Conversations with Big Rich
Hear conversations with the legacy stars of rockcrawling and off-road. Big Rich interviews the leaders in rock sports.
Episodes
317 episodes
Bronco Dan of Venom Aire joins Rich on Episode 317
Dan Whittington, founder of Venom Aire, shares his journey from mechanics work to pioneering air intake technology. Born in Santa Rosa, California and raised in Salt Lake City's Cottonwood Heights, Dan developed a lifelong passion fo...
Episode 316 features Paul Dilley, off-road entrepreneur, author, and Raptor specialist
Paul's journey spans car audio, home theater systems, e-commerce, and high-end audio installations during the housing boom. He transitioned to off-road work after joining a Raptor community in 2010, turning hobby expertise into business venture...
Innovating From IndyCar to Rock Crawling with Jonas Burnett
This week on Conversations with Big Rich, we dive into the inventive world of fabricator and racer Jonas Burnett. From humble beginnings on a Texas ranch wrenching on a Honda Fat Cat to building engines at 16, Jonas charted a path through the S...
OHV Program Manager in the Inyo National Forest, Adam Leidy on Episode 314
This week, Big Rich chats with Adam Leidy, Off-Highway Vehicle and Over-Snow Program Manager on the Inyo National Forest. Adam’s NorCal roots run deep—raised by a forestry biologist, he grew up camping, chasing garter snakes, and logging time i...
Kicking off Season 7 with grit and ingenuity, meet Mike Dieu on Episode 313
Tempe-raised fabricator and spotter Mike Dieu shares a life built on grit, ingenuity, and community. From paper routes and roofing a family home at 15 to becoming an all-state football standout, Mike’s hands-on roots led him into automotive sch...
Episode 312 with Don Rycroft, founder of RPM Steering
This week, Rich sits down with Arizona native and RPM Steering founder, Don Rycroft, for a candid, high-horsepower story of resilience, faith, and community in off-road. From BMX racing and desert motos to early marriage, entrepreneurship, and ...
Letzroll OffRoad Founder, Andrew McLaughlin, on Episode 311
This episode dives into the life and legacy of Andrew McLaughlin—builder, racer, event host, and founder of Let’s Roll Off-Road. From a cross-country upbringing to ASU and into the Arizona off-road scene, Andrew shares how a love for the outdoo...
Off-road lifer breaks stereotypes in multi-states, Cameron Chin on Episode 309
Conversations with Big Rich welcomes fabricator, racer, and shop owner Cameron Chin—an off-road lifer who broke stereotypes to build a career around cars. Born and raised in Houston, Cameron cut his teeth on a rough ’67 Mustang, studied studio ...
A Life Steeped in Off-Road Legacy, Josh Hall, on Episode 309
In this episode of Conversations with Big Rich, Josh Hall shares a lifetime of off-road stories shaped by growing up in the iconic Hall family. From pumping gas at his dad’s ARCO stations in Hemet to riding shotgun with the legendary, Bill Stro...
Episode 308 features Jeff Furrier – racer, entrepreneur and preservationist
Big Rich sits down with Tucson native and lifelong off-roader Jeff Furrier—board member of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF), racer, entrepreneur, and preservationist of vintage race machinery. From a childhood in a tire-shop famil...
Navy Vet, Land-Use Warrior, and Indie Author Todd Ockert on Episode 307
This week, Big Rich sits down with Todd Ockert—a 26-year U.S. Navy veteran turned oil-and-gas professional, land-use leader, NAMRAC facilitator, and indie author. From small-town Michigan to Top Gun-era Miramar, Todd shares how vocational elect...
West Virginia State Senator Mark R Maynard talks life, politics and a lifetime in off-road on Episode 305
Mark shares growing up at his family’s Union 76 service station, early Jeeping and Baja Bug adventures, club rides every Sunday, and a childhood shaped by mud, mountains, and motors.State Senator Maynard has a storied history in off-road...
