The Adam Carolla Show: Richard Rawlings’ Road to Success + Tim Hardaway on Why Kids Today Are Softer

Episode Date: November 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Adam Carolla Show features a candid, wide-ranging conversation with Richard Rawlings, the founder of Gas Monkey Garage and star of Fast N’ Loud, followed by an insightful segment with legendary NBA point guard Tim Hardaway Sr. The discussions traverse topics from humble beginnings and entrepreneurial grit to generational shifts in work ethic, parenting, sports, and personal growth. True to Carolla’s style, the tone is direct, humorous, and often nostalgic.

Richard Rawlings: From Blue Collar Hustle to Brand Master (02:56–59:42)

Early Hustle and Humble Beginnings (03:29–09:36)

• Rawlings reflects on his upbringing:

  • Father worked as a produce manager at Piggly Wiggly; “I like to say I’m as white trash as it gets. Because my birth certificate says Piggly Wiggly.” (05:34–05:45)
  • Learned the value of hard work and saving: "My dad instilled into me hard work ... I don’t ever want you to have to work as hard as I do.” (06:11–06:30)
  • Threw newspapers with his dad, saved half his earnings, tithed 10% to church, filed taxes at age 12. (07:56–08:33)

• Work as a cop and fireman:

  • Joined police and fire departments in Texas as a teenager. Survived being shot during a carjacking at age 22 (10:07–13:31).
  • On the life-changing moment: "I think not having the gun with me that night saved my life … I would have hesitated another couple of seconds … I'd probably be dead." (11:54–12:10)

Entrepreneurial Drive, Risk-Taking, and Gas Monkey’s Genesis (13:41–22:33)

• Leaving steady work: Rawlings describes leaving public service, breaking the mold:
  "I had an entrepreneurial bug, and it was one of the first times I ever saw my dad actually cry, is when I quit." (13:47–14:11)

• First success — branded wipe towels for carwashes: Turned skepticism into orders from 900 carwashes at a Las Vegas trade show (16:04–16:39).

  • "You're gonna sell towels to a car wash?" — On proving the doubters wrong.

• Brand-building and TV break: Used advertising/branding skills in Dallas before pursuing car TV; identified the lack of family-focused car shows. (17:51–19:45)

  • “They’re missing the family element … missing the fun factor.” (18:01–18:14)

• Show creation and TV industry skepticism:

  • Recounts struggling through eight years to sell Gas Monkey as a TV concept.
  • On perseverance: “All the successful people I know just have a sort of … personal momentum … they just go forward all the time.” (20:18–20:41)

The Changing Business of Cars and Creative Autonomy (22:08–40:22)

• Media gatekeepers and autonomy:

  • On TV execs: "They're basically just a bunch of fucking assholes and they suck." (22:08–22:27)
  • Why he walked away: “Those guys, I’ve found, don’t contribute anything. … They hate that the old system is gone because they’re getting paid from a system that they didn’t…” (23:27–24:42)

• YouTube & new business model: Now a direct-to-fan creator with more viewership than Discovery Channel days. “We’re bigger, we’re stronger, we’re better … more viewers than I had on Discovery on prime time.” (24:42–24:58)

• Car culture trends:

  • Customizing higher-value cars (e.g., Testarossas, Porsches), referencing Singer and Gunther Works. (38:25–38:47)
  • Rawlings’s own innovations: electric, center-drive Testarossa, six-wheel builds. "We're going to be 2.2 [seconds 0–60 mph]." (43:17–43:20)
  • The appeal and controversy of electrifying classics: "I don't have a problem with it … people used to be against the V8." (44:06–44:48)

Brand Expansion and Legacy (49:14–59:42)

• Gas Monkey Garage Giveaways:
  • Latest: 2026 ZR1 Corvette with over 1,000hp. "Whoever ... wins ... we'll deliver it to them on Christmas Day." (49:14–49:35)
• Giving Back: Stories of previous winners, including one who used cash option for life-saving surgery (52:13–52:58)
• Other ventures: Garage Beer (partnered with the Kelsey brothers, expansion to all 50 states), tequila, energy drinks, restaurants (Gas Monkey Ice House, Sturgis, new Texas locations).
• Reflection on Autonomy: “If I never have to go to California again in my life, I’m super happy with that.” (58:43)
• Rawlings’s pride: Being able to take care of his father in a quality facility; balancing success with humility (27:34–28:10).
• Final plug: “Gas Monkey Garage on YouTube is where they need to be. … It’s still the number one automotive motorcycle lifestyle show in the world.” (59:13–59:34)

Tim Hardaway Sr.: Old-School Toughness and the Softer Generation (63:49–103:55)

Childhood, Grit, and Making Your Own Fun (63:59–73:59)

• Growing up in Chicago:
  • “We didn’t have all this social media … we had to make our own fun. … Block against block, stuff like that.” (63:59–64:54)
  • Adam relates his SoCal childhood; both agree “just poor,” making do, and improvising games. (68:39–70:13)
• Contrast with kids today:
  • “Kids today grow with a silver spoon in their mouth, which — we want that for our kids.” (63:59–64:54)
  • “A lot of these kids today don’t have that structure to understand how to become a man at that particular time in their lives.” (73:59)

Generational Differences: Independence and Drive (75:01–77:17)

• On driver’s licenses as a rite of passage:
  • “They don’t even care if they get their driver’s license. ... That’s when I realized they weren’t desperate to get out like we were … Independence, break away, autonomy.” (75:01–76:17)
  • Hardaway notes his children did want to get out—they were used to active family life and travel.

