Advance Auto Parts Grinder (commonly known as just Grinder) was a 2008 Ford F-150 monster truck owned by FELD Motorsports and sponsored by the Advance Auto Parts store chain. Introduced in December of 2009 after the company became Monster Jam’s title sponsor, Grinder was driven by Lupe Soza, Frank Krmel, and John Seasock, becoming a fan favorite and competing in four World Finals events. It was retired at the end of the 2013 season when Advance Auto Parts resigned from their sponsorship of Monster Jam.
History[]
2009[]
Advance Auto Parts became the title sponsor of Monster Jam, which led to the creation of Grinder. The truck made its official debut on December 5 of that year in Minneapolis, Minnesota with Lupe Soza behind the wheel. During its debut event, Soza and the truck would be eliminated in the semi-final round of racing by Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger and finished fifth in freestyle.
2010[]
Grinder entered its first full year of competition. Paul Cohen would drive the truck in Roanoke, Virginia. The truck would go on to have a strong debut season under Soza, resulting in both truck and driver being invited to compete in Monster Jam World Finals XI. During the event, Soza and Grinder would be eliminated in round one of racing by Pablo Huffaker in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and finished fifth in freestyle.
2011[]
The Grinder team expanded to three trucks, as Frank Krmel and John Seasock joined the team. The former of the two would later win the racing competition in Atlanta against Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger, ending Anderson's racing championship streak. Krmel, along with Soza, would later be invited to compete in Monster Jam World Finals XII, with Krmel driving the truck in racing and Soza driving in freestyle. Both drivers, along with Seasock, would also perform a triple freestyle performance as an encore for the said event.
2012[]
Krmel would suffer an injury prior to the start of the season. As a result, Tasmanian Devil driver Nicole Johnson would drive Krmel's truck in his place for the first quarter. Johnson and Grinder would later be invited to compete in the inaugural Young Guns Shootout at Monster Jam World Finals XII, where they would make it all the way to the Championship Round only to lose to Bari Musawwir in Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Soza and Seasock would be invited to compete in the main field of the World Finals, with Seasock driving the truck in racing and Soza driving in freestyle. Following the World Finals, Seasock would in his first-ever stadium freestyle championship in Philadelphia during the inaugural Path of Destruction Tour.
2013[]
This year marked Grinder's final year of competition, as Advance Auto Parts would step down as the title sponsor of Monster Jam. The truck's final show would be held on December 7th of that year at the final event at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, with Soza driving.
Afterwards, Grinder would be retired, and all three drivers would move to different teams. Soza would go on to rejoin the El Toro Loco team, with Seasock returning to drive Batman. As for Krmel, he would become the new driver for the recently introduced Fox Sports 1 Cleatus.
Events Competed[]
| 2009 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Driver | Notes |
| December 5th | Minneapolis, MN | Lupe Soza | Debut |
| 2010 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Driver | Notes |
| January 9th | Atlanta, GA | Lupe Soza | |
| January 16-17th | San Antonio, TX | ||
| January 23rd | Houston, TX | ||
| January 30th | Indianapolis, IN | ||
| February 5-6th | Roanoke, VA | Paul Cohen | Won:
|
| February 12-14th | Rosemont, IL | Lupe Soza | Won:
|
| February 19-21st | Hampton, VA | ||
