Inside Monster Jam
This official Monster Jam podcast offers exclusive inside access to Monster Jam Operations, including drivers, safety, track design and the Monster Jam Garage.
Inside Monster Jam
Season 5 Episode 17 | 25 Years of El Toro Loco
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Scott Jordan takes a look back at the 25 years of history of that Crazy Bull.
Good evening everyone from the Monster Jam Studios. I'm Scott Jordan. This is Inside Monster Jam, the official Monster Jam podcast. And this week I wanted to talk about 25 years of El Toro Loco as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Crazy Bull entering Monster Jam. I've got two guests today. First, we're going to fire up the Zenny hotline and head out to Idaho and welcome in MJ Solorio. MJ, welcome back to Inside Monster Jam. Thanks for being here. What's going on in Idaho?
SPEAKER_00Man, not a whole lot. You know, I was getting ready for uh world finals next week, head out on Sunday, and I'm ready for it. I've been firing up Beam. I've been practicing, so hopefully it all works out.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you uh you had the great story from last year's world finals at the press conference where you found out you were gonna compete in the skills challenge, and then you not only competed, but you got on the podium. So now you now you're prepared, now you're ready. So what's in before we get to El Toro Loco, what's in store for you at World Finals and Skills Competition?
SPEAKER_00You know what? I honestly don't even know. Uh honestly, I have no idea. I'm just gonna go out there and try and do some something crazy. You know, I was looking at the schedule and uh it's a little different than last year. You know, last year we had uh two rounds to go out and do what we wanted to do. So I was originally planning on going out there, and you know, my first hit was gonna be a safe hit, kind of get points up on the board. Now it looks like we get one go and you get two attempts, and the first one fails. So now I just got to come up and go out there and do something that hopefully can get me up on the board, maybe uh upgrade from that one a little bit, maybe make that one a silver or a gold this year.
SPEAKER_02You also have the last chance qualifier, man. So you got two opportunities to shine bright in Salt Lake City. Let's uh let's talk all things El Toro Loco, man. Um, I'm not gonna take up too much of your time, but I do want I do want to talk to you about what the legacy of El Toro Loco means to you.
SPEAKER_00It's absolutely amazing. You know, like like I said, last time I was on this uh podcast, we were talking about you know kind of how I got started, and it it all comes back to that. I started off as a kid just watching Monster Jam when uh on whenever I could, honestly, and El Toro Loco is one of those big names that I always love to watch. You know, I'm not gonna lie, when I was a kid, I was a huge gray vigor fan. Not gonna lie there, but now being able to say that I I've been representing El Toro now for three years, it's been absolutely amazing. Uh being able to go to all the places that I've gone, you know, I've been fortunate enough to go down to Mexico, Puerto Rico, I went down to Argentina and Chile, and man, those fans down there are something else. When I went down to Mexico, as soon as they heard my theme song fire up right before freestyle, I've never heard an audience that loud. So to be able to say that, put my name on that list of the amazing drivers, just like coming up, we're gonna induct Lupe Sosa into the Monster Jam Hall of Fame. Uh it's it's amazing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think when a lot of fans, older school, older generation of fans think of El Toro Loco, they go back to Lupe, right? Uh, who will rightfully be inducted into the Monster Jam Hall of Fame. Um, what what are some of your early memories of watching Lupe drive uh El Toro Loco when it first started out in the sport?
SPEAKER_00The one that I can think of right off the bat was uh I don't remember what it was, but it was World Finals. He backsided a box van, and when he landed, the entire rear end of the truck just came out from underneath it, and you just see Lupe upside down. And I just know that whenever uh he strapped into that truck, he was gonna live up to the name that was on the side of the truck, and that's kind of what I strive to do each and every weekend is to live up to the name and prove why I belong in that truck.
SPEAKER_02There's such an incredible lineage with El Toro Loco when it comes to Hispanic fans in that community. And you know, you Lupe was the pioneer of this, and you have drivers like Armando Castro and yourself and uh Fernando Martinez that are now carrying that banner as faces of El Toro Loco for this incredible community. And we we've seen since uh the El Toro Loco's inception, I feel like we've seen such an influx of incredible uh Hispanic fans that come to the shows in the El Toro Loco merchandise. So, what does it mean to you now to be a part of a different generation of that and to be what Lupe was to you to be that little five-year-old kid's basically the version of Lupe Soza? Like now, now you are idolized by thousands of fans all over the world.
