RELATED STORY - NEED FOR NOSTALGIC T-SHIRTS HAS FUELED RED-LINE SHIRT CLUB'S SUCCESS

Scott Bathurst estimates he has 200 clients monthly for his popular Classic Graphix t-shirt brand, and staying on top of customer demands can be challenging. So what does the popular King of T-shirts do to help his cause? He's added another 700 or so clients.

Bathurst recently purchased the Red Line Shirt Club, a program that provides collector t-shirts monthly to its subscribers.

The Red Line Shirt Club was the brainchild of Randy Ranew, a former drag strip operator. Ranew passed in June 2021 after a brave battle with cancer.

Behind the scenes, Bathurst helped Ranew's wife, Suzan, as she kept her husband's passion running. The conversation came up about Bathurst taking over. He knew the time had come to keep a friend's vision moving forward. "It was a natural fit for me, so I thought, 'What the heck, I could work more hours," Bathurst admitted.

So how does the Redline Shirt Club work?

The Red Line Shirt Club is a membership club, and for $24 monthly dues, its members get a new vintage drag racing shirt, pre-1985

"I don't really know what shirt you're getting each month, but everybody gets the same shirt in December," Bathurst explained. "One, a new design is done, and it goes to every member, and each month your card is hit for $24 and then the shirt goes out, and the next month it'll be a whole new design."

Drag racing t-shirts have been a part of Bathurst's life for as long as he can remember.

"Started in the garage as a hobby back in 1988, making T-shirts for all the old drag strips around Southern California that have been closed down," Bathurst said. "We would go out to the automotive swap meets and sell them out of the back of the truck."

Then his Prince Charming walked up one day.

"I met Tom McEwen at a car show, and I started buying T-shirts from him and selling them at the shows," Bathurst said. "And then I got a call from Ed McCulloch when he had the Miller High Life car, and they had just run 5.13 down in Texas, and he called me up and said, 'Hey, I heard you're the new guy doing T-shirts."

"I'm like, 'Who the hell is this?"

"He's like, 'Oh, Ed the Ace McCulloch. I got your number from McEwen."

And, just like that, Bathurst became the t-shirt supplier to the stars and a growing client list that expanded to include Kenny Bernstein, Darrell Gwynn, Scotty Cannon, and many more.

One of the most critical lessons Bathurst has learned is the value of a quick turnaround.

"We've got two big automatics that can run 4 or 500 shirts an hour," Bathurst explained. "We have three embroidering machines that'll each sew eight hats at a time. But the size of the building, 19,000 square feet in Los Angeles County, you've got to move product to pay for the building."

The addition of the Red Line Shirt Club to what can be an overwhelming portfolio is something Bathurst is excited to get underway.

"We just shipped our first shirts, and I am excited," Bathurst said. "It's a fun deal, and we hope more and more drag racing fans will get involved. I am excited to ensure Randy's dream keeps going."

To join the RedLine Shirt Club - CLICK HERE