Bad Company is a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 monster truck owned by Loose Cannon Racing, and driven by John Gordon out of Hiram, Georgia. Since its debut in 2017, Gordon and the truck have become one of the industry's most popular independently-owned monster trucks. The truck has also become a staple of various leagues, including Monster Truck Throwdown and Monster Jam.
History[]
2017[]
Bad Company was created after Dustin Rogers purchased the Hooligan chassis from Gary Schott Jr. Gordon and the truck would eventually make their official debut at Monster Truck Throwdown's final event of the 2017 season on October 27th at Piedmont Dragway in Julian, North Carolina, where they would go on to win both racing championships for both shows.
2018[]
Bad Company would go on hiatus during the first quarter of the 2018 season, as Gordon would briefly join Team Scream Racing to drive Scooby-Doo! on the Axe chassis on Stadium Championship Series 3.
After the first quarter, the truck made its first Monster Jam appearance in Syracuse before primarily competing in Monster Truck Throwdown and Toughest Monster Truck Tour events in the summer.
Meanwhile, Bad Company would win the 2018 Monster Truck Throwdown championship.
2019[]
Bad Company received a major upgrade for the 2019 season, debuting a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 body style, as well as an Eddie Majka chassis.
The truck would also start competing its first full season with Monster Jam, competing in Stadium Championship Series 1. Gordon would complete the first forward momentum backflip in competition during said series in St. Louis, earning him that year's Wow Factor award.
In May, the original chassis would be used for display at the Monster Jam World Finals XX pit party and would also be used to win the Monsters on the Beach Championship in Virginia Beach. It would later run as The Black Pearl for select shows in the summer. Both Gordon and the truck would be invited to participate in the inaugural Monster Jam All-Star Challenge in October, where they would be drafted into Team Ice. For that occasion, the truck ran a special ice themed wrap.
2020[]
Bad Company competed on Stadium Championship Series Yellow, while the original chassis would be converted into its new teammate truck, Fast Metal. After the series abruptly ended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bad Company competed in select shows for the remainder of the season.
2021[]
Bad Company would compete in select Monster Jam events throughout the season.
During the league's inaugural shows at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the truck debuted a special Hardy’s-sponsored body, and the truck would go on to win the freestyle championship during the Sunday evening show.
In October, another sponsor body, being sponsored by Wet Sounds, would be created and used exclusively for the Houston event.
Late in the year, the truck, along with Fast Metal, would debut a new tailgate during the year, honoring Scott Hartsock and the Gunslinger/Slinger after his death that summer.
2022[]
Bad Company competed on Stadium Championship Series Red, and would finish 7th overall. The tour saw the truck win two freestyle championships during Stadium Championship Series Red in Minneapolis and in Arlington, where he would notably come close to completing three consecutive backflips. The truck would also make an appearance during the opening event of the Arena Championship Series East in North Charleston. The Hardy's-sponsored body would also be used again for the series' Tampa events.
In May, the truck also made its first World Finals appearance, where it is debuted a new neon orange design. It would finish in 4th place after completing a car backflip to wheelie.
In July, after the Fast Metal sponsorship ended, another teammate would temporarily debut in New Orleans, being Blown Money with Rick Steffens at the wheel.
In August, John would later be the fastest qualifier, win the racing and freestyle championships at the Back to School Bash event in Charlotte, having an incredible somersault save into a slap wheelie during his freestyle run.
In October, the Wet Sounds body returns for Monster Jam's last three stadium events in Arlington, Houston, & Orlando.
2023[]
The truck goes back to competing on its own full time, where it competes on the blue stadium tour, running the orange body as its main scheme and would again finish 7th overall. The tour saw John win the first racing competition in San Diego by defeating Tyler Menninga in Grave Digger. A new black body debuts in Seattle which saw John win racing over Ryan Anderson in Son-uva Digger, and would also win racing in Glendale against Cynthia Gauthier in Lucas Stabilizer.
