After he came to the United States in 1992, Isaias Morales began working for Mike Hawkins’ construction company, never expecting that the route from Monterrey, Mexico, to Virginia would land him in the seat of the Hot Tamale monster truck. Morales says he laughed when Hawkins told him that he wanted to become a monster truck driver for the Monster Jam® tour. But when Hawkins bought the Equalizer® there was no more laughing, just hard work as Morales became a member of the Equalizer crew. According to his boss, ��When I started going on the road, I dragged him along with me,” stated Hawkins. “We would work all week, race all weekend, and head back home and repeat that weekly.” That work pattern still continues today. But the change came in 2006 for Morales when Hawkins purchased a new Equalizer and put Morales in the older chassis as a driver. He named the truck Hot Tamale after the nickname Morales earned in Texas when he had filled in for a week as a driver for Hawkins, driving the original Equalizer.

Q&A with Isaias Morales
MonsterJam.com: How did you get started competing on the Monster Jam circuit?  

Isaias Morales: I worked at Mike Hawkins’ construction company and then I started crewing on Equalizer for four or five years, which is when he decided to buy a new truck. He said to me, “Here it is. Do you want to drive a monster truck?” So I said yes and he gave me the old truck. I had driven the Equalizer one week in Texas and people saw how I drove it. They said they were going to start calling me Hot Tamale because of my Mexican heritage and the way I drove the truck. It’s a very fitting nickname, nonetheless. It seems like everybody likes the name right now, so I’ll stick with it.

MonsterJam.com: Do you see yourself as a role model for Hispanic people who want to get into the sport?  

Isaias Morales: I see a lot of Hispanic people coming to the shows and they always ask me, if I speak Spanish. I do. So, I’ll continue the conversation in Spanish. Some of the fans tell me they want to drive a monster truck. So, I tell them if you want to get into a monster truck, you need to find a team where you can work as a crew guy and grow from there.

MonsterJam.com: What do you like most about driving a monster truck?  

Isaias Morales: I like the way the truck runs and the way it lands… it’s a lot of fun. When you get big air and the truck holds together, I really like that. Now when the truck breaks, well, you have to go fix it, but what are you going to do? That’s just part of the job.

MonsterJam.com: How much have you enjoyed getting to spend time with the fans at the events?  

Isaias Morales: Everywhere I go, and I don’t know if it’s the name or that I speak Spanish, but so many people tell me that they love me and they love to see me run. That makes me feel real good!

MonsterJam.com: Where do you most enjoy competing at in Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam?  

Isaias Morales: I really like the big places where you can go and hit a stack with speed and get some big air. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the indoor shows, too, but my favorites are the bigger places we visit.

MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite food?  

Isaias Morales: Mexican

MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite television show?  

Isaias Morales: Watching NASCAR and Monster Jam

MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite color?  

Isaias Morales: Red

TRUCK INFO • Truck Name: Hot Tamale
• Body: Chevrolet on Patrick Chassis
• Engine size: 540
• Transmission: Turbo 400

Sponsors: Lucas Oil, Vanay Speed and Customs