NHRA Insider Podcast

Latest Episodes:

4.8 A Quick Starter and A Come Backer Feb 23, 2022

Show notes

Justin Ashley and Bo Butner join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. Ashley talks about his highly impressive start at the Lucas Oil Winternationals where he took home a national event victory over Austin Prock in the final round. The race may be a harbinger of things to come in top fuel where the competition is off the charts and will only get more difficult as the season goes on. Ashley talks about the race, the competition, his internal drive, and the need to stay up on the wheel for the whole season. Bo Butner is back into the world of NHRA pro stock full time and he's having a blast. With a sponsor who is one of the world's wildest car guys, the 2022 season is looking like it will be a great one for the former class champion. Bo talks about Pomona, Phoenix, the difference between bracket racing and pro stock, what his outlook is for the year, and the state of modern pro stock drag racing. Add in a monologue about Pomona off the top of the show and that's this episode of the Insider!

4.7 The Insiders End to the Off-Season Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

National Dragster's Phil Burgess and NHRA on Fox analyst Tony Pedregon join host Brian Lohnes on this final episode of the off-season before the 2022 NHRA Winternationals. The triumvirate talk about the major stories of the winter, one of which is how many major stories there have been this winter! From the wild performance of John Force at the pre-season test to the emergence of new team owners, the emergence of new teams, the notable drivers coming back, and a whole lot more, there's so much to talk about it's hard to keep all the storylines straight.

Pedregon digs in from the owner and driver perspectives to talk about the level of competition that the biggest names in the sport will have to confront. In top fuel, it is nearly unrivaled in modern drag racing history and early stumbles will not bode well for long-term season success. In funny car it is more of the same and TPed breaks down all of it for the audience.

Phil Burgess brings his years of NHRA experience to bear in this conversation and takes an in-depth look at the major headlines leading to Pomona. From the looks of the pro stock rank and file to the large contingent of funny car racers, top fuel insanity, and more, Burgess has the stories. There is also a chat about the state of media in drag racing and how teams are amping up their efforts to create interesting and cool content that fans both new and old love.

A HUGE episode before a HUGE race!

4.6 In With The Old Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

Tony Schumacher and Austin Prock join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The two returning top fuel standouts have a lot to say about the 2022 season to be, the way that their teams will attack pre-season testing in Phoenix, and what it means to be back as sponsored drivers who know they have a full season in front of them.

The winningest driver in top fuel history is candid in his remarks about his expectations for 2022 and he is definitely motivated to show the world that his top fuel return is not simply for his own entertainment. Schumacher talks about what it will take to chase a championship, working with a new team and crew chief, and the singular focus DSR will have on his top fuel car, a potential benefit to him.

Austin Prock had his career interrupted by Covid-19 and doubted at times that he would ever drive again. In this frank discussion, he talks about the downtimes, the work he put in as a crew member of the JFR operation, the meaningful nature of his return, and how he will make good on the promise we all saw out of him during his rookie season in 2019.

In with the old brings two huge top fuel names back into the fore as the NHRA season looms closely on the calendar!

4.5 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

It's a funny car extravaganza on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. Championship driver JR Todd and championship crew chief Dean Antonelli join host Brian Lohnes and talk about all the things going on to prepare for the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing season. There's also a rather in-depth look into the 2022 top fuel season to get the show started.

JR talks about the early GR Supra testing which happened in Florida, his impressions of the new body, and what he's most enthusiastic about for 2022. It's an interesting conversation that gives the professional driver's outlook on what the upcoming season will look like. The tightness of the 2021 season was wild and it sets the stage for what should be an incredible 22 race campaign this year. A good chat with a guy motivated to bring the heat in 2022.

Dean Antonelli won his first championship as a crew chief of record last year along with Jon Medlin and his talented and experienced team. He's back with the same group in 2022 and that means the team should be able to contend again. Now racing under the Ron Capps Motorsports banner, Guido talks about the upcoming challenge of the season, the challenge of preparing for 2022, and things on the horizon that will require professional drag racing teams to get creative to succeed this year.

It's going to be wild when the season starts and these guys think so as well!

4.4 The Sophomore and The Insider Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

Multi-time Top Fuel winner Josh Hart and NHRAonFOX analyst Tony Pedregon join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast.

For Josh Hart, 2022 represents his sophomore year as a driver/owner in the top fuel category of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. He comes in as a confirmed race winner, fully sponsored, and prepared to run every race of this upcoming year with his sights set on a world championship. He talks the business of drag racing, the learning curve of his first season, and why team stability will play a big role in his planned success during 2022.

Tony Pedregon checks in from NitroVille, USA otherwise known as Brownsburg, Indiana. He talks about late off-season crew shifting, the changing landscape of top fuel, and how good enough in 2021 won't be good enough in 2022. There's plenty of insider knowledge drops here, rumors revealed, and lots of the chatter that will drive the sport ahead once teams begin testing in Arizona and then racing in Pomona just a few short weeks away.