SPEAKER_00It's crazy to think about. You know, now that you said that, I kind of kind of took a second and kind of thought about that. It's it's a blessing, honestly, because every time, whenever I go out there and hit the track, I tend to think, take myself back to where I was a kid. I was in the stand. So whenever I go out there, I want to do what I wanted to see when I was a kid. So I know that I'm leaving a good impression on the little ones or the families that maybe it's their first time at Monster Jam because each and every weekend there's always brand new fans that we're bringing into these arenas, into the stadiums, and to be able to, you know, prove to them that anything's possible. Because, like I said, I'm I'm just a kid who lived his dream. I'm living proof that dreams are possible. So I definitely like to give that message out every time I'm out there. Just if you got a dream, follow it. Don't matter where you come from, the color of your skin. If you have a dream and you're dead set on making that dream happen, it will happen.
SPEAKER_02So 25 years of El Toro Loco, which what do you think about it? Is it it's fascinating because this truck debuted and made a huge splash. And now, 25 years later, we're we're inducting the first driver of it into the Hall of Fame, but it's still such a huge part of Monster Jam. It's one of the most popular trucks in the world. The toys, the shirts, everything. Everybody talks about the gravedigger popularity. But when you go into a brick and mortar store, there's El Toro Loco shirts right next to the Gravedigger stuff. So El Toro Loco, I think the popularity has ascended into the stratosphere. So let's talk about the next 25 years of El Toro Loco. Where do you see that going in Monster Jam?
SPEAKER_00I can all I can say is it's only up from here. You know, 25 years is a long time. I just turned 25 years old. This truck is as old as I am. So, you know, being able to hopefully keep on and be behind the wheel of El Toro Loco for the next 25, I just can't wait to push that envelope and maybe hopefully bring home some more championships for the name. Uh, you know, I brought home a bronze medal in the two-wheel skills for El Toro last year. Armando's brought home the gold for it. He's a series champion. I was this close to becoming a series champion this year, but we got a long road ahead of us. All I can say with the amazing group of guys that we have behind the wheel of El Toro, who I'm honestly honored to call my friends, you know, Armando, Fernando, Jamie, all those guys. I think we've got a long time coming for El Toro with especially the talent that we have behind the wheel nowadays.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and Jamie Gardner and Joe Foley give El Toro Loco uh, I call them the muscle of El Toro Loco because they're basically just these these hard-hitting, you know, monster jam drivers that go nuts on the freestyle track. So I think they round out the team very well uh with with El Toro Loco, and and there's different styles for everybody to have. When you watch Armando, he's got a different style that that's you know away from what you do. When you watch Fernando, when you watch Joe, Jamie, everybody has a different style, but it blends so well under the El Toro Loco umbrella. So I I love that, and I I do have a prediction. I think when someone finally takes out Weston Anderson for a series championship, I think I think it's gonna be an El Toro Loco driver. I really honestly do. Whether that's Armando, whether it's you, Fernando, I really think one of you will ultimately be the one that ends that streak of of series wins, and that will be another feather in the El Toro Loco legacy cap.
SPEAKER_00I agree. Uh, like you said, this year I've whenever I had the chance to, I've kind of looked back on the standings and check in on what my teammates were doing, and all of us were up in the top three all year long. So it's like you said, it's just a matter of time until one of us finds that uh breaks through that glass door and gets to come home with the series championship. You know, Armando got to do it, and uh now it's just up to me and Fern and Jamie and Joe.
SPEAKER_02So we are gonna be uh adding to the celebration at Monster Jam World Finals. Now, this show obviously is gonna air after world finals, so we'll maybe we'll do another one to reminis what happened, but there will be an El Toro Loco stunt there. There will be different variations of the El Toro Loco paint scheme. Um, I believe you're driving one correct. Is is there any is there what is your favorite El Toro Loco paint scheme that you've seen over the years? Let's start there.
SPEAKER_00Oh man, I honestly, every time someone asks me this question, it's gotta be the OG black El Toro Loco with Mark McDonald behind the wheel. But honestly, now I get to rock the yellow El Toro, and it's an absolute honor just because you know I've gotten to work with Becky before when I was at the Independent, her and Donald were out there with us. So it's kind of a cool little line to follow. You know, she was there, I was working with her, and now I get to represent a truck that she got to bring uh so much life to.
