Hooked is a Chevrolet Silverado monster truck owned by Monster Trucks Unlimited out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was originally driven by Steve Sims' son, Steven, but has also been driven by Bryan Wright from 2012-2022. Both drivers originally shared driving duties together until 2016, when Sims left the team to join FELD Motorsports. Since its debut in 2012, the truck has served as the primary teammate to Stone Crusher, replacing Monster Magic (formerly Mopar Magic). Sims was also well known for his aggressive driving style, which earned him multiple championships throughout his career.
History[]
2012[]
Hooked debuted on May 13th, 2012, at Monsters on the Beach in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with Steven Sims behind the wheel.
2013[]
Hooked would enter its first full year of competition, with Sims and Bryan Wright sharing the driving duties. Sims and the truck would be invited to compete in the Young Guns Shootout in Monster Jam World Finals XIV. In the fall, the truck received a slight update to the design, with the hood being changed from orange to blue. Joey Parnell drives the truck in West Lebanon, New York.
2014[]
Sims and Wright would share driving duties again, with the former driver again being invited to compete in the Young Guns Shootout at Monster Jam World Finals XV.
2015[]
Wright would temporarily leave the team to drive Backwards Bob for FELD Motorsports, leaving Sims to assume full-time driving duties that season. Both Sims and the truck would compete in the inaugural Fox Sports 1 Championship Series. During said series, Sims would win his first freestyle championship in Tampa. Eric Swanson would fill in for Sims in Anaheim. Both the truck and driver would again be invited to compete in the Young Guns Shootout at Monster Jam World Finals XVI. Kevin Lewis would also fill-in for Sims in Oklahoma City due to him being ill. The truck’s chassis would also be used to run as Doom’s Day for that year’s Path of Destruction tour.
2016[]
Sims left the team to drive Pirate’s Curse for FELD Motorsports. Wright would return to the team to assert full-time driving duties for the truck. Both truck and driver would compete in the Fox Sports 1 Championship Series and finished 11th.
2017[]
Wright and Hooked would compete in the FS1 Championship Series East, winning three wheelie championships in both San Antonio shows, and in Arlington. He would finish 9th in the final standings. In the summer, Hooked received a new body style, being a Chevrolet Silverado.
2018[]
Hooked would run as El Toro Loco for the first quarter, competing on Stadium Championship Series 1. He would finish 11th in the final standings.
2019[]
Hooked competed on Stadium Championship Series 1, where it would win its first racing championship in Detroit on Sunday over Ryan Anderson in Son-uva Digger. Bryan finished 9th in the final standings.
2020[]
Hooked competed on Stadium Championship Series Red and finished 12th.
2021[]
Hooked would compete in select Monster Jam shows. Throughout the season, Wright would share driving duties with Shane Phreed, while Morgan Kane also drove the truck in Cleveland and Cincinnati.
2022[]
Phreed drove Hooked on Arena Championship Series East, where he finished 6th. Chad Tingler would drive the truck for the Monsters on The Beach events & the Back to School Bash in Charlotte. He would unfortunately suffer a back injury on the final day during freestyle and was taken to the hospital. In New Orleans, Chad drove Hooked again, when he was originally supposed to drive Stone Crusher. Bryan Wright returned to driving for the Prattsburg, New York shows. For the Sunrise shows, Chad Tingler once again drove the truck. In Dayton, Ohio, Jon Zimmer Jr. drove the truck. Hurricane Force driver Steven Thompson drove the truck in Bridgeport.
2023[]
The truck would be used as Zombie on Arena Championship Series East, Hooked is still primarily used for indie events and Q2 Monster Jam events. Steven Sims drives the truck for the Monster on the Beach shows and dominates show 2 by winning all three competitions. He would drive it again in Delmar, Delaware & for the Charlotte Back to School Bash. Frank Krmel drives the truck for a few shows.
2024[]
The truck ran as Zombie again, but with Frank Krmel driving this time. He finished 8th in the final standings on the central arena tour. Frank drives the truck for several independent shows.
Drivers[]
Current drivers[]
- Frank Krmel (since 2023)
Former drivers[]
- Steven Sims (2012-2016; 2021; 2023)
- Bryan Wright (2012-2021; Prattsburg 2022)
- Shane Phreed (Pensacola 2014; 2021-2022)
- Chad Tingler (2022-2023)
Fill-in drivers[]
- Joey Parnell (West Lebanon 2013)
- Eric Swanson (Anaheim 2015 show 3)
- Kevin Lewis (Oklahoma City 2015)
- Morgan Kane (Cleveland, Cincinnati 2021)
- Jon Zimmer Jr. (Dayton 2022)
- Steven Thompson (Bridgeport 2022)
World Finals appearances[]
Year | Driver | Results |
---|---|---|
2013 | Steven Sims | Young Guns Shootout: defeated in Round 2 by Nitro Hornet |
2014 | Young Guns Shootout: defeated in the Semi-finals by Overkill Evolution | |
2015 | Young Guns Shootout: defeated in Round 1 by Scooby-Doo! |
Trivia[]
- According to an interview with Bryan Wright, he stated that Hooked received the Chevrolet Silverado body style, due to his preference of the Silverado over the previous Cadillac Escalade body and because the former body took less time to place on the chassis.
- The truck had a website: hookedmonstertruck.com. The site hasn't been updated since late 2018.