SPEAKER_01 0:11

Hello everyone, welcome to Inside Monster Jam, the official Monster Jam podcast. I'm Scott Jordan. My guest this week is coming off the run of his life in the JCB last chance qualifier. We're gonna fire up the Zenny Optical Hotline and go to what looks like on the road somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We're gonna find out. But welcome Triton Robbins. The crazy train went all the way to the top of the LCQ. Congratulations, man. Thanks for being here. Yeah, for sure. Thanks for having me. Where are you at right now? I know you look like you're on the road in the rig.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Yeah, we're still in the semi. We made a quick stop to get the trucks 100% for this weekend for Cincinnati. But uh, like I said, we're just still on the road trying to make our way all the way to the East Coast now.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

So no rest for the wicked there. You go from world finals in Salt Lake City, you get a nice uh big trophy to take home, but you're already on the road to Cincinnati.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Yeah, that's for sure. A big trophy and 1,500 miles to drive ahead of you.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Well, uh, let's talk about the last chance qualifier, man, because last year you did very well. You made it to one of the two finals. Uh, just came up short. And in the year that transpired between last year's LCQ and this year's LCQ. How were you feeling with another year behind the wheel of your monster jam truck? Were was it more of confidence coming into this year?

SPEAKER_00 1:27

I wouldn't say more confidence, uh, maybe more confidence in my equipment. The uh the truck last year just did not want to run right for the high elevation. We kind of went into it totally blind. Um, this year I totally built a brand new tune on the way out for the EFI system on the Monster Jam truck, and we seem to have a huge jump start on that as far as that goes for this year. So, as far as the driving aspect goes, a bit about the same.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

I want to talk about the track because we did the LCQ qualifying. You qualified first, and it looked like for you that left lane was your sweet spot. So, talk about the differences between the lanes of the track.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Uh, I mean, usually the lanes are about the same. The uh tracker did a really good job this year. I would say the only difference between left and right is, and I mean, I could speak for probably every driver, it just feels more comfortable turning the truck left. And I don't know why or what makes us feel that way, but when you turn left, it feels like you have more confidence in your driving mobilities going left. So it's obviously in the left lane would have been faster.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

When you qualified first out of the 12 drivers in that bracket, did you feel a sense of, you know, this is mine, I've got this, or was it still uh something that each race presented new challenges for you and you weren't quite sure what the result was going to be?

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Uh qualifying first was definitely a good step in the right direction, but I didn't want to stop there. You know, I couldn't keep the take the foot off the gas. There's a lot of tough competitors in that last chance qualifier, and I knew I had to keep picking up my game and putting down faster and faster times every round if I wanted to have a chance of even winning.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

And you got no rest at all because you went from LCQ uh to main field qualifying, and then you get a chance to start lining up against drivers that you have never faced before in your career. Was there somebody that you raced that night in the main field that you had always wanted to line up against?

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Uh, I mean, I could say every round. I mean, every round that I kept winning and going to the next round against, it was just a blast, especially lining up against my buddy uh Zach Gardner. I've done a I've lined up against him a very, very many times outside of Monster Jam, but never inside a Monster Jam Stadium track. So that was definitely cool to uh race him. And then Tyler Meninga, he's an awesome driver, so that was really cool to race him as well, even though he beat me, so that kind of sucks.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Well, you know, Tyler Menega did go on to win the racing championship, so um there's no shame in losing to the guy who was the JCB Stadium Racer of the Year, especially for you, because you were in the arena circuits the last two years. I know you've done you know things outside of Monster Jam uh with bigger tracks, but what what is that transition like for you to go from the stadium pod, the circular oval track racing, to a turn skill-oriented track like the one we saw in Salt Lake City?

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Uh I mean I I feel like my skills vary from small to very big. You know, I've done a lot of huge outdoor shows. I've done uh Monster Jam Stadiums, not a lot of them, and then a boatload of arenas. And you know, I think I'm pretty pretty smooth across the board when it comes to racing. Um, I mean, last year when I raced in uh Syracuse, um I won my first round against John Zimmer Sr., which felt really good, but I slung a carrier bearing, so that put me out of racing for the rest of the event, which really sucked because racing is where it's at. That's what I like to do.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Well, and that was a home track for you, right? Because you're from the the Buffalo area, so Syracuse obviously close to home, so I know that had to be frustrating. Are you planning on uh getting some redemption and hopefully heading back to Syracuse to give it one more shot?

