Men dominated the world of street racing, but Mallory Gulley has been the talk of the town ever since she joined the cast of Discovery Channel’s reality television series, “Street Outlaws: Memphis.” This spin-off series from “Street Outlaws” was led by JJ Da Boss, and premiered in 2018. Mallory easily won the hearts of the viewing public, as she navigated her way in the street racing scene. Her absence in the fifth season of the series was felt, and her fans were left wondering what had happened.
About Mallory Gulley
Mallory Gully is a native of Arkansas. When she was young, she considered a new gun and a bow to be the best Christmas gifts she received, as she enjoyed hunting. She had a dog named Max and considered him her favorite hunting, swimming, and snuggling buddy. Mallory went all out for Max, celebrating his birthday with a lot of fanfare, and had been a constant in her Instagram postings. She went to Arkansas State University for her education.
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On her Instagram posts, she often talked about her parents as being the best and coolest. Her father, Kenneth Gulley, is a race car driver, and drives a Chevy S-10 pickup truck, Bounty Hunter, so named as a nod to his profession as a bail bondsman – the family owns Gulley Bail Bonds, KEG Towing, and Keg Motorsports, which her mother Cari Gulley helped run. When Mallory’s not busy racing, she works as a bail bond agent, and models their company merchandise. Her younger sister Natalie, is a licensed aesthetician, and works at Carbon Skin and Wellness in Jonesboro; she married her longtime boyfriend in November 2021. Mallory has a close relationship with her sister, and they are each other’s best friends. They never fail to celebrate National Siblings Day and express how they love and support each other.
As for her love interest, she doesn’t have one right now, or if ever she has, it’s not Instagram official. The last time she shared a relationship through social media was back in high school.
“Street Outlaws: Memphis”
Street racing is an unsanctioned and often highly dangerous form of car racing on public roads. There was much interest in the sport, so videos of the Oklahoma City street racers went viral. Pilgrim Studios approached the group via their website Midwest Street Cars, and cast them for the reality show they were producing for Discovery Channel. “Street Outlaws” premiered on 10 June 2013, led by Justin Shearer, known as Big Chief.
It became a huge success, as it delved into the world that was once a well-guarded secret. Not all car enthusiasts or those interested in street racing in the area were privy to information on where racing events were held. People were naturally thrilled to see the cars, the races, and the personalities involved, however, being on television also attracted the attention of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
The governing body of drag racing warned their members that should they participate in a race in “Street Outlaws,” they would become ineligible for the organization’s racing events. Somehow, Big Chief ironed things out with them, and later made a public service announcement that was aimed at dissuading others from engaging in illegal racing. It was said that the production was able to secure permission from the city where they filmed the races that were featured on the show, and that every race was done in a controlled environment with safety protocols in place. In case of a car crash, there was an ambulance on standby to take the drivers to the nearest medical facility.
The OKC crew has a famous list of the fastest cars and best drivers, as they raced against each other not only for money but for bragging rights too.
They also traveled to other cities to challenge the fastest driver in the area. In season eight of the series aired in 2016, the 405 guys went to Memphis to compete against JJ Da Boss – real name Jonathan Day – and his crew. The racing was quite intense, as Team Memphis gave them more than they bargained for. It wasn’t a one-time deal, as the rivals continued to battle it out for the rightful title of being the fastest.
The Memphis team soon had their own following, and Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group produced the spin-off series entitled “Street Outlaws: Memphis” (MSO) to put the spotlight on them; it first aired on 15 January 2018 on the Discovery Channel. The MSO gang was comprised mostly of JJ Da Boss’ family and friends; Mallory’s father was with them from the beginning.
Unlike the 405 team, they didn’t have a list and they didn’t race against each other; they have a brotherhood. They aren’t a family by blood, but by choice. JJ said, ‘This is how we ride, if you need a race part and if we got it, it’s yours – one for all and all for one.’
In Memphis, they have their own way of doing things on the street: arm drop, water burnout only, and chase-is-a-race action, which means that if one jumped and the other one gave chase, then it’s a race. They are available whenever someone comes to challenge them, and they put everything on the line for the hustle of the race, but make it known that they are ‘trying to beat ya, not cheat ya.’ JJ Da Boss’ mantra: ‘Money don’t make a man. Man makes money.’
Season one of the series was all about proving that the MSO team was the fastest out there. They invited the biggest names in street racing to come to their town to race for money, and those who heeded the call included from Missouri, Ohio, and Kentucky. For their season finale, they had what they called JJ’s Arm Drop Race in which Memphis drivers competed against each other and the top racers in the country – Mallory’s father and his Bounty Hunter lost to Danny Thomas and his ’67 Camaro in round one.
For the final round, it was between JJ Da Boss with his car named Prostitute, and his wife Tricia Day with Ziptie, a ’67 Chevy II Nova with a 327 small block that can run on small or big tires.
