Courtney Jolly (born September 18, 1986) is an American former professional

monster truck A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock p ...

driver who drove Pastrana 199 on the

USHRA The United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) was an organization that sanctioned various motorsports. These included the Monster Jam monster truck series as well as motocross, All-terrain vehicle, quad racing and others. Having passed through mult ...

Monster Jam Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour operated by Feld Entertainment. The series began in 1992, and is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association. Events are primarily held in North America, with some addition ...

circuit.

Career

Courtney Jolly, a former

beauty queen A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes so ...

, comes from a family which is heavily involved in racing and motor sports. "I've been at the track since I was in diapers", she has been quoted as saying. She previously raced swamp buggies, and finished second in the

Immokalee Immokalee ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Collier County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,557 at the 2020 census, up from 24,154 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Naples–Marco Island metropol ...

Raceway points series in the IHRA

Drag Racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

Combo class, two places ahead of her father. Both of her parents are racers, and her sister Candice Jolly is also a professional monster truck driver and is a former World Karting Association national

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of small sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performanc ...

racing champion. Two other sisters are horse barrel racers. Her introduction to the world of monster trucks came when she sang the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

at a Monster Jam event at Florida Sports Park in her hometown of

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,115, down from 19,539 at the 2010 census. Naples is a principal city of the Collier County, Florida, Naples–Marc ...

. She was given a pit pass and subsequently met driver Alex Blackwell, who let her sit in his truck. She immediately decided that she wanted to drive a monster truck, and returned the next day hoping to drive a truck into the venue before singing the anthem. Monster Jam Senior Director of Operations Mike Wales later arranged for her to test drive a monster truck in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and he decided that she had what it took to drive competitively. Wales has referred to Jolly as the

Danica Patrick Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver and model. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing—her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win ...

of the monster truck circuit. She began driving professionally in the Monster Jam circuit while still attending college at

Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida, near Fort Myers. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second-youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is acc ...

. Jolly lost most of the function in her right hand in a go-kart crash at age twelve. The accident broke her right arm above the elbow, requiring eight inches of steel and eight screws to repair it, and severing a few nerves. The handicap forced her to switch from doing everything right-handed to left-handed, including racing. Pastrana 199 was one of two trucks on the Monster Jam tour with controls built for lefties.. Jolly retired from monster truck driving and earned a degree in Marketing from Florida Gulf Coast University. She currently works as Director of Public Relations and Marketing for the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens in Naples, Florida.

References

External links

"Driven to Succeed" from naplesnews.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jolly, Courtney 1986 births Florida Gulf Coast University alumni Living people Monster truck drivers Sportspeople from Naples, Florida Racing drivers from Florida