Richard Rawlings

Richard Rawlings (born 1969) is an American entrepreneur, auto mechanic, race car driver and media personality. He is the star of the reality television show Fast N' Loud on Discovery Channel. He is also a proprietor of the Gas Monkey Garage as well as both the Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill and Gas Monkey Live music venues in Dallas, Texas.
In 2014 and 2015, Rawlings was featured in national television commercials promoting Dodge vehicles and Dodge vehicle financing.

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 automobile at the age of 14. In the next six to seven years, he graduated from Eastern Hills High School and claims to have worked as a law enforcement officer, firefighter and paramedic.

In 1993, Rawlings was briefly married to Karen K. Grames, but divorced the following year. In 1999, he married his second wife Suzanne Marie Mergele in Las Vegas, Nevada (the couple divorced in 2009, however remarried in 2015 in Cabo, Mexico). That same year Rawlings started Lincoln Press, a printing/advertising company.

Gas Monkey Garage

In 2002, Rawlings launched Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, selling Lincoln Press in 2004. This shop created and transported automobiles for customers worldwide. Since 2012, the facility has been the focus of the Discovery Channel series Fast N' Loud.

Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill

In September 2013, Rawlings started Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill in Northwest Dallas with a second location at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport opened in March 2014. Rawlings has indicated a desire to open a third Texas location outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

Gas Monkey Live

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

Autobiography

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