Monster Truck Winternationals and Thrill Show begins today

Some race car drivers were born with names that summon images of people who like to drive fast around a concrete oval: Junior Johnson, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti.

Junior Swift likes to careen around a track, too.

Swift has raced stock cars himself, but this weekend at the Show Me Center the Cape Girardeau resident will be at the controls of a four-wheeler in the quad races.

The 30-year-old Swift will compete in the Monster Truck Winternationals and Thrill Show at the Show Me Center. The event will feature some of the biggest names in monster trucks. Bigfoot, Holman's Beast. Maximum Torc, Chicago Outlaw, Nemisis and the Big Church will compete in monster truck drag racing.

They also will climb a stack of cars and crush them in a wheelie contest.

Another star of the show will be Draco the Dragon, a 40-foot-long, three-story-tall robot that breathes fire and can tear apart a car with its jaws.

Other events include a drag race between Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the amateur four-wheeler quad race and motorcycle races.

Last year, Swift finished first on the opening night of the competition and second on the following night. He wins only trophies because he competes as an amateur.

"It's just something to do on weekends -- a way to go out and blow off some steam and have a good time," he says of four-wheeling.

Swift began riding ATVs when he was 10. He didn't grow up on a farm like some ATV enthusiasts. "I tore my dad's yard up a lot," he said.

His own son, Dakota, got his first ATV when he was 4. Now 7, Dakota finished third in the only race he has ever competed in. Swift admits that riding a four-wheeler demands attention, practice and experience.

"They're very dangerous," he says. The four-wheelers race at speeds of about 40 mph around a concrete oval sprayed with soft-drink syrup to increase traction. They always collide. "Sometimes if you have a good night, maybe you break a fender," Swift says. "I've seen people break the whole front end out of them."

Four years ago in the feature race, Swift ran his four-wheeler beneath one of the monster trucks sitting on the side. He recovered and still finished fourth in the race.

Quad racing requires technique, Swift says. You can't compete at full throttle. "It's a matter of timing and knowing when to give it gas, when to not give it gas and when to use the brakes," he said.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182