NHRA Insider Podcast

Latest Episodes:

5.34 Indy Week 2023: Looking Ahead To The World's Greatest Drag Race Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

This week's NHRA Insider is a relatively quick one as host Brian Lohnes goes monologue style, looking forward to the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA US Nationals which are set to kick off in the coming days. As there is a planned NHRA Insider LIVE coming on Saturday at Indy, consider this a warm-up act for the event and what listeners can expect to see during the week. Lohnes shares some of the major storylines coming into the race, from the new programs that have been announced, racers jumping in different classes, the debut of Factory X, driver development programs, and more; this show is 100% an appetizer before the main course hits the table. Remember to keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming NHRA Insider LIVE on Saturday from the US Nationals. Jump in, listen up, and get yourself primed for a week of drag racing unlike anything else that this planet has to offer! This is US Nationals Week!

5.33 Brainerd's Best: Top Fuel's Brian Corradi, Pro Mod's Jason Lee and Eric Gustafson Talk Work and Victory at BIR Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, Antron Brown's Crew Chief Brian Corradi, pro mod's Jason Lee and Eric Gustafson all join host Brian Lohnes for a conversation about how they set about winning their respective categories at Brainerd, Minnesota. The weekend was a challenge for everyone and there were some interesting bumps in the road for each team to endure and overcome. They talk about 'em all here. Corradi joins the conversation at the helm of a very hot top fuel team. Maturing through the season, the AB Motorsports group has peaked at the seeming right time. Like last year, a late regular season win places them in perfect position for the Dodge Power Brokers US Nationals and potential Countdown Success. This is a great discussion about the approach his team has, how they operate, and what it will take to earn another championship. Jason Lee won FuelTech Pro Mod at Brainerd and his car owner and fellow driver Eric Gustafson joins the chat about the weekend, the state of the pro mod class, rules parity, how hard the machines have to be run, and what the first season of NHRA competition has been like for these two highly experienced competitors. Both men have been champions in other series and are working hard to add NHRA accolades to their respective resumes. Fascinating deep dive into pro mod here! This show will get you thinking, will get people talking, and will get you ramped up for the massive week that looms for the US Nationals!

5.32 SPECIAL Episode! Live from the pits in Brainerd Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

For the first time ever, the NHRA Insider podcast hits the road! The pits of Brainerd International Raceway will serve as the backdrop for host Brian Lohnes, co-host Tony Pedregon and guests Erica Enders and Justin Ashley. Dealing the same deep cuts, hot takes, and snappy opinions NHRA Insider fans have gotten for the last three years, Lohnes and Pedregon will chat with the racers, get you up to speed on this second to last race of the regular season, and bring you deep inside the NHRA world like only they can. There's breaking news in Pro Stock, exciting moves being made in the nitro classes, and some late season drama on tap that only Brainerd can bring.

5.31 Back to Back and Head to Head -A Topeka Wrap Up and Brainerd Preview Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

On this quick turnaround episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast, host Brian Lohnes is joined by Tony Pedregon to talk about the pure madness of the Topeka weekend and what can be expected out of the teams competing at the Lucas Oil Nationals this weekend. The two delve into the results of Topeka and talk about the rise of Erica Enders in the points and in her personal performance, how the Justin Ashley team looks eerily similar to Steve Torrence in his prime, and why Bob Tasca's 3.885 final round blast in funny car may be one of the greatest runs of the year. There's lots of talk about how people are approaching this near end of the regular season, the language used by struggling teams who perhaps claim to be "testing", and lastly how true championship contenders are going to rapidly accelerate away from the pretenders at this time of the year. A spicy chat about the current competition!

5.30 NHRA Insider BONUS Edition - Let's Talk About SRX With Ron Capps Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

In this bonus edition of the NHRA Insider, host Brian Lohnes talks with Ron Capps on the day before he is set to compete in the SRX stock car series on the dirt of Eldora Speedway in Ohio. This is a huge moment not only for Capps but for the NHRA community as he will become the first representative to appear in a series where NASCAR, IndyCar, WorldofOutlaws, and other racers mix it up. Capps talks about the nerves, his dirt racing experience, his goals for the event, and how he plans on approaching a field of racers who have spent their lives turning left and right. As you'll find out, Capps is confident but not cocky and plans on absorbing as much knowledge as he possibly can before leading the field into turn one, heat one, live on TV. A fun chat with the NHRA Funny Car champ!

