The veteran behind the Prowler monster truck is Larry Jaruzel (pronounced Jar-zell), a competitor who has been in the sport since the beginning.
“Allen used to date my wife’s sister,” Jaruzel said of Allen Pezo, driver of Prowler’s sister truck Predator. “We got together back when we were in school. He started building a monster truck and I played with four-wheel drive trucks. We live in a tiny town, and I helped him and never quit. I started driving and stayed driving.”
When Jaruzel started driving, trucks didn’t look anything like the off-road creatures they do today. Trucks often weighed double what they do now and were built for strength and size rather than speed and agility.
“They bought a truck from the dealership with a steel body. It had the old 5 ton military axles with leaf springs. They were like riding a rock back at that time,” he said.
Today, Jaruzel drives Prowler, a truck created five years ago to match the Predator truck that he and Allen both campaigned through the 1990s.
“We used to have two Predator trucks. His dad and I used to go one direction and Allen went the other direction. Today, Predator and Prowler go in the same semi and they go to the same show.”
For Allen, this meant a savings on travel expenses, while for Larry this meant a sharp learning curve.
“Since then, my game has gone up a lot. I started driving more aggressive because I had Allen for my teacher. I’m also right beside him in the same pit. I can watch him and see what he does and go off that. Or, he can watch me run and he can tell me what I’ve done right and wrong. Now that I’m side by side with him, I’ve learned a lot.”
It’s no surprise that Jaruzel lists Allen Pezo as his favorite competitor. It’s the racing portion of the event that he enjoys the most, with his favorite tracks being the turning courses on big floors.
But even more than the competition, Jaruzel enjoys the lifestyle and the family on the road.
“I enjoy going to the shows and seeing all of my friends that drive and all the buddies I’ve met over the years. Also, the older I get, the more I appreciate the little kids – their questions and curiosity of the trucks,” he said.
“It’s amazing how much they know about the trucks that you’d never expect. I’ve had kids come up telling me the size of my motor and how much the truck weighs and how many races I’ve won in the last month. They’re into going on the computer and learning those things, or being around the trucks and learning them.”
Jaruzel and his wife own and operate a 160 acre farm and a gas truck fuel/oil business in Millington, Michigan. Beware of this truck and driver on the prowl at a Monster Jam event near you!
