NHRA Insider Podcast

Tony Pedregon joins Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider to talk about what's happened five races into the season, who's succeeding, who's falling behind, and who needs to really turn their season around at Epping, New Hampshire. The TascaParts.com NHRA New England Nationals are on tap for the weekend and cool conditions indicate that this could really a race for the highest performing cars to take control. Matt Hagan has won three straight at Epping and his tuner Dickie Venebles will be ready, willing, and able to make it four if he matches his tune-up to the track. Opinions shared, predictions made, performances discussed. Give it a listen!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider, No-Prep racer Joey Baroni and track operator Mike Natoli join host Brian Lohnes to discuss drag racing, winning the first no-prep Wally ever given, and operating an old school, community-based drag strip. Baroni is the first guest on the show and he talks about racing "Swamp Thing" a Nova station wagon designed to run down drag strips and any other surface with no prep. Packing a massive nitrous engine and loads of horsepower, the art of no-prep racing and power management are discussed as well as what it means to Baroni to hold the first-ever NHRA Speed for All Wally for winning a no-prep event. Mike Natoli the operator of South Mountain Raceway in Pennsylvania is the second guest on the show and he's the guy who organized the no-prep event that Baroni won. Natoli has loved drag racing his whole life and operates his facility in a traditional manner as part of the community. A man with huge personality, vision, and the will to make a drag strip work out of love and dedication to the sport, it is a highly entertaining conversation!

Ron Capps and Jeffrey Barker join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast to discuss their 2019 season, their take on driving, rules, and how the rest of the Camping World and E3 Spark Plugs seasons will shake out. The conversation with Capps is wide-ranging and rollicking as the season's successes and failures (thus far) are gone over, some of the finer points of nitro funny car driving are discussed, upcoming events are gone over, and New England Dragway is broken down as the next location on the Camping World tour. Jeffrey Barker, a two-time NHRA Vortech Superchargers Top Sportsman world champion has been flexing his muscles in a nitrous fed Toyota Camry pro mod in 2021. Currently sitting sixth in points but only a couple of rounds outside the top three, Barker is poised to make a difference in the championship hunt over the course of this season. We talk about rules, nitrous, success, family, and how it all fits together in Barker's world.

Steve Johnson and Dallas Glenn join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast to talk about their respective wins at Charlotte and the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. For Steve Johnson it had been seven years since he last tasted victory on the NHRA championship trail and this one was sweet. Working as an independent with a new engine combination, he had been frustrated by early season failures and mistakes but the motorcycle's performance was starting to show itself at events like Las Vegas and Atlanta. In Charlotte the dam broke and Johnson roared to victory in convincing fashion. Dallas Glenn has been waiting for the moment to compete in pro stock for his whole life and he is not squandering it. Having proven himself as a premier leaver in the class, Glenn captured his first pro stock win in Charlotte in his fourth pro stock start. Quietly confident and an expert on every inch of the machinery he is racing, Glenn gives insight into one of the most memorable moments in his burgeoning career. All this and some Charlotte wrap up along with a sneak peek at what's to come (and what isn't!) in Houston this weekend!

Racers Krista Baldwin and Joey Gladstone join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast to talk about their seasons, their reasons for competing in NHRA Camping World Drag Racing, and their hard work and struggles to succeed. Baldwin, a third-generation top fuel racer talks about her first race, which was the 2021 Gatornationals, and what she took from the experience while preparing to compete at the NGK Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte. She talks about her road to top fuel, her family, and the people she had met and who have supported her along the way. Joey Gladstone talks about the incredible race weekend he had at Atlanta Dragway when he rode a motorcycle while recovering from injuries sustained during a 200mph testing crash just weeks before. This is a story of grit, guts, determination, and the will to win. Both of these are hardcore racers and both are budding stars in the world of NHRA Camping World Drag Racing.

Antron Brown and Bob Tasca III join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The two Atlanta winners talk about their respective victories at the final NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. For Bob Tasca III, his second race win in a row stands as an affirmation that his team is not only championship caliber, but built for the long haul of the 2021 Camping World NHRA season. Antron Brown talks about the hard path he took to victory on Sunday in Atlanta, how his team rose to the occasion each round, and how facing down Steve Torrence in a legitimate top fuel duel to close the weekend was a massive confidence builder for their operation. All this and additional commentary and breaking news from Lohnes sprinkled in!

David Grubnic and Eddie Krawiec join Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast to talk about life, drag racing, and getting back into the sport that they love in 2021. Grubic, who serves as the crew chief on Brittany Force's top fuel dragster has come out of the gate swinging in 2021 and it's been fun to watch. He talks about being away and what it means to come back after being away for nearly a full year. Eddie Krawiec was at the track when he called into the show, having completed a successful test day with teammate Andrew Hines. The V-twin-powered motorcycles with their EBR bodies showed promise at the test session and the two are excited to be on the drag strip for the rest of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Eddie and Andrew talk success, pressure, a three motorcycle team, and more!

Shawn Langdon and Tony Pedregon join the NHRA Insider podcast this week for a wide-ranging discussion about drag racing, the upcoming Denso Spark Plugs 4-Wide Nationals, and other storylines in the sport. The discussion with Langdon centers around the difficulties, attraction, and culture of big money bracket racing, an arena he competes infrequently outside of NHRA top fuel. This is an enlightening discussion on a large swath of bracket racing many people are undereducated on. Tony Pedregon joins the show to preview the upcoming race weekend in Las Vegas. The discussion is about who looks strong, who's debuting at the event, who needs to step it up and the proclivities of 4-wide drag racing. Lots of great insider info here, opinion, and more!

Andrew Hines and Elon Werner join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. Werner, the Vice-President of Sports Publicity for the Tony Fay Agency of Texas has long been a presence inside NHRA drag racing, garnering teams like John Force Racing headlines over the years. He talks about the modern world of PR, how things have changed over his 30 years in the sport, and what he is doing to work with people like Kalitta Racing, Justin Ashely, and more each week. The second guest on the show is Andrew Hines who tells the amazing tale of the new Vance and Hines four-valve cylinder head, developing new motorcycles for Cory Reed and Joey Gladstone, testing before Gainesville, and breaking the 200mph barrier with Angelle during the race. Truly an awesome story of applied technology in the sport of NHRA Camping World Drag Racing.

On this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast, Greg Anderson and Dean Antonelli, lovingly known as Guido join Brian Lohnes on the show to talk about their early-season successes and careers. Guido and Jon Medlen are the crew chiefs overseeing the Ron Capps-driven NAPA Dodge out of the Don Schumacher camp and Greg Anderson was the Gainesville winner with a crushing performance that put the class on notice. Antonelli shares some amazing insights on not only his career but on the weekly pressures and life of a crew chief and his crew. The talk about the service time between rounds is really amazing and you'll work up a sweat just listening. Greg Anderson talks Gainesville success, searching for a primary sponsor, chasing the magical 100 career win mark, watching Dallas Glenn make his first start, and the importance of Jason Line's transitioned role at KB Racing to the organization. Two veterans with stories and great insight into the sport.