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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.

·       Pouring fuel for Malcolm Smith

·       Debuting his own race program at the 1977 Baja 500

·       Class 30 SCORE points champion on a KX500 in 1995

·       From Dad’s auto parts store to Rancho Suspension

·       Nineteen years with aFe Power

·       Camel trophy across South America

·       The WARN Adventure in Turkey/Africa

·       Summiting Kilimanjaro

Listen in as Dave tells of travels and adventures around the world.

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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 four-wheel drives, land-use battles, and a front-row seat to competitive rock crawling.

A candid, funny, and passionate look at community, access, and honoring off-road history—one preserved rig and trail at a time.

Highlights: 

-            Land use advocacy: Utah Four Wheel Drive Association board/president, Tread Lightly Master Trainer, county/BLM collaboration, the constant fight for access 

-            WE Rock origin story: judging at Miller Motorsports Park to becoming the series’ voice; why the stock classes and family campfires define the sport’s magic 

-            Tacoma acquires the late Creighton King’s CJ7 competition rig—restoring it as a true early-2000s time capsule 

Tacoma was an integral part of the WE Rock family for years, he retired from announcing when Big Rich retired from WE Rock.

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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 how the Rubicon became his lifelong anchor—every summer since 1983.

Along with his personal history, John Arenz shares the Rubicon Trail Foundations stance on the re-route – why it’s necessary and who’s in charge. With John’s history, he goes in-depth into the politics surrounding the Rubicon Trail.

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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:

·       First Crandon experience and the DIY beginnings

·       The legendary first race

·       Evolution of safety and tech

·       The rise and reshuffling of Midwest short course: SODA, CORR, World Series, TORC, and Lucas Oil 

·       Promoting events in Oshkosh and Antigo, and the hard realities of venues, neighbors, and budgets 

·       The power of volunteers and community glue at tracks like Crandon 

·       and MORE!!

If you enjoy stories of grit, ingenuity, and heart, this one’s a keeper. 

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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 wrenching through ROP, Brian shares how a 16-year-old with a Baja Bug ended up racing everything from Class 8 to Trophy Truck and Class 1 (including a 2019 championship). Hear about his first official race—the 1987 Baja 500 that lasted two miles—his drag boat days piloting “Bad Idea” hydros, and the heart-stopping moments riding with Dale Dondel and surviving a 110-mph roll with Brandon Arthur.

Brian also dives into his 17-year Mercedes-Benz career as a specialty engineer (including authoring a global TSB), his pivot to racing fuels, and scaling a small shop into a West Coast powerhouse supplying F&L, VP, and Sunoco—before landing at Merritt Oil and helping launch Fuel Factory across the Western states and Mexico.

Don’t miss the backstory of the Rebelle Rally: the cold, chaotic first year, how fueling 50 teams turned into fueling an entire city-on-wheels, and the now-legendary Busby Games—born from “Busbyland” and officially part of Rebelle lore.

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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 Women’s National Rock Crawling Championship, the legendary Vernal controversy with Walker Evans, and the game-changing arrival of sticky tires. He dives into team-building the “farm way,” recruiting his daughters’ high school friends into a full-on pit crew, and the behind-the-scenes hustle with partner Anita that helped elevate the sport’s professionalism.

Post-competition, Joel turns wrenches with his daughters on rat rods, celebrates hands-on learning, and shares advice for newcomers: follow your passion, support your kids’ pursuits, and embrace the community.

We appreciate Joel’s willingness to share all the crazy stories, if you haven’t heard episodes one and two, it’s not too late!

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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 life. He dives into mud drags and promoting Midwest mud events, then recounts wild tales—like hauling a 60-foot houseboat across Nebraska and detonating big-blocks on nitrous.

Joel shares the moment rock crawling hooked him: meeting Morris Hansen, wheeling Moab’s Metal Masher solo, and instantly bonding with Ron “Wild Oats” Pepper before joining magazine runs with off-road legends. He traces the rise of “R-club,” the Currie connection, and how shiny, well-built Jeeps earned respect on the gnarliest trails from Moab to Las Cruces.

The episode digs into the birth of organized rockcrawling: the 1998 Las Cruces event (ESPN, cones, and chaos), early results (Jeff/Morris win; Joel 4th), and the rapid evolution from trail rigs to competition machines. Joel talks sponsorships, building a team semi on a shoestring, TV exposure, and the bittersweet shift from family wheeling to full-time competition.

Stay tuned for Part 3 coming next week!

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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-All, camping in Baja and the Tonto, reloading shells by age seven, and learning survival skills during his family’s doomsday-prep phase. 

A cross-country odyssey led to communes, holistic doctors, and the Santa Fe Free School Community—an egalitarian, hands-on “free school” that doubled as a commune. Joel thrived building wind-powered go-karts, raiding government surplus auctions, and even serving as a “theatrical prop” in anti-war protests. 

The family later settled in Chimayó, NM, where Joel helped hand-build an adobe addition—hauling vigas, quarrying flagstone, and working with Santa Clara Pueblo craftsmen. After his parents’ divorce, Joel bounced between unconventional schooling and real-world hustles: statewide Roto-Rooter setup at 13, flea-market flipping, dinner-theater bartending at 15, wild street races, and an infamous teen road trip to Vegas—all before a move to Nebraska, where his rancher-grandfather became a steadying force and mentor. 

From feral freedom to farm discipline, Joel’s early life forged the grit and ingenuity he’d later bring to competitive rock crawling. 

More of Joel’s story next week – don’t skip this one; it’s wild! 

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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 Jagged X, the early Rhino craze, and the fateful call from Polaris that put them on the map—leading to the first-ever desert race for the Polaris RZR.

Highlights: 

- Chicago roots to Arizona life: construction, dispatching, and launching a successful transportation brokerage. 

- The backyard beginnings of Jagged X: lifted golf carts, early Yamaha Rhinos, and magazine features. 

- Polaris partnership: becoming an aftermarket development partner and fielding one of the first RZR race cars.

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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—fueling a lifetime of off-road adventure 

Event spotlight—Idaho Vintage Jeep Rally - Free, low-friction, three-day gathering in Pocatello each August includes a Friday evening meet-and-greet, Saturday scenic trail + potluck, Sunday trail (Shelley Rocks/“Blackfoot Dump” or Lake Channel dunes); Vintage preferred (flat-fenders welcome), but all Jeeps play a role—newer rigs often sweep or help with recoveries - No registration, no fees: just show up, be helpful, and expect vapor lock, fuel pump fixes, and 45-mph 

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