Behind the spectacle of a humongous monster truck flipping through the air, there is former Stevenson student Shelby Fisher working behind the scenes making sure everything goes smoothly.
Fisher works as a crew chief for the motorsport entertainment company Monster Jam. The role of a crew chief is being completely in charge of a truck, from how it looks to how it runs. A crew chief works right next to the driver, communicating throughout the event and the week making sure that everything is set up properly. The name of the truck she oversees is ThunderROARus, driven by driver Colt Stephens. Together they have won the Monster Jam World Finals twice.
She has a background in working with vehicles, including her days at Stevenson where she spent time as a MADE automation program student.
“I took advantage of the auto program at Stevenson because I was racing and into different areas of motorsports, and I wanted to learn how to work on a car or a truck,” Fisher said. “My favorite part was that auto was a hands-on class which was perfect for me because I am a hands-on learner. Not only was I learning about how to do it, but I was physically doing it. The auto program at Stevenson helped me learn the basics of how to work on a car and that class is where I learned about the university that I chose to go to.”
Following high school, Fisher pursued the automotive technology program and the high-performance motorsports program at the University of Northwestern Ohio.
“I started UNOH in August 2019. After being there for a few weeks I learned that Monster Jam had a scholarship with the college. I’ve been a fan of Monster Jam since I was a little girl so that one clicked with me instantly. I applied for that one and I was awarded it,” Fisher said.
She continued to attend UNOH before eventually ending up working directly for Monster Jam as an intern.
“Around the fall time of 2020, I had a virtual interview with a representative from Monster Jam, and we had kept in touch until I graduated. In my time at UNOH I also went and worked with an independent team for a few shows,” Fisher said. “In February 2022, the school had reached out to me about an intern opportunity with Monster Jam and asked if I was interested. The internship consisted of me flying out to different shows on the weekends, working with the technicians, seeing what life was like for them on the road and learning how to work on the trucks. I graduated later in June and by September I had started full-time.”
Before becoming a crew chief, she worked her way up through Monster Jam. Many of the positions let her work directly with trucks and their drivers.
“During my time in Monster Jam, I have had a few different titles. I’ve been a support technician. That position is me sitting in the pits, waiting for any kind of damage to happen so I can help. I’ve also held the position of what they call a third guy,” Fisher said. “That position is basically working with two crew chiefs on their truck, making sure that you keep the trailer clean, making sure that tires and truck is washed and that the crew chief had any tools or parts ready that they might need.”
For her, working the job she does now and getting to travel all over is something she has dreamt of since she was a kid.
“I hope that someone hears my story and is inspired, or that I can show them that dreams can come true,” Fisher said. “If there was anything I could tell my high school self it’s that we are making our dreams come true and so any doubts you have, don’t listen to them.”