5.29 Talking Topeka With Tony Pedregon and Jim Epler Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast Tony Pedregon and Jim Epler join host Brian Lohnes to talk about the upcoming Menard's NHRA Nationals presented by Pet Armor. Lohnes and Pedregon put a fine point on the western swing and break down, by class, where people are coming into this home stretch of the regular season, culminating at the Dodge Power Brokers US Nationals. The discussion on the western swing centers not just on the races and teams themselves but on the true look we got at their individual performances over the three week stretch. Did some teams show themselves in championship form already? Can they carry it through for nine races? Did some teams seem to have a break of some kind? It's all open for discussion and boy do they have at it. Jim Epler joins the show as the second guest. The man who broke the 300mph barrier for funny cars at Topeka and who is now an executive with Phillips Connect shares his memories, his passion for drag racing, and what it means to return to the scene of an insanely memorable moment, 30 years after the fact. A great show that will pump you up for the Topeka race and give you some things to look at as the teams put their best food forward headed to the final in Indy and the Countdown to The Championship!

5.28 Jon Oberhofer, Todd Smith, and Chase Van Sant - Of Victory, Tenacity, and A Long NHRA Season Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast host Brian Lohnes is joined by Jon Oberhofer and Todd Smith, the winning funny car crew chiefs from the Denso Sonoma Nationals as well as rookie Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Chase Van Sant. In the case of Oberhofer and Smith, the conversation centers around the long and systematic rebuilding process of their tune-up and race car after the disaster weekend they had in Pomona with a crash followed by a horrible explosion. It is a fascinating thing to hear about their approach, the arduous work, and ultimately when the results began to come to them. On top of that, the pair talk about the workings of their team, personnel, their approach on race days, and the challenges of Sonoma 2023 with odd weather, a massive oil down, a right lane no one wanted, and what it was like to deliver Kalitta Motorsports a win, their first in a long while. Chase Van Sant is one of the young riders in Pro Stock Motorcycle forging his name into the ranks of many established players. Van Sant has not ridden like a rookie as he leads the class in average reaction time, has qualified close to the front of the field, and goes rounds more often than he doesn't. In this fun conversation, Lohnes and Van Sant cover a lot of ground from he mental mechanics of being a rider to the pressures, adjustments, and learning curve of being a rookie. Lots of fun here! Different classes, different lives, the same drive to win. A truly fun show.

5.27 Torrence and Todd Talk Seattle, Turnarounds, and Tumult Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Seattle Top Fuel winner Steve Torrence and Funny Car runner up JR Todd join host Brian Lohnes to talk about the race, the Western Swing, and all the fun that comes with the intense competition of professional drag racing. JR Todd is on the show first and he talks about how his DHL team has managed to make three semi-finals and a final round over the course of the last five races. This forward march has changed the team's fortunes after they hit a lull following a disastrous Winternationals. With Sonoma looming this weekend, a race they have won before, the team may be poised for that big breakout weekend we have all been waiting to see. Todd talks about the whole Kalittla organization seemingly gaining steam at the same time. Steve Torrence, fresh off his Seattle win talks about a multitude of topics including the Mission 2Fast2Tasty Challenge, which he won, the difficulty of eliminations, and the whole attitude and perseverance of his CAPCO Contractors team. Torrence has great perspective on his season, his career, and his motivations to continue succeeding in the short and long term. A fascinating discussion with a four time champion now leading the points toward a hopeful fifth. Great conversations, both!

5.26 From The Mountain Tops to the Tree Tops - Denver Wrapped, Seattle Previewed Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

On this monologue-style episode of the NHRA Insider podcast, host Brian Lohnes takes you through all the news and storylines from Denver and looks forward to this weekend's Northwest Nationals at historic Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington.

The last Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway will be marked by three things. A weekend sellout, seemingly impossible track records, and dramatic victories across the Camping World Drag Racing Series classes. There were moments of sheer frustration, of amazing success, and of shocking upsets. The inside story? Lohnes is here to bring you that.

The second half of the show is relating what we saw last weekend to what we may see this weekend in Washington State. There's plenty to wonder about, like whether Gaige Herrera can sweep the swing, whether the success of Clay Millican follows him back to sea level, and whether Matt Hagan is busting out to make a run for his fourth title.

All that and more on this episode!

5.25 Denver Preview Show High Altitude and High Intensity Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of the NHRA Insider, the discussion turns to the lingering effects of Norwalk and the upcoming Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver.

The race will be a big one as it will be a national event send-off for the venerable Bandimere Speedway, and it will, as it always does, provide the ultimate test of racer and machine with its substantial physical altitude that's always pumped up with summer temperatures and sunshine.

This podcast ranges from an analysis of the wins of Blake Alexander and Matt Hartford to a class-by-class breakdown of what fans and followers of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series may see happen on the mountain in Morrison, Colo. There's insider information from behind the scenes of every class, some hot takes, and at this point in the season, a look at which teams really need to get a handle on a precarious situation as the year winds ever closer to the NHRA U.S. Nationals and the Countdown to the Championship points reset.

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