NHRA Insider Podcast

NHRA Chief Starter Brad Hardy and multi-time funny car world champion Matt Hagan join Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider Podcast. The conversations are both very different. Starting with Hardy, he discusses his role in the epic staging battle waged between Bruno Massel and Mason McGaha last week in Topeka, Kansas. He talks about the process, the communication, the inside information about what was happening, and ultimately his decision to DQ both competitors when they refused to stage on his orders. It is the first time we have ever heard a starter talk about this stuff in-depth! The second conversation is with Matt Hagan. He talks about the tightness of the funny car points chase, the quality of the cars, the approach he and his team are on, and yes, we delve into the recent starting line controversies which have carried the discussion week to week. A fun, informal, and informational chat with a guy who is more than capable of collecting another world championship.

Josh Hart and Tony Pedregon join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. Hart talks about the hurdles of getting back on track full time in 2021 and how he has been working hard to make sure his team is championship caliber when he returns. Hart is chasing Rookie of the Year honors and is relentless in his pursuit of building a team worthy of his own expectations. This is an interesting conversation. Tony Pedregon breaks down the results of the NHRA Western Swing both good and bad for the premier teams in the sport. A discussion is had about the John Force - Matt Hagan tension at Pomona and what it could mean for the men going forward. Lohnes and Pedregon then look forward to Topeka and discuss the track and who should be bringing the high hard one at the Menard's Nationals presented by Pet Armor.

Justin Ashley and JR Todd join the NHRA's Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. They talk about their personal experiences at what was a dramatic running of the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals in Pomona, California. Intense heat, a race track that was over 140-degrees, and the mental chess of late regular-season competition all added up to some of the wildest drag racing of the last several seasons. Justin Ashley made the top fuel final but was unable to participate when he was overcome by the heat while strapped into his car. Making one of the hardest decisions of his racing career, he elected to get out of his dragster and Leah Pruett had a solo for the win. We talk about not only that moment but the quality race car that carried him through eliminations as well as his own personal performance. Nitro funny car runner-up JR Todd had a successful weekend with the DHL Toyota Camry team and in so many ways, kept pace with an amazingly tight nitro funny car field. Todd talks about not only racing in the heat but also the addition of his new visor cam, the upcoming challenges in Topeka, Kansas, and why this boiling weekend in Pomona may have helped his team set a championship course for the rest of the year. Great conversations with two of the premier competitors in drag racing today!

Ron Capps and Sonoma Super Comp Winner Marko Perivolaris join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. Capps talks about having a fast and consistent nitro funny car, having racked up multiple semi-final finishes in a row on the Camping World Tour. He also talks about the adjustment of having a car that often qualifies atop the field and how his team continues to pour their hearts and souls into turning on their first final round win light of the season. Marko Perivolaris had an incredible and incredibly emotional race day at Sonoma where he was dominant on the starting line and driving a car that was practically glued to the 8.9 second index of super comp. He was racing with his heart set on delivering a win for his late mother and his recently passed friend Kyle Seipel. He did both of those things working in lockstep with his dad and sister. His story of the day and the win is amazing and uplifting. Enjoy!

Joey Haas and Alex Miladonivch join host Brian Lohnes for this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The two independent racers are competing with more guts than wallet and they talk about the advantages and disadvantages of both scenarios. Haas had an amazing weekend in Denver, landing in the final round and winning the hearts of drag racing fans across America. Alex has been building his own cars in a garage located in So Cal for years and his brother builds his engines four blocks away. So many sit on the internet and say that "it cannot be done" anymore. These are two men of action who are doing things and eschewing excuses along the way.

Alex Laughlin joins host Brian Lohnes to talk about the stunning news that he will be racing top fuel at Denver this weekend as part of the Dodge SRT Mile High Nationals. The move came in a pinch when sponsor requirements needed to be met and Laughlin was without his traditional pro modified car. Hooking up with Scott Palmer at the last minute and achieving his top fuel license at a small Kansas Drag Strip, it has been a whirlwind and one that he's happy to be on. With Palmer concentrating on tuning and Laughlin concentrating on driving, the car is definitely going to be a factor. Having had experience through the sportsman ranks, having won races in pro stock, and having gone 250mph in pro mod, this will be a momentous moment in his career. Lohnes talks about all things Denver and the other big news of the NHRA week as well!

Mike Neff and Travis Shumake join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. Two men who are at very different points of their drag racing career share stories of their lives, the way they approach the sport, and how their efforts are going to succeed in 2021. Mike Neff is currently leading the points as a crew chief in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series funny car division and it has come through years of study and hard work. His career is nearly 30 years in NHRA drag racing and it has been 30 years of learning, success, and dedication. Neff talks about who he learned from, what the Tasca team is doing well this year and his passion for desert racing! Travis Shumake has made major drag racing headlines over the last month with the announcement that he is looking to follow in his father's footsteps as a professional-level funny car driver. His dad Tripp is still well known and loved by so many fans on the tour and even fellow drivers. Travis has an unyielding passion to break into the sport and is on pace to do just that with a self-imposed goal of running at the 2021 Finals in Pomona. THIS is a captivating interview.

This episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast features interviews with Mark Ingersoll who serves as crew chief for Erica Enders' car in the NHRA Camping World pro stock category and ace sportsman racer Johnny Labbous Jr. who has been racking up national event wins and is chasing another world championship. Ingersoll talks of the challenges the team has been working through this season and the attack they took at Norwalk which lead them to a victory over Greg Anderson who had a very strong race car. The talk turns to tech, Ingersoll's decorated history in the sport, and a whole lot more. John Labbous Jr has been on one heck of a streak lately. A Super Gas win in Epping followed by a Super Comp win in Norwalk has rekindled Labbous in many ways and he talks about it here. He also talks about the difficulties of racing for a living, how tight the competition is, and how "doing homework" is one of the hidden strategic points of bracket racing premier racers like him focus on. Great stuff from inside the world of drag racing here!

Guests Mike McIntire Jr and National Dragster Senior Editor Kevin McKenna join host Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast this week to talk all things on the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio this weekend. McIntire is a local funny car hero having grown up in the sport with his dad racing alcohol cars and eventually graduating to nostalgia nitro funny car and then the Camping World series. This is a true drag racing love story as told by the guy who has lived it. The car has been a consistent qualifier and they had their best weekend ever at Charlotte this year. Regular guys cannot run funny cars anymore, right? Wrong. The second guest on this show is NHRA National Dragster Sr. Editor Kevin McKenna. The conversation ranges from pro stock motorcycle to the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and to a remembrance of Kyle Seipel, the amazing NHRA racer, track manager, and a guy who changed the face of bracket racing history. Another wide-ranging drag racing discussion!

Terry Haddock and Scott Woodruff of Jegs join host Brian Lohnes on this wide-ranging episode of the NHRA Insider. Haddock tells the story of his incredible weekend at Epping where he appeared in a first career semi-final round. Haddock's story is one of grinding hard work and the relentless pursuit of drag racing success despite all the odds being stacked against him. He is truly a regular guy funny car hero and he talks about running his operation on a small budget with limited help and making his way in the world of NHRA Camping World Drag Racing. Scott "Woody" Woodruff of Jegs is the Director of Media and Motorsports, meaning that if you see the Jegs logo on a car, at an event, or being worn by someone, he likely had an influence on that decision. In a discussion that ranges from the business of motorsports to the inside baseball of working with a sanctioning body like the NHRA, Scott gives great insight into an element of racing that the general public usually doesn't spend a lot of time talking about. Two interesting conversations with two interesting people!