Tricked-out trucks head into the Big Sandy Superstore Arena

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• If you go: Monster Nationals
• Rocking the arena

George Eisenhart has a lot of time to think.

As emcee and owner of Image Promotions, a northeast Ohio company touring Monster Nationals monster truck shows since 1994, Eisenhart is always on the road again.

Forget the iPod, though, Eisenhart's mind is busy dreaming up wild and crazy ways to make his family-friendly monster truck shows even more fantastical.

"We travel a lot of miles to and from the shows, and that is all we do -- think about stuff that we could put motors on and different ways to make people go 'wow' and think of ways to make them plug their ears," Eisenhart said with a laugh. "We love this stuff."

This weekend you can see "this stuff," from five of the top high-flying, car-crashing monster trucks in the country to a jet-powered golf cart, as Monster Nationals roars into the Big Sandy Superstore Arena at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. both nights. Doors open at 6:30.

You'll want to get there early as Spurlock Dodge presents a "Party in the Pits" before each show (6:30 to 7:15 p.m.), where kids can check out the trucks and talk to the drivers and monster truck builders.

Free pit passes are available only at Spurlock Dodge, 351 4th Ave., Huntington.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $23 day of the show, and only $6 advance and $9 day of show for kids 12 and under.

Celebrating his 16th year of touring the family-friendly Monster Nationals show, Eisenhart said they love thinking up, and then building, the ultimate machines to add to the Monster Nationals show.

"I can't tell you how many times we're laughing until we're crying coming up with these outhouse ideas that get inspired from Mad Max movies and stuff like that," Eisenhart said. "If we had more money, we'd come up with even more sweet stuff, but we're limited by our wallets and our wives."

New this year to the Monster Nationals tour is Tee'd Off, a new creation by Mike West, of Wild West Entertainment of Alliance, Ohio.

West has come up with such wild inventions as the American Thunder jet jeep, the jet barstool, the jet powered recliner and the car-eating cyborg dinosaur Megasaurus.

Tee'd Off, a 1,500-horsepower, flame-throwing golf cart, is just one of the wild rides to be featured this weekend at the show, which also features mini off-road truck races by such mini favorites as The General Lee, and Mater, the beloved tow truck from the movie "Cars."

In between the high-flying, car-crushing monster truck action, Monster Nationals also features Big Air FMX, a motocross stunt team whose riders soar 50 feet through the air doing strings of daring stunts such as the cliffhanger, the double grab, the whip and the backflip, before landing on a mechanical ramp.

Eisenhart said the high-flying tricksters are some of the most popular attractions at the show.

"A lot of the kids this time of year are not doing a lot of the big shows that you see on TV, so we can pull some pretty good riders into Huntington to see those tricks that are as good as you see on TV," Eisenhart said.

Without a doubt, though, the stars of the show are the car-crushing monster trucks.

This year's tour features:

TailGator, driven by Doug Noelke, who won the Monster Nationals racing championship in 2008. The 2007 Ford SuperGator, with a 572-cubic inch engine, was one of the crowd favorites last year in Huntington. Go online at www.bigdawg4x4.com.

Samson, driven by Circleville, Ohio, resident Dan Patrick, one of the top monster truck builders in the business and a driver since 1983. He's built a truck for the hit TV series "American Gladiator" and still builds for the Bigfoot team and participated in the first motorsports show at Madison Square Garden. Go online at www.samson4x4.com.

High Maintenance, a 1940 Willis driven by Michigan mother of two, Jocelyn Perrin. Perrin Motorsports Team also includes her husband Jeff, a builder and racer as well. Perrin won the freestyle competition for the Monster Nationals tour last year. Go online at www.perrinmotorsports.com.

Holman's Beast, a 2006 Chevy Silverado driven by Dayton, Ohio, resident Bobby Holman, who celebrates his 25th year of monster truck racing in 2009. Go online at www.teambeast-werx.com.

Ironman, a modified 2008 slant back Humvee driven by Centerville, Ohio, resident Shane Smith, who's been driving for three years now. Go online at www.teambeast-werx.com.

Eisenhart said last year was a record year for Monster Nationals, and this year he is up to 14 indoor events, three more than he has ever had.

He's added three shows in Kentucky including Pikeville's East Kentucky Expo Center, as well as a new building in Corbin, Ky., and Highland Heights, Ky., just south of Cincinnati.

"We're sure glad we're not a concert promoter trying to sell $60 tickets," Eisenhart said. "But we're hearing a lot of people saying that instead of going away for a weekend, they're coming out to our show and getting dinner, and it's something they can afford. People realize there's a lot of value for the ticket and what you get in return."

Based out of Ohio, and doing shows in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois and surrounding states, he said he knows the economy is tough and prices tickets accordingly.

"If you've got kids, you're looking at a $6 ticket," Eisenhart said. "We're struggling like everybody else in Huntington and struggle to make the house payments and the fuel bills, and that makes us appreciate everybody who buys a ticket. We know they thought long and hard before they bought that ticket."

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Monster trucks take the stage during the Monster Nationals at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.