| February 27th | Jacksonville, FL | ||
| March 5-6th | Biloxi, MS | ||
| March 27th | Las Vegas, NV (World Finals XI) | ||
| June 12th | Philadelphia, PA | ||
| July 10th | Cincinnati, OH | ||
| July 19-21st | West Lebanon, NY | ||
| July 31-August 1st | Stafford Springs, CT | Won:
| |
| August 20-21st | Sunrise, FL | Won Wheelies, Show 1 | |
| November 13th | Minneapolis, MN | ||
| 2011 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Driver | Notes |
| January 7-8th | Nashville, TN | John Seasock | Won:
|
| January 8th | Detroit, MI | Frank Krmel | |
| Houston, TX | Lupe Soza | ||
| January 14-15th | Greensboro, NC | Frank Krmel | Won Wheelies, Show 2. |
| January 14-16th | Tacoma, WA | Lupe Soza | |
| January 15-16th | San Antonio, TX | John Seasock | |
| January 21-22nd | Knoxville, TN | Lupe Soza | Won Freestyle, Show 2 |
| January 22nd | Houston, TX | John Seasock | |
| Tampa, FL | Frank Krmel | ||
| January 28-29th | Roanoke, VA | John Seasock | Won Freestyle, all 3 shows |
| Greenville, SC | Frank Krmel | Won:
| |
| January 29th | Orlando, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| February 4-5th | Charleston, WV | Frank Krmel | Won:
|
| February 5th | Tampa, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| Houston, TX | John Seasock | ||
| February 11-13th | Rosemont, IL | ||
| February 12th | Miami, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| Atlanta, GA | Frank Krmel | Won Racing. | |
| February 18-20th | Worcester, MA | Won:
| |
| Pittsburgh, PA | John Seasock | Won:
| |
| February 19th | St. Louis, MO | Lupe Soza | |
| February 25-27th | Providence, RI | Frank Krmel | Won:
|
| February 26th | Jacksonville, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| Arlington, TX | John Seasock | ||
| March 4-5th | Tupelo, MS | Lupe Soza | Won:
|
| Saginaw, MI | John Seasock | Won:
| |
| March 5-6th | El Paso, TX | Frank Krmel | |
| March 11-12th | Pensacola, FL | Lupe Soza | Won Freestyle, Show 2 |
| Biloxi, MS | John Seasock | Won Racing, Show 2 | |
| March 11-13th | Wilkes-Barre, PA | Frank Krmel | Won:
|
| March 18-20th | Laredo, TX | John Seasock | Won:
|
| March 26th | Las Vegas, NV (World Finals XII) | Frank Krmel | encore only |
| John Seasock | racing only | ||
| Lupe Soza | freestyle only | ||
| April 1-2nd | Raleigh, NC | John Seasock | Won:
|
| April 8-10th | Naples, FL | ||
| April 15-17th | Ocala, FL | Won:
| |
| April 19-21st | Sonoma, CA | SPEED Dream Ride exhibition | |
| April 29-30th | Moline, IL | Frank Krmel | |
| June 4th | Philadelphia, PA | Lupe Soza | |
| June 9-11th | Quincy, IL | Frank Krmel | Won:
|
| June 25th | Syracuse, NY | John Seasock | Won Racing and Freestyle |
| July 8-9th | Erie, PA | Won Wheelies, Show 2. | |
| July 9th | Baltimore, MD | Lupe Soza | |
| July 18-20th | West Lebanon, NY | Won Racing, Show 2 | |
| July 23rd | Cincinnati, OH | ||
| July 29-30th | Corpus Christi, TX | Won:
| |
| July 30-31st | Stafford Springs, CT | John Seasock | Won:
|
| August 5-6th | Cedar Park, TX | Lupe Soza | Won Freestyle, Show 3 |
| August 19-20th | Sunrise, FL | Won Donuts, Show 3 | |
| November 11-12th | Hampton, VA | John Seasock | Won Freestyle, Show 1 |
| December 10th | Minneapolis, MN | Lupe Soza | |
| 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Driver | Notes |
| January 6-7th | Columbus, OH | Nicole Johnson | |
| Trenton, NJ | John Seasock | Won:
| |
| Tulsa, OK | Lupe Soza | ||
| January 14-15th | San Antonio, TX | Nicole Johnson | |
| January 14th | Atlanta, GA | Lupe Soza | |
| Detroit, MI | John Seasock | ||
| January 21st | Tampa, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| Minneapolis, MN | John Seasock | Won Racing | |
| Houston, TX | Nicole Johnson | ||
| January 27-28th | Roanoke, VA | ||
| January 28th | New Orleans, LA | John Seasock | |
| Orlando, FL | Lupe Soza | ||
