NHRA Insider Podcast

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Kevin McKenna of National Dragster and Tony Pedregon of the NHRAonFOX join host Brian Lohnes to talk all things Gatornationals and beyond in 2026. This conversation covers a wide array of subjects, people, rumors, speculation, and more leading into the first race of the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series schedule. The personnel, driver, equipment, and sponsor changes we'll see are gone over, broken down, and evaluated. The variables that no one can predict are approached, and beyond that, the guys all lend their considerable insights into what will be a Gatornationals unlike any we have seen in many, many years. Race one of 2026 promises to be a contest for the ages, attended by legends that span the history of the NHRA. Let this episode get you fired up for it!

On this high-speed episode of the NHRA Insider podcast powered by Speedmaster, Shawn Langdon talks about his historic week of testing at Gainesville Raceway and Jordan Vandergriff talks about a breakout rookie week earning his stripes as a Funny Car driver.

For Langdon, Gainesville was not a test session but a continuation of a global drag racing journey he'd been on since November. Langdon ran 3.621, which is the unofficial quickest of all time, and then the next day went 345.62, the unofficial fastest of all time. He breaks down these runs, his globe-trotting odyssey, and more in this insightful interview.

Vandergriff has massive shoes to fill at John Force Racing. He knows it, the world knows it. He had an amazing week, gaining a Funny Car license, running 3.80s, and putting the world on notice that he can do the job. Vandergriff tells all about his new status as a Funny Car driver, his new crew chiefs, and his new crew in this chat.

This and some more testing and cool news on the show!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast Powered by Speedmaster, NHRA Pro Mod legend Von Smith and the March Meet's Blake Bowser join host Brian Lohnes to tell stories, recount history, and explore all that's coming at the 2026 March Meet at historic Famoso Drag Strip in Bakersfield.

2010 NHRA Pro Mod champion Von Smith is the first guest on the show and he talks about his incredible career, transitioning from Funny Car to Pro Mod, winning championships, being among the first to race internationally more than a decade ago, and the kind of inside racer stories we love. Learn about the health battles he overcame, his memorable 2010 season title, and how the world of five second 250mph door slammer racing has evolved and how he himself helped evolve it.

Blake Bowser is the second guest on the show. A man with multiple generations of history at Famoso Drag Strip, he now oversees the operation of the famed Good Vibrations March Meet and the California Hot Rod Reunion. Get the inside scoop on what's happening in 2026, the incredible history of the event, and why it continues to be one of the great drag races on the planet from the guy who knows it best.

All that and more including news and rumors, right here!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider powered by Speedmaster, Josh Hart and Mike Knudsen join host Brian Lohnes to talk about the off-season, preparing for 2026, what they are looking forward to, and how this next season will show off the evolution of their respective careers. Josh Hart goes into depth about his experience so far at John Force Racing, his new sponsorship with Speedmaster, and how the team is working to craft the most precisely tailored Top Fuel dragster he has ever piloted. He talks about the shift in pressure from being an owner/driver to a dedicated driver, what David Grubnic and John Collins are doing and how fired up he is for Gainesville. Mike Knudsen heads into the 2026 season with something virtually no other Funny Car Crew Chief has, the same team. The growth they showed in 2025 along with the stability they bring into 2026 means that the car which finished second last season is expected to challenge for a title once again. Mike talks approach, new tracks, how the tuners will navigate them and what he learned from last year. Some awesome deep insight from these two guys who will star prominently in the 2026 nitro fueled war that will be NHRA competition.

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster Maddi Gordon joins host Brian Lohnes to talk about the final preparations for her Top Fuel debut in 2026, moving into the role of being a professional full-time driver, her goals for this career evolution, and a whole lot more. Add into that the huge Prock family news, massive facility upgrades being made across the sport, especially at Bristol Dragway, and a whole lot more and you have a quick and quick moving episode of the Insider. Maddi's move to the Top Fuel world has been very public in its announcements and gradual forward moving steps but now the time has come to truly prepare for the season. Lean about outlook, process, and all the behind the scenes work happening in the Ron Capps Motorsports race shop. It's a great conversation with Top Fuel's newest driver.

