Tailgator is a 2007 Ford F-250 Super Duty monster truck owned and driven by Timothy Jones. It was originally created by Doug Noelke in 2006, who owned and drove the truck until 2020, when the original chassis was sold. Under Noelke's ownership, the truck served as the teammate to his previous truck, Big Dawg. Today, the truck currently serves as an alter-ego to Jones’ truck, Twisted Addiction.
History[]
2006[]
Tailgator was originally created and began competition later in the year with Doug Noelke behind the wheel. Doug had gotten to keep the Snake Bite body that he used to fulfill bookings for Bigfoot and was granted permission to the molding.
2007-2011[]
Noelke and the truck would compete in various leagues, including the Monster Truck Nationals, where they would win two freestyle championships in the league back-to-back in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. They would also compete in the Monster Truck Thunder Drags and Toughest Monster Truck Tour. During the latter tour, they would win the 2011 championship, Tailgator would also make its first Monster Jam appearance at Tulsa that year.
2020[]
Noelke continued to drive Tailgator until he sold the chassis to Larry Jeffers and converted into Public Nuisance. Afterwards, Noelke retired from monster trucks.
2021[]
Tailgator was placed on hiatus until Timothy Jones acquired the name.
2022[]
The truck ran 5 events on the Toughest Monster Truck Tour.
2023[]
The truck won the Toughest Monster Truck Tour & became the king of Springfield at the yearly shows in Missouri. In July, Timothy made his Monster Jam debut in Tailgator in New Orleans. The truck also returned to Monster Jam for the first time in several years in New Orleans. Tim and the truck would also compete in Arlington for Monster Jam that October. In September, Trent Montgomery drove the truck in Pueblo, Colorado. Jon Zimmer drove the truck in both Owensboro, Kentucky & in Amite, Louisiana,
2024[]
In February, Trent Montgomery drove the truck again in Waco, Texas. On March 15th, a new albino paint scheme debuted at the Toughest Monster Truck Tour event in Lafayette, Louisiana, Jones would finish 5th in the overall standings. In May, Ryan Robinson drove in Sarver, Pennsylvania, while using the original purple and green design.
2025[]
In 2025, Tim would compete on the Toughest Monster Truck Tour with a slightly different design with green scales. Tripp Jones drove the truck in Miami, Oklahoma.
Drivers[]
Current drivers[]
- Timothy Jones (2021-present)
Former drivers[]
- Doug Noelke (2006-2020)
Fill-in drivers[]
- Trent Montgomery (Pueblo 2023 & Waco 2024)
- Jon Zimmer (Owensboro, Amite 2023)
- Ryan Robinson (Sarver 2024)
- Austin Minton (Sioux Falls 2025)
Trivia[]
- The hood of Tailgator is notable for being recycled from the Snake Bite mold, just like Alien Invasion was the old Iron Man.
- The truck currently has a stuffed alligator hanging from the cab.
Gallery[]
