War Wizard is a 1941 Willy's ProMod monster truck owned by the team of the same name and driven by RJ Turner. Since its debut in 2003, the truck has been well-known for its design, as well as its various paint schemes throughout the course of its career. The truck has also set several records in the monster truck industry, most notably in 2005 and 2012.
History[]
War Wizard debuted in 2003.
In 2004, the truck made its first televised appearance in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In August 2005, War Wizard set a new speed record in monster trucks at 84.382 mph. The record stood until 2009 when Dan Runte broke it by going 84.49 mph in Bigfoot. Crew member TG Short would drive the truck in Franklin, Pennsylvania.
In 2006, Spellcaster would debut as a teammate truck which was driven by TG Short. Said truck would compete in only three events that season due to Short sustaining a back injury. The truck would eventually be sold to Men of Sin City Racing and was converted into Sin City Crusher. This year would be War Wizard’s worst season yet:
- In Pontiac, the truck would suffer a hard landing in qualifying. The impact of the landing knocked him unconscious. The truck continued forward where it slammed into the wall protection, causing the truck to climb up it. The driver would be hospitalized afterwards, and the truck was damaged to the point where it could not compete for the remainder of the show.
- In Atlanta, the truck would suffer two failures with the transmission, requiring it to be fully removed and replaced twice. To top it all off, the truck’s first hit during its freestyle performance was angled in such a way that when the truck landed, all of the truck’s shocks were ripped off in the process. The chassis would be totaled, putting it out of commission for the remainder of the season. Luckily, the team was able to lease the Total Chaos chassis from Brian Barthel.
- On the way to Tampa, the team’s rig would nearly run out of oil and even pop one of the tires. At Tampa, Short would suffer a back injury, resulting in Deric Evans being called in as a fill-in driver. When War Wizard came out to qualify, the first car stack that the truck went over popped the right rear tire, taking War Wizard out of the competition for the remainder of the show.
- The week after in Greenville, the throttle stuck during a donut attempt, resulting in the truck being driven into the wall protection.
In 2007, War Wizard’s original chassis would be fully rebuilt and repaired in time for the 2007 season. A brand-new War Wizard debuted at the tail end of the season, featuring a brand-new paint scheme and chassis.
In 2008, War Wizard competed in the Monster Jam European tour due to the truck's inclusion in Monster Jam: Urban Assault, with Alex Blackwell and Bobby Parr sharing driving duties with the original driver.
In 2009, the truck would be invited to compete in Monster Jam World Finals X.
In 2010, the truck competed in Monster Jam's only live broadcast on SPEED in Atlanta.
In 2011, War Wizard debuted a new black paint scheme. Steve Koehler would drive the truck as a last-minute fill-in in Jacksonville, due to storm damage occurring in the original driver’s hometown.
In 2012, War Wizard set another record in the monster truck industry for fastest quarter-mile time in a monster truck, at 13.175 seconds. Robert Parker would drive the truck in multiple independent shows. DJ Hickman drove the truck in Fort Wayne.
In 2013, War Wizard celebrated its 10th anniversary by debuting a new red paint scheme.
In 2014, another new paint scheme debuted, this time being purple and orange. That same year, the original owner would step away from driving the truck full-time and sold the entire operation to a private owner. Meanwhile, rookie driver Darrin Goin joined the team to share driving duties. Vern House was contracted to run the body for 4 shows on his chassis.
In 2015, War Wizard would be selected as one of sixteen trucks to compete in the inaugural Fox Sports 1 Championship Series, with Goin driving.
In 2016, the truck would again compete on the Fox Sports 1 Championship Series, with Shane Phreed driving.
In 2017, War Wizard competed in the FS1 Championship Series East, with Phreed driving. Koehler would again drive the truck for a show in Evansville. Afterwards, RJ Turner would begin driving the truck in the summer, before asserting full-time driving duties the year following. That same year, War Wizard debuted a brand-new paint scheme, as well as an updated chassis (bottom half replaced by Metal Shop)
In 2019, a brand-new War Wizard debuted, featuring an updated paint scheme. Another new paint scheme would debut the following year.
In 2023, a new white design debuts for the 20th anniversary.
World Finals appearances[]
- 2009
Video game appearances[]
Trivia[]
- War Wizard's body style was modeled after a 1941 Willy's ProMod. However, at select shows, it was playfully referred to as a "2041 Willy's", outside of Monster Jam World Finals X, where it was referred as a 1941 Willy's. The body was based on the original owner's previous career in drag racing.
- When first fitted onto the Total Chaos chassis, the War Wizard body required the application of tape to help the truck fit onto the chassis.
- Since November 2018, the War Wizard race team has served as members of the wiki. They wish to not disclose the name of the original owner, citing legal reasons, but remains vague as to why, although he is easy to find.
- The front of the truck reads "TEAM FAFO"
- The truck's website is warwizardracing.com, but it hasn't been updated since 2018.
Gallery[]
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