Fast N’ Loud’s Richard Rawlings has paid tribute to former co-star Aaron Kaufman as the series returns to Discovery for Season 5.
We told earlier today how the Bearded Wonder is set to star in a new show on the network next year called Shifting Gears after leaving Gas Monkey Garage at the end of last season.
In the premiere of Fast N’ Loud Season 5, Rawlings acknowledges that Kaufman was the “backbone” of his company for more than a decade. He also recently congratulated Kaufman on landing his new show.
And in an interview with Guide Live last month he said of Aaron’s time at Gas Monkey: “He did a great job here, and I hope he kills it.”
However, in the Fast N’ Loud premiere also tells his coworkers that the fact Kaufman left the company does not mean Gas Monkey does not have a bright future.
He says: “We’re embarking on a little new territory for Gas Monkey. I mean, Aaron’s gone and there was more than a decade where he was basically the backbone of this company and, quite frankly, a lot of naysayers, especially on the old interwebs are saying ‘Oh, Gas Monkey’s going under’…and it’s not the truth.
“What they don’t know is that we all designed and built the cars as a team. It wasn’t a one-man show and it wasn’t a one-man shop. Gas Monkey’s still here and going strong, now we’ve just got to prove it. Let’s just build something kick-ass and put it out there and make some money.
He adds: “As far as our ass being on the line, it does suck but I don’t want anybody to feel like it’s a ‘woe is me’ type situation.” And he jokily says in a rallying cry: “Onward and upward, sons!”
The premiere of Fast N’ Loud sees the new Gas Monkey era start with a BIG challenge — as Richard tasks his crew with turning a 1973 Chevy P30 Step Van into a hot-rod for their first build.
Fast N’ Loud airs Mondays at 9/8c on Discovery.