SPEAKER_00 5:06

Yeah, that's for sure. Uh, I mean, we did all our homework before Syracuse, even the World Finals as well. I mean, we pulled all the rear ends out, checked all the planetaries, everything. And I even the funny part is I even put a brand new carrier bearing in my truck before Syracuse, just because I'm like, why not? I don't want it to fail, whatever. And uh, I would have been better off leaving the old piece of junk one in that thing because the brand new carrier bearing exploded, and that was a little disappointing trying to do all that maintenance and homework, and then the brand new cart is what failed.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

Well, you were trying to be proactive uh and sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

So no more maintenance.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

Just keep the old stuff in until it doesn't work anymore, then then take it out. All right, well, let's talk about um the you you end up going from LCQ winner to the bronze medal. Um now, a few years back we saw David Olford uh do the same thing in Velociraptor, and you I was saying all night that the legend of Triton Robbins continued to grow throughout the bracket. So, what was that feeling like for you to be up on the podium and get that bronze medal?

SPEAKER_00 6:07

It was definitely an awesome feeling, surreal, especially to see Tyler and Tristan stand there next to me. I mean, those are some of the best monster jam drivers there is on the circuit, and probably will ever be. Um, so to stand up there on the podium, even though I was on the lowest level, was definitely a win in my books.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

Now, as far as uh the the draw goes in the in the bracket, you said Tyler Menigo is somebody that you had you always wanted to race against. Is there somebody that you didn't get to face at World Finals that you would like to race at some point?

SPEAKER_00 6:35

I mean, I would like to line up against everybody. There's nothing that's specific about it. You know, let's line them up, let's race and see what you got.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Do you feel that now because you finish third at the biggest event of the year with 28 of the fastest superstars in the sport, that there will be more expectations placed on you, and you might have put a bullseye on your back if there wasn't already one there?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Yeah, for sure. I think uh the element of surprise, as far as I go, is uh is non-existent anymore. Everybody knows I'm coming for that, you know, that gold medal is racing. It doesn't matter if it's world finals or not. Um, like I said, the element of surprise for all the other competitors, it's gone. They know I'm coming for them.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Now, I joked with your brother Montana before the actual competition started that um you he had a winning record against you. I'm not sure if you're aware of that, but he had a winning record against you in 2026. I think he was the only driver in that LCQ that actually had a winning record against you. So, what has been his response to this? Is he like thrown that in your face at all that he beat you a few times during the year?

SPEAKER_00 7:38

No, I mean he's my brother is a heck of a driver too. I mean, you never know what you're gonna get with him, though. Sometimes he's really good, and I mean really, really good, and sometimes he'll roll over and it's like, what the heck were you doing out there? You know, I don't know what he's doing. Um, but as far as racing goes, I mean, like I said, we've been racing together for many years, and you know, I've actually done a huge over and under outdoor track where I qualified first and lost first round, and my brother won it all. And that was out of 16 trucks, too. So very comparable to a big field. Um, so like I said, he has his days where he is a very, very good driver as well. Um, as far as him throwing it in my face and beating me up on it, you know, I think he was a little disappointed that he went out as early as he did in the last chance, but he knew it was my time to go, and he was in the back wrenching on the truck to make sure it was 100% and cooled off every round, so I had the best chance I possibly could to take that crazy train all the way to the finals.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Your family uh was obviously there supporting you. They were right below me uh in the cruise section, and they were on camera quite a bit. I think your wife was there, you your mom and your dad. Uh, what was having that support like uh from them throughout the weekend?

SPEAKER_00 8:45

You know what? It's kind of a catch-22. It's awesome to see them in the stands cheering me on, but when they're in the stands, do not give my dad a radio. We stole it back for him because all he does is come over the headcoms the whole time and just stresses me out. And I'm like, if you're not gonna be in the back helping get me with the truck and making sure that I'm 100%, you just sit in the stands and watch, and that's all you need to do. Do not give him a headset when he's in the stands.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Well, he's he's just being a very caring dad and doesn't want you to lose. I think that's my dad was the same way. Now, obviously, I never competed uh in a professional sport like Monster Jam, but my dad used to come to track meets um and run down the track with me, like screaming at my competitors uh and like yelling at me if I was taking a lane too slow or if I wasn't moving to the inside fast enough. So my my dad, I love my dad, he's been a biggest supporter, but um that was basically the equivalent of giving him a radio, was allowing him to be on the sideline of the track. But I think that's what dads are for, right? You know, they they they they want to cheer us on, they want us to win, they don't want us to lose. But at the end of the day, I mean, it started with your dad, right? It started with him, so you're here essentially because of him, and you have that support system, which I think is awesome. But I'm sorry that he did stress you out. And uh, Bob, if you're watching, please don't get on the radio anymore for Triton or Montana, unless you want them. Do you want him on the radio with Montana or is it just you?

