As we continue to gear up for the 2026 Monster Jam season, the El Toro Loco team is stacked with a “Who’s Who” of Monster Jam fan favorite drivers, champions, and proven winners and we are going to look at the talented group of drivers who will look to grab the bull by the horns and win big next year.
Joe Foley – Stadium Championship Series East – Freestyle Foley is back behind the wheel of El Toro Loco for 2026 after resuming his old identity of AXE last season. After a slow start, Joe started heating up and managed to pick up a few freestyle wins late in the 2025 championship season and now will return to the El Toro Loco team with hopes of finding the magic that led to him to the top of the freestyle win leaderboard in 2024. I for one can’t wait to see Freestyle Foley tear the horns off.
Jamey Garner – Stadium Championship Series West – Jamey Garner is back for fourth year in El Toro Loco where he hopes to ride the momentum of his bronze medal win in the Lucas Oil High Jump at World Finals XXIV to possibly a well deserved Lucas Oil Extreme Air award. The founder of Over Bored Motorsports will have four trucks on this series with the addition of his wife Deidra driving Megalodon, the returning Zack Garner in Wild Side, and Cole Venard in The Black Pearl. With that team of drivers 2026, it looks to be the best year yet for Team Over Bored.
Armando Castro – Arena Championship Series West – Armando is now a two-time series champion as well as a two-time World Finals Champion and is coming off of winning the Fall Stadium Series Championship title. The 10-year veteran will head back into the arenas in 2026 where he won the east series on his last arena tour in 2024. Arguably one of the most popular drivers in the sport, Castro will look to capture his third series trophy, earn an automatic bid to Monster Jam World Finals XXV and ultimately contend for his third world championship as well. I for one, am excited to see Armando back to causing carnage in these Monster Jam arenas!
MJ Solorio – Arena Championship Series East – The California native is back for his third series in Monster Jam after an impressive 2025 campaign which saw him win the bronze medal in the Utah Sports Commission 2-Wheel Skills Challenge at World Finals XXIV. Going from the independent circuit to MJU to El Toro Loco has been quite the ride for the former “Cali Kid,” and he has earned every opportunity given to him and made the most of it. The sky is the limit for MJ Solorio. Will 2026 be the year he climbs to the top of the mountain? I’d sure bet on MJ.
Fernando Martinez – Arena Championship Series Central – Fernando Martinez has already accomplished a lot in his two years behind the wheel of El Toro Loco. Starting with a stellar first year campaign which earned him Co-Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and ending 2025 with the coveted Monster Jam Entertainer of the Year award before turning in a star-making performance in the LCQ at World Finals in Salt Lake City. Fern wins, and he wins a lot. Another MJU grad, Martinez is on the verge of a breakout season. Will it come next year? We will find out when the 2026 Monster Jam season kicks off in less than two months!