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Razin Kane Monster Trucks, otherwise known as RKMT for short, is a monster truck racing team based out of Deland, Florida, operated by JR McNeal. The team is arguably one of the most successful monster truck teams, with two full time competing monster trucks, which are run on multiple tours and leagues. The team is also famous for their Dodge RAM body styles, as well as their sponsorship with Amalie Motor Oil, and their partnership with Starr Creations LLC.

History[]

Razin Kane Monster Trucks was originally established in 2009, after their first truck, Razin Kane, was rebuilt from a mud truck into a full-sized monster truck. Razin' Kane would begin full-time competition in the following year, with JR McNeal behind the wheel.

In 2011, RKMT would expand to two trucks, as Ice Cream Man was built. After going through testing, the truck entered its first full year of competition the following year, with Scott Sweat behind the wheel. The team also began competing in Monster Jam in 2012, with McNeal and Razin Kane having a strong rookie season in the league. Both truck and driver would be invited to compete in the inaugural Young Guns Shootout competition at Monster Jam World Finals XIII, and would later win that year's Rookie of the Year award.

In 2013, Ice Cream Man received a new driver, TJ Tripp, following Sweat's departure from the team. While McNeal and Razin Kane experienced a slump in their sophomore season of Monster Jam due to several setbacks, they would again be invited to compete in the Young Guns Shootout at Monster Jam World Finals XIV.

Following Tripp's departure from the team, Ice Cream Man would receive two new drivers in 2014: Buddy Tompkins and Roy Pridgeon. Both drivers would share the driving duties throughout the 2014 season, while Razin Kane would be temporarily shelved that season as the team's third truck, the Amalie Motor Oil-sponsored Xtermigator, debuted on Razin Kane's previous chassis. This truck would become McNeal's full-time truck onwards, although Razin Kane would return to competition in 2015, with Tompkins driving. Tompkins would continue to operate Razin Kane until his brief departure from the team by the end of the 2017 season.

In 2018, RKMT expanded to four trucks, as FTI Torque was created following a sponsorship with FTI Performance, with Jack Brown driving. It would be campaigned on the previous Xtermigator chassis, as said truck had received an all-new chassis for the 2018 season. Former 2Xtreme Racing driver Trent Montgomery took over the driving duties for Razin Kane following Tompkins' departure, driving the truck until his departure from the team by the end of the season. Rookie driver Kristen Hope also joined the team, originally sharing driving duties with Montgomery before taking over the driving duties onwards. That same year, a fifth truck, Wolf's Head, was announced to be added to the team, following a sponsorship with Wolf's Head Motor Oil.

In 2019, Wolf's Head made its competition debut on the Ice Cream Man chassis, with Aaron Basl driving in Monster Jam Stadium Championship Series 2. After McNeal suffered an injury following a failed backflip attempt during the series' Seattle events, the chassis for Xtermigator would be taken out of competition due to extensive repairs. Meanwhile, the chassis used for Wolf's Head would be reverted back to Ice Cream Man, with Roy Pridgeon driving for the remainder of the series, and Wolf's Head would be moved to the Razin Kane chassis, where it has remained since.

In 2020, two new chassis were constructed for the team by RFC Fabrication. The first chassis would be used for Xtermigator, which also debuted a new custom 3D gator design. The second would be used for FTI Torque, which also debuted a new design for the summer. Buddy Tompkins would briefly return to the team to drive Xtermigator alongside Roy Pridgeon and JR McNeal for Monster Jam Stadium Championship Series Green, but would suffer a back injury following the series' opening event in Tampa, resulting in Rod Schmidt and Richie Yatsko filling in for him until Pridgeon began driving the truck. Meanwhile, Tompkins would fully recover from the injury, and he and Razin Kane would return to competition on the previous Ice Cream Man chassis.

In early 2022, JR McNeal would sell the Wolfs Head and Xtermigator chassis' to James Trantina III (Minus both names), later on in the year, JR would also sell the Razin' Kane and FTI Torque chassis to Trantina as well (minus both names), with new chassis being in the works for the team.

Trucks[]

Razin' Kane[]

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Razin' Kane was the first truck to be created by the team, hence the name. Featuring a 2011 Dodge Ram body style, the truck was originally driven by JR McNeal from 2011 until 2013, when it was initially succeeded by The Xtermigator. Razin' Kane would temporarily be put on hiatus throughout the 2014 season until being brought back to competition in 2015 on a new chassis, with Buddy Tompkins driving. Tompkins would drive the truck until his brief departure from RKMT by the end of the 2017 seasons. This resulted in several drivers, including Trent Montgomery and Kristen Hope, driving the truck in his place. Razin' Kane would be shelved again during the 2019 season, as the chassis was converted into Wolf's Head in the spring. However, the truck would return to competition on the previous Ice Cream Man chassis in 2020, with Tompkins returning to the driver's seat. In late December 2022, the truck (minus the name) is sold to James Trantina III.

Ice Cream Man[]

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The second truck in the fleet, Ice Cream Man features a custom 2011 Dodge Ram body style, with the paint scheme being based off of an ice cream truck, hence the name. The truck has also gained a large fanbase as a result of its paint scheme. It has been driven by multiple drivers, including Scott Sweat, TJ Tripp, and Roy Pridgeon, who was also the truck's most notable driver, driving from 2014 until the end of the 2019 season. It would later be sold to Triple B Motorsports.

The Xtermigator[]

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The third truck in the fleet, Xtermigator is sponsored by Amalie Motor Oil, and features a Custom Dodge Ram-alligator hybrid body style. The truck was originally created in 2014 as the initial successor to Razin Kane, competing on its original chassis. Xtermigator received a new chassis in 2018, while the previous was converted into FTI Torque that year. Following a failed backflip attempt in Seattle that resulted in driver JR McNeal suffering an injury, the truck's chassis was damaged and required extensive repairs. Xtermigator received a major upgrade for the 2020 season, featuring a new chassis and custom 3D alligator concept body style. This design would be short-lived, however, as the previous body style has been used on the truck as of 2021, and the 3D body would eventually be sold to James Trantina III in March 2022. McNeal also sold the newest Xtermigator chassis to Trantina. While the truck has been driven primarily by McNeal, other drivers have driven the truck for select events, including Roy Pridgeon, Aaron Basl, and Nick Migues.

FTI Torque[]

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The fourth truck in the fleet, FTI Torque was created following a sponsorship from FTI Performance in 2018. The truck unofficially debuted in January 2018, competing as Monster Mutt Rottweiler for that year's Monster Jam Triple Threat Series Central. FTI Torque would later make its debut on April 14 in Knoxville, TN. From 2018 until 2019, the truck featured a black 2008 Ford F-150 body style and used the previous Xtermigator chassis, but received a new chassis at the start of the 2020 season, as well as a new 2011 Dodge Ram body style, complete with a new design. Said design first debuted at that year's Outlaw Monster Truck Drags, and has been used by the truck ever since. In late December 2022, the truck (minus the name) is sold to James Trantina III.

Wolf's Head[]

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The fifth and most recent truck in the fleet, Wolf's Head was originally created in late 2018 following a sponsorship with Wolf's Head Motor Oil, and features a custom 3D wolf concept body style created by Starr Creations LLC. The truck originally run on the previous Ice Cream Man chassis with Aaron Basl driving. Beginning in April, Wolf's Head was moved to the Razin' Kane chassis driven by Kristen Hope, where it remains to this day. In 2022, the body and chassis (minus the name) was sold to James Trantina III. The truck originally featured a brown paint scheme, which was used from 2019 until the start of the 2021 season, when it received a new grey paint scheme, which is still used to this day.

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