NHRA Insider Podcast

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4.18 The Underdog Overachievers of Charlotte May 03, 2022

Show notes

Mike McIntire Jr and Cameron Ferre join host Brian Lohnes on this week's episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. McIntire made the final round of nitro funny car in his family-owned and operated McAttack Toyota Camry flopper. On the top fuel side, Cameron Ferre was the runner-up in the Paton family top fuel dragster after qualifying on the bump spot and battling through the first two rounds of eliminations on an exciting Sunday. For McIntire and his operation, this weekend was the validation of a lot of hard work and the validation of a talented, if part-time crew. A champion in the nostalgia nitro funny car ranks, he and his team know how to run and service a car at the highest levels and their final round appearance in a tough field was the display of those truths. Cameron Ferre had a 10 race schedule lined up for 2022 and at the last moment, the deal was rescinded. From that setback, he doubled down his efforts to keep his top fuel career afloat and managed to secure funding for his appearance in Charlotte. With a runner-up finish, he raised eyebrows and hopefully more sponsorship opportunities in the future. His race day had plenty of twists and turns and he tells the story here. Two great stories from the real world of regular guy nitro racing!

4.17 The Inside Scoop From Houston And A Look Forward To Charlotte Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

NHRA on FOX analyst Tony Pedregon and National Dragster Senior Editor Kevin McKenna join host Brian Lohnes for this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The three talk about all the wild storylines from Houston and how race day was among the most amazing thy had all seen. The storylines from each class, the upsets, the driving performances, and the mounting pressure to be good have all ratcheted up. Telling some of the behind-the-scenes stories you have not heard, these guys will have you laughing and thinking with their analysis. After a breakdown of Houston, the chat turns for Charlotte and the upcoming Circle K Four-Wide Nationals, the second and final four-wide race of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Season. Love it or hate it, all the racers are in the same boat and it's a crowded one! Full fields in all pro categories will make this Charlotte contest one to remember. Fun, insightful, and informative. This quick-moving show has nuggets buried at every turn!

4.16 Here Comes Houston Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

Tony Pedregon joins Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider to set the scene and the storylines for the NHRA Springnationals in Houston this weekend. The event planned to be the last national event at this facility is sure to be a real barn burner. There's a killer weather forecast on tap and the fields are jammed with the best drag racers in the world. There's something special to be said about winning the last event at a facility, especially one with the legacy and history that Houston Raceway Park has. When we look across the spectrum of stories, a few jump to the fore. In top fuel can Brittany Force maintain the torrid pace she set at Las Vegas on the starting line and to the finish line? Can Leah keep up her starting line game? Can Mike Salinas rebound from his mistake? In pro stock can Erica Enders go-to for two after calling her shot in Las Vegas? This track has more meaning to her than perhaps anyone else, so all eyes will be on the red Camaro. How does Matt Smith run on his new Suzuki? Does Karen Stoffer continue her crushing performance from Gainesville? Finally, in a funny car which of the "Big Three" wins this week? Or does another driver interrupt the Hight/Hagan/Capps party? This show covers all and goes into depth. Listen up!

4.15 A Pro Stock and Nitro Veteran Talk Shop and Teaching Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

Jim Yates and Johnny West join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. The two highly decorated veteran racers have turned their considerable experience into the kind of working knowledge teams desperately need in modern drag racing. For Yates that is coaching and crew chiefing rookie pro stock racer Camrie Caruso and for West it is working with a myriad from the biggest to the smallest in the sport in order to help get their programs on track or down the track faster. Jim Yates talks about a wide range of topics from how his teaching methods have changed with age, how pro stock cars have evolved, and how he is working with this fresh team to turn on win lights during a pressure-packed rookie season. He recounts a famous story from 1994 where he took the legendary Darrell Alderman to the cleaners twice on the starting line perhaps to the dismay of Buster Couch. A great conversation. Johnny West talks about his development and engineering of parts on nitro cars, his history in drag racing, and his approach to working with smaller teams to sort their programs out. It is the basic bedrock knowledge of a veteran racer being used to better the cars and thereby the sport. West tells of his astonishment to get the call from the CAPCO Contractors team to work on Billy Torrence's car and how it has been a great experience thus far. Two guys who live and breathe drag racing telling their histories. What's better than that?!

4.14 A Top Fuel Tuner and A Stock/Super Stock Crusher Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

NHRA Top Fuel crew chief David Grubnic and five-time sportsman world champion Justin Lamb join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. Grubnic is coming off a huge win with Brittany Force and team at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas. Lamb won his 29th NHRA national event at Las Vegas and he's the second guest on this show.

In the conversation, Grubnic and Lohnes dive into everything from tuning philosophy to leadership practices, communication among the team, and more. It is a chat that goes far beyond the nuts and bolts of running a Top Fuel car. Grubnic is hugely insightful and brings listeners deeply into the world of top fuel drag racing.

Lamb has won 29 NHRA national events and five world titles. He is among the greatest Stock and Super Stock racers of his generation and after this conversation you will be blown away by the depth of his knowledge of the sport. Lamb talks about how hard it is to compete in win with the depth of competition in the NHRA and he's very open with his explanations of competing with two cars on most race weekends.

