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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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