Bad Company is a Chevrolet Silverado monster truck driven by John Gordon of Loose Cannon Racing 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[]
Bad Company was created after Dustin Rogers purchased Hooligan from Gary Schott Jr. in 2017. 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. There, they would go on to win both racing championships for both shows.
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) for Monster Jam 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.
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. 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.
In 2020, Bad Company competed in Monster Jam Stadium Championship Series Yellow. 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.
In 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. There, it would go on to win the freestyle championship during the Sunday evening show. Another sponsor body, being sponsored by Wet Sounds, would be created and used exclusively for the Houston event in October. The truck, along with Fast Metal, would also debut a new tailgate during the year, honoring Scott Hartsock and the Gunslinger/Slinger after his death during the summer of 2021.
In 2022, Bad Company competed on Monster Jam Stadium Championship Series Red. 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. Meanwhile, Gordon and the truck would win two freestyle championships during Stadium Championship Series Red in Minneapolis and in Arlington, where he would notably come close to completing a three consecutive backflips. Bad Company would finish 7th on the tour. The truck also made its first World Finals appearance that same year, where it is debuted a new neon orange design. It would finish in 4th place after completing a car backflip to wheelie. Two months later, after the Fast Metal sponsorship ended, another teammate would temporarily debut in New Orleans, being Blown Money with Rick Steffens at the wheel. 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 Arlington, Houston, & Orlando, the Wet Sounds body returns.
In 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. John wins the first racing competition in San Diego by defeating Tyler Menninga in Grave Digger. A new black body debuts in Seattle where John would win racing over Ryan Anderson in Son-uva Digger. He would also win racing in Glendale against Cynthia Gauthier in Lucas Stabilizer. The truck finishes 7th again in the final standings. The truck also make its second World Finals appearance with a brand-new Nashville themed holographic body. The old CRD chassis is sold back to Gary Schott Jr. A wet sounds design would run at Houston.
In 2024, John competed on Stadium Championship Series East running the World Finals 22 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 as a Chevrolet K10 design, just like The Black Pearl. The truck returned to the regular hologram body in Foxborough. John finishes 6th in the final standings. He competed at the Monster On the Beach events & won the George Carpenter Cup. The truck made its video game debut in Monster Jam Showdown. John & the truck are not scheduled to do the first quarter of Monster Jam for the first time since the trucks debut.
Special designs[]
- 2019 - Blue ice body for Team Ice at the All-Star Challenge.
- 2021 - Hardy Chevrolet Buick GMC is run for Atlanta 2021 and Tampa 2022.
- 2021 - Wet Sounds is run for Houston in October.
- 2022 - Wet Sounds is run for the Arlington show in October.
- 2022 - Orange "Inverted" scheme is 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.
- April 2024 - An old school Chevrolet K10 Hardy Chevrolet Buick GMC body debuts in Atlanta.
World Finals appearances[]
- 2022 - John Gordon (Main field)
- 2023 - John Gordon (Main field)
All-Star Challenge appearances[]
- 2019 - John Gordon (Team Ice)
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 at World Finals 23 have also ran holographic designs.
Gallery[]
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