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Uh, I think it goes, we have pretty mutual feeling going back and forth. Uh, my mom and dad, they're definitely our biggest supporters, and they push me and my brother to be the best, no matter what we're doing. And uh, like I said, they're just trying to help, but sometimes in situations like that where the pressure and the stakes are already very high, sometimes I just need to get in the zone and just drive that truck.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

So, who do you prefer to be in your ear? Or do you just not want any communication at all from anybody?

SPEAKER_00 10:37

I would, oh my gosh. Before I came to Monster Jam, I had no radio communications. I don't like that stuff because when I'm driving the truck, I just kind of need to be in the zone and whatever. Um, as far as like the radioing back and forth goes, me and my brother and our team, we kind of have a rule. If one of our trucks are out on the track, unless it's an emergency, of course, there's the radio is silent. There's no talking, there's no nothing. If it's an emergency, understandable. We get that. But if we're if one of our trucks are out on the track running, there is no radios.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

What do you do before an event to get yourself hyped up? Or is it more I know some some drivers like to get really pumped up, they listen to music, they they have a certain ritual. Some just like to be left alone and kind of sit in a chair and don't talk to anybody. What is your your specific situation that you like to do?

SPEAKER_00 11:24

I mean, usually I don't have a uh a pre-event ritual for sure, but this weekend I I found myself sitting in a chair, like you said, kind of by myself in the trailer after that six and a half hour pit party or whatever it was, just playing a couple tunes and just getting in the zone for I don't know, maybe 15 minutes is all, and then after that, we just whatever happened happened.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

It's amazing. Uh, you know, you mentioned the six and a half hour pit party. The schedule at World Finals uh is is brutal and and deservedly so because fans come from all over the world to see this and meet you guys and see the events. So you're being pulled in different directions. How were you able to focus on beating all of these drivers, winning the LCQ, going on to the main field, and finishing third when you basically, over a three-day span, spend about 15 hours having to sit out there and take pictures and sign autographs?

SPEAKER_00 12:19

Yeah, it was definitely a lot, especially with it being so hot out. You know, it seems drawn out more than it really is. Uh, I mean, luckily I got a good team behind me. My brother uh definitely helping me make sure that the truck was ready. Um Zachary here this weekend, another crew guy, my dad, everybody jumping in the back, especially after my little accident of a wreck on Friday night during freestyle. Uh I mean we didn't, I didn't think any of us slept more than three hours Friday night to make sure that that truck was ready to go for Saturday for sure.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Now, does your whole family travel uh with you in the rig? Are they are they on the road from Salt Lake City to Cincinnati?

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Um, my dad drove out, made sure that we got out to Salt Lake City in good shape, and then uh because we only did that in a couple days, I think that was 2,000 miles by 34-hour drive. And then uh just me and my brother driving back to Cincinnati.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Okay. And you're gonna compete for the rest of the summer. Is that what next for you? Just lining up summer events to get into the fall season?

SPEAKER_00 13:18

Yeah, we have uh I think 12 or 13 more weeks straight back to back. So we don't really have a break to uh catch up. So I mean, obviously the world finals racing doesn't seem like a lot of wear and tear on the trucks, but when I really sat down and added it up, I think I did 14 or 15 passes on that track, which is you know 35 second pass, let's say on average. That's uh seven or eight freestyles basically in an arena. So there was a lot of wear and tear on the truck, believe it or not.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Did you have to replace anything? Motor, transmission, anything like that after the event?

SPEAKER_00 13:51

I actually pulled my transmission out and uh rebuilt it yesterday. Um, but it's been in there since October. I cannot complain. It's done over 85 arena shows, stadium shows, outdoor speedways, mud box. I mean, the thing I haven't been nice to it either, and it's been in there since October. So I pulled it out expecting this thing to be just junk because I lost reverse and burst was getting soft when I was racing uh the final races um in the main field. So I knew it was time to come out and be freshened. So when I pulled it out, I'm thinking, man, this thing is gonna be destroyed inside, and it was actually in really, really good shape. So cleaned it up, put some new clutches in it, and uh put it right back in the truck. It's ready to go for Cincinnati.

SPEAKER_01 14:36

Crazy Trade and Plain Crazy are two of the coolest trucks in Monster Jam. Aesthetically, I mean, you look like you're literally driving a locomotive and your brother looks like he's driving a plane. Was this the goal for both of you from the start? I know I've had both of you on inside Monster Jam before. We talked about it a little bit. What, but was this the goal to when you when you finally built these trucks and got them to where you wanted to be, that you wanted just people to just come and talk about them because you have a train and a plane?

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Yeah, that's for sure. I mean, like Monster Jam is always looking to see the kids being very interactive, and uh there's no better way to do it with 3D bodies. Um, so the train and the plane obviously bring out the bulls or the best of both monster trucks, and uh being 3D airplane and 3D train um is definitely awesome. We get a lot of crowd interaction with it.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

But with your bodies being 3D like that, what is the hardest part about keeping those together? Because obviously, uh I know arenas you get a little less damage than stadiums, but you still have wear and tear that comes with them. So, what is the hardest part about keeping them together?

