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The Women Of Monster Jam Are Crushing Barriers And Inspiring Dreams

Cynthia Gauthier of Monster Jam
Cynthia Gauthier of Monster Jam


Cynthia Gauthier was one of three woman competitors Jalopnik spoke to before 2023 Monster Jam World Finals in Nashville, TN.

Of the 24 drivers who qualified for the 2023 Monster Jam World Finals in Nashville, Tennessee, four women hit the dirt to compete for season-ending accolades: Krysten Anderson, Kayla Blood, Cynthia Gauthier, and Linsey Read. And before track action took place, I had the opportunity to sit down with the first three of those racers to really get a sense of what makes Monster Jam so welcoming to women — and the solidarity that comes from competing alongside other members of your gender.

Full disclosure: Monster Jam invited me to join the series at World Finals XXII in Nashville, Tennessee, where it put me up for a weekend and organized a great amount of behind-the-scenes access.

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The handful of women featured in the series also display a diversity of attitudes and backgrounds. Anderson is young, coming from a family deeply entrenched in motorsport. Kayla Blood, driver of the Soldier Fortune truck, is a veteran of the Louisiana National Guard. Cynthia Gauthier of the Lucas Stabilizer truck, owns her own fabrication shop; she’s now on hiatus after announcing her pregnancy. Linsey Read, also a mother, will take her place in 2024.

“We all bring something different to the table, which means we can show up and shine for the girls in our own way,” Blood told me.