In 1988, Soza was invited with his "Warrior" monster truck to compete at the Astrodome for TNT Motorsports—an event that still stands as one of the most memorable moments of his career. Soza and his father ran the "Warrior" truck part-time as Lupe worked through college in the late 1980s. He debuted a new race frame in 1993, featuring a 1932 Chop-Top body and a rear engine. The truck ran two years before Lupe parked it. Then from 1994-2001, he taught and coached elementary school. He and his wife had three children, and Soza stayed in contact with some of his old friends from the monster truck tour. 

During that time, Soza kept track of everything, which included staying aware of television broadcasts, and eventually put in a phone call to Clear Channel Entertainment—Motor Sports to tell them he wanted to return. Some of the USHRA Officials had worked with Soza years before and thought he'd be a good fit for a Spanish/Southwestern-themed concept truck called El Toro Loco. Soza began testing trucks and growing the El Toro Loco idea.

Soza and the Crazy Bull debuted in 2001. "I made a statement to USHRA officials that I would make the truck as big as Grave Digger," said Soza. "Dennis and I got started about the same time. He was just like I was—we were privateers."

Few people in the sport can argue that Soza hasn't done everything in his power to back up that claim: from slamming through and parking on top of a semi-trailer in the World Finals IV to clearing the parked Bounty Hunter truck and landing into a slap wheelie that sheared the entire rear end out from under the truck as he claimed a piece of the World Freestyle Championship at World Finals V. Soza has clearly made his mark on the track and also with the fans across the world. "The best part of my job is hearing feedback from the fans. When I pull into a stadium, I like to see people rise out of their seats. I live for that," he said. 

In 2009, Soza took the next major step forward in his career when he was selected to become the first driver of the state-of-the art, brand-new Advance Auto Parts-sponsored Grinder truck. The Advance Auto Parts Grinder race team, piloted by Soza, made its debut at the Minneapolis Metrodome, Saturday, December 5, 2009, followed by the team earning its first berth in the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam World Finals in March 2010. Soza dubbed his new truck “The People’s Truck”, noting that his performance on the track and his sponsor’s dedication to the sports fans are all about the “everyday heroes who go to Advance Auto Parts and watch Monster Jam!” 

When he’s not competing in the sport or doing one of his many appearances representing Advance Auto Parts, Soza is at home near Robstown, Texas, keeping busy hunting, working on the family ranch, flying and writing children's books.

Q&A with Lupe Soza  

MonsterJam.com: How did you get started competing on the Monster Jam circuit?  

Lupe Soza:  I don’t have a motorsports background, or should I say an “official” motorsports background; however,  I was driving pickups around the ranch at eight years old. My dad built a Volkswagen rail dune buggy for me when I was nine years old. There was also a Suzuki mini bike, Honda MR50 and a go-kart somewhere in those pre-teen years. My introduction to the real world was a job at TSC (Tractor Supply Company) when I was 16 years old. I graduated from high school half a year early and attended Texas A&M University, in Kingsville, when my friends were still in high school.

At that time, I was driving the biggest Ford F-150 south of San Antonio. I was issued a citation for my truck being too large for the road, and it wasn’t just a jacked-up cruiser! My dad and I built it to drive hard off-road,it was extremely functional!The birth of monster trucks was well on the way and it had my full attention, more so, than college! In 1987, three years after meeting Jeff Dane (owner of King Kong), we debuted the Warrior monster truck at the Autorama car show. From that moment on, the rest is history! The next 14 years were evolutionary in the monster truck world, as well as in my world,too! I held teaching assignments as I taught grades K-5 and was a physical education teacher for five years. I saw the birth of my three sons . . . and the story continues!  

MonsterJam.com: What do you enjoy doing while on the road with Monster Jam?

Lupe Soza:  I enjoy meeting people from around the country and hearing their stories. I appreciate that very much!

MonsterJam.com: What do you do with your free time?  

Lupe Soza:  Most of my free time is spent with my three sons, and that’s either working on the family ranch or wakeboarding on the lake.  

MonsterJam.com: What is your greatest memory as a monster truck driver?

Lupe Soza:    I can remember the first time I drove out of the tunnel and on to the floor of the Houston Astrodome. What a memory for me, my first stadium show in 1988. 

MonsterJam.com: Do you have any pre-show rituals that you run though?

Lupe Soza:  Yes, I do. I generally like to eat dinner around 5:00 p.m. I don’t like to get in a rush, so I start suiting up in my fire suit as soon as I finish dinner. I then discuss the dirt conditions and ramp angles with Blue (Adam Blue, Crew Chief for Grinder) to determine tire pressure and shock settings. The remaining time I have, I just like to chill. 

MonsterJam.com: If you were not competing on the Monster Jam tour, what career path would you follow?  

Lupe Soza:  I would definitely be in the field of education.

MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite food?

Lupe Soza: Italian and Mexican . . . and, of course, grilled beef!

MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite movie?

Lupe Soza:  Mutiny on the Bounty    

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

Lupe Soza:  30 Rock 

MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite color?

Lupe Soza:  Orange 

TRUCK INFO
Truck Name:   Advance Auto Parts Grinder
Body:   F-150
Engine size:   540 CI
Transmission:   Coan 2-Speed