It’s that time of year again, where the collective eyes of our nation turn to their favorite social media accounts to revel in the antics that surround the annual King of the Hammers event. For those unfamiliar, King of the Hammers is more than just a singular event. Held in the high desert of Southern California, King of the Hammers strings together a full calendar of off-road racing events spread over the course of two weeks. The festivities kick off with the King of the Motos motorcycle race, which is followed by a weekend of desert racing, a host of side-by-side events, and finally the Race of Kings. In total, King of the Hammers brings more than a dozen different events to Hammertown, with a multitude of classes competing.

That said, we’re not here to talk about King of the Hammers. While the racing is exhilarating, it’s what happens between events that has taken the world by storm. Between the thousands of acres of open desert land and Hammertown proper, hundreds of thousands of spectators and enthusiasts join in the festivities, most of whom spend all or part of the time camping.

Through the excitement of watching the races, and sometimes with a touch of liquid courage, thousands of people and hundreds of rigs descend on some of the toughest rock crawling trails the area has to offer each and every night. Among the most popular is Chocolate Thunder. Chocolate Thunder is not only one of the most difficult trails, but its close proximity to Hammertown makes it a favorite for nightly debauchery. And we know everyone has seen the videos.

The most popular video making the rounds on social media from the 2025 event is none other than a full-size 2014 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty. The truck is a crew-cab short-bed model that is powered by a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine. There’s no mystery who owns the truck, as it is plastered with Synergy Manufacturing branding on both sides. And the company has been using the spectacle of being the first full-size tow rig to charge to the top of the Volkswagen-sized boulder-strewn trail.

Driven by the company’s Director of Engineering, the videos make it appear as if the massive Ram has no trouble conquering the obstacles. The driver isn’t afraid of body damage, which the truck sustains in the form of deforming a rear door, nor is he fearful of using the throttle. The truck is properly equipped for rock duty with the company’s 5-inch long-travel suspension system, heavy-duty steering kit, high-clearance bumpers, 17-inch TrailReady beadlock wheels, 40-inch Nitto tires, and more.

It’s also not the first time this truck, or driver, have been up Chocolate Thunder. Highly experienced in the art of rock crawling, the team attempted the tough trail at the 2024 King of the Hammers event and by all accounts weren’t able to execute a clean pass. If you happen to be attending this year’s event, the truck will be on display at the Synergy Manufacturing booth. After that you’ll likely find it making the off-road show circuit rounds resuming its tow rig duties.