SPEAKER_02That's amazing. So do you still do you still see yourself, you know, five years down the road, ten years down the road, continuing on uh in the El Toro Loco lineage and continuing to add to your legacy, much as Armando uh has been in El Toro Loco for the majority of his career, if not all of his career, is that something that you would like to see yourself? Because when when they're when you talk about pro football, pro pro baseball, there are very few players on teams that stick with the same team for their entire career. When you look at motorsports, whether it's NASCAR, whether it's supercross, there's riders and drivers that end up on different teams throughout their career. So would would you love to be an El Toro Loco lifer?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely, I would love to, you know. Uh I think from when I got the call that I would be driving El Toro Loco to now, I think me and the bull have just meshed so well together. And, you know, it represents me. I represent it, I think, pretty well. Um, but I always say, you know, if some if there needs to be, there's a need for me to jump into a different truck, I'm all for it. I'll drive any any monster jam truck there is, but I would definitely love to stick behind the wheel of El Toro Loco for as long as I can and this uh be able to represent it for many years to come.
SPEAKER_02So you talked, I asked you what your favorite Lupe memory was. I want to talk about just your favorite in general El Toro Loco moment, whether that's what you were driving, whether it was someone else was driving. Is there is there a moment or a top two or three that stick out in your head that really cemented either you or someone else as this is what driving the crazy bull really means in Monsters Gam. This is what it's all about.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, there definitely is a few. Uh one that I can think of off the top of my head was World Finals and SoFi and down in LA. Uh we were actually out at Pit Party while the two-wheel skills competition was going on. Uh, and we I had my phone on my autograph table watching Armando go out there, and he did that two-wheel backflip thing that he did, and everyone at our little pit party booth lost it. So that was pretty cool. I had it up there while it was going on in the stadium.
SPEAKER_02Well, MJ, thank you so much for being here, man. I appreciate you uh talking the legacy of El Toro Loco, man. And I uh, you know, thank you for your contribution to building this legacy into 25 incredible years.
SPEAKER_00No, man, thanks for having me, and it's been an absolute honor, and hopefully we can carry it on for another 25 years, and hey, we'll see how world finals goes and the rest of the year. I'm I'm excited for it.
SPEAKER_02I appreciate it, man. Thank you. All right, that was MJ Soloria, El Toro Loco Driver. And now we're gonna continue the conversation as we celebrate 25 years of El Toro Loco by firing back up the Zenny hotline. This time we're gonna welcome in El Toro Loco driver Fernando Martinez. Fernando, thanks for being here, man. Welcome back to Inside Monster Jam. Yeah, man, it feels good to be back. Oh, great to have you, brother. I want to talk about the legacy of El Toro Loco because now you have immersed yourself into that world. I just had MJ Solorio on here to talk about what he has felt about this. So let's talk about what as a kid, and and I've talked about this on the show before, how you were a big super fan and you played all the games and now you're a superstar. But what did El Toro Loco mean to you when you first saw that truck?
SPEAKER_01Uh, it meant that uh I could pretty much do anything. Uh I mean it was representation. Um as soon as El Toro Loco came out, um, you know, with my Hispanic background, uh, my parents gravitated towards that. And uh naturally seeing their faces light up when El Toro hit the track and uh when Lupe Sosa hit the track when when you know the actual driver um uh was Hispanic and drove this truck, it was like represented through and through. And um, yeah, to see them light up, I was like, man, that that means something for us, and um that's something I can get behind. You know, of course I was a fan of the Gravedigger, Tom Mance, you know, that the that whole rivalry for sure. He still had El Toro Loco and Lupe kind of nipping at their heels, and he was pushing the envelope every single time he went out there, and that's something that El Toro Loco never ceases to do in its 25-year history. Um, when I'm behind the wheel, uh, I can guarantee you I'm pushing myself and I'm pushing that El Toro Loco truck to be on top of the winner circle for sure.
SPEAKER_02The awards keep racking up for you. Uh, you go from rookie of the year, entertainer of the year. Talk about the entertainment aspect as as the one of the faces of El Toro Loco. Um, I always say that showmanship is a part of this sport, and it never hurts to engage the fans like that. So when when you are at an arena event or a stadium event and you are the El Toro Loco driver and you see thousands of El Toro Loco t-shirts and hats, um, I mean, it's your your role to engage these fans, right? To be entertaining, to get them to, you know, feel immersed in this experience. So, how has that role affected you as a driver?
