Samson

Samson is a Chevrolet Silverado monster truck currently owned by Dan Patrick of Patrick Enterprises, Inc. (PEI) out of Circleville, Ohio. Originally created by Don Maples out of Huntsville, Alabama in 1983, the truck competed under his ownership until being sold off to Patrick in 1988. Since then, Samson has been driven by Patrick's daughter, Allison, along with her husband, Rick Steffens. The truck has also become a staple of various monster truck leagues and has also been a fan favorite for its design. It has also appeared in various forms of merchandise and video games. The truck's website is samson4x4.com.

History[]

1980's:[]

Samson was originally built in 1983 by Don Maples. At the time of its debut, the truck originally featured a 1984 Chevrolet Silverado body style, and featured a red paint scheme. Maples would later construct a second Samson, which would never be used. He continued to operate Samson until 1988 when he sold the second chassis, along with the entirety of the operation, to Dan Patrick out of Circleville, Ohio.

1990's:[]

Once under Patrick’s ownership, Samson would begin competing in various monster truck events while also running various other bodies, including Keystone Krusher and Coors Extra Gold. In 1993, Patrick established a sponsorship with the TV series American Gladiators. For that occasion, Samson would begin running the first incarnation of its “strongarm” body style, which is likely based off of Samson from the Bible, who had his long hair cut, which resulted in him losing his strength. The following year, Patrick and the truck would begin competing in the PENDA Points Series. Meanwhile, the chassis would continue to compete until 1996, when a new tube-frame chassis was constructed by Patrick for Samson. The previous chassis would eventually be acquired by Race Rock Cafe out of Orlando, Florida, and was placed on display there until the restaurant’s closing in 2007.

In 1996, Samson would be involved in a massive crash in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The amount of damage the truck sustained in the crash would result in the chassis being put out of commission for the time being. Meanwhile, Patrick would temporarily lease Dungeon of Doom from Bigfoot 4x4, running the truck under the Samson name until the original chassis was fully repaired.

Beginning in 1997, Patrick and Samson would compete in Monster Jam, while also receiving a new paint scheme the following year. In 1999, Samson would be one of sixteen trucks invited to compete in the Motor Madness World Finals in St. Louis. During the event, Patrick and the truck would initially defeat Brian Womack in Bear Foot in Round Two but would be unable to return for the semi-final round due to mechanical issues.

2000's:[]

Beginning in 2000, Patrick and Samson would compete in ProMT’s Truxpo Truck Tour, while also running an alternate body style. They would continue to compete in the tour until its discontinuation by the end of 2002. Meanwhile, a new chassis was constructed for Samson three years later, which would also run as Hulk on select occasions.

While Patrick reacquired the previous Samson display chassis from Race Rock Cafe following its closure in 2007, another display chassis was sold off to FunSpot USA in Kissimmee, Florida to be displayed alongside Bigfoot 7. Two years later, another Samson was built for competition in international events, competing in Australia under the ownership of KC’s Fireworks until 2011. Meanwhile, Samson began competing in the Monster Jam Freestyle Mania Tour in 2010, which ran until 2011.

2010's:[]

Samson would receive a new paint scheme for the 2012 season. Patrick would continue to drive the truck until his retirement from competition the following year, and his daughter, Allison, took over the driving duties afterward. She would make her driving debut on January 18 of that year in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The truck would also begin competing in Monster Truck Throwdown that same year.

Beginning in 2016, Allison’s husband, Rick Steffens, began driving the truck, with the two sharing driving duties on select occasions. The following year, Samson would return to compete in Monster Jam for the first time in three years. During that season, the truck would compete in select events in the league, competing in Stadium Championship Series 4 in Detroit and Minneapolis, as well as Stadium Championship Series 3 in St. Louis. It would later receive a new paint scheme the year after.

2020's:[]

In 2020, Samson would be shipped overseas to compete as Tiger Shark for the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live European Tour. A new chassis would also be built that year, with the previous chassis being acquired the year after by Mark Pedersen and converted into a new chassis for Reptoid. The following year, Samson would receive an all-new “tribal” paint scheme for the 2021 season, and would also begin competing as Mega Wrex in Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live that year. Another chassis would also be constructed for use in international events, first running as Tiger Shark for the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live event in Lusail, Qatar, and later as Mega Wrex for the 2022 Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live European Tour. Coty Saucier drove the truck for a show in Salem, Ohio in 2021. As Rick Steffens returned to Monster Jam driving Blown Money, it is unknown if he will have Samson return to Monster Jam sometime soon. Original driver Don Maples was inducted into the International Monster Truck Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2023, a Hot Wheels Monster Trucks diecast will be released. The truck also ran as Myprotein by PEI Racing.

Accident[]

In 2009, Samson was involved in an accident that resulted in the death of announcer George Eisenhart. During the show, Eisenhart accidentally stepped in front of Samson while it was moving. He was taken to a nearby hospital. It is known that the show was stopped immediately after the incident, however, some sources say that George had stepped out to "close out the show" when the incident had happened, meaning the show was about to have ended anyway. The next day's show, scheduled for a Sunday Afternoon, was canceled (despite the fact that the show 8 days earlier, involving Natural High's incident, as well as its subsequent shows, continued) and tickets were refunded, although this did not happen until Eisenhart was pronounced dead. Due to the fact that the accident was graphic, and the fact it happened only 8 days after Natural High's accident, monster truck shows were given more specific rules.