SPEAKER_00 15:41

Uh, my brother's body uh he actually built from scratch. He has the molds at home, we build all of them, and uh he built his really, really tight to the roll cage, and you know, an airplane's round, so you could make it round right to the roll cage. His body takes a rollover extremely well. I think he had 10 or 11 on a body this year before he had to actually throw it out. And obviously, we had to fix them in between rollovers. My body, on the other hand, oh my gosh, when I roll over, I dread it. I mean, you see in this weekend at the World Finals when I roll over, there's nothing left of it, it explodes. So definitely got to have spare train bodies ready to go if I roll over.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Your uh your drive-up music is uh come on ride this train. Was that was that difficult for you to secure the rights of that? Was that always something that you wanted to have?

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Uh as far as the crazy train goes?

SPEAKER_01 16:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Uh the crazy train, uh actually, my dad's family uh has a train derailment business. That's what my great-grandpa did way, way back many years ago. So obviously, the crazy train came from the train derailment business. Um we're going on what uh year 16 of Crazy Train now. So obviously that was my dad's B truck or second truck, we'll call it back in the day, Teammates to Aftershock. And then um I kind of took it over in 2018 and just really have ramped things up from there with it.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

The music though, when you come out of the track, it's it's to that song Come on Ride the Train and Ride It. Was that your idea? Was that the song you wanted? That you did you pick that?

SPEAKER_00 17:14

Uh if we're if we're being honest, I'm Ozzy 100% of the way, and I've asked many, many people in Monster Jam to get Ozzy back out there, but I don't know. I haven't seen it happen yet.

SPEAKER_01 17:26

Yeah, it's Ozzy is not really kid friendly, you know. Um I'm I'm not sure. I I love I listen, I love I love the crazy train song as well.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

But well, I tell you what, you know, the train and the truck is all kid friendly, but when you got to get pumped up to drive that monster jam truck, you want to listen to Ozzy, you want to get in the zone, you don't want to be listening to I don't know, whatever else they're playing, you know. That kind of takes the the tapered edge off me, I feel like. But you know what? It's still good. The kids love it, so that's all that matters.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

That's a great song, Matty. I saw the kids as you were like driving on the track, I saw the kids sort of pumping out a little bit to it. But uh maybe maybe we can get a mashup of that song with with Ozzy and just make you and it and all the kids happy as well. So uh what what is next for the Robbins family? I know it's a it's a family affair up there in New York. What is next for you guys? Just to continue to run Monster Jam, um bigger aspirations. You go from rookie of the year to last chance qualifier. What what is your aspirations for 2027?

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Uh we're just gonna take the football and run with it and uh see if we can. And you know, we we have a lot of monster jam shows booked this year still, and uh a couple stadiums and just a lot of fun stuff. So we're really looking to put our name on the map, and I know Montana is excited as well with the playing crazy to uh keep the train rolling.

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Does your dad ever get the itch to drive again?

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Occasionally, but not really. We call him the backup driver, and then what do we mean by backup is back it into the trailer. That's about all we get out of them.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Uh what if uh I mean what if your dad did uh get that urge? Do you think you could take him on the racetrack?

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Yeah, I mean, uh when Montana's truck was brand new, he wasn't quite old enough to drive it yet. My dad did a couple seasons in uh the playing crazy back when it was actually still a pickup, and uh, you know, he's still got it. I mean, it'll take a little bit for him to uh regroom himself, but I mean, look at John Zimmer Sr. week in and week out, just going crazy in Megalodon. He does a great job. So, like I said, I think if I were to give my dad the truck and I don't know, a couple hours to practice some two-wheel skills, he's got the slap wheelies down from the old days. Yeah, I think he'd be right in the mix with some good fun competitive competition.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Well, what you need to do, you need to get him back in behind the wheel, at least for one weekend, so you can hop on the radio and harass him and stress him out during his runs and just kind of pay it forward to the old man.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

You kidding me? He I don't know what's going on, but I don't know if he's claustrophobic or what, but he hates the seat belts and everything. Imagine if I stuck a radio in his ears, he'd be so mad at me.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Well, I would look forward to seeing it. I would pay money to come uh to come see that. So we'll keep that on the back burner there. With Triton Robins, thank you so much for being here, man. Congratulations again on the last chance qualifier win and the bronze medal at World Finals. And I'm looking forward to uh seeing where the the rest of this year takes you, man. Thanks, Cop.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

See you soon.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

All right, Triton Robbins, everybody. That's all the time we have. I'll see you right here next week on Inside Monster Jam, the official Monster Jam podcast.