In this edition of the JConcepts Friday5 we talk to Massachusetts team driver, Chris Ciriello!
1. We have to ask everyone this in our interviews, how did you get your start in RC cars?
I got my start into driving RC cars when my family got me my first truck on my birthday when I was 12 which was a Traxxas 1/16 Grave Digger (big shoutout to them by the way). I didn’t actually start racing till early 2017 when the Axial SMT10 was released and I found out about a club racing in Fitchburg, MA. That’s when I was told about Kyle and Dan DeFalco at the RCMTC (R/C Monster Truck Challenge) and it’s taken off from there.
2. This year you joined JConcepts as a new team driver. What are some of your goals you had for this year and what do you think you brought or added to the existing team?
I think my biggest goal was to continue to have fun racing and be successful at the same time. I just had the best year of my career in 2025 so that’ll be tough to top, so I’m looking to have another fun year in 2026. What I want to bring to the team is a fun attitude but good performances to go along with it.
3. RC Monster Truck racing has really grown in popularity over the past few years, so in your opinion why has this class grown so much?
There’s a lot of factors. Social media, how we build the trucks and show them off to get them close to scale as possible, and lots of video highlights from races. The biggest factor bar none I think is the exposure of the hobby at the Monster Jam World Finals. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the event the last couple years as we put on an awesome RC monster truck event in the middle of their pit party which exposes fans to the hobby, and gets them interested in it, especially because the real Monster Jam drivers also eat it up and even get involved in driving the RC monsters in front of the fans. They love it just as much as we do.
4. To date what is your favorite JConcepts product of all time and why?
I know this is two, but the JConcepts 2.6″ Renegade Tires and Tribute 2.6″ Wheels. That’s my tried and true combo. I haven’t raced with any other tire or wheel combo since I started using them.
5. You are obviously highly skilled when it comes to RC cars, but what is one skill or hidden talent that folks might be surprised to find out about you?
I actually play drums as a hobby. I’m a massive music guru and sometimes I’ll hop on my kit to get some energy out; it’s a lot of fun.