Predator (truck)
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| Owner and driver information | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Allen Pezo |
| Driver(s) | Allen Pezo, Dave Pezo, Larry Jaruzel, Dale Mitchell, Lenny Kuilder |
| Home city | Nashville, TN |
| Truck information | |
| Year created | 1988 |
| Body style | Experimental Panther (based on 2002 Chevy) |
| Engine | 557 CI Keith Black Hemi |
Predator Racing, Inc. is a monster truck team consisting of the trucks Predator, Prowler. Pouncer and Lone Eagle all of which currently compete primarily on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit. The team is owned by Allen Pezo, and includes Pezo, Larry Jaruzel, Lenny Kuilder and Dale Mitchell as drivers. The trucks are famous for their "cat" designs, with the trucks modeled after a panther, tiger, and cheetah, respectively. The team also occasionally runs a conventional Dodge Ram by the name of Lone Eagle.
Allen Pezo built his first monster truck, the original Lone Eagle, out of a brand-new 1985 Chevrolet Silverado at the age of 15. After campaigning this truck, and another truck known as White Knight, for several years, he rebodied Lone Eagle and named it Predator. The truck originally started out as a 1988 Chevrolet Silverado that was on the former Lone Eagle chassis. The second Predator was an all new truck, also a Chevy Silverado. The chassis was painted yellow, but cosmetically the truck was a duplicate of the original truck. This truck was later converted to a race truck, with 12" shocks, was sold and became Radioactive. Near the end of the 1980s, Allen bought an M42 tank and converted it into the competition vehicle, Predator Trax.
The third Predator was Pezo's first "stage three" monster truck, and featured a four-link suspension, mid-mounted engine, and a new pink chassis and neon colored body. This chassis also ran as Hyperactive, whenever Pezo had Predator 4 and 3 at the same event. This truck was sold and is now running independent events as "Terminator".
In 1993, Pezo second stage three monster truck was the first panther design Predator. This chassis was one of the first Patrick Enterprises Incorporated chassis that Dan Patrick didn't build for Bigfoot 4x4. Alan modified the chassis by adding a front-facing four-link suspension, which allowed the front tires to push the chassis, like the rear tires. The new body design and image was created for the Monster Wars television show. Although Predator had made several television appearances before this point, it was Monster Wars which put Pezo in the national spotlight for the first time. After being sold, the chassis was reacquired by the team in 2003 and now runs as both Predator and Lone Eagle.
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