Monster Mutt Rottweiler is a custom 3D dog concept monster truck owned by FELD Motorsports and it is the second spinoff of Monster Mutt. Since its debut in 2011, the truck has been driven by a multitude of drivers over the course of its career, with its most notable being Charles Benns, Rod Schmidt, Brad Allen and many others. The truck has also been a staple of the Monster Jam Triple Threat Series since 2015 and has also competed in two Monster Jam World Finals.
History[]
Monster Mutt Rottweiler originally debuted on January 7th, 2011, in Council Bluffs, Iowa with Charles Benns behind the wheel. Benns continued to drive the truck until his retirement in 2012.
In 2012, Taryn Laskey would drive the truck in San Jose. Afterward, former Grave Digger driver Rod Schmidt took over the driving duties, beginning in the year following.
In 2013, former Michigan Ice Monster driver Chris Lagana also drove the truck as a fill-in driver in Tampa, as Schmidt would briefly return to drive Grave Digger for said event to fill in for an ill Dennis Anderson. In Abu Dhabi, Dustin Brown drove the truck.
In 2014, Monster Mutt Rottweiler received a new design, featuring a custom 3D dog concept body style. Schmidt and the truck would later be invited to compete in Monster Jam World Finals XV. Meanwhile, Colt Stephens drove Monster Mutt Rottweiler for that year’s Australian tour.
In 2015, two additional trucks were added to the team. The first was driven by Daron Basl on the Nitro Hornet chassis for the inaugural More Monster Jam series. The second was driven by Michael Vaters on the Black Stallion chassis for select shows throughout the first quarter. Meanwhile, Schmidt would again be invited to compete in Monster Jam World Finals XVI and continued to drive Monster Mutt Rottweiler until his retirement by the end of the 2016 season, leaving Monster Mutt Rottweiler without a full-time driver. Basl would also compete in the Monster Jam AMSOIL Series East that same year.
Another Monster Mutt Rottweiler was added to the team for the 2017 season, being driven by JR Seasock on the Higher Education chassis. Seasock competed in the Monster Jam Triple Threat Series Central, while Basl competed in his final season of the Triple Threat Series East. Meanwhile, Seasock would leave the team several months later, and Toxic driver Cory Snyder took over the driving duties for select Triple Threat Series events in the summer.
Two additional trucks were added to the team for the 2018 season, competing exclusively in the first quarter. The first was driven by Jack Brown on the FTI Torque chassis. The second was driven by Brad Allen on the Brutus chassis. Brown and Snyder competed in the Triple Threat Series Central and East respectively, while Allen competed in Stadium Championship Series 1. Allen would later be invited to compete in the Double Down Showdown at Monster Jam World Finals XIX.
After Brown and Allen moved to Megalodon and El Toro Loco, respectively, Vaters Motorsports was the only team left to campaign the Monster Mutt Rottweiler name for the 2019 season. Snyder would drive the truck in the Triple Threat Series Central. After he left the team in the summer, 2Xtreme Racing driver Austin Minton took over the driving duties, as the truck competed in select Triple Threat Series events in the summer.
In 2020, Preston Pérez took over the driving duties for Monster Mutt Rottweiler after Austin went back to 2Xtreme Racing, competing in the Triple Threat Series Central. Meanwhile, Brad Allen rejoined the team and competed in Stadium Championship Series Red. Allen would win the freestyle competition in the first Indianapolis event of his series and would finish eleventh in the standings. After the entire Monster Jam season was abruptly put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Monster Mutt Rottweiler was placed on hiatus for almost three years.
In 2022, the truck would make a temporary return for select Spanish international shows with Charlie Pauken driving. The truck would feature an alternate design with a tongue and a collar without 3D spikes.
In 2024, the truck made its return, competing on Arena Tour West with Berto Trevino driving the truck on Kamikaze. He would win a donut contest in Denver. Berto finished 6th on the tour.
List of trucks that have run as Monster Mutt Rottweiler[]
- Black Stallion (Mike Vaters) as Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Vaters)
- Nitro Hornet (Daron Basl) as Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Flame)
- King Krunch (Daron Basl) as Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Flame)
- El Matador (Daron Basl) as Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Flame)
- Higher Education / Taurus (JR Seasock/Cory Snyder/Austin Minton/Preston Pérez) as Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Vaters)
- FTI Torque (Jack Brown) as Monster Mutt Rottweiler (RKMT)
- Brutus (Brad Allen) as Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Team Scream)
- Kamikaze (Berto Trevino) as Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Team Throttle Monster)
World Finals appearances[]
World Finals | Year | Driver(s) | Appearance | Performance |
---|---|---|---|---|
Monster Jam World Finals XII | 2011 | N/A | Display only | N/A |
Monster Jam World Finals XIII | 2012 | N/A | Display only | N/A |
Monster Jam World Finals XV | 2014 | Rod Schmidt | Main field |
|
Monster Jam World Finals XVI | 2015 | Rod Schmidt | Main field |
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Monster Jam World Finals XVII | 2016 | N/A | Display only | N/A |
Monster Jam World Finals XIX | 2018 | Brad Allen | Double Down Showdown only |
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Video game appearances[]
- Monster Jam (mobile game)
- Monster Jam Battlegrounds
- Monster Jam Crush It!
- Monster Jam Steel Titans
- Monster Jam Steel Titans 2
Trivia[]
- Monster Mutt Rottweiler was named by Rachel Edwards of Waxahachie, Texas, via a contest held in 2010.[1]
- Monster Mutt Rottweiler was the first out of the two other Monster Mutt trucks to receive a custom 3D body style. Notably, the Rottweiler's body is distinct to the other 3D Monster Mutt bodies that would later come, featuring 3D spikes on the collar, no tongue and a shorter tail. The only exception would come during the truck's temporary return in 2022 at international shows where the truck would feature a tongue and remove the 3D spikes.
- Monster Mutt Rottweiler has not had a permanent chassis and full-time driver since 2016 with Rod Schmidt, as from 2017 and onward, the truck would be run by multiple independent drivers, except for 2022, when the truck would run on a permanent chassis for international events.
- Beginning in 2012, Monster Mutt Rottweiler utilizes a remixed theme, involving the intro from the song The Rottweiler by The Official Defosto himself, which then cuts to Dog by Sebastian.