Conversations with Big Rich

Send us Fan Mail Spotters play as big a role as drivers in the sport of rockcrawling.  Spotter extraordinaire, Josh Wilson from Kentucky gives us the lowdown on getting started in the early days. 3:48 – Mom said no! 4:50 – an auto accident introduced me to my first wheeling  7:16 – think twice before leaving your Jeep behind before you go on vacation 10:09 – Learning to do it ourselves 12:26 – Hav...

Send us Fan Mail OG Rockcrawler, magazine hero and the Ultimate Fab guy, Chris Durham of Chris Durham Motorsports joins us this week. Chris tells us about growing up in South Carolina, how he hates mud, rock crawling competitions and Ultimate Adventure.  http://cdmracing.com/  2:56 – 55 BelAir or 79 Ford pickup 3:34 – how muddy can you get?  5:32 – automotive vs. construction 10:13 – the perfect c...

Send us Fan Mail Team Smiles Captain, Jeremy Hammer – owner of Fly-N-Hi Total Performance Center joins us for Episode 26 – our ½ year anniversary.  Jeremy talks football, growing up in Arizona, Garage Rehab and more.  Join us to catch up on all the latest.  No matter where you are, Jeremy and his team can help you out, reach out to. https://fly-n-hi.com/ for all your off-road needs, especially in...

Send us Fan Mail Three time KOH Champion Jason Scherer talks all things rock crawling, Ford, racing and family.  The stories are epic, they take place all over the country with all kinds of characters. And characters they are, get to know Jason and his friends.   Check out https://www.rage4th.com/ for great quality bumpers. 1:55 – A pivotable moment 5:30 – Every kid wants to be a fireman or baseba...

Send us Fan Mail The Iceman Cometh…Dean Bulloch, all-around adrenaline junkie is on this weeks episode with stories for days.  This one is a long one, but there’s so much good stuff, you’ve just got to listen.  Dean is a world champion in so many disciplines and part of the 2020 class of Off-Road Hall of Fame inductees.  We are proud to call him a friend.  Listen in on your favorite podcast app. ...

Send us Fan Mail Dixie Four-Wheel Drive Founder, Milt Thompson shares his story this week.  It’s not just about four-wheel drive, it’s about raising a family, hiring well and being around at the beginning of the competitive scene.  Now with two shops in Utah, St. George and Moab, Milt and family have built a terrific business.  If you are in either area, and need some work done, these are the peop...

Send us Fan Mail Hi, if you don’t know me – I’m today’s guest – I’m Shelley Krehbiel, the one who writes the Show Notes and does the Transcription, and generally is Big Rich’s partner in crime and life and love and everything else.  Rich interviewed me a while ago so I could tell some of our story.  How we got here, all the things we’ve done to arrive at this place.  Can I tell you, it’s weird to...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s guest, Kenny Blume, recorded this interview with us last November, the very first interview done (I’ve learned a lot).  Since then, he’s made good on his promise to judge at WE Rock and move to Florida.  At the time, none of this other nonsense was going on, so no reference to “COVID” in this one!  Kenny has been the longest running competitor at WE Rock – beginning in 200...

Send us Fan Mail How does a native Englishman make a difference in America?  He falls in love with the natural habitat.  Tim Green shares his love for all things Rubicon in this latest episode.  Tim is the owner of the Rubicon Gazette page on Facebook, he collects and shares history of the Rubicon Trail over there and shares some of that with us.  Give it a listen.   3:50 –You heard it here first,...

Send us Fan Mail Not all off-roaders start in four-wheel drive, some come over from Hot Rods.  Meet Steve Sasaki, founder of PowerTank.  An industrial design engineer by nature, Steve took the leap to start his own business knowing he had limitations, like we all do.  Congrats on over 20 years of success and growth.  www.powertank.com     3:23 – Daydreaming about Holley (carburetors, that is) 5:13...

Send us Fan Mail The youngest of a family of legacy desert racers, Shelby Hall, granddaughter of Rod Hall, joins us for this episode.  While that is a title befitting royalty in the Baja scene, Shelby has skills of her own.  Check out this desert racer and see what she’s learned and accomplished. 3:54 – Faster, daddy, faster 10:15 – Inspired to do the Rebelle Rally, getting out of my comfort zone...

Send us Fan Mail This is a fun one, Rob Bonney, OG rockcrawler from Arizona.  He’s a trail breaker on those big waterfalls you’ll find there and goes back to the early, early days.  Find out some strategies the best spotters use, and call him for your resto work – on Anything – you want to build.   3:17 – never doubt the determination of a 14 year old with a new to him truck 5:16 – Learning from t...

