Snake Bite is an alternate name and identity used for

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

monster truck A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pic ...

s when two are scheduled at one event. The identity was initially created in 1991 to promote a

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox. Many automobile manufacturers have ...

toy. Snake Bite was the first 3D character body monster truck.

History

Following a heavily damaging crash in 1991 in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, that destroyed the entire

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...

and

drivetrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...

of Bigfoot #4, the truck was rebuilt using a "hybrid" suspension that utilized nitrogen shock technology first used in Bigfoot #8. Prior to the start of the 1991 PENDA Points Series season, Bigfoot #4 was re-branded as Snake Bite and promoted as a rival to Bigfoot. The

Ford F-Series The Ford F-Series is a series of light-duty trucks marketed and manufactured by Ford since the 1948 model year. Slotted above the Ford Ranger in the Ford truck model range, the F-Series is marketed as a range of full-sized pickup trucks. ...

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

truck body was replaced with a hand-sculpted 3D fiberglass body that made the

hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of Academic dress#Hood, academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitori ...

, fender,

grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...

, and portions of the

doors A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security b ...

resemble a red, yellow, and green

venomous snake Venomous snakes are Species (biology), species of the Suborder (biology), suborder Snake, Serpentes that are capable of producing Snake venom, venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The v ...

with

fangs A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fangs ...

. Snake Bite debuted in April 1991 on the PENDA Points Series at the 6th Annual 4-Wheel and Off-Road Jamboree Spring Nationals held at the

Memphis Motorsports Park Memphis International Raceway (formerly known as Memphis Motorsports Park) was an auto racing park located near the Loosahatchie River in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, just approximately ten miles south of Millington, and a few miles ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Gene Patterson drove Snake Bite under the

persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally ref ...

of "Colt Cobra" hailing from the fictional town of "Cobra Creek, Colorado" and wore a red and yellow racing mask that resembled the design of the snake truck body. Other drivers of Snake Bite have used the "Colt Cobra", "Ricky Rattler", or "Vic Venom" personas as part of the Snake Bite gimmick. During the 1991 PENDA Points Series 4-Wheel and Off-Road Jamboree Northern Nationals held at the Racine County Fairgrounds in

Union Grove, Wisconsin Union Grove is a village in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2020 census. History Governor Henry Dodge named the area that became Union Grove, combining the word “Union” with “Grove” because of the ...

, Snake Bite lost control, ran off the course, and demolished a shed. No one was injured in the incident. In 1992, Bigfoot #8 ran the Snake Bite body and finished second in the PENDA Points Series standings behind Bigfoot #10. In 1993, Bigfoot #10 was outfitted as Snake Bite. Snake Bite came in second place in the PENDA Points Series standings behind Bigfoot #11 in 1993 and 1994. Snake Bite was redesigned in 1996, changing from a primary red color to green. Bigfoot #15, racing as Snake Bite, won the 1997 PENDA Points Series Championship with driver Eric Meagher. Snake Bite returned to a primary red color scheme in 2004. In 2009, the Snake Bite paint scheme was changed to red, black, and silver. In 2016 the name was revived for the 25th anniversary of its debut. The design is a "Retro Red" paint scheme that resembles the original 1991 design.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Monster trucks Vehicles introduced in 1991