From Baja Beginnings to the ORMHOF Board, Steve Kelley on Episode 305
Off-road legend and 2021 Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kelley joins Big Rich to trace a lifetime in the dirt—racing, rules-making, giving back, and globe-trotting.From his first Baja 1000 in 1969 that hooked him on rac...
Let’s talk history with Ben Hanks in Episode 304
Old-school rock crawler and Utah native Ben Hanks joins Rich to trace his journey from growing up feral in a small, mountain-side town to becoming one of the OG competitors in competitive rock crawling. From first comps in the late ...
Off-road icon, Casey Currie in Episode 303
Off-road icon, Casey Currie, joins Big Rich to trace a life lived on dirt – from a family compound of builders and racers to Dakar glory and beyond. Casey shares how a tight-knit Currie clan shaped his love for muscle cars, Jeeps and raci...
Adventure-seeker Dave Simpson on Episode 302
Big Rich sits down with lifelong off-roader and adventure seeker Dave Simpson to trace a journey that began as a 10-year-old pitting for Malcolm Smith at the 1970 Baja 1000 to now a board member of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame.·...
The Voice of WE Rock, Tacoma White rings in the new year in Episode 301
This week, Big Rich sits down with WE Rock announcer, longtime off-road advocate and friend, Tacoma White. From small-town New York to Utah’s vast public lands, Tacoma shares how punk rock, skate culture, and a love of tinkering led him into fo...
Rubicon Trail advocate, John Arenz on Episode 300
This week, Rich sits down with Rubicon Trail Foundation board member and Rubicon property owner, John Arenz. From high-adventure Scouting and early days as an EMT/paramedic in Oakland to a 30-year fire service career in Emeryville, John shares ...
The Flying Dutchman provides a masterclass in off-road on Episode 299
Big Rich sits down with ORMHOF inductee Dan VandenHeuvel—aka the Flying Dutchman—for a life-in-off-road masterclass spanning 40+ years of racing, building, promoting, and giving back.Listen in for the these highlights:· &nbs...
Boats, Baja, and Bolstering the Rebelle Rally with Brian Busby in Episode 298
Big Rich sits down with Brian Busby, the SoCal gearhead who turned a love of speed into a life in racing—and became “the fuel guy” for some of off-road’s biggest events.From San Clemente surf breaks near Nixon’s Western White House to wr...
Family, Firsts, and the Evolution of Rock Crawling with Joel Randall on Episode 297
In the finale of Joel Randall’s audiography, Joel and Rich revisit the explosive early-2000s growth of competitive rock crawling and the community that fueled it. Joel shares heartfelt stories of competing with his daughter Kristin in the first...
Ready for part two? Joel Randall picks up with a return to Nebraska in Episode 296
From Nebraska farm fields to the forefront of early rock crawling, Joel Randall picks up his story with Big Rich. After a turbulent childhood, Joel lands in Nebraska, builds a ’74 International 4x4, and falls hard for fabrication and off-road l...
From feral freedom to farm discipline, Joel Randall in Episode 295
This week, Big Rich sits down with Joel Randall, whose path to becoming an OG R-Gang rock crawler started far from ordinary. Pulled from school after third grade, Joel grew up on the move—living in an Airstream behind a 4x4 International Travel...
From Backyard Builds to Baja Wins with Jagged X’s Bill Schueler in Episode 294
Big Rich sits down with Jagged X Off-Road founder Bill Schueler to trace the journey from a Phoenix garage to the front lines of UTV racing and aftermarket innovation. Bill shares how his sons Justin and Brandon turned a high school hobby into ...
Episode 293 with RJ Jackman of the Idaho Vintage Jeep Rally
RJ Jackman of Pocatello, Idaho—flat-fender fanatic, trail leader, writer, and organizer of the Idaho Vintage Jeep Rally. RJ grew up riding dirt bikes with his grandpa’s Simplot-sponsored moto crew, exploring lava fields, caves, and old mines—fu...