TONY'S CHASE VEHICLES

Vehicles I Have Owned/Chased In Through my Career

Subaru Ascent

ACTIVE

2025 - Present

56,000+ Miles

Subaru Forester

RETIRED

2018 - 2025

135,590 Miles

Dodge Caravan

RETIRED

2016 - 2018

33,635 Miles

Subaru Outback

RETIRED

2011 - 2016

124,639 Miles

Chrysler Minivan

RETIRED

2006 - 2013

74,974 Miles

Mercury Tracer

RETIRED

2002 - 2005

39,191 Miles

Grand Caravan

RETIRED

1999 - 2001

~3,000 Miles

2023 Subaru Ascent (The Weather Wolf 2.0)

2025 – Present

CHASE MILES LOGGED

56,000+ Miles

TORNADOES INTERCEPTED

The current chase ride! Outfitted with a layer of Line-X over the hood and roof, the Weather Wolf 2.0 is my third Subaru to take into the field and continues to add the miles under the storms! She was purchased in May of 2025, and in her first week out, saw over a dozen tornadoes, including the destructive Grinnell EF-3 from the outer debris field on I-70.

2016 Subaru Forester (The Weather Wolf)

2018 – 2025

CHASE MILES LOGGED

135,590 Miles

TORNADOES INTERCEPTED

113

The Forester was my second Subaru, a legendary ride that saw some of my most incredible tornado chases, including my #1 ever near Akron, Colorado in June 2023! It was put into service in Kansas and got us back to Colorado! It owns the most miles of any of my chase vehicles. She'd be the first one I'd lose to hail, being totaled out in Iowa in April 2025.

2007 Dodge Caravan

2016 – 2018

CHASE MILES LOGGED

33,635 Miles

TORNADOES INTERCEPTED

This was meant to be a temporary ride after my Outback's engine blew, but she saw 20 tornadoes in her first week out in 2016 and bridged the gap until my next Subaru was put into service in 2018. On her final chase near Arkansas City, Kansas after documenting a tornado, she was t-boned by a lady who ran a stop sign in town.

2008 Subaru Outback (Storm Subie)

2011 – 2016

CHASE MILES LOGGED

124,639 Miles

TORNADOES INTERCEPTED

My first Subaru chase vehicle, and it sold me on the brand forever! She was my workhorse in the mid-2010s and saw some of the best chases of the decade! She moved from Colorado to Illinois, and traveled all over the Plains and Midwest tracking storms. She died in 2016 when the engine blew after Jim Cantore touched it in Oklahoma.

1996 Chrysler Town & Country

2006 – 2013

CHASE MILES LOGGED

74,974 Miles

TORNADOES INTERCEPTED

This was my minivan love, and it rolled me nearly 75,000 miles during the mid/late 2000s. In those days, she doubled as a hotel-on-wheels as I set up sleeping arrangements in the back. I loved the storage, cause I could bring my golf clubs along on chase trips! Some great chasing out of this ride!

1999 Mercury Tracer (The Storm Tracer)

2002 – 2005

CHASE MILES LOGGED

39,191 Miles

TORNADOES INTERCEPTED

This was my OG chase vehicle, the 'Storm Tracer', a MPG-friendly sedan that required the front passenger seat to be removed to house my gear and a partner would ride shotgun in the backseat! She was decked out very nicely, and definitely was the attention-getter of my early years roaming the Plains.

1990 Dodge Grand Caravan (The Dizzy Lizzy)

1999 – 2001

CHASE MILES LOGGED

~3,000 Miles

TORNADOES INTERCEPTED

This was my first vehicle, and the first one I took out for chasing! It was outfitted with a Davis Weather Station that honestly didn't do a whole lot haha She took me on my first distance chases out of Colorado, and her only tornado was the Crossroads Mall tornado of October 2000 during my 6-month stint in OKC.

TWISTEX FIELD RESEARCH VEHICLES (2007 - 2011)

Mobile Mesonet / Probe Vehicles

MILES: 73,336
TORNADOES: 125

During my time with TWISTEX, I would primarily operate the mobile mesonet vehicle, M3 (lovingly called 'Tighty Whitey'), one of up to three mesonet vehicles on the mission. I drove this vehicle during the Spring between 2007 and 2011. On occasion, I would be in the main Probe vehicle with Tim Samaras, adding a few miles in his behemoth of a vehicle.

Explore The TWISTEX Era →