Richard Rawlings

Richard Rawlings (born March 30, 1969) is an American[5] entrepreneur and media personality. He is 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]

Richard Rawlings
Born (1969-03-30) March 30, 1969[1]
Fort Worth, Texas, United States
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationEastern Hills High School[2]
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • reality television star
Years active2002–present[3][4]
EmployerGas Monkey Bar N' Grill
Gas Monkey Garage
Gas Monkey Live
Known forStar of Fast N' Loud and "Garage Rehab"
Owner of Gas Monkey Garage
Net worth$20 Million
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
TelevisionFast 'n Loud
Spouse(s)Karen K Grames (1993–1994)

Suzanne Marie Mergele (1999–2009, 2015–2019)

Katerina Rawlings (2020-Present)

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] and worked as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, and paramedic.

In 1990, Rawlings married Karen K. Grames but 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 in Cabo, Mexico.[13] On March 11, 2019, Rawlings announced via his Twitter account that Suzanne and Rawlings 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 created automobiles for customers worldwide. Since 2012, the facility has been 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 channel circa 2015.[22]

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 they could beat the time in their 2007 Bullrun entry, a black Ferrari 550, modified with extra fuel cells. The final time is 31 hours and 59 minutes. However there is much debate in the legitimacy of this time as the distance and times do not match up. It is unlikely that they actually broke the record. 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.[23]

Food and Music Venues

In September 2013, Rawlings started Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill in Northwest Dallas[24][25][26][27] and a second location at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport opened in March 2014.[28][29][30] Rawlings has indicated a desire to open a third Texas location outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.[30][31][32]

In October 2014, Gas Monkey Live, a venue dedicated predominantly to live music, was opened.[33]

Rawlings, started a new restaurant venture, Richard Rawlings' Garage. The first restaurant opened in Harker Heights, Texas, in 2016,[34] and it permanently closed in March 2019.[35]

In 2019, Rawlings licensed the Gas Monkey brand to a line of energy drinks.[36]

Autobiography

On 12 May 2015, Rawlings published his first autobiography entitled Fast N’ Loud: Blood, Sweat and Beers.[37]

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References
  1. "Richard Rawlings". Discovery. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  2. "School News – 2". Greatermeadowbrooknews.com. 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  3. "Fast times for Dallas entrepreneur Richard Rawlings, star of Discovery's 'Fast N' Loud', Dallas Morning News". Dallasnews.com. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  4. "Fox411 QA: Gas Monkey Garage team flips classic cars on Discovery's 'Fast N' Loud'". Fox News. 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  5. "Q&A: Fast N' Loud's Richard Rawlings – D Magazine". dmagazine.com. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  6. "Richard Rawlings on Taking Back the Gumball Record and Hanging With Motley Crue". maxim.com. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  7. "Why Richard Rawlings' biker bar is one of Dallas' hottest concert venues". dallasnews.com. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  8. "Motley Crue Teams With Dodge in Dallas, Talks 'Great Things' Ahead on Final Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  9. Richard Rawlings. "Richard Rawlings Featured in New Dodge Commercials: GYSOT, MOPAR FANS! – GAS MONKEY GARAGE | RICHARD RAWLINGS | FAST N' LOUD". Gasmonkeygarage.com. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
  10. Rawlings, Richard (2015). Fast N' Loud: Blood, Sweat and Beers. Great Britain: William Morrow. p. 48. ISBN 9780062387875.
  11. "'Solo act' works best for biz owner". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  12. "Incentives Taken to a New Level at Lincoln Press". businesswire.com. 19 July 2004. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  13. . William Morrow. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. "In a few short years, Lincoln Press in Dallas, Texas, evolved from a $600,000 offset shop to a $6 million offset and digital print provider. Unsure at first about entering the digital print market, Lincoln Press now has a growing niche in the photo and VDP industry and learned that with the right print and finishing equipment, the opportunities in digital are endless" (PDF). realbusiness. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  15. "Time to shine". americanprinter.com. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  16. "Lincoln Press". bbb.org. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  17. "Lincoln Press". Manta. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  18. "Gas Monkey Bar and Grill". tmbbq.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  19. "Discovery Channel Orders 'Garage Rehab' Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  20. "Celebrity Drive: Russell Holmes of "Garage Rehab"". MotorTrend. 8 February 2019.
  21. "Chris Stephens Talks New Season of Garage Rehab". Autobody News.
  22. King, Scott. "How Discovery's Richard Rawlings Branded His Way To The Top". Forbes.
  23. "Did Rawlings and Collins Break the Transcontinental Record?". jalopnik.com. 14 May 2007.
  24. "From Reality TV to Restaurant: Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill is Now Open". Eater Dallas. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  25. "Restaurant Review: Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill". dmagazine.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  26. "7. Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill". BizBash. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  27. "Your Exclusive Hard Hat Tour To The New Gas Monkey Bar And Grill". cravedfw. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  28. "New Gas Monkey Grill Opening At Teminal D In DFW Airport This Month". cravedfw. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  29. "So Long, Winter!! DFW Airport Expects 3.2 Million Travelers for Spring Break Travel Period Beginning Today". The Business Journals. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  30. "DFW International Airport: Spring Break Underway at DFW Airport With Deals and Treats for Over 1.1 Million Expected Passengers". dfwairport.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  31. Sarah Blaskovich. "Restaurant Openings: Reality TV star Richard Rawlings opens second Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill - GuideLive". GuideLive. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  32. "ExpansionWire". Eater Dallas. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  33. "Gas Monkey Live! to Open in Dallas, October 2014". ON TOUR MONTHLY. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  34. "Richard Rawlings' Garage Website". Richard Rawlings' Garage. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  35. Brooks, Jacob (March 4, 2019). "Richard Rawlings Garage closed down in Heights". The Killeen Daily Herald.
  36. "Home".
  37. Darling, Cary. "DALLAS - Richard Rawlings gets 'Fast N' Loud' with success | Star-Telegram.com". Dfw.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
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