| February 4th | Tampa, FL | ||
| Houston, TX | Nicole Johnson | ||
| St. Louis, MO | John Seasock | ||
| February 10-12th | Kansas City, MO | Won:
| |
| Rosemont, IL | Frank Krmel | Won Racing, Show 1 | |
| February 11th | Miami, FL | Lupe Soza | Won Freestyle |
| February 17-18th | Tallahassee, FL | Frank Krmel | Won Freestyle, Show 1 |
| Hampton, VA | Lupe Soza | ||
| February 17-19th | Pittsburgh, PA | John Seasock | Won Racing, Show 4 |
| February 24-25th | Memphis, TN | Won Freestyle, Show 2 | |
| February 24-26th | Cleveland, OH | Lupe Soza | Won Racing, Show 3 |
| February 25th | Arlington, TX | Frank Krmel | |
| March 3rd | Jacksonville, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| Detroit, MI | Frank Krmel | ||
| Indianapolis, IN | John Seasock | ||
| March 9-11th | Grand Rapids, MI | Frank Krmel | Won:
|
| March 9-10th | Baton Rouge, LA | Lupe Soza | Won:
|
| March 10th | Syracuse, NY | John Seasock | |
| March 16-17th | Dayton, OH | ||
| March 16-18th | Laredo, TX | Frank Krmel | |
| March 23-24th | Las Vegas, NV (World Finals XIII) | Nicole Johnson | Young Guns Shootout only |
| John Seasock | Racing only | ||
| Lupe Soza | Freestyle only | ||
| April 6-7th | Raleigh, NC | Frank Krmel | Won:
|
| Lafayette, LA | John Seasock | ||
| April 13-15th | Naples, FL | Frank Krmel | |
| April 20-22nd | Ocala, FL | Won:
| |
| April 27-28th | Moline, IL | ||
| June 2nd | Baltimore, MD | John Seasock | |
| June 7-9th | Quincy, IL | Frank Krmel | Won:
|
| June 9th | Philadelphia, PA | John Seasock | |
| June 16th | East Rutherford, NJ | John Seasock | Racing only |
| Lupe Soza | Freestyle only, won freestyle | ||
| June 22-23rd | Erie, PA | John Seasock | Won Donuts, Show 2 |
| July 16-18th | West Lebanon, NY | Frank Krmel | |
| July 20-21st | Mobile, AL | Lupe Soza | Won:
|
| July 20-22nd | Hagerstown, MD | John Seasock | |
| July 28-29th | Stafford Springs, CT | ||
| August 4-5th | Cedar Park, TX | Lupe Soza | Won:
|
| August 17-18th | Sunrise, FL | Won:
| |
| November 9-10th | Hampton, VA | Frank Krmel | Won Racing, Show 2 |
| December 1st | Minneapolis, MN | Lupe Soza | |
| 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Driver | Notes |
| January 4-5th | Columbus, OH | Lupe Soza | |
| Nashville, TN | Frank Krmel | Won Wheelies, Show 1 | |
| January 4-6th | Rochester, NY | John Seasock | Won:
|
| January 12th | Detroit, MI | Frank Krmel | |
| Houston, TX | Lupe Soza | ||
| January 12-13th | San Antonio, TX | John Seasock | Won Racing, Show 1 |
| January 19th | Minneapolis, MN | ||
| Houston, TX | Lupe Soza | Won Freestyle | |
| Tampa, FL | Frank Krmel | ||
| January 25-27th | Uniondale, NY | John Seasock | Won Wheelies, Show 1 |
| January 26th | Orlando, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| Indianapolis, IN | Frank Krmel | ||
| February 2nd | Tampa, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| Houston, TX | Frank Krmel | ||
| St. Louis, MO | John Seasock | ||
| February 8-10th | Rosemont, IL | Frank Krmel | Won Racing, Show 3 |
| Denver, CO | John Seasock | ||
| February 9th | Miami, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| February 15-16th | Roanoke, VA | John Seasock | Won:
|
| February 15-17th | Pittsburgh, PA | Frank Krmel | Won:
|
| February 16th | Atlanta, GA | Lupe Soza | |
| February 22-24th | Providence, RI | John Seasock | Won:
|
| February 23rd | Jacksonville, FL | Lupe Soza | |
| New Orleans, LA | Frank Krmel | ||
| March 1-2nd | Richmond, VA | John Seasock | Won:
|
| March 2-3rd | Baltimore, MD | Lupe Soza | Won Racing, Show 2 |
| March 2nd | Detroit, MI | Frank Krmel | |
| March 8-10th | Toledo, OH | Lupe Soza | Won Wheelies, Show 4 |
| Bridgeport, CT | John Seasock | Won Racing, Shows 1 and 3 | |
| March 9th | Syracuse, NY | Frank Krmel | |
| March 15-17th | Grand Rapids, MI | John Seasock | Won:
