Stone Crusher is a Ford Super Duty monster truck owned by Steve Sims of Monster Trucks Unlimited, out of Virginia Beach, Virginia and driven by Alex Bardin. It is primarily driven by Sims himself, although prior to that, Gary Wiggins drove it until 2007, Morgan Kane in 2012, Chad Tingler (2021-2022) and even his sons, Trevor and Steven have driven at one point. Since the truck's debut in 2005, Stone Crusher has become a staple of multiple monster truck leagues, including Monster Jam, where the truck has competed in every Monster Jam World Finals from 2008 until 2015 and has also been featured in merchandise in video games. The truck's website is stonecrushermonstertruck.com, but it doesn't work anymore & hasn't been updated since 2018.
History[]
Stone Crusher was created in 2005 after Steve Sims purchased the original Backdraft chassis from Rick Disharoon. He would then hire Gary Wiggins, the driver of the original Mopar Magic, to drive the truck, as they both shared driving duties throughout the 2005 season.
In 2006, Wiggins would suffer a back injury following a hard landing in Pontiac, Michigan. He would make a full recovery, and continue to drive the truck until his retirement in 2008. Sims would become the full-time driver following Wiggins’ retirement, as Stone Crusher debuted a brand-new paint scheme. Both Sims and the truck would rise to stardom as they would be invited to compete in Monster Jam World Finals IX. Sims would still drive the gray Stone Crusher at the start of mid 2007, up until the end of 2007 following the debut of the blue scheme at the start of 2008. Carl Van Horn fills-in for Steve in Charlotte & Wildwood, New Jersey in 2009 & in Paducah in 2010. They would also reuse the 2005-07 texture design for the new scheme in 2010.
In 2011, Stone Crusher received a new chassis. The original chassis would continue to compete as a second Stone Crusher, with Darren Migues and Bryan Wright driving. The following year, Migues left the team to drive for 2Xtreme Racing. As for Wright, he would move to Monster Magic, while Morgan Kane, who originally drove said truck, took over the driving duties for the second Stone Crusher. Kane and the truck would be invited to compete in the inaugural Young Guns Shootout competition at Monster Jam World Finals XIII, while Sims would compete in the main field of said event.
In 2013, Kane would leave the team to drive Iron Man for FELD Motorsports, leaving Sims to campaign the name himself. Both truck and driver would be invited to compete in Monster Jam World Finals XIV. The following year, Stone Crusher ran an exclusive pink design for that year’s Monsters On the Beach event in Virginia Beach. In 2015, Stone Crusher would be one of sixteen trucks selected to compete in the inaugural Fox Sports 1 Championship Series. Sims and the truck would be invited to compete in Monster Jam World Finals XVI, which also happened to be their final appearance in the World Finals altogether. The truck would also compete in the league's Path of Destruction tour that summer, with Kevin Lewis driving the truck in Foxborough.
In 2016, Stone Crusher competed in the second Fox Sports 1 Championship Series. The truck would again be featured in the FS1 Championship Series the following year, competing in the East Coast Series. Later that year, the chassis would be upgraded, as the rear of the chassis would be modified to resemble a Cohen chassis. Sean Duhon drove the truck in Charlotte for the yearly back to school bash & in Trenton, New Jersey.
In 2018, Stone Crusher competed in Monster Jam Stadium Championship Series 1. The original chassis would be sold to Spain and became Race Monkey. Beginning in the second quarter, Buddy Tompkins and Cole Venard would briefly share driving duties with Sims for the time being, as his son, Trevor Sims would begin driving the truck, making his debut on July 21 in Fisherville, Virginia.
In 2021, Stone Crusher would receive an updated body style, being a 2014 Ford F-250 Super Duty. Sims’ other son, Steven Sims, would drive the truck in Greenville, South Carolina. Afterward, Chad Tingler and Charlie Pauken would take over and share the driving duties with each other for the remainder of the season. During the season, Tingler would win an overall event championship at one of the final events of the year in Bridgeport. Pauken would later leave Monster Trucks Unlimited by the end of the season to rejoin FELD Motorsports to drive Monster Mutt the following year.
In 2022, Stone Crusher competes in Monster Jam Arena Championship Series East with Tingler driving. He finished 5th. In New Orleans, Steven Sims made his Monster Jam return driving Stone Crusher. Tommy Powers, a crew member for the truck, sadly passed away. Steve was supposed to return to driving for the Sunrise, Florida events, but Steven Sims drove for him.
In 2023, Frank Krmel comes out of retirement & joins Monster Trucks Unlimited to drive Stone Crusher on Arena Championship Series East. Frank and the truck would pick up two racing wins during the season. He finished 8th. Steve Sims would return for the Monsters on the Beach events & in Delmar, Delaware. Steve would also win that year's Back To School Bash freestyle championship, with a spectacular rollover save. In September, Travis Mowery drove the truck for the Hampton events for Monster Jam. The truck also did its first backflip at show 1. Steven Sims drove the truck in Bridgeport.
In 2024, the truck will compete on the central arena tour with Alex Bardin behind the wheel. On the Monster Jam website, his last name was spelled ''Barden''. The error would be fixed. Alex won a racing competition in Pittsburgh, making it his first win in Monster Jam. Alex Bardin does his first backflip at show 2 in Louisville. This was the truck's second ever backflip.
Past/temporary drivers[]
- Gary Wiggins (2005-2008)
- Carl Van Horn (Charlotte & Wildwood 2009, Paducah 2010)
- Darren Migues (2011)
- Bryan Wright (2011, Miami, Jacksonville and New Weston 2014, Quarryville and West Lebanon 2019)
- Morgan Kane (2012)
- Kevin Lewis (Foxborough 2015)
- Sean Duhon (Charlotte & Trenton 2016)
- Buddy Tompkins (2018 & 2019 fill-in)
- Cole Venard (2018)
- Charlie Pauken (2021)
- Steven Sims (Erie 2013, Greenville 2021, select 2022 events, Bridgeport '23)
- Chad Tingler (2021-2022)
- Trevor Sims (2018-2020)
- Travis Mowery (Hampton 2023 (Show 2))
- Frank Krmel (2023)
World Finals appearances[]
- 2008 - Steve Sims
- 2009 - Steve Sims
- 2010 - Steve Sims
- 2011 - Steve Sims
- 2012 - Steve Sims, Morgan Kane (Young Guns Shootout only)
- 2013 - Steve Sims
- 2014 - Steve Sims
- 2015 - Steve Sims
Video game appearances[]
- Monster Jam: Urban Assault
- Monster Jam: Path of Destruction
- Monster Jam (mobile game)
- Monster Jam Battlegrounds
- Monster Jam: Crush It!
- Monster Jam Steel Titans 2
Gallery[]
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