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Sudden Impact Racing, otherwise known as SIR for short, is a monster truck racing team and part manufacturer based out of Jefferson, Louisiana. It is owned and operated by Brandon Lagarde.
History[]
Although the exact date of the formation of Sudden Impact Racing is unknown, the team's origins date back as early as 1990, when the first truck of the team, Sudden Impact, was created by Tom Beitz who sold the truck in 1992 to John Seasock. Seasock operated the truck for eleven years, competing in four Monster Jam World Finals until 2005, when he sold the entire operation to Brandon Lagarde. Following the purchase, Lagarde created a new Sudden Impact on the former Wild Child chassis, while the previous chassis was converted into Kicker, which would eventually become Excaliber. A third truck, Traxxas T-Maxx, would also be introduced to the team that same year, driven by former SIR owner John Seasock.
In 2008, a fourth truck was added to the team, being Amsoil Shock Therapy. Paul Shafer Motorsports had previously run the name, but it would be most successful under SIR.
In the early 2010's, Brandon Lagarde would abruptly fire all members of SIR, leading to all new drivers and crew members being hired as a result. This was a massive blow to the competitive nature of the team, and something they have not recovered from since. In 2012, Chiller was used, which was sponsored by Air Conditioning Specialties. Speed Demon was a temporary truck also run by the team.
Beginning in 2016, SIR would go on hiatus due to financial issues. However, some of their trucks would compete in select events and exhibitions. Legarde would pursue other endeavors as the team was in semi-retirement. As the issues seemed to worsen in the coming years, the team eventually put all of their running trucks up for sale at $75,000-$100,000 each. One of the team's retired chassis, being the third Sudden Impact chassis, was eventually reacquired by the Seasock family, who are currently refurbishing it for competition use under the name Violent Impact.
As of 2021, Legarde had not given any statements about the future of the team, but had no plans to dissolve it altogether, as he still owns the Sudden Impact name and all trucks previously for sale. Amsoil Shock Therapy and Ground Pounder were taken out of storage early in the year.
In 2025, the team returned after a 9 year hiatus with Sudden Impact and Ground Pounder returning to competition.
Trucks[]
Sudden Impact[]
Sudden Impact is the first truck created by the team, hence the name. The truck was originally built and driven by Tom Beitz from Catawissa, Pennsylvania as a team truck to Thunder Chicken. Beitz would sell the truck to John Seasock out of Frackville, Pennsylvania in 1992. Seasock would purchase Storm Warning from Ron Bulson in 1996 and turned it into the second Sudden Impact which ran until 1999, when Seasock acquired the previous Liquidator chassis from Robert Fischer. Seasock continued to operate the truck until selling the entire operation to Brandon Lagarde in 2005. Aside from Seasock and Lagarde, Sudden Impact has been driven by various drivers, with its most recent being Roddy Fahnestock. The truck came back to competition in 2025 with Fahnestock behind the wheel.
Ground Pounder[]
Ground Pounder was created in 2010, driven by Ben Winslow. Its debut coincided with the r/c monster truck of the same name created by Redcat Racing, who would become a sponsor for the SIR team. It was primarily run on the former Nitro Fish chassis, as well as the Cult Energy Activator chassis. The truck returned to action in 2025.
Former Trucks[]
Traxxas T-Maxx[]
Traxxas T-Maxx was created in 2005 on the former Pure Adrenalin truck, driven by John Seasock, and is based on the r/c monster truck of the same name. It was also driven by Carl Van Horn from 2007-8 after Seasock was hired by Monster Jam. The name was also used on the Excaliber and Sudden Impact bodies on rare occasions, running on the former Nitro Fish chassis.
Amsoil Shock Therapy[]
Amsoil Shock Therapy was created in 2008, driven by Jon Zimmer. It is the successor to the Paul Shafer Motorsports truck of the same name. It has been arguably the most successful monster truck of the SIR fleet, being their flagship truck in the late 2000's and early 2010's, as well as making two Monster Jam World Finals appearances during that time.
Cult Energy Activator[]
Cult Energy Activator, a monster truck sponsored by Cult Energy Drink, debuted in San Antonio, 2009 as the successor to the Traxxas T-Maxx. Cult Energy Activator competed in 2009 and 2010 as part of Louisiana-based Sudden Impact Racing (SIR) and was driven by Sean Duhon. Duhon would later go on to drive Superman in 2012 and Zombie in 2013.
Excaliber[]
Excaliber was based around the original truck owned by Dave Marquet and Mike Nickel, which SIR acquired in 2005. The truck was originally run that year as Kicker, before being rebranded as Excaliber through the trademark owned by Tim Bush of Michigan sometime later. At the time of its debut, the truck was campaigned on the previous Sudden Impact chassis. It would move to the former Nitro Fish chassis before getting a new PEI chassis in 2009. Beginning in 2010, the truck featured a paint scheme that was based on the original truck. SIR continued to operate the truck until its retirement during the 2012 season. Excaliber has been driven by several drivers, with its most notable being Carl Van Horn and Kevin Koszala. The name is now owned by Tomfoolery Motorsports.
Michigan Ice Monster[]
Michigan Ice Monster was owned by Tim Bush out of Michigan. It was a Chevrolet Silverado monster truck owned by Sudden Impact Racing from 2010-2013. The truck debuted at the Domination in the Dome event in 2010 as a throwback to the old Michigan Ice Monster truck driven by Brett Engleman, famous for performing in the Pontiac Silverdome. Its main chassis was formerly Nitro Fish. The truck also ran a Ground Pounder body in 2013. The name is now owned & ran by Tomfoolery Motorsports.