In July, the truck made its second World Finals appearance with a brand-new Nashville themed holographic body.
The old CRD chassis is sold back to Gary Schott Jr.
In October, a wet sounds design would run at Houston.
2024[]
John competed on Stadium Championship Series East running the World Finals XXII body during the start of the season. John makes the final round in Indianapolis at both shows, but loses both of them to Tyler Menninga in Grave Digger.
In Atlanta, the Hardy Buick, Chevrolet, GMC body returns, but with a 1979 Chevrolet K10 body style, before the truck returned to the regular hologram body in Foxborough. John finishes 6th in the final standings.
In May, the truck would not compete at World Finals XXIII due to the truck being scheduled to compete at the Monsters on the Beach event, and would win the George Carpenter Cup.
In August, the truck would win the freestyle competition at the Back to School Bash in Concord, North Carolina. The truck also makes its video game debut in Monster Jam Showdown.
Late in the year, the truck's bio would be removed from the Monster Jam website after it was announced that the truck would not compete in any tour for Monster Jam. The truck would run at select shows for the rest of the year.
2025[]
The truck does not compete during for the first four months of the year. John and the truck compete in the Bristol event in May, along with the Monsters on the Beach shows. He would win 2 out of the 4 racing competitions. The team will return to Monster Jam on August 2-3 in Sunrise, Florida.
Special designs[]
- 2019 - Blue ice body for Team Ice at the All-Star Challenge.
- 2021 - Hardy Chevrolet Buick GMC was run for Atlanta 2021 and Tampa 2022.
- 2021 - Wet Sounds was run for Houston in October.
- 2022 - Wet Sounds was run for the Arlington show in October.
- 2022 - Orange "inverted" scheme was debuted at World Finals XXI.
- January 2023 - Wet Sounds is run for Houston.
- April 2023 - A new black body and slightly updated logo debuts in Seattle.
- July 2023 - Holographic chrome Nashville scheme is debuted at World Finals XXII. (Current paint scheme)
- April 2024 - An old school Chevrolet K10 Hardy Chevrolet Buick GMC body debuts in Atlanta.
World Finals appearances[]
Year | Driver | Results | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | John Gordon | Qualifying: 15th (32.185) | Racing: defeated in round 1 by Megalodon | Freestyle: 4th (8.174) |
2023 | Qualifying: 7th (20.242) | Racing: defeated Grave Digger in round 3, however was unable to return | Freestyle: 19th (5.847) |
Video game appearances[]
Trivia[]
- Bad Company's original body before World Finals XXI was known for having a reflective wrap.
- Bad Company’s name is based off Adam Anderson’s old mud truck, called Bad Company.
- Bad Company's driver, John Gordon, is best known for serving as the crew chief for Son-uva Digger driver Ryan Anderson for many years.
- Bad Company is the first monster truck to successfully attempt a forward momentum backflip in competition.
- The truck is also the second-ever of its kind to successfully attempt the stunt, the first being Monster Jam 25th Anniversary.
- Bad Company was the first truck to win more than one freestyle on Stadium Series Red in 2022, winning in Minneapolis at show 1 and later winning in Arlington.
- The orange body that debuted at World Finals XXI was fully wrapped orange before having the flames and logos installed. The following year, the body would be painted instead of wrapped, using a custom mix of paints to closely replicate the fluorescent color of the original orange body.
- John would run the body that debuted in Nashville at World Finals XXII for the first several events of the 2024 season. However, an updated body that featured redesigned tattoo art in the flames would be stored until its debut at a non-points event in Hartford, Connecticut.
- The truck was featured in a Lil Gotit music video called ''Work Out'' and was temporarily named Slatt.
- Bad Company is the first truck to run a full holographic wrap. Trucks like Virginia Giant, Girl Power and Wild Side have also ran holographic designs.
- As of 2025, the team no longer competes in Monster Jam.
- This was most likely due to a bad falling out.