Ryan Vargas is kicking off 2027 Silly Season for… Monster Jam??
Vargas, a native of La Mirada, California, announced on Thursday (July 2) that he would be joining the Monster Jam circuit on a full-time basis in 2027, getting behind the wheel of the all-new Power Rush truck.
“I’m beyond excited to share that I’ll be driving the brand-new Power Rush Monster Jam truck next season,” Vargas said in a social media post. “This is truly a dream come true. Ever since I can remember, I’ve dreamed of becoming a Monster Jam driver, and now that dream is a reality.”
Monster Jam, in partnership with the NTT INDYCAR Series, set the monster truck world speed record — debuting the new Power Rush truck — at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 17, 2026, topping out at 103mph with Camden Murphy (another driver whose resume includes Monster Jam and NASCAR) behind the wheel.
The 25-year-old has been involved in the world of NASCAR for quite some time, making his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut in 2019 at the age of 18. But, as opportunities have come and gone, Vargas has diversified his racing platform, competing also in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Canada Series, and lately, Monster Jam, where he’ll invest the majority of his energy for 2027.
In October 2025, Vargas made his Monster Jam debut, piloting the historic El Toro Loco truck at the Spokane Arena in Spokane. Washington, where he captured the overall victory after finishing second place in the Freestyle Competition, 2 Wheel Skills Challenge, and JCB Racing sectors, to finish ahead of Jurassic Attack and Tim Hall, Jr.
In addition to his overall win on debut in 2025, Vargas also has a competition win with El Toro Loco, winning in the Racing Competition at Show 1 in Hampton, Virginia in November 2025.
Vargas has competed in three Monster Jam weekends, piloting El Toro Loco twice in 2025 (Spokane, Washington and Hampton, Virginia), while also driving Monster Mutt Dalmatian in Vancouver, British Columbia as a replacement for Blake Granger in 2026.
To make things even more interesting about this Vargas-Power Rush collaboration, long-time Monster Jam driver and former NASCAR National Series part-timer, Camden Murphy, will serve as his teammate at Feld Motorsports.
“I’m incredibly proud to be a part of the Monster Jam and Feld Motorsports family, and I can’t wait to bring the excitement every time I get behind the wheel of Power Rush. Let’s go,” Vargas added.
This added commitment to Monster Jam continues to make Vargas one of the busiest people in motorsports, as the 25-year-old also serves in a management position with ARCA Menards Series team Maples Motorsports – where he serves as the anchor driver of the team’s No. 91 Chevrolet (and up until a couple of races ago, was looking like he could be an underdog champion).
