After spending the beginning quarter of the year couped up inside of arenas, the start of spring meant one thing to Team Warped – it was time to stretch those metaphorical legs in some outdoor spaces. And by legs, that means 5 and a half foot tall tires and 1,500 horsepower supercharged big block engines.
Warped Motor Sports is almost entirely dedicated to the Renegade Monster Truck Tour for the 2026 outdoor season – a series that runs mostly close to home base for the team. Things fired off in Fishersville, Virginia at the Augusta Expo.
It was a nearly all Illuminator day as driver Daniel Donnelly was able to take the world’s first LED-outlined monster truck to the winner’s circle several times through the double-header event day, including his 2nd career event championship win during the afternoon competition. Strategic tire and suspension setups were able to make Illuminator fly during the racing bracket.
Team leader Cory Snyder wasn’t void of victory behind-the-wheel of Toxic. He was able to secure the evening event championship and shared the battle for gold and silver medals with teammate Donnelly and Illuminator.
Snyder and the green and black destruction machine Toxic would carry tremendous momentum into the next weekend at the Frederick County Fairgrounds in Clear Brook, Virginia where he would nearly pull off a complete clean sweep of all competitions during yet another double header day. The most important win – the event championship – ended up coming home with Snyder at both showings.
Donnelly and Illuminator would put forth a great afternoon event showing, securing a donut competition win and a 2nd place freestyle finish. Unfortunately, oil pressure issues would stop Illuminator from a racing victory at the night event.
The engine issues would follow the Illuminator monster truck into the hometown event at the Montgomery County Agriculturual Fairgrounds. What was thought to be a fueling issue at the top of the day ended with cylinder #7 losing compression. With other minor issues showing their ugly heads, Donnelly and Illuminator only ran the afternoon event – but he made it worth while. He would take home the racing bracket win with blistering fast passes and finish close to the top in freestyle.
Gaithersburg isn’t called the “hometown throw down” for nothing. It’s the home of the inception of Warped Motor Sports back at the turn of the millenium. The team headquarters shares a zip code with the fairgrounds. The Snyder family representation spans decades, and it would be 2nd gen driver Cory Snyder carrying the legacy with two barn-burner performances. Snyder and Toxic would end the day with both event championships, coming after winning a total of 5 out of the 8 competitions on the day.
The start to the 2026 outdoor season has been nothing short of eventful, and it’s only getting started. Team Warped has many more stops to make all over the Northeast – including returning favorites and some new adventures to take. Check out our remaining 2026 competition dates below:
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June 6 – Frederick, MD
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June 13 – Delmar, DE
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June 21 – Seekonk, MA
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July 4 – Beckley, WV
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July 24-26 – Middletown, NY
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August 7-8 – Little Valley, NY
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August 18-19 – Gaithersburg, MD
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September 25-27 – Wildwood, NJ
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October 3 – Lancaster, PA