LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT SINCE 2010

Introducing Illuminator: a monster truck with a first-of-its-kind look – a body completely outlined with L.e.d. lighting

The original Illuminator chassis was built by Patrick Enterprises, and ran as Virginia Giant until acquired in 2010 by Jay Snyder at Warped Motor Sports and modified to become Illuminator. With its fresh and unique look – a fiberglass body completely outlined in L.E.D. lighting – Illuminator quickly became an overnight sensation, and very popular with promoters and fans. But it wasn’t only a good-looking machine, it had the moves to back-it-up, and racked up plenty of racing and freestyle wins.

In 2012, Hot Wheels redesigned the graphics for Illuminator for a more sophisticated look, while preserving the original “light-up” effect. At this point, Jay’s son and second-generation driver, Cory Snyder, started taking turns piloting this beautiful beast.

In 2014, Jeff and Melanie Gottwald acquired the Illuminator operation and continued to campaign the name all across the southeastern United States. But after their brief hiatus from the sport, Warped Motor Sports arrived back in the scene in 2018 and a few years later, Illuminator returned with Cory Snyder at the helm. In 2020, the next big step in the evolution of the team was made. A long time friendship with Rick and Ryan Disharoon from The Metal Shop was rekindled, and with their help, what would become the new Illuminator was created. It features a state-of-the-art chassis design, top-quality fabrication, and revolutionary technology, and proudly represents the next generation of performance race vehicles. In August of 2022, The Metal Shop chassis was outfitted with a brand new Illuminator body, and a fan favorite was brought back to life, ready to impress and delight fans again – both old and new.