The man behind the business that propped up one of the highest-rated Discovery Channel reality TV series, “Fast N’ Loud,” now owns a business called CRYPTOTONIC, and millions of fans around the world are wondering one thing: ‘Why would he get into crypto?’ The formerly omnipresent cryptocurrency craze seems to have died down in recent years, and for good reason, as ‘crypto scam’ is the phrase in which this word has been used most extensively overall.
Mechanically minded and undisputably great at what he does, Richard Rawlings has built a name that vibrates with the roar of engines and the glint of polished chrome in the world of automotive restoration and entertainment. His career is a mosaic of bold ventures and high-octane pursuits, evidenced even by his first few odd jobs, having entered the workforce as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, and paramedic.
However, it wasn’t long before he shifted gears, recognizing that his true passion lay in the automotive industry. In 1999 he laid down what would become an empire in the automotive world by establishing Lincoln Press – a printing and advertising company. This venture was the fuel that powered his entrepreneurial spirit, but it was just the beginning. He launched Gas Monkey Garage out of Dallas in 2002, and caught the eye of Discovery Channel’s producers by revitalizing classic automobiles, and turning rust into gold.
It would definitely raise eyebrows if someone like that were to suddenly foray into crypto, as it seems like a massive detour off the beaten path of his automotive empire. The world of cryptocurrency is a digital landscape, a far cry from the tool-in-hand grease and metal that Rawlings has built his life around.
Richard’s brand is based on the visceral experience of automotive restoration – the smell of gasoline, the feel of a wrench, the sound of an engine coming to life. His expertise is grounded in the physical world, which is a complete opposite to the ephemeral nature of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. The crypto industry is a complex web of intangible assets, where value is often speculative and the market’s volatility can make a rollercoaster seem like a leisurely drive. In essence, Rawlings suddenly pivoting into crypto is like a classic car enthusiast trading in a Mustang for a fleet of virtual race cars. It’s a shift from the concrete to the conceptual, from the showroom to the server room.
All that’s without even considering the bottom-of-the-barrel reputation that thousands of scams and defrauded billions have meshed to conjure up in the mind of just about anyone on the internet nowadays. The prime example is obviously Sam Bankman-Fried, or SBF for short, but best known as ‘The Crypto King,’ who on 28 March 2024 was sentenced to 25 years in prison and an $11 billion forfeiture for fraud.
His strategy was a reinvented Ponzi scheme, in which he would use complicated expressions to seem smart and use the money of new investors to pay off old ones at high margins. Once enough so-called profits were evidently made from what he peddles, word got around that there was this amazing new way of making free money by just paying and waiting a bit. As millions jumped the gun and poured their life savings into his wallet, Sam just took it all and made off with $8 billion.
Now, the main difference between SBF and most other celebrities who have ever talked about crypto is that the former created his own, while generally it’s just about persuading people to invest in a particular cryptocurrency as per a contract, and benefit from either a fixed rate or in dividends depending on how many they can persuade. All of these rely on the promise of Bitcoin, which was valued at 0.0009% of $1 in its early days, and now stands as high as $70,000.
So, what better way to get someone to trust your product than pay a person they know and respect to market it? Untold billions were scammed out of unsuspecting social media users this way, but prudent celebrities have done well to steer clear of ruining their reputation and sometimes entire careers this way, especially in the last few years. With all of that said, it appears simply ludicrous for Rawlings to risk everything he built to try and be another SBF, and that’s exactly why he isn’t.
Grab life by the horn… err… antlers 🤣🤘 pic.twitter.com/Wy7LIcN0Ig
— Richard Ray Rawlings (@RRRawlings) August 22, 2023
Upon closer inspection of Richard’s trademark details, it becomes apparent that the ‘crypto’ part refers to goods made for use in virtual worlds, in this case drinkware, headwear, clothing and accessories that 3D characters would wear in an artificial environment, such as the Metaverse. Another two CRYPTOTONIC trademarks are registered under the Rawlinger Holdings, LLC name – one selling real-life alcoholic beverages, and another offering clothing that represents the brand.
While one can claim with some confidence that Richard could’ve chosen a much less confusing name for his real-life and virtual brand, it’s far from the case that he’s dealing with anything resembling a cryptocurrency. To tell the entire truth, Richard has been expanding to a number of businesses over the last few years, and CRYPTOTONIC is just his January 2022 project. He also registered TACOS N’ TIRES in January 2023 – both for organizing automotive-related events, and selling merchandise that further promotes the brand.
In February 2023, he added the SUPER RICH COLLECTIVE to his business portfolio, yet another clothing brand that, unlike the previous two, offers a wider range of products, even including sunglasses. The main reason that people become confused is because he’s yet to develop these names to even a modicum of the extent that Gas Monkey Garage enjoys, and so CRYPTOTONIC doesn’t even have a dedicated website yet, which lends itself to significant puzzlement whenever the name pops up.
Rawlings’ fans can rest easy knowing that he’s still pursuing the dream of cultivating the most prestigious name in automotive restorations full-time, and even these unrelated pop-ups are expected to be tied to the main brand in the future.