NHRA Insider Podcast

On this pre-NHRA Las Vegas 4-Wide Nationals NHRA Insider powered by Speedmaster, host Brian Lohnes is joined by Tony Pedregon and Kevin McKenna of National Dragster to talk all things Las Vegas. From the PlayNHRA gaming odds to the teams that may be best equipped to deal with a very hot race track, the guys go in-depth on a multitude of topics in each professional category of NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing. Along with all that, get the latest updates from the Brownburg, Indiana tornado from last week delivered by two guys who live minutes from the highly impacted areas from the storm. Loads to set up, break down, and go over before the first NHRA Four-Wide of the season, right here!

It was an amazing weekend at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Drag Strip for the 2025 Lucas Oil Winternationals. The stories from every aspect of the race were amazing. From Bob Tasca III not qualifying to the continued dominance of KB/Titan Racing in Pro Stock, but the nitro racing action was off the charts. Daniel Wilkerson clawed his way to a Funny Car final round, Clay Millican took home a dramatic Top Fuel victory, and the fans turned out under cloudy skies all weekend long to watch it.

On this episode of the NHRA Insider powered by Speedmaster, Wilkerson and Millican join host Brian Lohnes to tell the inside stories of their successes at the Winternationals. From crewmembers catching last minute mistakes before a run to holeshots, tuning calls, and more, this is an awesome dive into just how fantastically crazy the world of professional drag racing could ever be.

Enjoy this high-energy, in-depth pair of conversations!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, David Freiburger and Kevin McKenna join host Brian Lohnes to talk about an incredible weekend in Phoenix and the looming Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. Whether it was the bizarre Pro Stock final round, the emotional Funny Car victory of Paul Lee, or the domination of the team Kalitta Top Fuel cars, it was a weekend packed with stories from wall to wall. Oh, did we mention that the place was sold out, as well?! The Lucas Oil Winternationals, one of the great major races on the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour is this weekend and the weather forecast is laying out conditions that could lend themselves to historic performances. The stories, the stats, and the odds. It's all on this episode of the Insider!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Tony Pedregon and Kevin McKenna join host Brian Lohnes for a rip-roaring conversation that covers a lot of ground in the world of NHRA drag racing. The group talks a lot about Gainesville, what was learned and maybe what is yet to be learned from premier teams in 2025, they talk about the reverberations of Bob Tasca's Gainesville interview, how it has prompted discussions across media and motorsports, reactions to the Gatornationals, Robert Hight's retirement from John Force Racing, the PlayNHRA odds coming into Phoenix, and a whole lot more. This is a high octane, high intensity episode that will have you picking a side for sure. The desert battleground of Firebird Motorsports Park will be the scene of the action this weekend but before you get there, this battle of the airwaves will get you pumped up!

It was a weekend that challenged drag racers in every way possible and on this episdoe of the NHRA Insider podcast, host Brian Lohnes has winning Funny Car co-crew chief Dean Marinis and Top Fuel winner Antron Brown on to talk about it all. From the weather, to the power outages, the broken parts, and a race track that was as challenging as any Sunday has ever presented itself, winning this Gatornationals was an accomplishment few will ever forget. On the heels of a championship Antron Brown and his team put on a masterclass in both driving and tuning at Gainesville. When they needed to manage the power and rely on their driver, he was there, when the driver needed maximum performance in the final, the car was there. How? Antron tells all here. Dean Marinis has had an epic career in drag racing. From street racing in New York to class racing, dominating small tire racing, becoming one of the best nitrous tuners ever, and now a winning Funny Car wrench, he has truly done it all. He talks about his career and the Gainesville win here. So many great stories, these are two of the best.

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Kevin McKenna of National Dragster and Tony Pedregon of the NHRAonFOX join Brian Lohnes to give a comprehensive look at the upcoming Amalie Oil Gatornationals this weekend. The race has loads of storylines in all categories and these guys break into loads of them systematically. Who's showing up with new equipment, new people, new challenges, or a new outlook? Which racers are most due for a come up in 2025 and which may be facing turbulent times. The discussion is lively, interesting, and contains a few nuggets that even hardcore fans may have missed or simply don't know otherwise. The 2025 season is about to start and we want you to start it being as informed as possible! Listen up to this episode and you will be.

On this monologue style episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, host Brian Lohnes takes you though a plethora of news developments that happened over the last week. From results at the Division 2 and 7 season opening races in Orlando and Phoenix to an update from the NHRAonFOX pre-season meetings, driver announcements, Gainesville entry list bingo, some breaking news in various categories, and even some editorial comment on the racing world outside of the NHRA, this is a fast moving episode that covers a lot of ground. If you need to get caught up on all the pre-season fun and preparation that's been happening and continues to happen around the sport, this is the place to do it!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Powered by Speedmaster, Debbie O'Rourke, the series manager of the NHRA Congruity Pro Mod Series and Top Fuel team owner and driver Shawn Reed join host Brian Lohnes to explore a load of different topics. O'Rourke talks about the growth the work of the Pro Mod class over the last several years, initiatives that have been successful, and the product on the race track being compelling, unpredictable, and highly entertaining. The class is going to swell with entries once again in 2025 and there's plenty of chatter about Al Tucci coming on board to call the action and more. Shawn Reed is having an excellent to his 2025 Top Fuel season. Winning his first ever race in a dragster a few weeks ago, he talks of the experience, what it has done for he and his team, and his approach to 2025. This is an interesting chat with a guy unwilling to over promise and under deliver on his expectations and so far, so good on that front. A unique and interesting episode with two first time guests!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider powered by Speedmaster, Tony Pedregon and Kevin McKenna join host Brian Lohnes to talk about a really busy and exciting week of news in drag racing. From Sean Bellemeur's incredible A/Fuel Funny Car runs in Gainesville to the winners and high performers in Bradenton, Florida, the picture of the 2025 season is starting to form up. The guys talk about the teams that really made an impression, those that surprised, and those that may have a bunch more work cut out for them before the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Hot takes, insightful analysis, and the insider info only these three can dig up. An exciting show that ends the talk of off-season theories and breaks down real world performances.

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Tony Pedregon joins host Brian Lohnes to talk about the importance of pre-season testing and how every team does it a little bit differently. With the majority of NHRA teams headed to Florida this week, the guys thought it would be a good exercise to take you inside the way teams view the work they'll start putting in on the race track for the 2025 campaign. New crew chiefs, new team leadership, new drivers, and more all confront these operations in a different way. Does everyone have the same objectives and goals during a test? What separates a successful one from a dud? Which teams have the most compelling stories at this time of the year? All this and the headlines of the last week discussed in only the depth the insiders can bring you.