Richard Rawlings

Richard Rawlings
Richard Rawlings
Born Richard Ray Rawlings
(1969-03-30) March 30, 1969[1][2]
Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Residence Texas
Nationality USA
Citizenship USA
Education Eastern Hills High School[3]
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • reality television star
Years active 2002–present[4][5]
Employer Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill
Gas Monkey Garage
Gas Monkey Live
Known for Star of Fast 'n Loud and "Garage Rehab"
Owner of Gas Monkey Garage
Height 6 ft 0.835 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg)
Television Fast 'n Loud
Spouse(s)

Karen K Grames (1993[6]–1994)[7]

Suzanne Marie[8] Mergele (1999–2009, 2015–present)[9][10]
Parent(s) Ray Rawlings
Relatives Daphne Rawlings Kaminski (sister)[3] Angela Rawlings Warmath (sister) John Rawlings (brother)

Richard Rawlings (born March 30, 1969) is an American[11] entrepreneur and media personality. He is the star of the reality television show Fast N' Loud[11] on Discovery Channel. He is also a proprietor of the Gas Monkey Garage[12] as well as both the Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill[13] and Gas Monkey Live music venues in Dallas, Texas.[14]

Beginning in 2014,[15] Rawlings was featured in national television commercials promoting Dodge vehicles and financing.[15]

History

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

In 1993, Rawlings married Karen K. Grames but divorced the following year.[16] In 1999, he married his second wife Suzanne Marie Mergele in Las Vegas, Nevada;[16] the couple divorced in 2009 but remarried in 2015 in Cabo, Mexico.[17] In 1999,[18] Rawlings started the printing and advertising company, Lincoln Press.[19][20]

Gas Monkey Garage

In 2002,[4][5] Rawlings launched Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, selling Lincoln Press in 2004.[21][22][23][24] The shop created automobiles for customers worldwide. Since 2012, the facility has been the focus of the Discovery Channel series Fast N' Loud.[2][20][25]

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. 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.[26]

Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill

In September 2013, Rawlings started Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill in Northwest Dallas[27][28][29][30] and a second location at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport opened in March 2014.[31][32][33] Rawlings has indicated a desire to open a third Texas location outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.[33][34][35]

Gas Monkey Live

In October 2014, Gas Monkey Live, a venue dedicated predominantly to live music, was opened.[36]

Autobiography

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

References

  1. ↑ "Bios – Gas Monkey Garage Fans – Fast N' Loud Fans". designbyjoyce.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Richard Rawlings". Discovery. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "School News – 2". Greatermeadowbrooknews.com. 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  4. 1 2 "Fast times for Dallas entrepreneur Richard Rawlings, star of Discovery's 'Fast N' Loud', Dallas Morning News". Dallasnews.com. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  5. 1 2 "Fox411 QA: Gas Monkey Garage team flips classic cars on Discovery's 'Fast N' Loud'". Fox News. 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  6. ↑ "Richard Rawlings & Karen Grames, Married 11/18/1993". Texasmarriagerecords.org. 1993-11-18. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
  7. ↑ "Richard R. Rawlings and Karen K. Grames – Texas". mooseroots.com. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "Suzanne Mergele in Dallas — People Search". usa-people-search.com. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Asa Hawks (2015-09-07). "PHOTOS Is Richard Rawlings married? Meet his wife Suzanne who is also his ex wife". Starcasm.net. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
  10. ↑ "Suzanne Rawlings – Ancestry.com". ancestry.com. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Q&A: Fast N' Loud's Richard Rawlings – D Magazine". dmagazine.com. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Richard Rawlings on Taking Back the Gumball Record and Hanging With Motley Crue". maxim.com. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Why Richard Rawlings' biker bar is one of Dallas' hottest concert venues". dallasnews.com. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Motley Crue Teams With Dodge in Dallas, Talks 'Great Things' Ahead on Final Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  15. 1 2 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.
  16. 1 2 Rawlings, Richard (2015). Fast N' Loud: Blood, Sweat and Beers. Great Britain: William Morrow. p. 48. ISBN 9780062387875.
  17. ↑ Rawlings, Richard (2015). Fast N' Loud: Blood, Sweat and Beers. Great Britain: William Morrow. p. 197. ISBN 9780062387875.
  18. ↑ "'Solo act' works best for biz owner". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Incentives Taken to a New Level at Lincoln Press". businesswire.com. 19 July 2004. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Richard Rawlings Net Worth". TheRichest. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "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.
  22. ↑ "Time to shine". americanprinter.com. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Lincoln Press". bbb.org. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "Lincoln Press". Manta. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "Gas Monkey Bar and Grill". tmbbq.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  26. ↑ "Did Rawlings and Collins Break the Transcontinental Record?". jalopnik.com. 14 May 2007.
  27. ↑ "From Reality TV to Restaurant: Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill is Now Open". Eater Dallas. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  28. ↑ "Restaurant Review: Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill". dmagazine.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  29. ↑ "7. Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill". BizBash. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  30. ↑ "Your Exclusive Hard Hat Tour To The New Gas Monkey Bar And Grill". cravedfw. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "New Gas Monkey Grill Opening At Teminal D In DFW Airport This Month". cravedfw. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  32. ↑ "So Long, Winter!! DFW Airport Expects 3.2 Million Travelers for Spring Break Travel Period Beginning Today". The Business Journals. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  33. 1 2 "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.
  34. ↑ Sarah Blaskovich. "Restaurant Openings: Reality TV star Richard Rawlings opens second Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill - GuideLive". GuideLive. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  35. ↑ "ExpansionWire". Eater Dallas. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  36. ↑ "Gas Monkey Live! to Open in Dallas, October 2014". ON TOUR MONTHLY. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  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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