Jocelyn Perrin is a tomboy, and there's no way around it. She grew up playing with hot rod models and driving tractors on her family's West Michigan farm.

Now, just a few years after getting into the game, Perrin - aka Lil' Miss Dangerous - is one of the world's best female monster truck drivers and one of four female drivers in the United States. She literally crushes her competition.

"I was always into the boyish things," Perrin, 30, said. "My 4-year-old daughter thinks it's great that I'm out there racing, and I believe that she will probably take over for me someday."

Her truck, a 1940 Ford Willys with 66-inch tires, will join four other well-known trucks and their drivers this weekend at Breslin Center for the U.S. Hot Rod Association Thunder Nationals.

Along with Lil' Miss Dangerous, fans can expect to see Gravedigger, Avenger, Destroyer and Brutus.

"There's a lot of good drivers out there. Avenger has been to the world finals, Destroyer's been to world finals and everybody knows Gravedigger is awesome," she said. "It's gonna be some good racing and action going on."

Perrin became interested in monster trucks when she met her husband, Jeff Perrin, and began to help him work on his truck.

"I used to help him out because he actually had a truck," she laughed. "But then I started driving full-time about eight years ago and now we run the truck together."

But her love for monster trucks can still be traced back to her youth.

"The fans love the noise, the power, the crushing of the cars and the speed, too," she said. "I'm a pretty tough competitor, I like to go out and do a good job."

Elliott Miller, who operates www.michiganmonstertrucks.com, is a longtime fan of Lil' Miss Dangerous.

"She's probably the best female driver around," the Ionia resident said. "She's really good. She can beat the men's trucks."

But Perrin said she has to work hard to get the respect she deserves in what's considered a man's sport.

"The guys don't give me an inch," Perrin said. "They race me just as hard as they race anybody else, and I don't expect them to give me a break. It's very intimidating for the guys to run against a girl, especially if he gets beat."

In fact, Perrin's truck has a little twist of her humor and competitive nature on it with the words: "It's all fun and games until you get beat by a girl."

And as Perrin improves in her sport, she hopes to take more wins at higher levels.

"I hope that I go to the world finals someday," she said. "I don't think it will be this year, but there's always next year. It's all such a great experience. If I didn't love it I wouldn't be out here doing this."

The event on Friday and Saturday nights will include wheelies, donut competitions, the all-out freestyle competition and side-by-side racing.

"From a fan's perspective, I really think everyone likes the freestyle part of the show. It's a great event and the drivers make themselves available for everyone," Miller said.

So put away those childhood toys and get out the chewin' tobacco, the beer, the whiskey and some good rockin' tunes, because Michigan monster truck fans are the most fun.

"Monster truck shows are very popular in the Great Lakes region of the U.S., especially in Michigan," Miller said. A huge monster truck aficionado, Miller said sometimes the stigma people have about monster truck fans is not flattering or true.

"Most people think, 'Oh, the rednecks are going to the truck show again,' but it's not that at all," he said. "Last year, the crowd was really into it at the Breslin, that makes it so much better."

But not everyone who drives a truck is into such monster madness.

"I'm not going, it's geared at a younger audience," pickup truck owner and agriculture business junior Caleb Stewart said.

Stewart, who drives a 1990s model Ford F250 - not a monster truck by any means, but a big truck nevertheless - and said he wouldn't have it any other way.

As a farmer, Stewart said he has no interest in owning a car because it's not practical.

Those planning on being part of Saturday's audience have the unique opportunity to meet the drivers, get their autographs, ask them questions or talk about their trucks.

From 5:30-6:30 p.m., the drivers and their trucks will be available on the floor of the Breslin. Free pit passes for this event are available at Ford dealers in the Lansing area, such as Metro Ford of Grand Ledge at 6080 E. Saginaw Highway and at Campus Ford at 1830 W. Grand River Ave. in Okemos.

The pit pass event only happens Saturday night and each dealer has a limited number of passes available.

Staff writer Shaun Byron contributed to this report.