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DRIVER INFORMATION
Driver name:	David Smith
Residence:	Spring, Texas
Birthplace:	Houston, Texas
Date of birth:	March 12, 1969
Years competing:	Since 1991
Marital status:	Married
Children:	2 daughters
DRIVER HISTORY
King Krunch® driver David Smith has taken one of the longest enduring trucks in Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam® history and roared it into the World Finals era. Scott Stephens first brought out the famous truck in the sport’s early days. Smith took over the operation and has become a fixture in the World Finals, in which he has several top finishes on his résumé. Smith’s team also fields the El Matador truck out of their shop located in Spring, Texas. Q&A with David Smith MonsterJam.com: How did you get started competing on the Monster Jam circuit? David Smith: I had competed in a few drag races and was making a living doing air-conditioning work. Actually, I enjoyed it. I worked with my uncle for 11 years. I just got tired of the attics; my knees couldn’t handle it anymore. So I started looking for something else to do and Scott Stephens just kind of popped up. I started working with Scott on King Krunch, initially; then another guy came in as Scott’s partner. He eventually bought Scott out and then I bought the whole thing from him. MonsterJam.com: What do you do with your free time? David Smith: Whenever we have the chance, we like to do a little wheelin’ down at the creek and down at the river. Most of it is RC stuff at the shop, just because we can’t ever get away, so we’ve got something to do there. MonsterJam.com: What is your greatest memory as a monster truck driver? David Smith: Winning Houston [freestyle] was one. I mean, in the hometown, you always want to do good there. Dennis [Anderson] had come out that year and had a lot of issues and he wound up wrecking early. So we were able to pull that one off. I felt we had a decent run that night, but it’s still nothing compared to the caliber of what we’re doing today. That’s the amazing thing. If you look back at even three or four years ago, or looking at the World Finals from five years ago, you think, ‘That’s all we were doing then?’ Now you look at it and we’re almost jumping buildings out there. The win in Houston, and of course, being invited to the World Finals as many times as we have are all great memories. A lot of it is the rich history behind a truck, but I hope a lot of it is based on my performance. Every time that we go out there we always seem to come away with something, to do fairly well at an event. We’ve finally gotten the engines to where we really like them and I honestly feel like everywhere we go we have the fastest truck. Then it’s just a matter of whether I mess it up or not. MonsterJam.com: Do you have any pre-show rituals that you run though? David Smith: No, not at all. Things don’t bother me. It’s like at the World Finals, everybody comes up at the World Finals and asks me if I’m nervous. I’m really not, I’m truly not nervous. I just don’t get nervous out there. Now, I mean, are you apprehensive about things or do you look at stuff a little different than what you do at normal races? Yes, but I’m not superstitious about any of it. MonsterJam.com: Where do you most enjoy competing at in Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam? David Smith: An obvious choice for us is Houston. If we get all three shows there, we’ll do them gladly. Another one, obviously, would be Vegas. And I love it in Orlando. Other than Las Vegas, that’s probably one of the coolest atmospheres that we get to go to. The reception that you get from all the fans is unbelievable. Just to go out and cruise around in the camping area at Orlando-where there’s over 10,000 people out there camping…It’s just an awesome feeling to see that many people want to [camp out] just in order to watch us run. MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite food? David Smith: Steak. MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite movie? David Smith: Independence Day. MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite television show? David Smith: Two And A Half Men. MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite color? David Smith: Blue. TRUCK INFO • Truck Name: King Krunch® • Body: 2005 Chevrolet on RaceSource Chassis • Engine size: 575 • Transmission: Hughes 2-Speed Sponsors: Spectra Oil, TX7, Awesome Racewear, NGK Spark Plugs, Polydyne, Motorsports Communications