Send us Fan Mail

Early Life & Background
Kim and Nathaniel grew up in rural Kentucky, meeting in high school with lockers across the hall from each other. They worked together at a local Winn-Dixie grocery store before college, where Nathaniel pursued psychology and Kim studied occupational therapy. Both eventually moved to the Lexington area after graduating.

Rise in Rock Crawling
The couple stumbled into competitive rock crawling through friends in Lexington, entering their first competition—NeuRock at Paragon in Pennsylvania—in a stock class YJ. Kim finished 3rd out of 30 competitors that year. They progressed quickly, building courses at EROC events, with Nathaniel becoming a head judge and Kim earning recognition as one of the few female competitors on the East Coast.

Competition Highlights
Their most memorable moment came in a rock race at Alabama where Kim flipped her buggy twice, landed on all fours, and continued without hesitation. They competed from 2003 to 2011, attending King of the Hammers twice and nearly finishing in Kim's second attempt with just 13 miles remaining. A serious injury at the Badlands early in their marriage reminded them of competition's risks.

Life After Competition
As they prioritized family and saw unlimited-class costs skyrocket, they retired from racing to start a family. Nathaniel discovered brewing, earning his certification and launching Next Level Brewing Company in December 2019. Kim remained in occupational therapy for 22+ years. Now they coach youth football, fish, and enjoy outdoor activities with their son Mason and three rescue boxers.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 for off-roading through family camping trips and motorcycle adventures.

After high school, Dan worked at a service station, became a stonemason, and held roles in insurance and automotive retail before joining Hinkley Dodge and Larry Miller as a technician. A knee injury forced a career pivot, leading him to pursue his longtime passion: fine art at Salt Lake Community College. He later worked in video game development for Sculpture Software, contributing to the successful WWF War Zone title before the studio closed.

Today, Dan is known as "Bronco Dan" for his high-end early Bronco builds and his work with Venom Aire—an innovative ducted fan system designed to improve fuel efficiency. Testing shows 10–25% fuel mileage improvements across various vehicles, plus horsepower gains up to 40 HP in mid-range. The system features affordability, simple installation, EPA-friendly emissions reduction, and no required remapping.

Partnered with ProForm, Venom Aire is pursuing CARB certification for broader market access. Dan emphasizes product quality, welcomes critical testing, and encourages interested customers to contact him directly or visit www.venomaire.com for details and testimonials.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 ventures.

Paul started by rebuilding Raptor shocks when demand exceeded Fox's turnaround time. Developed an exchange system, expanded to a shop in Loomis, and created shock guards, alignment kits, IWE silicone lines, and his signature cabin air filter kit. He recently opened a new company in Reno focused on cabin air filters and ongoing truck development.

Paul’s authorship includes publishing Overwhelmed: Time to Reset, part of the Neural Reset series on neuroplasticity and mindset retraining. He created Doom Scroller's Handbook based on corporate culture shock and Authored comprehensive Raptor generation guides and Dirt Logs—off-road journals for documenting trail adventures.

What’s next – listen in and find out!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 School of Automotive Machinists and into AJ Foyt’s IndyCar program—handling front-end setups, meticulous wiring, and pit crew duties. After seven intense years in pro racing, he returned home to launch Black Smoke Garage, where his imagination meets metal across hot rods, off-road rigs, mini boats, and more.

Highlights of the show include the IndyCar years and life on the road; the one-man, high-craft Black Smoke Garage; and ground-up restorations.  Where he’s headed includes compact transfer cases with front/rear clutches and innovation.  Jonas’ philosophy includes safety-first, practical performance, and making pro-grade tech more accessible. 

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 in an Isuzu Trooper before wrenching on a K5 Blazer and falling hard for Land Cruisers. After 9/11, Adam joined the Marine Corps as a motor transport mechanic; post-service he ran a landscaping business, then supported military aircraft logistics before finding his way home to the Forest Service.

It’s exciting to highlight a Forest Service employee who wheels just like the rest of us.  Adam shares some insight into what the job entails and how you can stay out of trouble in his jurisdiction.   Be sure to listen close, good stories ensue.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 school and early work converting fleets to natural gas. That tech savvy set the stage for a pivotal chapter: wiring fuel injection for the Campbells—starting with Shannon’s legendary “Pinky”—and ultimately spotting alongside Shannon through ARCA, WeRock, UROC, ProRock, and more.

Mike shares the stories that led him to a well-earned retirement. Shout-outs to Arizona off-road stalwarts: the Campbells, Rob Bonney, Ian Liljeblad, Randy Ellis, and more.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 a life-reset at 50, Don shares how setbacks forged a family-run brand that’s now a national name in steering and suspension.

Don’s story is a masterclass in grit: lean into faith, serve the community, build cool parts that work—and have fun on the trail. 

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 outdoors turned into a lifestyle and multi-faceted career.

From the early years of skiing, boating, and bikes to his first Jeep Wrangler; Andrew always jumps in with both feet. He’s built a business empire with Letz Roll Off-Road at the lead, adding Let’s Roll Venture Rentals, LM1—Letz Roll Metalworks (manufacturing) and many more. Partnerships over sponsorships and team-first culture that matters in off-road. Listen in as Andrew shares the good stuff.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 art at UT Austin, and dove headfirst into off-roading by co-founding the Longhorn Off-Road Club. After early shop experience and the dot-com bust, he launched Crawltex (2006), helping grow Texas’ wheeling scene with everything from bolt-ons to axle and engine swaps.

Cameron shares first desert race memories supporting a Hooters-backed team at the Baja 500, a white-knuckle Rally America win as a co-driver, and candid thoughts on King of the Hammers. A move to Las Vegas for his wife’s NICU career led to Nefarious Customs, where he expanded into high-end restomods and desert builds. Now back in Texas, Cameron juggles shops in Vegas, Austin, and the Houston area, focusing on frame-off Scouts, a tube-chassis LS-swapped Porsche Targa for his dad, classic Chevy and Camaro builds, and more—while nurturing his kids’ budding interest in motorsports 

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

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 Stroppe, Josh recounts early Jeep and Bronco days, Riverside memories, and an unforgettable Baja 1000 chase van run to La Paz before the pavement existed.

So many memories, from Hummer highs to GM’s bankruptcy lows, followed by an Australasian Safari that sparked international ambitions. Josh has spent years scouting Nevada by mapbook, permits and camp life, and continues to help share the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame that his father resurrected.

Support the show