Forget basketball buzzer beaters. Rupp Arena is getting a whole different kind of slam this weekend as monster trucks roll into Lexington for an action-packed show.Anthony Ritter, a truck driver with Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, w ill be behind the wheel of a 10,000-pound machine built to flatten anything in its path. The weekend event promises four different competitions that will showcase the raw power of these mechanical beasts."We come out. We'll crush cars. We'll have four different events. We'll have a wheely competition, a donut competition, long-jump competition and then our freestyle, where we can go out and do pretty much anything and everything," Ritter said.Ritter's journey to the driver's seat wasn't overnight. He started as a volunteer at local fairgrounds before working his way up through the ranks."And then worked my way into a full-time mechanic on them. Did that for about six or seven years, and then been driving for the past three years," Ritter said.The monster truck he pilots is a engineering marvel designed for destruction. It features 26-inch shocks in the front, 30-inch shocks in the rear and a 4-96 big block Chevy engine producing about 15,000 horsepower. The massive 66-inch tires alone weigh about 1,000 pounds each.The cars that will meet their fate under these giant wheels won't survive the encounter."They'll be about that tall, like a pancake," Ritter said.For fans, the event represents the ultimate childhood dream brought to life, watching toy trucks they played with as kids transformed into real-life crushing machines."Being able to see the toys that you either grew up with as a kid or you're playing with now, you know, sitting there in your living room, crushing over your little Hot Wheels cars, come out and see them as big trucks. And then see them crush some real cars," Ritter said.This marks Ritter's first time performing in Lexington, and he's excited to make it memorable for local fans. His advice for aspiring monster truck drivers reflects his own journey from spectator to performer."Anybody who wants to be a monster truck driver or whatever you want to do, I started out up in the stands as one of the fans and worked my way into driving. So, whatever you want to do, just keep working at it and you can do it," Ritter said.The shows will take place Saturday, Jan. 17th at 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 18th at 2:30 p.m.Tickets can be purchased here: Lexington, KY 2026 | Jan. 17 - Jan. 18 2026 | Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live ...read more read less