Growing up, plenty of 80s kids envisioned themselves pursuing one of three career paths: best friends with a NASA robot, latest member of the Joe Team, and driver of Bigfoot. But of course reality gets in the way, and a tragic number of these children were forced to focus on more realistic options like Bigfoot. Or at least the nearest available monster truck.

Enter Brianna Mahon, driver of a truck named Whiplash. (Especially relevant to a member of the Barnato team, whose father made his career as a defense attorney in whiplash cases.) Brianna came up as a motocross rider, which was not the easiest path to follow for a woman. She held her own throughout it all, but a hand injury forced her out—and into the ranks of Monster Jam.

What's it like? Well, Monster Jam is as focused on driver safety as any other motorsport, which is certainly for the best since people like Brianna are expected to do things that give Max Verstappen nightmares. But it doesn't come with a Max Verstappen paycheck. So if you want to crush cars for a living, make sure you've got a side hustle to go with it.

What It’s Like to Be a Monster Truck Driver [via Insider Business]

(When did they stop being Business Insider? -Ed.)