Family, Responsibility, and Basketball Origins (71:37–84:26)

• Family hardships:
  • On his father’s alcoholism and abuse: “We were scared of him … basketball was the way out for me … My mom finally got away from him.” (71:37–73:59)
  • Became the man of the house in 6th grade, cared for much younger brother.
• Basketball as salvation: Practiced alone, tough childhood as crucible for NBA success. "Kids today ... insult my intelligence when they say they can't go out there and work on their game by themselves ... I became a Hall of Famer by doing it." (66:18–68:03)

Transition to NBA: Physicality, Mindset, Criticism (84:54–94:51)

• On college-to-NBA and types of criticism:
  • “You’re playing against grown men … sometimes a lot of guys come in thinking they got it figured out already …” (85:40–87:10)
  • “I took it as constructive criticism … I listened to them, because you never knew when somebody tell you something that might happen to your life, and probably I say about 50% of things that people have told me has happened in my life.” (90:17–91:03)
  • On not bragging, staying grounded: “You let us brag on you. … I shut up right then and there.” (91:05–93:21)

Work Ethic, Imitation, and Winning (96:07–103:44)

• NBA as improv/jazz: Basketball, especially offense, is about improvisation and quick decision-making; compared to jazz and comedy. (96:07–97:52)

• Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant: Relentless work ethic. “A lot of things people don’t know about Michael [Jordan], he did not say one word. … Only thing he says, we got to get better.” (99:07–100:24)

• On taking criticism and improvement: “When they stop talking to you, that’s when you’re in trouble.” (89:59–90:00)

• Winning as the point:

  • “If you want to win … if you own the team to win instead of it being a business, like Kobe, he was on the team to win. Michael was on the team to win.” (102:48–103:02)
  • “It’s a better business when you do win.” (103:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Richard Rawlings:

  • “I like to say I’m as white trash as it gets. Because my birth certificate says Piggly Wiggly.” (05:34)
  • “All the successful people I know just have a sort of … personal momentum. … They just go forward all the time.” (20:18)
  • “We’re bigger, we’re stronger, we’re better. We got more viewers than I had on Discovery on prime time Monday nights.” (24:42)
  • “I’m first and foremost a branding and business guy. … What I found was the secret sauce that I didn’t know going into it is because I don’t technically do what they do, … this is a match made in heaven.” (34:19–34:58)

• Tim Hardaway Sr.:

  • “Kids today grow with a silver spoon … which — we want that for our kids.” (63:59)
  • "When kids tell me that they can't work on their games by themselves, that's just insulting my intelligence because I went out there and done it and I became a Hall of Famer by doing it." (66:18)
  • "When they stop talking to you, that's when you're in trouble. That means they've thrown in the towel." (89:59)

• Adam Carolla:

  • “People had to kind of know where the limits were, what you would do, what you wouldn’t do. … You just left. And you made your own fun and you skinned your own knees.” (69:08–70:13)
  • “I think we spend a little too much time talking about people being blessed … and not enough about the work ethic.” (100:24)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Richard Rawlings conversation begins: 02:56

• Discussion of Rawlings being shot: 10:07–13:31

• Entrepreneurial breakthrough and Gas Monkey origin: 16:04–19:45

• On the TV show grind and media business: 20:18–24:58

• Electric Testarossa build and custom cars: 40:03–43:31

• Rawlings on his priorities and dad: 27:34–28:10

• Gas Monkey giveaways & impact stories: 49:14–53:12

• Tim Hardaway Sr. interview begins: 63:49

• On childhood and generational changes: 63:59–73:59

• Hardaway's thoughts on motivation, responsibility: 71:37–73:59

• On NBA toughness and humility: 84:54–94:51

• Improv, creativity and winning in sports: 96:07–103:44

• Closing remarks: 103:44

Final Thoughts

This episode spotlights two self-made guests who both channeled adversity into achievement. Rawlings’ journey underscores grit, hustle, and the power of personal branding; Hardaway laments the lost art of “making your own fun” while championing resilience and listening to criticism as fuel for success. Whether in business, cars, or basketball, the message: Find your lane, outwork the next guy, take feedback, and keep moving forward.

For fresh Gas Monkey content:
Gas Monkey Garage on YouTube

Tim Hardaway Sr.’s book:
Killer Crossover: My Life from the Chicago Streets to Basketball Royalty

This detailed recap is for listeners looking for key themes, classic Carolla banter, practical wisdom, and the indelible voices of two American originals.