War Wizard is a 1941 Willys ProMod monster truck owned by War Wizard Racing and driven by RJ Turner since 2017. Originally owned and driven by Randy Moore out of Bristol, Tennessee, 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
2003
War Wizard made its debut with Randy Moore driving. The truck's design was based on Randy's previous career in drag racing. The team included several members from his previous team, including Blaine Kilby who co-built the truck's chassis. The original chassis was a custom-built KCD suspension.
That same year, Moore converted Thrill Seeker (originally Grave Digger 11) into a War Wizard ride truck.
2004
The truck made its first televised appearance in Montreal.
2005
In August, the truck 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.
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 Moore unconscious. The truck continued forward where it slammed into the wall protection, causing the truck to climb up it. Randy 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.
2007
War Wizard’s original chassis would be fully rebuilt and repaired in time for the 2007 season.
Towards the end of the season, a brand-new War Wizard debuted, featuring a brand-new paint scheme and chassis. The original chassis was later sold and converted into Tundra.
2008
War Wizard competed on the European Tour due to the truck's inclusion in Monster Jam: Urban Assault. The truck would be driven by Alex Blackwell, Bobby Parr and Moore himself who drove the truck in Cardiff and Brussels.
2009
The truck would be invited to compete at World Finals X.
2010
The truck competed in Monster Jam's only live broadcast on SPEED in Atlanta.
2011
War Wizard debuted a new black paint scheme.
In February, Steve Koehler would drive the truck as a last-minute fill-in in Jacksonville, due to Randy returning home to assess damage caused by a local tornado.
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 with the identity on Vern House's PEI chassis for the Monster X Tour. DJ Hickman drove the truck in Fort Wayne.
2013
War Wizard celebrated its 10th anniversary by debuting a new red paint scheme. In May, the team was sold to its current owner.
2014
Another new paint scheme debuted, this time being purple and orange. That same year, Moore would step away from driving the truck, with his final known show being in Columbus. 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.
2015
War Wizard would be selected as one of sixteen trucks to compete in the inaugural Fox Sports 1 Championship Series, with Goin driving. He later left the team and retired altogether.
2016
The truck would again compete on the Fox Sports 1 Championship Series, with Shane Phreed driving.
2017
War Wizard competed in the FS1 Championship Series East, with Phreed driving up until the Chattanooga event. Steve Koehler would again drive the truck in Evansville, Indiana to fill in for RJ who was slated to begin driving at the conclusion of the Monster Jam season. RJ Turner would begin driving the truck full time that summer. That same year, War Wizard debuted a brand-new paint scheme.
2018
War Wizard underwent chassis surgery to replace the aging cradle, which was replaced by the Metal Shop. War Wizard made its most recent Monster Jam event appearance in West Lebanon, New York. This also marked Turner's only Monster Jam appearance.
2019
A brand-new War Wizard debuted, featuring an updated paint scheme.
2020
Another new paint scheme would debut.
2023
War Wizard celebrates its 20th anniversary, and a new white design debuted.
2024
War Wizard continues to run the white scheme.
2025
The truck debuts a new paint scheme with a black background, purple lightning and green logo.
Drivers
- RJ Turner (since 2017)
Former drivers
- Randy Moore (2003-2014)
- Darrin Goin (2014-2015)
- Shane Phreed (2016-2017)
Fill-in drivers
- TG Short (Franklin 2005)
- Alex Blackwell (November 2008)
- Bobby Parr (Arnhem 2008)
- Steve Koehler (Jacksonville 2011, Evansville 2017)
- Robert Parker (various, 2012)
- DJ Hickman (Fort Wayne 2012)
- Vern House (various, 2014)
World Finals appearances
| Year | Driver | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | N/A | Display only | ||
| 2008 | N/A | Display only | ||
| 2009 | Randy Moore | Qualifying: 23rd (18.15) | Racing: defeated in round 2 by Bounty Hunter | Freestyle: 15th (19) |
| 2019 | N/A | Display only | ||
Video game appearances
Trivia
- War Wizard's debut is believed to have been in Philadelphia, however there are no pictures confirming this.
- 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.
- 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.
- A War Wizard body was hung upside down on display inside a Quaker Steak and Lube bar located in Bristol, Virginia. However, the restaurant permanently closed in November 2023.
Gallery
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Merchandise
Miscellaneous
