BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Joe Cypher grew up in Reno, Nevada, with two passions: Hot Wheels and Army Men. Decades later, he has built a career combining both — as a monster truck driver on the Hot Wheels Monster Truck tour.
Cypher, 62, joined the U.S. Army Rangers in 1986 at age 24, signing an Army Ranger contract from the start.
"I had a calling in my spirit or in my heart to do that," Cypher said. "I just knew I could make the percentile."
He completed airborne qualification and earned his Ranger beret, eventually assigned to 2nd Battalion in Tacoma, Washington, where he served as a rifleman.
"I loved what I did," Cypher said.
His military career was cut short when he was injured during a leave in Reno. His friend fell asleep at the wheel, over-corrected on a two-lane road near a lake, and the truck rolled end over end an estimated 5 times down an embankment, clipping a boulder along the way.
Cypher was wearing a lap belt. His friend was not.
"Ranger mentality — save your buddy, save your buddy," Cypher said. "So I'm trying to save him."
Doctors believe the moment Cypher reached to grab his friend — while the lap belt resisted on one side and his friend's weight pulled on the other — contributed to the severity of his injury. The truck landed on the passenger side, embedding the door into the dirt. The impact cracked the back axle and broke Cypher's L3 and L4 vertebrae, causing significant nerve damage.
He was paralyzed from the waist down.
Because the injury occurred in the lower spine — what doctors call the cauda equina, or "horse tail," where nerves branch out from the spinal cord — Cypher had a chance of recovering some function.
"I was gonna walk again whether I had that advantage or not," Cypher said. "No matter what."
After 6 months of rehabilitation, he regained his quadriceps and partial hamstring function on each side — enough to walk with braces. He competed in VA Wheelchair Games beginning around 1991, earning medals, and also participated in a VA Winter Sports Clinic.
"I owe it to the Ranger mentality that they drill into us — that kept me going," Cypher said.
Around 1993, Cypher discovered monster trucks and never looked back. He built his own truck, Airborne Ranger — the world's first hand-controlled monster truck — and has driven it for more than 30 years. He still owns the original chassis.
"I'm contracted to run that body, so I've ran 4 bodies for them already," Cypher said. "That's my chassis."
When he first arrived on the monster truck scene, not everyone welcomed him.
"They're like, oh my God, here comes some handicapped guy trying to do our stuff," Cypher said.
He earned his clearance through MTRA — the Monster Truck Racing Association, Bigfoot's association — and spent 4 or 5 years as a member. He practiced at shows when he could, lacking access to enough land to train privately.
Now part of the Hot Wheels Monster Truck tour, Cypher says he is the oldest and likely most experienced driver on the circuit, with more than 33 years behind the wheel. He has set a personal goal to keep driving until he is 70.
"I love what I do," Cypher said. "Find something you love and pursue it with a passion, and surround yourself with the best and you'll become successful."
His Hot Wheels collection — more than 800 cars — still sits at home, a reminder of where it all started.
"When I was 4 years old, she bought me 4 Hot Wheels and the track, and I never looked back," Cypher said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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