NHRA Insider Podcast

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Mike Janis and Kevin McKenna join Brian Lohnes. Janis was recently told by doctors that his hall of fame pro-modified driving career was at an end but Mike is not letting that end his career in the sport. Janis has put JR Gray in the family pro mod and will continue as the leader of the family race team that has garnered championships and race wins by the dozens...

Angelle Sampey and Bruno Massel join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. The conversation with Angelle is about the amazing announcement of Mission Foods coming on board to sponsor her season on a brand new Vance and Hines pro stock Suzuki with a four-valve cylinder head. She talks about her belief that her career ended with the closure of the Harley-Davidson sponsorship...

On this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast, Tony Pedregon and Josh Hart join host Brian Lohnes for two entertaining chats. Firstly, Pedregon talks about news, rumors, and innuendo he has been hearing around the NHRA hotbed of Brownsburg, Indiana. There's some inside stuff here you are not going to get anywhere else. Following the talk with Tony, Lohnes and Josh Hart describe his rise to become a...

Joey Gladstone and JR Gray join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. Both men have backgrounds in drag racing's grudge scene and have worked their way to the worlds of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle and e3 Spark Plugs Pro Modified respectively. Gladstone talks about the upcoming season and the new Vance and Hines Suzuki motorcycles he will be racing with Cory Reed. The four-valve,...

Cruz Pedregon and Justin Ashley join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast to talk about the headlines they have made on the business side of drag racing during this off-season. For Pedregon, a three-year extension with Snap-On is major news and for Justin Ashley, cultivating new and unique sponsors by creating opportunities for them both in and out of drag racing has been the s...

Tyler Crossnoe and Victor Alvarez join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. These two guys are among the youngest and most innovative track operators in the country and they do it in different ways. For Crossnoe who oversees Virginia Motorsports Park, an NHRA Camping World national event track, it's identifying trends and building the best customer experience possible for the...

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast, Elana Scherr the author of "Don Prudhomme, My Life Beyond The 1320" joins host Brian Lohnes to talk about making this amazing book and the inside stories behind the creation of the world. It's a fascinating discussion about The Snake and his influence on drag racing and beyond. Tony Pedregon is the second guest on this show. He and Lohnes delve into the...

On this final episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast for 2020, Brian Lohnes conducts a wide-ranging series of whip around interviews with members of the NHRAonFOX team ranging from the faces you see on-air, to the brilliant minds and talented people who work on the other side of the lens to make NHRA drag racing shows. There's a load of memories, inside stories, cool details you never knew, and remem...

Four-time Pro Stock champion crew chief Rick Jones joins host Brian Lohnes to talk about being a leading race car builder, a champion, and his road to becoming a champion mind in the world of NHRA drag racing. Jones' path from a guy who daydreamed about building cars for a living has become a reality beyond even his wildest expectations. There's also a fun musical look back at pro stock in 2020!

Lyle Barnett joins Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider to talk about his path through the world of small tire drag racing and into the ranks of the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series. On the day they spoke, Barnett had completed his licensing making runs of more than 250mph in the quarter-mile. He talks about the experience, his recovery from a horrendous fire in 2015, and how he has made...

Leah Pruett and A Look Back At Pro Stock Motorcycle On this return episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast, Leah Pruett joins host Brian Lohnes for an in-depth interview about the 2020 season which was both successful and tumultuous for the driver of the Mopar SRT Dodge top fuel dragster. The talk ranges from the start, the stop, life, the mental aspects of the sport, and how pressures both real and i...

Matt Hagan joins Brian Lohnes on this week's episode of the NHRA Insider podcast and talks about his 2020 NHRA Camping World Funny Car Championship season. The ups, the downs, the motivating factors, and the ultimate victory in Las Vegas. Lohnes also talks about some of the most interesting numbers from the 2020 top fuel season as well. A fun listen!

In a year that was heavily influenced by powers and forces outside of the realm of NHRA Camping World drag racing, Ron Capps and Ryan Oehler were both outside influencers from within the sport. Both men had strong seasons with wins and final round appearances and both men made noise and had some sway on who became champions in both Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Host Brian Lohnes speaks to bo...