A pair of interesting guys and even more interesting conversations.

4.13 Taking A Trip Inside the Four Wide Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

NHRA Editorial Director Phil Burgess and NHRAonFOX Analyst Tony Pedregon join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The conversation ranges over the course of the episode but the crux of it is looking into those racers who are performing up to expectations, some who are exceeding, and a few others who are not making the cut at this early part of the season.

There's also a look into the Las Vegas 4-wide nationals which are coming up this weekend. It has been a hot minute since we have had any four wide competition in NHRA so it will be interesting to see who can deal with the extra confusion and tension that comes in this format.

Rumors are discussed, personnel is a large topic of conversation and while no guesses are made on who the latest crew chief shuffle involves, the anticipation of the news is pretty high. This is a fun episode with two guys who really know the inner workings of the sport and the personalities involved.

4.12 Funny Car Phenoms Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Matt Hagan and Shane Westerfield join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The two men are both playing a hot hand with respect to their competition in the nitro funny car and top alcohol funny car ranks respectively. Hagan is coming off of a victory in Gainesville after making the final round in Phoenix as well. Westerfield, the 2017 Top Alcohol Funny Car world champion won the NHRA Winternationals and the ensuing Phoenix Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional event.

The conversation with Hagan centers around his energy in 2022, the signs of success he is seeing at Tony Stewart Racing, the different environment that he is racing in for this Camping World season, and what exactly it will take to run for a championship over the long stretch of the 2022 season. There's loads of great personal and racing insight here.

Shane Westerfield talks about racing with Rick Jackson, the stiffness of the TAFC competition he is facing, and why he thinks that his team is champion caliber. The conversation runs through the recent small car counts in TAFC and what can be done to fix them, along with Westerfield's passion for boat drag racing, which has become a full-time business for him.

Two champs, two recent winners, and two funny car phenoms.

4.11 A Driver and Two Chiefs Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

Funny car racer Blake Alexander as well as crew chiefs Jamie Miller and Dickie Venables join host Brian Lohnes on this post-Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. Off the top of the show, Lohnes recounts the race, his experiences during it, and the near-mythical quality it took on as what was a seemingly lost weekend turned into one of the quickest pound-for-pound two day stretches in NHRA drag racing history.

Blake Alexander was the runner-up in nitro funny car and nearly completed what would have been a storybook return to the sport after a disastrous ending to the 2021 campaign. His team suffered the tragic loss of crewman Dylan Cromwell in a transporter crash. That crash also destroyed a truck, a race trailer, and many of the contents inside. With a new crew, a mostly completed trailer, and the memory of Cromwell on their mind, his team put forth an effort for the history books.

Jamie Miller is one of the most diversified, sought after, and successful crew chiefs in door slammer drag racing but NHRA victory has long eluded him. That all changed at Gainesville when he tuned Kris Thorne's ProCharger equipped Camaro to a solid victory after making not a single qualifying lap. Miller talks about tuning pro mods, racing on different surfaces, and how he and his guys were able to lock up a win in the hotly contested pro mod series.

Dickie Venables is one of the greatest nitro crew chiefs in the history of the sport and one of the most experienced. Even his voluminous experience didn't prepare him fully for the conditions facing racers on Sunday. Using his guile and the skills of his team and driver Matt Hagan, he was able to tune the car to the first drag racing victory of Tony Stewart Racing. He recounts the race, the challenges, and why his team is championship caliber already, just three races in.

A big show from a big race filled with big stories!

4.10 Talking The Gators, Callouts, and the Grind of Top Fuel with Brittany Force Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast, 2017 NHRA Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force joins host Brian Lohnes to talk about the often hidden hard work of racing at a championship level in the class. Lohnes leads off the show with a Gatornationals preview monologue running through the latest news in the sport leading up to the race, looking at the pro stock motorcycle category, and talking about what's in store for racers and fans as part of the Pep Boys All-Star Top Fuel Callout.

All of the professional categories have full fields and the top fuel and pro stock classes both sport some 21 entries, which means that qualifying will be filled with the kind of suspense and intrigue that fans love to see.

The conversation with Brittany Force takes us inside the workings of a top fuel team with discussions on leadership, team chemistry, and how the balance of an insane workload gets offset by the familial relationship that teams develop over the course of a relentless season. It's interesting, informative, and introspective.

4.9 The Insider Review After Race Number Two Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

NHRAonFOX analyst Tony Pedregon and NHRAonFOX pit producer Todd Veney join host Brian Lohnes for this episode of the NHRA Insider. This wide-ranging show surveys the scene after the second race of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing season. The action has been amazing across each of the professional categories and Phoenix was no exception.

Lohnes and guests talk about early-season surprises, who is performing above expectations, and who is performing below them. They talk driver performance, psychology, and who is already in mid-season form. The sense of urgency to deliver this year is off the charts and it seems that some are more prepared than others to do just that.

An insightful and fun look into the world of NHRA drag racing!

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