SPEAKER_01Uh, you know, it feels kind of seamless. Uh, I felt like I was always a class clown growing up, so I kind of like to uh make everybody laugh, get a nice pop in the classroom. And then in high school I took theater, so I got comfortable being on a big stage doing improv comedy, doing um, you know, scripted plays and stuff. Uh so it really wasn't anything crazy to me to be in front of uh an arena full of thousands of people, let alone a stadium. Um, in fact, it kind of felt like a bigger stage, it's just I was putting on a different kind of production now, and so uh especially with a truck like El Toro Loco, it has so much character, it has so much history that I I personally feel like I can't just drive the truck um or the competition itself. I have to drive it as if I am the bull. Um, you know, I love chasing whoever's on the track out of the arena. Sometimes I'll chase the track construction and they love it too. Um but you you kind of have to think of ways to bring this truck to life. It doesn't have a voice, so you have to give it one. And that's what I do every time I'm on the track. And then once that that run is done, um, it's up to me. And I gotta put a face to the truck and a face to the brand. And uh I really try to do it uh the best I can. You know, when I was a kid, you saw Tom going up into the stands giving away helmets, you saw other drivers going up in the stands, George Bellhand giving the shirt off his back. And um, I don't think anyone wants the shirt off my back. I don't think they would appreciate the title of that one. But I do try to go up into the stands and I try to just go that extra mile that I don't see being done uh you know lately. And I you know, I just try to give that special moment for the fans in the stands, something for the YouTube, uh, and something for the highlight reel so people have something to remember the event by, not just by what the truck did, but by what the driver did.
SPEAKER_02I think that's very special, man. Uh, you know, it's it's little moments like that that could obviously when when kids come to an event, you know, they're they're they're having a great time, but seeing you, at least larger than life driver come into the stands and um you know engage them, I think that that's the extra mile that you're talking about. And I wish more people would learn from that model and and start doing that. I know a lot of drivers do as well, but I would love to see at some point everybody just go in there because I know how much it meant to me as a fan when I was a kid and I saw you know drivers come into the the stands or you know, I would go to a wrestling event and I see the wrestlers shaking hands. It's it it doesn't take much, but it you know, I I know that what we've done fan engagement-wise has really gone above and beyond what we what we did 20 years ago. So thank you for being a part of that, man, because it's amazing. You you do a great job.
SPEAKER_01Thanks, man. Yeah, and I try to give uh like I say a lot, I try to give to the sport that gave so much to me. And um going back to the whole representation thing, Lupe Sosa was a huge catalyst for the Hispanic community to get involved with Monster Jam. Growing up, we went to Anaheim and there would be like a mariachi band in the parking lot. I remember it so vividly, vividly with the big Mexico flag, and I was like, wow, like we're really showing up to a Monster Jam event where Monster Trucks kind of just used to be a good old boy kind of kind of sport. And um, you know, I used to volunteer back in 2017, and and there really wasn't many people like me that I saw in in the scenes in the background, tech officials or or the technicians working on the trucks, and it really hit me uh during the season. Um, you know, I have Daniel Gonzalez, uh Mexican, um, and then we have Frankie Leva, we have Jose Torres a body tech, we have uh Daniel and George Lopez, and we have you know eight or ten um Hispanic reping uh technicians working on these trucks at any certain amount of time. And um, you know, I say that and it's not really about who you are or where you come from. These guys are talented. Um, and that's kind of the thing is talent comes from any any color, any shape, and any any person who you are. Um, and I really feel like Lupe was a catalyst to kind of get us all involved. And um, it's uh it there's a lot of pride going on when I see those guys working, um, and I see all the drivers on on the forefront of Monster Channel. Did you volunteer at the Anaheim events in 2017? Oh yeah, I uh I would crew for, and when I say crew, I like shined up the body and carried water bottles like nothing crazy. Uh, but I crewed for McGruff, uh, Rodwood and McGruff, um the Pagliarulos for one event, and uh Mike Bodters for a couple of them too, as well as some club.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I would have been there. It was my first my first tour in 2017. My first ever event was at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. So maybe maybe you were there when they broke me in as a pit reporter. You know, uh sure. We were both. Let's talk. Let's talk. I was also carrying water bottles for people that that weekend. Um, let's talk about favorite paint outs for El Toro Loco. What is your favorite?