Lohnes also recaps a wildly busy week of news across the NHRA and sets the stage for upcoming excitement!

4.3 Two For the Road Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Multi-time pro mod winner Lyle Barnett and drag racing suspension guru Mark Menscer join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The guys talk about their careers in the sport, how they have achieved their success, and what the future holds for premier door slammer straight-line competition.

Lyle Barnett was one of the breakout stories of the 2021 NHRA pro mod season. Barnett's transition from the world of radial drag racing into quarter-mile pro mod racing was swift and while the team had their struggles, two late-season wins after swapping cars saw them flourish among tough competition. The conversation about the season, the NHRA pro mod class, rules, screw blowers, and more is a must listen.

Mark Menscer came to the world of drag racing from dirt track competition and it was purely accidental. That happy accident has resulted in performance gains in drag racing that many people never saw coming. Menscer talks about his evolution in drag racing, his approach, the science of suspension, and what his own personal interests in the sport are.

A couple of great conversations as well as breaking news, rumors, and more!

4.2 A Pair of Chiefs Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Nitro crew chiefs Aaron Brooks and Jason Bunker join Brian Lohnes on this week's episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The two men have wildly different histories in NHRA drag racing with Brooks being the more experienced of the two.

Aaron Brooks began his career in drag racing in 1997 and worked his way to the lofty position of crew chief over his time working for some of the best minds in the sport. In this interview, Brooks talks about his modern role as a crew chief who has guided many smaller teams to successful starts in the highest level of drag racing exists how the sport has evolved, how his experience racing with so many teams and across the world have helped his career, and how he sees 2022 unfolding.

Jason Bunker is the crew chief for Ton Jurado and the Capitol Punishment funny car team. He has been successful working on pro mods, nostalgia nitro funny cars, and has overseen the privateer California funny car team's impressive launch into NHRA Camping World Drag Racing. A 3rd generation racer, Bunker talks of his history in the sport, his philosophy as a leader and crew chief, and how his combined life experience took him down a path he didn't even realize he wanted until he set foot on it.

Two good chats, two good guys, and two of the smartest mechanical minds in drag racing!

4.1 The Learned and the Learning Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

Guests Bob Tasca III and Camrie Caruso join host Brian Lohnes on this first episode of the NHRA Insider podcast for the 2022 season.

Tasca is coming off a career season in 2021 with multiple victories, including the season-ending NHRA Finals in Pomona. He talks about his team, keeping his program working with the right people, the oncoming rise of electric cars on the drag strip and in the marketplace, and even the fact that Ford engineers think that by decade's end that they could have an electric car that's faster than a nitro funny car! This is an entertaining and eye-opening conversation about drag racing, business, and technology.

Camrie Caruso joined the show moments after making her first official pro stock runs in what will be a highly aggressive testing schedule in Florida this winter. Having gotten the team organized, hiring Jim Yates as their crew chief, and now getting on the track, this team is 100% serious about contenting from the jump at the NHRA Winternationals. Camrie talks pressure, driving pro stock, and what it has taken to get this far.

The learned and the learning. NHRA drag racing is going to be exciting in 2022!

3.44 2021 In the Rearview Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

Guests Tony Pedregon and Wes Buck join Brian Lohnes on this final episode of the NHRA Insider podcast for 2021. The conversations range from a look back over the NHRA's insanely successful PRI show to the season that was, what to look for in 2022, the changing landscape of professional drag racing, and the plethora of breaking news that has swarmed over drag racing in the last few weeks and promises to be unrelenting after the new year. Tony Pedregon talks about the effects of independent team ownership will have on the professional ranks, who is he looking for to succeed in 2022 and who are the stars on the rise coming off a hot and heavy 2021 season. Wes Buck talks about youth in drag racing and looks back over not only the 2021 season but the state of drag racing as a whole. This is a neat conversation that recognizes the opportunities that are available to drag racers these days, how people are taking advantage of them, and why the future of the appears to be so bright. A fun walk back over 2021 and a fun leap forward looking at a 2022 that holds more promise than any season we have looked ahead to in years!

3.43 The Director and the Doctor Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

NHRA National Tech Director Lonnie Grim and NHRA Medical Director Dr. Phil Surface join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider that is TRULY insider! Grim talks about how the tech department works on race weekend and the process in developing a new class like Factory X, the freshly announced category that has captured the imagination and attention of drag racers across the country. It's a discussion on the inner workings of a side of drag racing few people know anything about. Dr. Phil Surface is not just a racing enthusiast, he is the man responsible for overseeing the NHRA on-site medical services at national events and his job goes far beyond race weekends. Working hand in hand with NHRA to develop the protocols that allowed the sport of Camping World drag racing to resume so quickly in 2020 and continue in 2021, this is a fascinating conversation about not just health, but the role that a person like Dr. Surface takes in helping to even advance things like chassis safety and more. Two important guys in drag racing with jobs few know much about!

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