher placed sixth and became the series champion of the Special Events season. In 1992, the Porters decided to build a second truck to be able to compete in three different monster truck series. A third Carolina Crusher appeared for the 1994 season, as did a new shop to host Carolina Crusher Racing. The trucks made 125 appearances in 1994. 1995 saw Carolina Crusher finish fourth in the Special Events Penda Points series and winning a race. Gary continued to race Carolina Crusher until after its sale to Paul Shafer in 1999.
In 2000, Clear Channel Entertainment
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
hired Porter to drive various trucks for them, notably Ragin' Steel and Spider-Man. The following year, at the behest of longtime friend and rival Dennis Anderson
Dennis Anderson
Dennis Anderson is a professional monster truck driver. He is the creator and driver of "Grave Digger" on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, he now resides in Poplar Branch, North Carolina. In Poplar Branch, he has his own shop where he signs autographs and shoots...
, he began driving Grave Digger 12, which is similar to his last incarnation of Crusher.
World Finals appearances
Gary Porter was in Monster Jam World FinalsMonster Jam World Finals
The Monster Jam World Finals is an annual monster truck event held in late March at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. It is the championship event of the USHRA Monster Jam series. It consists of racing and freestyle segments, and the winner of each is considered the series champion in that...
2 driving Spider-Man. He was eliminated in the first round by Avenger, but returned when Avenger broke down. He was eliminated in the second round by Destroyer. He later finished seventh in freestyle with a score of 31.
In World Finals 9, he was involved in an encore driving the new Spitfire truck.
Hallmarks
Porter tends to have a tremendous amount of respect for his equipment and is typically considered to be the tamest in freestyleFreestyle (monster trucks)
Freestyle, in Monster Truck competition, is an event where the goal is to perform tricks and stunts with the truck in order to demonstrate driver skill and truck capability. Some freestyle events are judged competitions, while others are merely exhibitions....
of all the Digger drivers. At the same time, his truck control abilities are exceptional, and he has been a USHRA points champion many times.
Off the track, Porter is regarded as one of the sport's true gentlemen. The 1992 USHRA Yearbook referred to him as "Mr. Nice Guy".