Land Speed Legends

Send us Fan Mail From Sprint Cars to Indy Cars to Bonneville Mike Nish was a racing machine! His racing career mirrored his life with thrilling ups and devastating downs. But like a legend he overcame! His influence on land speed racing is undeniable. He entered the Bonneville 200 MPH Club and 300 MPH Chapter in 1996 with a speed of 304.700 MPH. He had many records and runs that excelled that spee...

Send us Fan Mail THE LEGENDARY LLOYD PARRY is a hot rodder at heart and from a young age he was working on anything that had wheels. His involvement in land speed racing started whe he was introduced to Dave Skidmore. Him and Dave ran a '64 Dodge Dart. When the Dart engine blew up he began working the USFRA races. Starting as a course steward he is now currently the assistant race director an...

Send us Fan Mail THE LEGENDARY HUGH COTHARP first went to Bonneville in 1958. He spectated until 1971 until he began crewing for the Skidmore/Alanson's Studebaker. In 1976 he ran his own car a V4/STR  and set a record at 88MPH. He then went on to crew the Vesco's 444 car and Don Vesco's m/c streamliners. He was also one of the original founders of the USFRA and their treasurer for 3...

Send us Fan Mail THE LEGNDARY RON CHRISTENSEN was practically born with an obsession for cars and racing. Growing up in Wendover Utah gave him a unique advantage and access to witness the Golden Days of Bonneville and extensive knowledge of Bonneville and the history of the area around the salt flats. His attention eventually graduated to sports cars which eventually turned into a very successful...

Send us Fan Mail THE LEGENDARY CHAD ZUPAN first trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats was when he was seven years old. Although he didn't start land speed racing until later, he kept himself busy with kart, dirt bike and drag racing. In 2001, he started racing at Bonneville in his dad's street roadster and in 2018, Chad finally got his red hat in a G/FMR! Since then, he has been racing a 196...

Send us Fan Mail THE LEGENDARY MIKE STRASBURG has been going to the Bonneville Salt Flats since 1969. He gained entry into the Bonneville 200 MPH Club in 1991 driving his family’s BGL with a record of 277 MPH. He gained entry in the 300 MPH Chapter in 2017 setting a record of 344 MPH in AA/BFL class. That was not enough for Mike so he updated his record to 361 MPH the following year. Mike is also...

Send us Fan Mail Here with me is the LEGENDARY LINDSAY STRASBURG. Lindsay's first year at Bonneville was in 1957 when he went out as spectator with his dad and uncles. But when it comes to racing the Strasburgs aren’t spectators. And in1962 they brought out a ‘62 Galaxy running in B/Prod. In 1967 Lindsay began racing and in 1972 he set a record in a ’71 mustang C/Prod 176 MPH. In 1991 Lindsay...

Send us Fan Mail Al’s first trip to Bonneville was in 1967 as a crew member on the Mardon, Ohly and Bentley fuel roadster. From 1968 to 1975 he drove and wrenched on the Sadd, Teague and Bentley fuel roadster. In 1970 he qualified for the 200 MPH Club in both A/FR & C/FR. But 200 MPH wasn’t fast enough for Al, and in 1976 he built a B/FBL and in 1981 he set a record with that lakester at 308 M...

Send us Fan Mail THE LEGENDARY ANITA STRASBURG grew up in Oklahoma and Texas. She grew watching drag racing with her dad Don Pulliman. In the early 200/s She started drag racing and ’86 Chevy truck in the super pro class. She moved on altered’s and eventually moved on to top dragsters pushing speeds of 212 MPH. She made her first trip to Bonneville in 2012 and was hooked! She made her first runs i...

Send us Fan Mail THE LEGENDARY JEFF STRASBURG grew up going to the Bonneville Salt Flats and made his first trip out there at seven years old to watch his big brother Lindsay race the family’s 1971 Mustang that ran in the C/PROD class. Jeff set his first record, 185 MPH, at the age of 20 in 1985 driving a C/STR. But Jeff was just getting warmed up! In 1990 he gained entry into the Bonneville 200 M...

Send us Fan Mail Today I have THE LEGENDARY CHAD HOWEY! Chad’s love for land speed racing begins with his Grandpa Roger Howey’s ventures racing various cars in the 50’s in California at the dry lakes & Bonneville. Grandpa Howey’s land speed career ended in the 70’s when he decided he was going drag racing. The drag racing circuit is where Chad developed a need for speed. In honor of Grandpa Ho...

Send us Fan Mail Bo has been going to the Bonneville Salt Flats for almost 40 years! After spending years growing up on the salt, Bo was ready to race on the salt. He began racing in 2002 but his days in the driver’s seat of his family streamliner ended in 2004 when he crashed at 318 MPH. Bo rolled 8 times over a mile but amazingly walked away from it with only a concussion. After that, he did wor...

