What Happened To Shorty On Iron Resurrection?
To call Discovery's auto-repair reality series "Iron Resurrection" a "niche" form of programming is a bit of an understatement. The series follows the team at Martin Bros Customs in Austin, Texas as they attempt to "resurrect" old, rundown vehicles and give them a "second chance to shine" (via Motor Trend). It's a show meant to appeal to a very specific set of viewers who love watching a group of mechanics turn a car on its last legs into a mechanical masterpiece, and it certainly helps that the series' cast seems to absolutely love the work they're doing.
The series is led by Joe Martin, his wife Amanda, and his best friend Jayson "Shag" Arrington, who travel across Texas looking for hidden vehicular gems that they can bring back to life for a profit. Up until the 4th season of the series, the team was also joined by charismatic paint shop owner Javier Ponce, known more frequently as "Shorty." Shorty abruptly left the series before its 4th season without much explanation, leaving many fans to wonder where he could have gone, or what might have happened to make him leave the series so abruptly. As it happens, the real reason for Shorty's departure is actually very understandable.
Shorty left the series to focus on his family and business
After a large outcry from fans regarding Shorty's disappearance from the series, an official statement was released through the show's Facebook page: revealing that Shorty had left the series to focus more on his family and shop, both of which are located in Dallas, Texas (via Distractify). The message also explained that Shorty had recently become a Grandfather, and wanted to "enjoy every second of being a new Grandpa."
Shorty himself posted a video on Facebook thanking all of the fans for reaching out, and explaining that he decided after the 3rd season to exit the series to cut down on his constant travel between Austin and Dallas, as (in addition to becoming a Grandfather) he was working on expanding his shop, and that scaling back his commitment to the show was the right move for him personally. He ended his heartfelt message by saying, "you might see me back in the future, so for now I'll leave it at that," giving fans at least a little bit of hope that Shorty may return to Iron Resurrection someday.