Erica Enders and Antron Brown Newly minted four-time NHRA pro stock world champion and Las Vegas top fuel champion Antron Brown join Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider Podcast. These are two awesome conversations with NHRA competitors who battled adversity, bad luck, and disappointment to ultimately prevail in the closing stanza of the 2020 season. Brown talks about how his team has worked diligentl...

Tony Schumacher, Matt Smith, and Tony Pedregon join Brian Lohnes on this pre-Dodge NHRA Finals episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. The conversation ranges from who we think can win championships, what it means to Tony Schumacher to have an 85th Wally after a massive final round in Houston, and what Matt Smith needs to do in order to lock down his 4th career pro stock motorcycle crown. The chats a...

Phil Burgess and Tony Pedgreon join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider to talk about a wide range of topics from the event in Dallas, the upcoming race in Houston, and the unexpected and shocking passing of crew chief Eric Lane. Some of the news broke during the production of the show so that conversation is handled with Phil Burgess. The news on the track is interesting and off the...

The Hard Part About Getting To The Top Tommy Johnson Jr and Cameron Ferre join Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast this week. Lohnes talks Camping World, craziness at St Louis, and then has two great conversations with a veteran funny car racer and a top fuel competitor who is working hard to climb the ranks in arguably the most competitive category in the sport. This is about the pressures o...

Biting Commentary On this episode of the NHRA Insider, Tony Pedregon and Joe Castello join Brian Lohnes to talk about the amazing Amalie Oil GatorNationals as well we this weekend's AAA Midwest Nationals in St Louis. The conditions are going to be totally different. Who has what it takes to win? Who impressed Tony and Joe? Who needs to figure it out fast, and who's falling by the wayside. This is...

Stevie "Fast" Jackson and "Fast Jack" Beckman join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. Jackson and Beckman are fresh off US Nationals wins and come into the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals with momentum on their side. Jackson also recently reset a world record in radial tire drag racing and he tells Lohnes about the challenges that are associated with each style of competition...

 National Dragster Senior Editor Kevin McKenna joins Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast this week to talk about pro stock motorcycle, the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA US Nationals, sportsman drag racing, and pro modified. A wide-ranging conversation about the season, the upcoming races, and why the pro stock motorcycle category has been so wide open in 2020 and beyond. The pair also discuss the up...

Erica Enders and Shawn Langdon join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. These are two of the most mentally tuned-in drivers in the game and to hear them walk through their US Nationals victories is really interesting. They both have an amazing depth of understanding about how their actions both on the physical and brain-related side change the way they perform in the car...

Eddie Krawiec and Tony Pedregon join host Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast. Eddie talks about pro stock motorcycle, the Mickey Thompson Pro Bike Battle, and the evolution of the four-valve head in pro stock motorcycle competition. Tony Pedregon pops in to talk about getting a sportsman drag racing license with Bo Butner, his predictions about the Denso Spark Plugs US Nation...

 TJ Zizzo and Angelle Sampey join Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider Podcast to talk about their careers, recent successes, and how the long and winding road of drag racing has taken them to places both physically and mentally they never expected. Zizzo's trip through top fuel is full of highs and lows as he prepares for the first final round of his career to be contested at the Denso Spark Plugs US...

The First-Timers Ron Capps and Joe Morrison join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider. Capps is coming off of his first race win at Lucas Oil Raceway, Indianapolis. Morrison is coming off of his first-ever top fuel start after qualifying for the Dodge Indy Nats presented by Pennzoil. Both guys talk about the race and both talk about the kind of inside drag racing stuff that we love to...

Andrew Hines and Donald "Duck" Long join Brian Lohnes on this episode of the NHRA Insider to talk drag racing! Hines talks about the start of the 2020 pro stock motorcycle season, the upcoming Mickey Thompson Pro Bike Battle to be run at the US Nationals, and more. Donald Long is one of the most well known and outlandish promoters in drag racing. He talks about the history of his races, the classe...