Send us Fan Mail Here today is the Legendary Scott Horner! Scott is originally from New Jersey but was exposed to land speed racing through pictures and stories in books about the Spirt of America, the Blue Flame, the Green Monster and other land speed legends. This sparked a desire for land speed racing in Scott that would have to wait four decades before it was realized. In the meantime, his nee...

Send us Fan Mail BJ has been going to the Bonneville Salt Flats for over 40 years. He got in the Bonneville 200 MPH in 1996 at the age of 18, at the time he was one the youngest people to get in the club. After, years of crewing on his family streamliner. He began volunteering for the USFRA and is now head of tech inspection for coemption cars and the 130 & 150 Club. BJ’s love for the salt so...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Land Speed Legends! Here today I have the Legendary John Levie! John is my first land speed motorcycle guest and my guest with the most records, over 100 of them! His first introduction into land speed racing would be as a spectator when his dad, Allen Levie, began taking him to the Bonneville Salt Flats at two years old. Him and his dad would continue to spectate as Jo...

Send us Fan Mail Speaking Intro Sitting across from me today is the Legendary Gary Spencer! He fell in love with land speed racing and the Bonneville Salt Flats at young age when his dad, Richard Spencer, started taking him out to the races over 60 years ago! He moved on to drag racing, where he drove funny cars and currently races motorcycles. But eventually shifted his focus to land speed racing...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Land Speed Legends sitting with me today is the man, the myth, the Legendary Shifting Shane Dean…the gear jammer! Shane’s first year at the salt was in 2008. He came out with his girlfriend now wife who happens to be me! It didn’t take long for him to catch the bug and in 2012 Shane & his dad, Ron Dean, bought a 1984 C4 Corvette. Shane set a record in 2018 and gaine...

Send us Fan Mail BONUS EPISODE!!! This week we have another Burkdoll, the legendary Jim Burkdoll! Jim was first introduced to land speed racing in the 50’s. He was just a kid when his dad, Keith, would take him out to Speed Week for the day. They caught the racing bug and began building a streamliner when Jim was still in elementary school! The streamliner took longer than anticipated to build but...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have the Legendary Julie Burkdoll! Julie was first introduced into land speed racing when she was 17 years old and her now husband then boyfriend the Legendary Jim Burkdoll took her on a date during Speed Week. By the early 1980’s Julie, Jim and there 3 boys BJ, Timmy & Bo were racing on the salt. She wasn’t planning on racing, but with some encouragement from her hus...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome the Legendary Dallas Volk to Land Speed Legends! Dallas is the oldest of the Volk Brothers Racing team and happens to be my big brother. He has been involved in land speed racing for over 50 years. He is member of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club which he gained entrance to in 2001. He is currently a crew member for the Volk Brothers and Nish modified roadster and high boy road...

Send us Fan Mail I am so excited to have the legendary Tom Burkland here! Tom has a love of land speed racing and has been involved in it since his family first made the trek to the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1969. Soon he was building and racing cars. He became a member of the Bonneville 2 Club in 1985. But 200+ MPH was not enough. He had a desire to go fast & I mean really fast. Tom & his...

Send us Fan Mail Betty is the embodiment of a land speed racer. Her first year at the salt was in 1969 when she went as a spectator with her husband...The Legendary Gene Burkland. Spectating didn’t last long because they soon built a car and were racing by 1971. Betty got her turn in the driver seat when she drove thier Datsun Comp Coup before she landed a seat in George Fields Comp Coup. In 2003,...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have the legendary Jeff Nish! This is my first guest who isn’t my blood relative but I would definitely consider him family. This man has raced a lot! He started circle track racing before he moved on to setting records at Bonneville. He became a Bonneville 200 MPH Club member in 1986. He decided that wasn’t fast enough, so he went for a blue hat and was successful in gai...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have the legendary Patrick Volk who I am lucky enough to call my big brother. He has been going to the salt for almost 50 years. He is the younger brother of Volk Brothers Racing team. He is the first of the Volk siblings to get into the Bonneville 200 MPH Club which he did in 1991. He is currently the crew chief of the #59 Volk Brothers Roadster. This episode is going to...

Send us Fan Mail Larry Volk's first racing experience on the Bonneville Salt Flats was in 1959 he then began racing out there in 1963. By 1975 he had gained entry into the Bonneville 200 MPH Club in 1975. He has served as chairman of Save the Salt, President of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club and founding member of the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association. His awards include: Bonneville 200 MPH Clu...