Jon Zimmer grew up in the countryside of Vermont loving anything that had horsepower.
“I grew up loving motorsports,” Zimmer said. “If it went fast it was cool to me. I got my first four wheeler when I turned 12 and then I moved into snowmobile racing.”
Zimmer raced snocross for about three years and also built his own pulling truck during the summer, winning a number of four wheel drive truck pulls in his native Vermont and upper New York state. He also grew up watching the monsters run at the infamous Lebanon Valley Speedway, which lead to an encounter with then-Sudden Impact driver John Seasock.
“I got involved through John Seasock,” Zimmer said. “John was great when I asked him about getting involved and learning about the trucks. I started going to shows with him and met his partner at the time, Andy Slifko. Andy was looking for a crew guy and I just happened to be around. I’ve been with him about five years since then.”
Slifko expanded his race team to two trucks for the 2006 season, and since Zimmer had wrenched on Eradicator for so long, he was the natural choice to assume duties of the stable’s new truck: Backdraft. He made his driving debut in Backdraft at the beginning of the 2006 season inside Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
“Every time I get in the truck it’s a memorable experience because it still amazes me that I get to drive a monster truck,” Zimmer said. “I hope to become known as a driver, where my fans and competitors know me for the way I drive, not the truck I drive.”
Zimmer cites Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle driver Alex Blackwell as his favorite competitor.
“We’ve known each other for so long and we’re such good friends, when we race it doesn’t matter who wins. Either way it’s fun.”
He also likes Chicago Style tracks and his favorite places to race are any of the big stadiums and the Summer Heat event in Bangor, Maine.
“The friendships we have traveling from show to show make it like family. We all have stories to tell and we all help each other out,” Zimmer said of life on the Monster Jam tour. “But the fans are number one! Without them coming to the shows, buying t-shirts, hats, and everything else, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do!”
