With the fiery orange and purple Dodge Durango from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Andy Slifko is no stranger to the fast lane in his Eradicator monster truck. With over a decade's experience commanding these beasts, Slifko feels more on top of his game now than ever.
Slifko began as the driver of the Eradicator ride truck in 1994, a more docile creature designed to give fans the experience of riding in a monster truck. While the truck wasn't used in competition, Slifko logged hours and hours behind the wheel and he applied that knowledge to his first race truck, which he debuted in 1998.
A year later, Slifko debuted a full blown, high horsepower Patrick chassis race truck, which he still uses today. Though he's moved from a Dodge Dakota to a Durango body, much underneath has remained unchanged, propelling him to wins from coast to coast and the 2004 Most Improved Team award from the United States Hot Rod Association.
His favorite venue to compete in is the Alamodome in San Antonio, because it was the first big scale show he ever competed in. As a former drag racer, Andy finds his niche in the straight line drag tracks, but won't hesitate to tell you that freestyle is where he excels.
"It's challenging to go out there and see what you can make the truck do," Slifko said. "I always give it my best, but when I see the fans screaming and cheering as I come out of the tunnel, I know what kind of show I'd like to give them."
Andy doesn't compete alone - in fact, he has help from his son Jeremy who serves as his crew chief. Jeremy takes care of all routine maintenance and repair at the shop during the week and goes on the road with dad on the weekends, juggling homework and schoolwork along the way. Who knows, someday you may see a second generation driver behind the wheel!
At home, Andy runs an auto shop in his native Schuylkill Valley of Pennsylvania. In his spare time, he can be found riding quads with his sons and cruising up and down the mountains on his Harley-Davidson, courtesy of his sponsor Cerini Harley-Davidson of Pittsburgh.
