Scooby Doo was an iconic character long before motorsport event series Monster Jam turned the crime-solving canine into one of its signature trucks, complete with a wagging tail. However, since its debut in 2013, the Scooby Doo truck has become something of an icon itself, thanks in part to Myranda Cozad, who has been one of its drivers for almost three years.
Growing up in Davenport, Iowa, Cozad was heavily involved in the world of motorsports from a young age, as her father competed in a variety of sports. She attended a Monster Jam event in Rockford, Ill., where she met driver Madusa and told her that she wanted to be a monster-truck driver. The veteran then became her mentor, and in 2016, Cozad began her first season with Monster Jam.
“I had been racing since 16, and it’s funny because my dad, he always told me, ‘You know, it’s hard to make it a career obviously,’” she says. “Everybody has things they want to do and everything, but yeah, it’s pretty cool that I get to do that and make it a career.”
Cozad says that driving the Scooby Doo truck has been a great experience, in particular, because so many people love the character.
“Well, everybody knows who Scooby Doo is, so it’s pretty cool,” she says. “You know, little kids know it, and their parents and grandparents. Scooby Doo has been around for ages, and it’s definitely an iconic truck, for sure.”
Making the shift to monster trucks from her other primary motorsport, drag racing, was not without challenges, though. Cozad says learning how to drive and maneuver the vehicle on dirt compared to pavement took getting used to, but once she got the changes down, competing has been fun.