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Uruguay - Spanish On January 2, 2026, when Monster Jam makes its epic return to Salt Lake City, the host city of Monster Jam World Finals, Armando Castro will pilot El Toro Loco through the tunnel at the Delta Center to kick off his 10th season behind the wheel of “The Crazy Bull.” Arena Championship Series West is stacked from top to bottom, and I will dive into that later, but first let’s look back on an already stellar career that culminated nearly two short weeks ago when the Whittier, CA, native was crowned the Fall Stadium Series Champion.
Armando and I made our respective debuts in the same year back in 2017. In fact, I remember meeting him at the Monster Jam Summit, which is a week-long orientation where everyone in the sport ascends onto Feld Entertainment Studios to get ready for the upcoming season. I was impressed with his confidence and his knowledge and interest in muscle cars. I knew big things were on the horizon for the former Emergency Medical Technician, but I didn’t know how successful he would be so quick into his career.
That inaugural season, Castro would finish third in the overall standings and be considered for the Monster Jam Rookie of the Year award. In fact, in seven full seasons on the arena circuit, he would never finish lower than third in the final standings, a true statement to his consistent performance as a driver.
When Monster Jam World Finals moved to Orlando in 2019 with the addition of the Triple Threat Series, Armando wowed once again, earning his first World Finals Championship when he was crowned the Speedster Racing winner. That was just a taste of what was to come as the awards and championships continued to pile up. With the COVID-19 pandemic shortening both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Castro still found a way to be a star with his performance on and off the track, and he was rewarded with the 2021 Rising Star award.
Who can forget the epic battle in 2024 on Arena Championship Series East between El Toro Loco and Grave Digger when Armando edged out Krysten Anderson for his first series championship on the last weekend of the season? That series win ultimately gave him the experience and momentum he needed to head to SoFi Stadium in his home state of California and drive away with his second World Finals Championship, winning the 2-Wheel Skills Challenge.
After making his stadium series debut in 2025, where he would go on to finish fourth on Stadium Championship Series East, Armando Castro outlasted arguably one of the best lineups in Monster Jam history to win his second career series championship, when he dominated the “Sparkle Smash Bash” and added to El Toro Loco’s storied history in Monster Jam.
As I mentioned at the top of this editorial, next year Armando Castro will return to the arenas on the west series we he will compete with two other former series champions in Matt Cody and Blake Granger, who also boasts two World Finals trophies, and a former Rookie of the Year in Ashley Sanford, as well as the formidable foursome representing Team Throttle Monster. Does Armando Castro have what it takes to win his third series championship and earn another automatic bid to Monster Jam World Finals? Only time will tell but, with the popularity of El Toro Loco and the skills of Armando, never bet against everyone’s favorite crazy bull.