King Randy Slawson kicks off Season 6 of Conversations of Big Rich – that’s episode 261. Hear about the sheltered kid who turned his aggression to the rocks. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
5:49 – I was extremely sheltered, kept away from the world until I got married and moved to California
12:11 – my dad was busy and he wasn’t into mechanical anything, so I didn’t have somebody to mentor me and teach me how to do stuff
19:34 – Seven of us went in five rigs and wheeled the Rubicon, if I wasn’t hooked before, I was definitely hooked after that.
27:47– At the time, I was way into the Toyota scene, I’d had 20 different Toyotas, most of them basket cases.
37:59 – I knew Marlin, but not well; I took him out to check out a weird noise, he was like, “Oh, Randy, I can’t believe the stress this transfer case is under. Oh, Randy…”
42:21 –I don’t want to call myself a know-it-all, but I just think that I can do it better.
46:34 – More power, more speed, that spoke to me. That was my style.
Special thanks to Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:01:13.160] – Big Rich Klein
This week’s guest has been doing Rock Sports about as long as I have. In fact, I think our first competitions were the same one. But he has won more races than I have. He is a fab guy of the highest degree, producing winning KOH cars. He’s worked a number of different businesses, and now he’s on his own. And my guest is Randy Slawson. Randy, it’s really good to have you on here.
[00:01:44.160] – Randy Slawson
It’s good to be here.
[00:01:45.560] – Big Rich Klein
So let’s talk about all things Randy Slawson. But let’s start with where were you born and raised?
[00:01:55.530] – Randy Slawson
Born and raised. So in 1977, I was born in Grants Pass, Oregon, and my parents weren’t there very long. They shortly moved to Gresham, Oregon, and then on to Tillamook, Oregon, I think by the time I was a year or so, we were in Tillamook, and I grew up there in cheese country.
[00:02:22.930] – Big Rich Klein
Chasing cows in the fields?
[00:02:25.770] – Randy Slawson
More cows than people.
[00:02:27.810] – Big Rich Klein
I’ve spent time in Tillamook. How long were you there for?
[00:02:33.340] – Randy Slawson
Well, I went to college in Walla Walla, Washington from ’99 to 2001, more or less. I summered back in Oregon. Then in 2001, I got married and we moved to Southern California, and I think I’ve been back twice.
[00:02:57.040] – Big Rich Klein
Okay. You’ve gotten rid of your web feet from being on the Coast of Oregon?
[00:03:02.750] – Randy Slawson
Yeah. Like I say, Tillamook is a good place to be from.
[00:03:06.380] – Big Rich Klein
Do you eat cheese?
[00:03:09.820] – Randy Slawson
Absolutely. I still love the Tillamook cheese.
[00:03:11.570] – Big Rich Klein
Makes sense. Is your family still there?
[00:03:15.900] – Randy Slawson
They’ve moved away as well. My folks were there for several years, but they moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Can’t say exactly when. It’s been close to 10 years ago, I think.
[00:03:29.890] – Big Rich Klein
It’s a beautiful area.
[00:03:31.460] – Randy Slawson
Yes.
[00:03:33.280] – Big Rich Klein
If I was going to move anywhere else in Idaho, besides our houses in Blackfoot, it would be Coeur d’Alene. Absolutely gorgeous.
[00:03:41.300] – Randy Slawson
Yeah. They’re actually on Hayden Lake, proper. They’ve got a house up on the hill that overlooks the Lake. It’s beautiful. Nice.
[00:03:54.370] – Big Rich Klein
So growing up in Tillamook, that’s about as rural as you can get. And what was school like? Was it where the class was pretty small?
[00:04:08.760] – Randy Slawson
Yes. I went to a Seventh Day Avenue private school. There was about 50 kids from first grade to 10th grade.
[00:04:19.370] – Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:04:19.500] – Randy Slawson
Very through my 10-year experience there, but that was more or less what it was.
[00:04:25.970] – Big Rich Klein
No sports per se?
[00:04:30.620] – Randy Slawson
We had a sports team. The only one that was official was basketball. I was the starting forward. I was not necessarily the biggest kid, but definitely the fastest kid. I was pretty aggressive back then.
[00:04:49.540] – Big Rich Klein
Which you still use today, at least when you’re driving.
[00:04:54.900] – Randy Slawson
Yeah, for sure. READ MORE