SPEAKER_01Uh dude, I gotta be kind of partial and say the Stars and Stripes one. Yeah, um I feel like when I drive that truck, it's like it's like Samson's hair. You know, I just have all the strength in the world and I can do no wrong in that truck. So that one's probably my favorite. Um I don't know. I think I think um El Toro Loco is just the perfect canvas for something different, and you can almost do no wrong with that truck, I think.
SPEAKER_02I like the Stars and Stripes because I think it embodies both you know the American fan base and the Hispanic fan base in in the same thing. Um, and and really just it's so sick, man, looking at that body. I love it. So I'm excited to see it back. Uh let's talk about some favorite El Toro local drivers. You mentioned Lupe Souza, obviously. Anybody else that you grew up idolizing that drove the crazy bull?
SPEAKER_01Uh, you know, Chuck Warner was one of the craziest guys who was kind of like under the radar, just like throwing corkscrews left and right. I mean, there's this one saver, he's just like bouncing off each tire, and he like almost never touches the body, I think. And then right at the end, he blows the smoke just to really sink it in there, like, yeah, that just happened, dude. Um, uh, and Becky McDonough, she represented for all the females in this El Toro Loco truck, a very masculine kind of truck, right? Um, and she still threw it down. So I think over the years, El Toro Loco has just had some really, really strong players, and I don't think uh we're gonna be stopping anytime soon.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I like the yellow that Becky drove. I also love the black that Mark McDonald drove as well. I thought that was always a cool, a cool paint out version of the truck. Um, let's talk about the legacy of El Toro Loco. Where do you with 25 years? Um obviously that has been pretty much your your entire life, the 25 years of El Toro Loco's existence. I'm a little older than you, so I was here pre-El Toro Loco. Um, but where do you think the truck lands over the next 25 years?
SPEAKER_01Dude, just going uh bigger and better. Um, there's I'm sure there's so many plans for El Toro Loco to expand its reach worldwide globally. I mean, we already go to Puerto Rico, Mexico, and we go to a lot of other a lot of other southern southern countries um that really connect with El Toro Loco. And I think the brand is just gonna keep growing, man. Like uh I would really love to see uh these paint outs go on different tours, different stadium tours. Like I could rock the stars and stripes all year long or throw me in something different, um, would be really cool. But um, I think El Toro Loco has reached like no other. Um, you know, specifically for me, um, I do have Hispanic heritage, but I never really felt like I fit in fully to the Hispanic mold, and I never really felt like I fully fit into the American mold. I was kind of somewhere in between. And I feel like with monster trucks being so American and El Toro Loco being the representation for Hispanic, I found my groove right there in between, kind of bridging the graph, bridging the gap for anybody that feels the same. And I think that's what just what El Toro Loco is. It's a bridge to uh to a lot of fun with monster trucks and to sense a lot of pride uh for oneself.
SPEAKER_02All right, last question for you. Um, and and this is just I want your personal opinion here. Um where do you think El Toro Loco ranks in popularity all time in Monster Dam? And I'm talking Gravedigger, Max D, you know, El Toro Loco. Where do you think it's a one, two, three? Do you think it's a two? Do you think it's a one A? Because obviously Gravedigger's been around for over 40 years. Max D had a great legacy, but as of right now, when you walk into a department store, you see Gravedigger shirts and you see El Toro Loco shirts as well. They're right next to each other. So where would you, as a driver, think that that truck ranks amongst the all-time greats?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think I would have to go the one, two, three, Gravedigger, Max D, and El Toro Loco. Um, you know, time has time has kind of shifted, and Max D is not really in the picture right now, still a huge name. People know it for sure. But I think El Toro Loco is just kind of nudging up to that second place spot. But um, and then you got Megalodon and Sparkle Smash coming up, so it's kind of like the one constant is definitely El Toro Loco, and I don't think it's moved from those podium, those podium spots at all. If anything, it's gone up. So El Toro Loco's on the right trajectory.
SPEAKER_02All right, Fernando, thank you so much, man. I appreciate it, and congratulations to you on being a part of 25 amazing years of El Toro Loco.
SPEAKER_01Thanks, man. It's been an honor, and I can't wait to keep rapping the brand for many, many more years to come.
SPEAKER_02Thank you to Fernando Martinez, MJ Silorio. Thank you to all the El Toro Loco drivers who have made this truck so great, and thank you to all the fans who have responded and adored this truck. 25 years of El Toro Loco down, 25 great years in front of us. That's all the time we have. I'll see you right here next week on another brand new edition of Inside Monster Jam, the official Monster Jam podcast.