Morgan Kane enjoying broadcasting, but still has helmet ready to go
Authored by Samuel Reiman on May 26, 2022
Morgan Kane started competing in Monster Jam back in 2011. He has driven several Monster Jam trucks and has achieved a lot of success during his career, including winning the Monster Jam World Finals Racing Championship in 2016. But following the COVID pandemic he returned to the World Finals in a different capacity last weekend, as part of the broadcast team.
“It’s been a big change,” admitted Kane. “Coming back to Monster Jam World Finals is something that I’m really excited about, because the way that everything happened, it’s been really tough for me, it’s been really tough for my family, but we’ve been able to bounce back. I think that’s something that a lot of families have struggled with, so it’s really good to see everything going back to normal.”
While the former Grave Digger driver made no bones about the fact that he would like to be back behind the wheel, he was relishing the opportunity he had to provide fans his perspective on being a Monster Jam athlete at a World Finals event.
“I want the fans to understand the pressure that comes on all of the drivers, not only Grave Digger or Max-D, but all of the drivers.
“If I can be that gap from what a driver is feeling, what goes through the driver’s head, how big of a responsibility they have mentally and physically to perform at a top level every single event, is something that a lot of fans I feel like take for granted.
“I can bridge that gap of how it feels emotionally for a driver when your truck breaks 30 seconds into a Freestyle or if something happens and you go too far and you make a mistake.
“To be in the position is something that I take very seriously because I want all the fans to understand how hard it is to become a Monster Jam driver and how hard it is to be a champion.”
For fans anxious to see Kane back behind the wheel, hope it not lost.
“I’m not hanging the helmet up yet. The firesuit is still there and it’s still packed up. My head and neck restraint is still in the bag, my helmet’s ready to go at any time. I took it out during COVID, cleaned it, made sure everything was good and nice and fresh, put a drier sheet in the helmet and it’s sitting there ready to go when I get the call. But as far as everything right now, I’m just taking full advantage of all of my opportunities and being able to provide the biggest value to my fans and the brand.”
Before the pandemic, Kane won his tour championship in 2018 and finished fifth in 2019. As things start to settle back to normal, and with a growing family, he remains optimistic for the future.
“I’ve been around Grave Digger my whole life. My mom used to work for Dennis Anderson back in the nineties and being able to run around the shop barefoot when I was four years old with Ryan and Adam Anderson, that type of stuff never goes away.
“What keeps me coming back to Monster Jam is that it is such a family-oriented event. I never understood as a driver the magnitude of why kids love monster trucks so much, but now I’m starting to see that in my own kids.
“For us to be able to bounce back as a brand and for us to be able to understand that our fans had a tough time throughout this process… we want our fans to come and experience a great family event and come and forget about everything that’s happening in the world and enjoy Monster Jam for two hours with us. And that’s what it’s all about.”