Send us Fan Mail Like so many things this year, Easter Jeep Safari was canceled, but it was one of the first things off the list for off-roaders.  We caught up with George Schultz, a member of the Red Rock Four Wheelers to talk, not only about EJS, but also about trail building in Moab.  As a second-generation wheeler in Moab and part of the founding families, it’s a little bit different perspecti...

Send us Fan Mail Larry McCrae joins us from St George, Utah – his retirement home, to talk about rock crawling in the early days, Poison Spyder, his battle with throat cancer and what he’s up to now.  And no, retirement isn’t really on the list.  Check out https://www.zionjeeptours.com/ next time you’re in Southern Utah, that’s Larry’s latest endeavor that keeps him connected to Jeeps.   3:52 – ev...

Send us Fan Mail Bruce Shallis is a stand-up guy, partner in both Rausch Creek and Burning Rock Off-Road Parks, Lacrosse Coach, rockcrawler, and East Coast defender.  Bruce gives some insight to what it takes to fill all those roles.  Join us for another Conversation with Big Rich on your favorite podcast channel.  Be sure to Subscribe so you’re reminded every Thursday when a new episode drops. 2:...

Send us Fan Mail Jeff Mello is not just a rockcrawler, hear him tell his story, with some laughs along the way.  If you can get through it with out laughing, you deserve a prize.  Jeff shares some great stories and his philosophies on the four eras of Jeeps and which one we’re in now.     4:20 – I don’t think Jeff really “remembers” this trip… 7:12  – The perfect second date, guys, don’t hand your...

Send us Fan Mail From Paragon to Badlands, Kyle Knosp shares his philosophies on life and business, with some rockcrawling and some crazy stories thrown in. Attica, Indiana is the place to visit if you want it all.   4:52 – The start of the off-road obsession 9:59  – The REAL difference between East and West off-roading 14:45 – The best part about rockcrawling – it’s always family 19:41 – Count yo...

Send us Fan Mail Mr. Maxxis, himself, joins us this week – Creighton King – the founder of Griplock Ties and former tire guy shares a lot of insight regarding sponsorship, new business and how a Jeep started it all.  Be sure to tune in and enjoy the conversation.  Creighton has a special offer at the end.   3:08 – Christmas Day surprise. 12:20 – How a Jeep saved my life… 17:54 – Mr. Maxxis is born...

Send us Fan Mail Family-owned businesses don’t always successfully split into pieces, Currie Enterprises is the exception.  We talk with John Currie about the future of Rock Jock 4x4 and the history of Currie Enterprises.  From rockcrawling to racing, the family has been involved in it all.  There are lots of little gems in this one.  Stay tuned for more.   4:43 – The things you do for love…love o...

Send us Fan Mail Lovell Racing’s Brad Lovell shares his history in rock sports and desert.  There isn’t much he hasn’t done, from rockcrawling to Pike’s Peak to racing spec trophy trucks.  The consummate professional tells us more about what it’s like to be a professional racecar driver.  It’s never easy.  But great things come out of hardwork.  Brad alludes to stuff we’re going to get to hear mor...

Send us Fan Mail New Shirt alert – we’ve seen tons of them over the years that say, I know Bender…new ones are going to say I Really Know Bender.  Rob ‘Bender’ Parks joins us from Alabama with some history about rockcrawling and the Tin Benders.  There are times when you think truth is stranger than fiction, there are some moments in this episode that are going to surprise you.   6:10 – He talked...

Send us Fan Mail No doubt you’ve already got the t-shirt….everyone I know has a Lasernut or Lasertown t-shirt – our next guest is famous for giving them away.  Please welcome Cody Waggoner to the show.  Cody brings his history of rockcrawling, the formation of Laserut and the building of Lasertown to the show this week, together with his plans for the future and an opportunity for you – the listen...

Send us Fan Mail One of the biggest influencers in off-road joins us for this episode.  Lance Clifford, founder of Pirate 4x4 shares the origin story of how it all began.  At one time, Pirate was the source for all things rock sports.  Check out the latest episode of Conversations with Big Rich. 1:54  Sometimes all it takes is a mud puddle to catch the off-road bug 4:17  Pirates of the Rubicon, dr...

Send us Fan Mail Only a few can claim to be at the start of competitive rockcrawling, Ranch Pratt is one of those.  Ranch, founder of ARCA, shares some insights on how competitions drove innovation, why dads matter and his goals now.  Listen as Big Rich catches up with Ranch. 3:06 Guilted in to his first four-wheel drive 7:38 How Ranch bought an event that hadn’t even happened yet 15:44 The secret...

Send us Fan Mail We’re kicking it old school this week with one of the OG competitive rock crawlers, Charlie Melchner. Charlie comes with a unique knowledge of cars and what they can do, but a limited sense of how to build “I can measure with a yardstick, mark it with a crayon and cut it with a torch.”  He left the finesse to the builders.  Join us for a great conversation while Charlie fills us i...