|
| March 15-16th | Huntsville, AL | Frank Krmel | |
| March 22-23rd | Las Vegas, NV (World Finals XIV) | John Seasock | racing only |
| Lupe Soza | freestyle only | ||
| April 5-6th | Cincinnati, OH | John Seasock | Won:
|
| April 5-7th | Laredo, TX | Lupe Soza | Won:
|
| April 6-7th | Green Bay, WI | John Seasock | |
| April 19-21st | Ocala, FL | Frank Krmel | Won Racing, all 4 shows |
| April 26-27th | Bismarck, ND | John Seasock | Won Wheelies, Show 1 |
| April 27-28th | Moline, IL | Frank Krmel | |
| June 8th | Baltimore, MD | Lupe Soza | |
| June 15th | East Rutherford, NJ | ||
| July 20-21st | Corpus Christi, TX | Won:
| |
| August 3-4th | Cedar Park, TX | Won:
| |
| December 7th | Minneapolis, MN | Final event | |
World Finals Appearances[]
| Year | Driver | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Lupe Soza | Qualifying: 19th (17.84) | Racing: defeated in Round 1 by TMNT | Freestyle: 4th (28) |
| 2011 | Frank Krmel | Qualifying: 11th (16.60) | Racing: defeated in Round 2 by El Toro Loco | |
| Lupe Soza | Freestyle: 23rd (8) | |||
| John Seasock | encore only | |||
| 2012 | Nicole Johnson | Young Guns Shootout: defeated by Spider-Man in the finals | ||
| John Seasock | Qualifying: 11th (16.724) | Racing: defeated in Round 2 by Lucas Oil Crusader | ||
| Lupe Soza | Freestyle: 17th (18) | |||
| 2013 | John Seasock | Qualifying: 20th (17.545) | Racing: defeated in Round 1 by Son-uva Digger | |
| Lupe Soza | Freestyle: 23rd (8) | |||
Video Game Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- Grinder served as the successor to two previous Advance Auto Parts-sponsored trucks owned by FELD Motorsports. The first was Advance Auto Parts Metal Monster, which was used exclusively as a display truck at the Monster Jam World Finals from 2004 up until its retirement in 2007. The second was El Toro Loco, which ran an Advance Auto Parts sponsorship at the 2008 and 2009 Monster Jam World Finals, with Soza driving.
- Grinder's first and last events were both held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with Soza driving the truck on both occasions. The truck also rolled over while attempting to demolish a motorhome at both of its shows.
- Grinder's first televised appearance was at Monster Jam Live in Atlanta in 2010 due to the truck's debut event being televised later.
- During the 2010 Minneapolis broadcast, the construction of the 2nd Grinder chassis is shown as an Advance Auto Parts Inside Look" segment.
- Grinder had rather poor luck when it came to competing in the World Finals. During the racing competitions, none of the drivers made it past Round 2. To add to that, out of all four freestyle competitions, Soza only filled the entire clock during World Finals XI, and would not even get past neither thirty seconds nor the halfway mark on the clock for the other three World Finals events. The only sign of success that the team showed during the World Finals was Johnson's performance during the inaugural Young Guns Shootout in 2012.
- Beginning in 2012, Grinder would occasionally appear with a rotating "G" that moved back and forth.
- The chassis for Krmel's Grinder was previously used for his Blue Thunder, which in turn was previously used for Donkey Kong.
- The chassis for Soza's Grinder was converted into his El Toro Loco, Krmel's chassis was converted into Fox Sports 1 Cleatus, and Seasock's chassis was converted into BJ Johnson's Mohawk Warrior.
- Seasock's chassis was originally intended to be re-converted into Batman. However, the body would not fit the chassis.
- From debut to retirement, Grinder existed for exactly 1,463 days.
- The truck ran as Five Star in 2012. It was an exhibition truck used to test composite off-road bodies & how they handled roll-overs & racing.
Gallery[]
Main Gallery[]
Merchandise gallery[]
