Richard Rawlings Explained
Richard Rawlings (born March 30, 1969) is an American[5] entrepreneur and media personality. He was the star of the reality television show Fast N' Loud[5] on Discovery Channel. He is also a proprietor of the Gas Monkey Garage[6] as well as both the Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill[7] and Gas Monkey Live music venues in Dallas, Texas.[8] Beginning in 2014,[9] Rawlings was featured in national television commercials promoting Dodge vehicles and financing.[9]
Early years
Rawlings was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1969. As a child he went to auto shows with his father and constructed cars, having purchased his first at the age of 14. In the next six to seven years, he graduated from Eastern Hills High School[2]
In 1993, Rawlings married Karen K. Grames, but they divorced the following year.[10] In 1999,[11] Rawlings started the printing and advertising company Lincoln Press.[12] Also in 1999, he married his second wife, Suzanne Marie Mergele, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[10] The couple divorced in 2009, but remarried in 2015.[13] On March 11, 2019, Rawlings announced via his Twitter account that Suzanne and he were separating and filing for divorce.
Gas Monkey Garage
In 2002,[3] [4] Rawlings launched Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, selling Lincoln Press in 2004.[14] [15] [16] [17] The shop customizes classic and hot-rod automobiles for customers worldwide. From 2012 to 2020, the business was the focus of the Discovery Channel series Fast N' Loud.[1] [18]
Rawlings also co-hosts the show Garage Rehab on the Discovery Channel since 2017,[19] which is about overhauling struggling automotive shops, along with co-hosts Russell Holmes and Chris Stephens.[20] [21] He pitched the concept to the network circa 2015.[22]
In 2022, Gas Monkey Garage became title sponsor for Peter Hickman and FHO Racing at the Isle of Man TT Races.[23]
Cannonball Run/Bullrun
In May 2007, Richard Rawlings and co-pilot Dennis Collins allegedly broke the 1979 Cannonball Run time from New York City to Los Angeles of 32 hours and 51 minutes. The two bet rival Jay Riecke that they could beat the time in their 2007 Bullrun entry, a black Ferrari 550, modified with extra fuel cells. Their final time was 31 hours and 59 minutes, but much debate remains in the legitimacy of this time, as the distance and times do not match up. They were the only pair to defeat the 1975 mark by Rick Cline and Jack May in a Ferrari Dino, as all other competitors did not leave and arrive at the correct locations or took alternate routes that did not follow the original Cannonball Runs of the 1970s. Even their personal heroes Dave Heinz and Dave Yarborough in their Jaguar XJ-S that set the 1979 record left from Darien, Connecticut, instead of Manhattan.[24]
Food and music venues
In September 2013, Rawlings started Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill in Northwest Dallas[25] [26] [27] [28] and a second location at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport opened in March 2014.[29] [30] [31] Rawlings indicated a desire to open a third Texas location outside of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.[31] [32] [33]
In October 2014, Gas Monkey Live, a venue dedicated predominantly to live music, was opened.[34] The venue closed in May 2020.[35]
Rawlings, started a new restaurant venture, Richard Rawlings' Garage. The first restaurant opened in Harker Heights, Texas, in 2016,[36] and it permanently closed in March 2019.[37]
In 2019, Rawlings licensed the Gas Monkey brand to a line of energy drinks.[38]
Autobiography
On May 12, 2015, Rawlings published his first autobiography entitled Fast N’ Loud: Blood, Sweat and Beers.[39]
Notes and References
- Web site: Richard Rawlings . Discovery . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: School News – 2 . Greatermeadowbrooknews.com . March 24, 2015 . October 16, 2015.
- Web site: Fast times for Dallas entrepreneur Richard Rawlings, star of Discovery's 'Fast N' Loud', Dallas Morning News . Dallasnews.com . October 16, 2015.
- Web site: Fox411 QA: Gas Monkey Garage team flips classic cars on Discovery's 'Fast N' Loud' . Fox News . June 6, 2012 . October 16, 2015.
- Web site: Q&A: Fast N' Loud's Richard Rawlings – D Magazine . dmagazine.com. March 1, 2015.
- Web site: Richard Rawlings on Taking Back the Gumball Record and Hanging With Motley Crue . maxim.com . November 13, 2014 . March 1, 2015.
- Web site: Why Richard Rawlings' biker bar is one of Dallas' hottest concert venues. dallasnews.com. March 1, 2015.
