NHRA Insider Podcast

Kyle Koretsky and Clay Millican join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. Both of these racers had wild positive upheaval in their 2022 campaigns, with the Koretsky family buying Maple Grove Raceway and Millican's team being purchased and added to the Rick Ware Racing fold. The conversations with both racers center around how those changes are behind them and how 2023 is a positive, fresh, and stable slate.

Lohnes talks about the upcoming difficulty in a top fuel class that continues to rise, additional pressures with new competitors coming in pro stock, and some of the other news of the drag racing week.

A fun talk with two fan-favorite racers here on the Insider!

For this first episode of 2023, NHRA Insider host Brian Lohnes is joined by Tony Pedregon and Kevin McKenna to talk about the things all three of them need to see in 2023. This is a wide-ranging discussion about what drivers and riders need to stand on it, what teams need to make a recovery fast, what they want to hear in interviews, and who they think will be breaking through for their first career wins in the season ahead. There are plenty of rumors to address, potential testing schedules to look at, and a myriad of different topics covered here. We're getting closer to Gainesville by the day, and these guys set up some of the biggest potential stories of the year during this first show of 2023. Hope springs eternal for everyone at this early moment of the season, and time will tell how accurate their predictions and wants are. Come up with some of your own, or choose to agree/disagree with the panel here.

On this season-ending episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast, host Brian Lohnes reviews the hot news from the PRI show, takes a retrospective look over the year that was, teases some interesting stuff that is in the news pipeline, and looks forward to the 2023 season both on the track in the Podcast-verse. It's a timely and tidy end to a racing year that saw sellouts, records, great competition, surprise winners, and hard-fought championships come down to the wire. After nearly 50 episodes this year, we'll take a couple of weeks off, get our engines tuned up, and we'll be back to sling the news, dig the dirt, and get you inside the hottest stories in drag racing.

Just when you thought Antron Brown could not get any cooler, he just did. Last weekend Antron attended the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals at the NHRA-sanctioned Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida and drove Manny Buginga's 3,000hp Pro275 car known as Fred. This is basically a stock wheelbase car with full suspension and as much power as a pro mod on tiny 275mm wide rear tires. He didn't just drive it, he won the race! Brown joins host Brian Lohnes on this episode to tell the epic tale of how he found himself in the car and what it was like to do something he had never done in drag racing. It is an amazing and fun story told by one of the sport's all-time greats. His legend continues to grow! Additionally, Lohnes drops the hottest rumors surrounding the NHRA on this week of the PRI show in Indiana, where many of them will be brought to light and either confirmed or denied. There's a new nitro funny car driver coming, crew changes, and a whole lot more to talk about here!

Tony Pedregon and Kevin McKenna join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider for one last look over the 2022 NHRA season before turning their sights to rumors, 2023 plans, and the overall state of the sport as we move into the depths of the winter months. There's a lot to take in here. From the upcoming changes in the alcohol funny car ranks, Factory X, the big news of Angelle and the Vance and Hines team going their separate ways, massive Top Fuel rumors, and more, the guys touch on the stuff that happened, the stuff that might happen, and what they all expect to see in 2023. New names coming in Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Stock Car, Funny Car, and Top Fuel? That's what they are hearing among a load of other topics and conversations. The show will continue in the off-season, but for these two guests they're preparing for a winter break! A fun listen that will keep you locked in.

On this episode of the NHRA Insider now two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Brittany Force joins Brian Lohnes to talk about her Pomona triumph, the team that made it all happen, and how a second world championship in top fuel eliminator changes the game for her and the entire John Force Racing team. Truly an insightful conversation with a driver who lived up to the billing in 2022 and about a team who produced the greatest and most speedy runs in the history of the class.

Following that, Tony Pedregon and Kevin McKenna join Lohnes to talk all things Pomona finals and what this one race could indicate for the coming 2023 season. The key performances that delivered race wins and championship results are fascinating to break down. The guys stick to this one race and promise a full season breakdown in the coming weeks. Heck, enough happened at the Finals that the one race seemed like a season in and unto itself!

The last race of the season is upon us, and with it comes some incredible storylines. National Dragster Senior Editor Kevin McKenna and NHRAonFOX analyst Tony Pedregon join host Brian Lohnes to talk about news, rumors, championship scenarios, and what we should all be looking for during a race that promises to be incredible. While the pro stock championship is locked up, three other championships are wide open, and they each carry their own unique stories. Can Matt Smith lock up his 6th title and join Andrew Hines and Dave Schultz? Can Robert Hight thump his three closest rivals? Which of the potential five top fuel champions will get the job done? The silly season is already springing into high gear, and the rumors are flying! The threesome talk about these as well. A fun listen before the final race of the year!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast, National Dragster's Kevin McKenna and the NHRAonFox's Tony Pedregon join host Brian Lohnes o preview the coming action at the second to last race of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series 2022 Tour in Las Vegas. The huge storylines include the first competition start for Tony Stewart, who will be running in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, the potential coronation of Erica Enders as the Pro Stock World Champion, the raging battles in Pro Stock Motorcycle, nitro funny car, and top fuel, as well as plenty of other interpersonal storylines. This second to last race of the year will be as wide open as the city that's hosting it, and listening to this show will have you fired up and informed for what promises to be a weekend that breaks the ultimate Vegas rule. What happens at the Las Vegas nationals won't be staying at the NHRA Nevada Nationals

Ron Capps and Clay Millican join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. Both racers are in a strong position with regard to their seasons. Capps sits just 10 points behind leader Robert Hight and Millican, with fresh ownership and parts is in the fastest race car he has had in years. While Millican may be a bit too far out to be considered a favorite, Capps has been slugging with Hight and Hagan on a weekly basis to maintain his championship position. Clay Millican brings great insights into the operation of his top fuel team under the ownership of Rick Ware Racing and what it means for the future of the entire outfit. It is an exciting time for he and the entire team as they now have an inventory of parts that will allow them to run the car as hard and fast as the front runners under crew chief Jim Oberhofer. Ron Capps is loving life at the moment. He comes off a big win in Dallas and is in the dream position of being less than one full round out of first place in his NAPA Toyota GR Supra. A multi-time champion, he reflects on the hardened experience of those first two championships and how that struggle can help him here. Capps talks about his crew, Dean Antonelli and co-crew chief John Medlen, and what the future holds for his operation. This is a fun listen with two of drag racing's great personalities!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast, Tony Pedregon of the NHRAonFox and National Dragster Senior Editor Kevin McKenna come on with host Brian Lohnes to talk about the NHRA Texas Falls Nationals. This is a race with massive implications in every Camping World Drag Racing Series category and, for some, could actually provide the points needed to lock in a world title. Taking it from the top with a conversation about St Louis, the threesome dive into each pro class, talk about who has the command of the moment, what desperate measures could be taken by others to stop them, and what the conditions looming in Texas could bring on as far as challenges. There's a discussion about discord in a championship-contending top fuel team, a breakdown of the role a legendary crew chief is playing with regard to a funny car team, and a conversation about how a 21-point lead in pro stock motorcycle seems larger than it is on paper. THIS is truly an "Insider" look at the world of NHRA drag racing and it's up-to-the-minute good!