In Memphis, it was not just the men who were the best on the street; their women have earned a reputation of being badasses as well. JJ’s cousin Precious Cooper, for one, has been racing since she was in her early 20’s, and has since earned the nickname, “Queen of the Streets.” Her first car was called Puddle Jumper, and she can drive anything off the trailer to the street race. She received a ’69 Chevelle as a birthday gift, but loves Ziptie. Tricia, nicknamed Midget, drives a 1963 Chevy II Nova called Heifer; it has a big block with a power glide. She has also won races driving other cars in JJ’s garage. The biggest prize money she bagged with the Heifer was $32,000, against a street racer from Detroit. Mallory has been known to the audience as the ‘Money Girl’, as she’s been the one awarding the prize money to the winners. JJ gave her the nickname Molly and that was what all the Memphis family has been calling her.
Mallory’s first race
She has been following in the footsteps of her father, and was starting to compete in races as a member of Team Memphis. In her first race, she drove JJ’s Ole Heavy, a ’49 Chevy pick-up truck during JJ’s Arm Drop Race in West Virginia. She now has her own car, a ’65 Chevy II Nova with a 327 small block engine; it’s colored purple and named the Ugly Duckling or Ugly Duck; she was fondly called Molly Duck after she got her car.
In season four, the MSO team raced against the guys from Kentucky led by Quinn Shireman. By this time, their opponent knew everything about them, their cars, and their capabilities. JJ observed that Quinn didn’t bring his friends, but brought guys he believed could beat each member of his team, so to shake things up a bit, he changed the order of the drivers. They were betting on each race with total bets of $13,200.
Mallory was still new to racing, and JJ felt that it would be best if she would be last on the list.
There was much pressure on her, as it was her first time to race against an outsider, and with a thousand dollars at stake. JJ and Tricia gave her last-minute advice and she felt she could win this. Her opponent, Shane Embry with his ’91 Camaro jumped it, which meant he started the race without the flagger giving the sign but since Mallory gave chase, it was considered a race. JJ explained to her what happened but was proud of her even if she didn’t win. They raced again but she still lost, clearly showing her lack of experience. She knew she still had a lot to learn but her Memphis family was there to help her. That night was a success with the MSO team, taking $10,000 of the Kentucky team’s money.
Her father was proud that she has become a street racer like him. He along with JJ and Tricia continued to mentor Mallory, and she’s putting in the work to improve her skills. She also said that fellow racer Chelsea Day, JJ’s daughter-in-law, has been her inspiration. Mallory was tasked to familiarize herself with her car and what it can do, so that she can get a better handle on it when she’s on the street.
Her hard work paid off, as she won against a street racer from Virginia with $200 at stake for her third official race.
There were times Mallory would ride along with her dad during his race, as well as race against him for fun. Her mom and her sister would often come and support her and her dad at racing events. Mallory said she felt lucky that they were able to do something together that they all love.
What happened to Mallory Gulle?
Some were speculating that the lawsuit against Discovery Inc., Pilgrim Media Group, and JJ Da Boss and which involved her father, has affected Mallory. It was alleged that JJ Da Boss and Kenneth assaulted a Missouri street racer named Chad Larkin – according to Chad and his wife, Genny, the two Memphis street racers rushed Chad and tackled him to the ground. The assault didn’t stop as they kept punching and kicking him, causing Chad to fear for his life. Genny was also injured when she tried to get the attackers off her husband.
The Larkins said that JJ invited him to participate in a race for money to be filmed for the show. The MSO team and Chad were given instructions to trash talk to each other for dramatic purposes, however, the heated exchange escalated to physical violence. They added that the production crew did nothing to stop what was happening, and even had the cameraman get a closer shot. The injuries that the Larkins sustained were said to be extensive. According to the lawsuit, which the Larkins filed seven months after the episode aired, the couple should be awarded compensatory and punitive damages amounting to millions of dollars.
However, there were those who argued that this wasn’t the reason why Mallory no longer appeared in the show. They said that it was because she was still a newbie, and paled in comparison to Tricia and Precious’ performance in the racing events. As MSO claimed to be the best on the street, they couldn’t have someone lacking in their team.
However, far from discouraging her, JJ even told her that losing was part of a racer’s life. He also wanted her to race often to get more experience. Besides, there’s usually some money at stake in street racing in Memphis, so there would always be someone who would challenge her. Mallory has such a bright future in street racing, and fans have been watching her progress through the series so they were disappointed when she stopped appearing in them.
The network, the producers, and even Mallory haven’t addressed the issue of her absence. Based on her Instagram page, she stopped posting about her stint in “Street Outlaws: Memphis” after April 2020, although season four was still airing at that time. Her profile only included ‘Bail Bondsmen’ and the website of KEG Motorsports. Her posts since then have mostly been about family or friends and how she’s having a grand time with them. For now, her fans could only hope that she’s just taking a break, and will soon be back on the show.
