NHRA Insider Podcast

Latest Episodes:

3.42 Not So Overnight Success Stories Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

NHRA Rookie of the year Dallas Glenn, and a pair of Pomona top fuel semi-final finishers, Tripp Tatum and Cameron Ferre join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider. All three racers have had late-season success stories to tell. Glenn, a rookie sensation in pro stock achieved three wins and made five final rounds this season on the way to an awesome first season in the class. Tripp Tatum has been working for years to get his top fuel team completed and to the track. In 2021 he did just that and had his best performance ever at Pomona to close the season. Making his first career top fuel semi-final was a thrill for Tatum but just the tip of the iceberg for what he has plans to achieve in the future. His story is cool. The final guest is Cameron Ferre. The Huntington Beach native has been chasing top fuel glory for more than 20 years and he had the best two races of his life in Las Vegas and Pomona to close the season. Racking up personal bests left and right, he and the Paton family have shown themselves to be a potent combo together! A great show and three positive stories to kick off the off-season with!

3.41 The Three Wise Men Nov 09, 2021

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NHRA Editorial Director Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Sr. Editor Kevin McKenna, and NHRAonFox analyst Tony Pedregon all join host Brian Lohnes on this throwdown Auto Club Finals episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The most informed insiders in the sport dish on what they know, what they think, and what they have heard is coming in the high tension world of pro drag racing. From finals winner predictions to potential off-season headlines, this is a wall to wall gab-fest for the ages. Whether it is the three-horse races in Pro Stock Motorcycle and Funny Car, the two-team brawl coming in Pro Stock car, or the potential fourth coronation of a perennial top fuel champion, these guys all have something to say. A great listen to get you pumped up and full of info for the finals!

3.40 Bright Lights, Big Stage, Blackout Oct 28, 2021

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Tony Pedregon joins host Brian Lohnes for this episode of the NHRA Insider. The two talk about the upcoming Dodge SRT Las Vegas Nationals presented by Pennzoil and break down the racers who really need to win this event to keep their title hopes alive. The conversation is honest, interesting, and enlightening as all four championships look poised to come right down to the wire. Interestingly, as the show was being made, a massive storm knocked out power to the studio and the planned second guest was unable to be added to the program. This is a unique show from front to back!

3.39 Coming Up On The Long Side of Short Oct 20, 2021

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Matt Smith and JR Todd join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast to talk about their respective weekends in Bristol, Tennessee at the Thunder Valley Nationals and to chat about the last two races of the season. Both men are in a strong championship position with Smith leading the Pro Stock Motorcycle category into Las Vegas and Todd launching himself into third place on the strength of his Bristol race day. For Matt Smith, the conversation revolves around consistency, not beating himself, and letting the world know that Angie will be back on her motorcycle to defend her win last year at what was the season-closing event. He talks about buying a Suzuki, building a Suzuki, and having his options open for 2021 as to what he plans on riding. Interesting stuff! JR Todd talks about coming away from a Bristol Sunday one round short of a win but far stronger in points and confidence. After struggling in qualifying, Todd and his DHL Toyota Camry crew mowed down the likes of John Force, Matt Hagan, and Ron Capps in eliminations before drawing the short straw against Alexis DeJoria in the final round. An interesting conversation with a reenergized former champion!

3.38 A Pair of Hot Shoes Oct 13, 2021

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Greg Anderson and Ron Capps join NHRA Insider Podcast host Brian Lohnes to talk about their success at Texas, their championship hopes, and in the case of Capps an interesting upcoming weekend at Bristol Dragway. Greg Anderson made history at Dallas last weekend, winning his 98th career pro stock racing and supplanting Warren Johnson as the all-time leader in class history. It has been an amazing year for Anderson so far but he knows that there's no time to lift off the throttle with the likes of Erica Enders hot on his heels for the pro stock championship. Anderson talks about his season, his career, and where his inner drive to win comes from. Ron Capps ruled the funny car roost in Texas and now trails Matt Hagan by a small 33 points headed into the last three races of the season. This is a fun conversation that touches on many different points from the Dallas win, a championship mentality, and the potential pitfalls to avoid this weekend in Bristol. Pair all this up with some Insider news from an explosive week of NHRA breaking reveals and things are going to get really interesting, really quick!