- March 25, 2015 . Motley Crue Teams With Dodge in Dallas, Talks 'Great Things' Ahead on Final Tour . Billboard .
- Web site: Richard Rawlings . Richard Rawlings Featured in New Dodge Commercials: GYSOT, MOPAR FANS! – GAS MONKEY GARAGE | RICHARD RAWLINGS | FAST N' LOUD . Gasmonkeygarage.com . January 31, 2017.
- Book: Rawlings, Richard. Fast N' Loud: Blood, Sweat and Beers. William Morrow. 2015. 9780062387875. Great Britain . 48 .
- Web site: 'Solo act' works best for biz owner . Dallas Business Journal. October 16, 2015.
- Web site: Incentives Taken to a New Level at Lincoln Press . July 19, 2004 . businesswire.com . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: Makitalo . Georgia . 'Fast N' Loud' Richard Rawlings Divorcing Wife, Closing Restaurant . Tv Shows Ace . March 13, 2019 . September 9, 2020.
- Web site: Duplo Digital Finishing Solution Yields Big Digital Print Dividends. realbusiness. October 16, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160216085848/http://realbusinesslive.xerox.com/Sites/xerox-rbl/Content/RBLMagazines/RB_Print13_Mag.pdf. February 16, 2016.
- Web site: Time to shine . americanprinter.com . October 16, 2015.
- Web site: Lincoln Press . bbb.org . October 16, 2015.
- Web site: Lincoln Press . Manta . October 16, 2015.
- Web site: Gas Monkey Bar and Grill . tmbbq.com . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: Discovery Channel Orders 'Garage Rehab' Series (Exclusive) . The Hollywood Reporter . August 8, 2017 . en.
- Web site: Celebrity Drive: Russell Holmes of "Garage Rehab" . MotorTrend . en . February 8, 2019.
- Web site: Chris Stephens Talks New Season of Garage Rehab . Autobody News .
- Web site: King . Scott . How Discovery's Richard Rawlings Branded His Way To The Top . Forbes . en.
- Web site: Admin . 2022-02-11 . GAS MONKEY GARAGE BECOMES TITLE SPONSOR FOR HICKMAN AND FHO RACING AT 2022 ISLE OF MAN TT RACES . 2023-02-21 . Official Peter Hickman Website . en-GB.
- Web site: Did Rawlings and Collins Break the Transcontinental Record? . jalopnik.com . May 14, 2007.
- Web site: From Reality TV to Restaurant: Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill is Now Open. Eater Dallas. September 18, 2013 . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: Restaurant Review: Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill. dmagazine.com. March 25, 2015.
- Web site: 7. Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill . BizBash . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: Your Exclusive Hard Hat Tour To The New Gas Monkey Bar And Grill . cravedfw. August 6, 2013 . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: New Gas Monkey Grill Opening At Teminal D In DFW Airport This Month . cravedfw. March 11, 2014 . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: So Long, Winter!! DFW Airport Expects 3.2 Million Travelers for Spring Break Travel Period Beginning Today . The Business Journals . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: DFW International Airport: Spring Break Underway at DFW Airport With Deals and Treats for Over 1.1 Million Expected Passengers . dfwairport.com . March 25, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402140138/https://www.dfwairport.com/pressroom/printrelease/Spring_Break_Deals_For_1_Million_Passengers.php . April 2, 2015 .
- Web site: Restaurant Openings: Reality TV star Richard Rawlings opens second Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill - GuideLive . Sarah Blaskovich . GuideLive . March 12, 2014 . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: ExpansionWire . Eater Dallas . March 12, 2014 . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: Gas Monkey Live! to Open in Dallas, October 2014 . ON TOUR MONTHLY . September 5, 2014 . March 25, 2015.
- Web site: May 26, 2020. Gas Monkey Live, founded by reality TV star Richard Rawlings, has closed after six years. June 1, 2021. Dallas News. en.
- Web site: Richard Rawlings' Garage Website. Richard Rawlings' Garage. en-US. February 19, 2019.
- Web site: Brooks . Jacob . Richard Rawlings Garage closed down in Heights . The Killeen Daily Herald . en . March 4, 2019.
- Web site: Home.
- Web site: Darling . Cary . DALLAS - Richard Rawlings gets 'Fast N' Loud' with success | Star-Telegram.com . Dfw.com . October 17, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151008064654/http://www.dfw.com/2015/04/29/991069/richard-rawlings-gets-fast-n-loud.html . October 8, 2015 .