HR0019 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0019 LRB101 05054 MST 50064 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Tom Meents on his numerous distinguished accomplishments during his career as a monster truck driver; and

WHEREAS, Tom Meents was born on July 10, 1967 in Paxton and is a 1985 graduate of Paxton High School, where he was a member of Paxton's 1984 Class 2A state runner-up football team and FFA (Future Farmers of America); and

WHEREAS, Tom Meents took multiple power mechanics, welding, and shop classes at Paxton High School, and, after graduation, he worked as a mechanic at a dealership in Rantoul; in his free time, he worked on a racing truck and raced the truck on the weekends, dubbing the truck Shake Me; and

WHEREAS, In 1988, Tom Meents participated in his first televised event, a mud-racing event in Pittsburgh put on by the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) and nationally broadcast on ESPN2, where he ran the second-quickest time; and

WHEREAS, Tom Meents won the National Mud Racing Organization's (NMRO) Open Class Championship in 1992; after teaming up with Paul Shafer, he won NMRO's Class 5 championship in 1993 and 1994 and the Class 6 championship in 1993; in 1997, he earned a victory in the USHRA Truck Fest; and

WHEREAS, In 1999, Tom Meents was commissioned by PACE Motor Sports to drive their monster truck named Bulldozer; in his first ever event driving Bulldozer, he won his race on national television; and

WHEREAS, Tom Meents was commissioned to drive a new truck in 2000 named Goldberg, with which he won the inaugural Monster Jam World Finals and completed a full sweep of the event in both 2001 and 2002; the truck was given an overhaul and renamed Maximum Destruction in 2003; and

WHEREAS, Tom Meents has won 11 Monster Jam World Finals championships, including six in racing and five in freestyle; and

WHEREAS, In addition to racing, Tom Meents has accomplished several firsts in Maximum Destruction, including the first person to attempt a backflip in a monster truck, the first person to complete a double backflip, and the first to land a front-flip in a monster truck; and

WHEREAS, Tom Meents continues to race today, pursuing his 12th Monster Jam Finals title; and

WHEREAS, Tom Meents has two sons who also race, and he is a proud member of the Paxton community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Tom Meents on his extensive accomplishments and the dedication he exhibits towards his sport, and we commend him for his lifelong support of his community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Tom Meents as a symbol of our respect and esteem.