3.37 In The Hunt Oct 05, 2021

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This week pro stock racer Dallas Glenn and pro stock motorcycle racer Angelle Sampey join host Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast. The two competitors are in the midst of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship and they each have a fighting chance of getting the job done. In the case of Dallas Glenn, the rookie has been nothing short of sensational in his first season behind the wheel of the tightest class in NHRA. He discusses his personal growth this season, the reasons for his success, and how he can take on the last handful of races to try and make a dent in the points to contend for a championship. He provides great insight into KB Racing's all-out competition strategy and how he always seems to elevate his performance in the final rounds of events he competes in. Angelle Sampey won Charlotte in this most emotional way anyone can remember. It was a race day filled with extreme emotions and she recounts them all. The conversation with Angelle ranges through her approach to competition, her team, the mistakes she has made in her career, and how she's grown from them, as well as the things she will do to attempt to win a 4th championship in the unforgiving landscape of NHRA pro stock motorcycle. Add in a Dallas preview, a Stampede of Speed layout, rumors, and pit scuttlebutt and you have one full show!

3.36 The Truth is the Same in Both Directions Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

Tony Pedregon and Josh Hart join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider. Lohnes and Pedregon go over who has risen and who has fallen over the last four races, who can get their program righted, and who is in big trouble as the countdown continues. They talk some silly season stuff and layout what needs to be done for certain teams to lock down a title or at least get back in the fight. Josh Hart joins to talk about racing four events in a row, winning Charlotte, and working not only with his sponsors but with his team and all of the moving parts associated with it. This is an enlightening conversation with a man who is determined to make himself a force to be reckoned with in top fuel drag racing. Two radically different chats here and one fun show.

3.35 Going from Good to Great Sep 22, 2021

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Alexis DeJoria and Clay Millican join Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast this week to talk about their strong seasons and what it will take to move from being good cars to great cars. Both teams and drivers have made finals in 2021 but neither has closed the deal on the 4th win light of a Sunday afternoon. Alexis and Clay share great insights into their teams and how the pieces all come together a certain way on those weekends when the round wins stack up. Lohnes talks about Charlotte, what to look for in St Louis and some of the insider stories that you love to hear on this show.

3.34 The Iron Men Sep 16, 2021

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Steve Johnson and Edmund Richardson join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. Johnson after a stunning triumph at the Countdown Opening event at Maple Grove Raceway and Richardson after a larger-than-life reentry into NHRA sportsman racing with victories in consecutive weeks at the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and the Dodge SRT US Nationals. Steve Johnson is introspective and analytical about not only his win in Maple Grove but the arc of his career in NHRA drag racing. It is a career that thus far has not yielded a championship but this year he is sitting on the best equipment he has ever had and feels as though he is a legitimate contender. The results back this assertion up. Johnson talks about his mistakes, his growth, and how he has taken the points lead in pro stock motorcycle. Edmund Richardson is one of the greatest sportsman drag racers ever. After some time away from the sport he has back. His confidence high and his attitude highly positive. The man is having fun and plans to race for championships on the divisional and national level. The man who has done it all has goals and we're all going to get to watch him try and make them happen. Two great chats on this episode of the Insider!

3.33 Counting Down to Championship Success Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Erica Enders and Cruz Pedregon join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The conversations are wide-ranging and cover not only the success of both drivers on the track but also the pressures and hidden work that's done away from the track to win on Sunday. Cruz Pedregon is entering the 2021 NHRA Countdown to the Championship with the best car and team he has had in years. The conversation carries through many elements of the 2021 season like how the team has gelled, how Cruz has adapted himself to serving as a dedicated owner and driver, and how he sees driving a nitro funny car as an "old school" competitor. Fun, honest stuff here! Erica Enders scooped up her second US Nationals win in a row last weekend and is riding a strong wave of performance into the countdown. Her race day on Sunday was not "typical Erica" but it was strong enough to earn her another US Nationals win in her third straight final round at the event. Again, the conversation goes into great depths on the mental side of competition and what's ahead in the Countdown!

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