On this super-sized, three-guest episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast Powered by Speedmaster, National Dragster's Kevin McKenna, Bluebird Turf Top Fuel driver Will Smith, and Funny Car stalwart Buddy Hull join the show to talk 2026 in all forms and fashions.

McKenna and host Brian Lohnes dive into a range of 2026 season topics, break down some of the recent news, speculate on some of the happenings still in the wings, and explore the radical door slammer fun to come in both Congruity HR Pro Mod and the new Right Trailers Outlaw Street series presented by Xpel. A great chat with lots of insight.

Smith is living a dream. Recently named the driver of the new addition to the Scag Power Equipment factory team, he will be competing full time in Top Fuel. Smith shares his story, his outlook, and his awesome persona here. A real-deal drag racer speaks from the heart.

Hull made big news a few weeks back, announcing that he would be fielding his own Funny Car operation in 2026. Get the inside scoop on who is tuning, what lessons he learned over a hard 2025 season, and what the strategy is for 2026. One of the biggest personalities in the class goes into success, failure, and the effort of doing it his own way in the coming year.

On this 2026 kick off episode of the NHRA Insider powered by Speedmaster, Phil Burgess, Editorial Director for the NHRA and NHRAonFox's Tony Pedregon come on to talk about the off-season craziness, rumors, a new mystery dragster on the way to Top Fuel, 75th Anniversary content and celebrations, and more with Brian Lohnes. In the first half of the show Pedregon and Lohnes dive into the wildness of the off-season, the personnel changes, who won, who lost, and who is in a better position than they were last year. They talk about the off season work, the importance of adapting to new tracks, and how some new crew chief pairings are perhaps a little strange but potentially great. International Drag Racing Hall of Fame member and NHRA Editorial Director Phil Burgess joins the show as the second guest. He and Lohnes visit some of the same off season content and then they dive into the incredible array of 75th Anniversary content Phil and his people have been working on and are releasing. This season is going to rock and this show will get you fired up for it!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, host Brian Lohnes is joined by Jordan Vandergriff who was revealed to be the new driver of the Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet for the 2026 season at John Force Racing. Vandergriff talks about gaining the shot, the challenges ahead, how he is preparing, and the natural rivalry he'll share with Austin Prock when the season dawns at Gainesville. The conversation is open, honest, and full of the kind of insights only a professional driver on the doorstep of living a dream can share. Lohnes talks PRI, the recent announcement of a new NHRA National event at US 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan, breaking news and more. This one's got something for everyone.

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Tony Pedregon joins Brian Lohnes to talk about the chaos of crew chiefs in the NHRA nitro ranks right now, fresh news about a Top Fuel team, landing places for the experienced leaders currently standing as free agents, and a whole lot more. Why did this happen, how did this happen, and how all these moves will reshape the nitro landscape in 2026. This is an interesting episode that takes you to ground zero where all the news is radiating out of and helps to perhaps sort some of the craziness out.

On this in-depth episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Richard Gadson and Dallas Glenn join host Brian Lohnes to talk about their first championships in the world of NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing. The two hardcore racers take you deep into their championship seasons, talk about behind the scenes moments you've never heard them talk about, analyze their approaches, their successes, failures, and the moments that brought them the sport's ultimate glory. For Richard Gadson, it was a season of intense conversations, learning, and ultimately self-realization that he was not only capable of winning a title but deserving of it as well. Gadson takes us into an intense meeting with Terry Vance after a loss in Chicago that changed his mentality and ultimately set him on a path to the pages of drag racing history forever. His breakdown of the semi-final in Las Vegas against Gaige Herrera, his discussion of the team dynamic when Brayden Davis came on for the Countdown, and more are revelatory. Dallas Glenn had one of the most statistically amazing seasons in modern Pro Stock history and he breaks it down, sometimes to the thousandth of a second in this interview. The depth of desire and the will to win and keep winning are fascinating points of this conversation. You'll fully understand his championship mindset after listening. These conversations as well as deep insider breaking crew chief news will have you glued to this show from end to end!