JEFF'S STORY
Jeff grew up near his grandparents' farm in rural Auburn, Indiana. At the age of seven, his family got their first ATV 3-wheelers. These ATVs gave Jeff wings, and he would race around the 90-acre farm and visit his grandma and neighbors almost every day. At the age of nine, Jeff's dad taught him to drive their truck, and after that, he was driving anything with wheels. Jeff helped his father, Jack Cook, in Jack's Auto Body Shop from an early age and learned about cars from the inside out. When Jeff was 14, he got his first car, a 1964 Pontiac Grand Prix. After getting the Pontiac home, he started restoring it. He worked on the Grand Prix until he was 17. After finishing his car, Jeff and his dad, Jack, would take their vehicles to car shows and cruise-ins.
After graduating from DeKalb High School in 1989, Jeff attended a leading auto diesel trade school. In 1991, Jeff got the opportunity to work for Kirk Dabney, who had the Giant monster truck. In 1992, when Dabney purchased a second monster truck, Jeff got the opportunity to drive Thunder Struck, which was previously Nitemare III. Jeff and his high school sweetheart, Jody, were married that same year.
In December of 1992, Jeff received a call from team Overkill owner Marty Garza inviting him to drive Overkill for the 1993 season. Jeff drove Overkill until April when Team Overkill had a devastating fire that destroyed their shop and trucks. After the fire, Jeff decided to build his own truck. He wanted something different and combined his love of hot rods and monster trucks. The War Wagon emerged. Jeff performed with War Wagon 1 in the Midwest from July 1993 until November 1996.
In 1997, Jeff debuted War Wagon 2. He traveled and performed all over the country until August of 2003, when he temporarily retired to run his fire truck business, Wildfire Manufacturing, Inc., now known as 1st Attack Engineering, Inc.
Jeff and his crew are always busy, consistently working on various projects. In 2010, they built the now well-known old-school truck Shotgun Harry, which stands tall on 73-inch tires and has made several appearances throughout the Midwest. In 2016, they created HotRod Harry, inspired by Jeff's passion for monster trucks and hot rods.
ALL ABOUT THE ADVENTURES...
Jeff 'Wildman' Cook is a notable figure in the Monster Truck industry, with a career that includes roles as a builder, driver, owner, show promoter, and more recently an announcer for not only monster truck shows, but also tractor pulls and other events. His love for engines and exciting events takes him around the Midwest and United States, where he attends car shows and monster truck shows.
Not only is he involved in motorsports that way, Jeff enjoys helping others in their automotive endeavors, combining his artistic skills with mechanical knowledge to enhance vehicles. Whether he's painting or working on engines, his commitment to his interests and willingness to support others contribute to both the art and automotive communities.
Jeff's love of monster trucks goes past just being a fan; he wants to keep their history alive. He has traveled all over to interview important people in the monster truck industry and shares their stories to remember key events in the sport's development. By doing this, Jeff helps fans and historians learn about the pioneers of monster trucks. CHECK OUT HIS YOUTUBE PAGE TO SEE ALL OF HIS ADVENTURES!
