Myranda Cozad, 31, didn’t consider Monster Jam a potential career until she met another woman truck driver who inspired her. Now, Cozad’s inspiring other women as the driver of the iconic Scooby-Doo truck, which she’ll be driving in April at the Save Mart Center (SMC) — a place she likes performing at.

“I love coming back to Fresno,” she said. “The environment, and the people there – the crowd, I remember that they were very loud. So pretty awesome.”

But before Cozad was driving monster trucks in front of stadiums and arenas, she said her path to success wasn’t crystal clear at first.

Born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, Cozad went to a local community college when she was out of high school, but she didn’t know what she wanted to do.

It wasn’t until a Monster Jam event when Cozad met monster truck driver Debrah Ann Miceli, known as “Madusa,” that things changed.

“Madusa, she was one of the first females in Monster Jam, and she was the first female that I ever met in Monster Jam. When I went to an event back, maybe, about six years ago I met her at one of the events and I told her hey, ‘I want to drive,’” Cozad said.

Madusa was impressed by the “guts” it took to come up to talk to her and she ended up taking the young Cozad “under her wing,” she said.

“I’ll forever and always be in her debt because she made my dreams come true,” Cozad said. “She kind of passed the torch down, you know? Because now I get out there and inspire all these women and children to go after their dreams, whether it’s driving a truck or anything in life.”

Cozad is one of only a few women currently on tour, and she said the tour is an opportunity to clear up gender misconceptions and show that women can be monster truck drivers.

The truck Cozad drives, named after the Scooby-Doo cartoon, is usually driven by women. Cozad noted that the decision for who will drive what truck is based on personality.

“Scooby-Doo was what they thought would be the perfect fit, and they were definitely right on. Scooby-Doo is an iconic brand that I love to represent, and it’s something that the entire family can relate to and that they all love,” Cozad said.

Now in her sixth year of competition, Cozad will be joining Monster Jam to celebrate its 30th anniversary at the SMC with four shows from Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 3. Tickets are on sale now.

Fans who want to meet Cozad and other drivers can buy “Pit Passes” for $20 for an additional VIP experience called “Monster Jam Pit Party,” where fans can see the trucks up close and take pictures with their favorite drivers and crew members.