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Bigfoot’s birthday is the theme of the newest Hot Wheels...

Bigfoot’s birthday is the theme of the newest Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, which comes to Nassau Coliseum on Jan. 18-19. Credit: Family Live Entertainment

When the newest Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live show — called Glow-N-Fire — comes to Nassau Coliseum Jan. 18-19, it will host a birthday bash celebrating what is arguably the most well-known monster truck of all time: Bigfoot.

The truck was launched in 1975 and is turning 50. Current Bigfoot driver Caleb Janezich, 29, of Indiana, wasn’t born yet when Bigfoot was created by Bob Chandler, of Missouri, as a way to promote his four-wheel-drive auto shop in the days before social media; Chandler would bring the original Bigfoot to events and paid appearances.

Now Janezich drives what’s known as Bigfoot version 15. (Fun fact: There was no Bigfoot version 13 due to the superstition that  No. 13 brings bad luck.)

Experiencing up to four generations coming to the preshow on the arena floor to see Bigfoot is what Janezich says he loves about his job manipulating the 11,000-pound, 10-foot-tall monster truck. "It’s the dad telling his son, ‘This is the truck I saw growing up.’ People show me old pictures of the dad when he was his son’s age. They’ll go and recreate that image," Janezich says.

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live 'Glow-N-Fire'

WHEN | WHERE 12:30 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18 and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale. Optional events begin before showtime.

COST Adult tickets start at $63.85; children’s tickets start at $35.15. Optional preshow is $10 per person and VIP tour is $62.50 and includes the preshow.

MORE INFO hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com

SIGNS, CARDS AND AUTOGRAPHS

Caleb Janezich, 29, of Indiana, is the current Bigfoot driver.

Caleb Janezich, 29, of Indiana, is the current Bigfoot driver. Credit: Family Live Entertainment

Fans are invited to bring homemade birthday signs and birthday cards for Bigfoot to the shows, and they can win prizes for their signs during the performances. Fans who are also celebrating a birthday can visit hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com and vie for a chance to have their birthday announced to the crowd.

While Bigfoot is the birthday boy, the truck is joined by Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, HW 5-Alarm, Bone Shaker, Gunkster and Skelesaurus. There will also be a freestyle motocross performance.

Ticket holders can also opt for the preshow party, during which they can enter the arena floor, approach the trucks and get autographs from drivers; an optional preshow VIP backstage experience includes a guided behind-the-scenes tour. Both options involve an additional fee.

TRUCKS ADVANCE WITH THE TIMES

See the newest trucks and crazy stunts at Hot Wheels...

See the newest trucks and crazy stunts at Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live. Credit: Family Live Entertainment

Retired Bigfoot driver Dan Runte, of Missouri, spent 35 years working on and driving Bigfoot. "They rode a lot rougher; they were harder on a driver’s body," Runte says of the earlier versions of the monster truck. "The progress has made it easier for the driver and better for the fans because of what you can do with the truck now versus back in the ‘90s. It’s made it a lot more exciting for fans as far as the content of the shows."

And Runte has had his share of excitement during some of Bigfoot’s most iconic stunts. In 1999, Runte was the driver who coaxed Bigfoot to break a world record by leaping over the width of an actual Boeing 727. He also jumped multiple cars and a semitractor-trailer during a TV show that same year called, "I Dare You! The Ultimate Challenge." Both those stunts are still available to watch on YouTube.

What motivates drivers like Janezich and Runte? Runte answers in one word: "Adrenaline."

Current monster truck shows intensify the adrenaline-filled experience for the drivers and the audiences by adding lights and lasers to the trucks and dimming the lights in the arena, Runte says. "You’ll never see a monster truck do the same thing twice; you have to be kind of ready for anything," he says. "I still watch until this day because of that."

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