NHRA Insider Podcast

On this episode of the NHRA Insider powered by Speedmaster, host Brian Lohnes is joined by Top Fuel runner up Shawn Langdon and Funny Car runner up Dan Wilkerson. They both have amazing stories to share about their weekends in Thunder Valley. For Langdon, it was escaping two harrowing rounds where mechanical issues reared their heads at the last second, and his team was able to remedy them both with legendary action. He made his sixth straight final, seemingly against all odds. Dan Wilkerson's weekend was the best of his season. The Scag Power Equipment Jackal made its first final of the year and turned a mechanical corner that they had been working to fix all year long. Two high energy, in-depth conversations with racers who made headlines in Bristol!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Thomas Prock and Angie Smith join host Brian Lohnes to talk about their winning weekends at the first ever NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway. For Thomas Prock, this victory was the validation of a decision he and his family made to leave John Force Racing and take over the on-track operations at Tasca Racing. Prock details the process, the struggles, the highs and the lows, that have brought them back into winning form. This is a story of big brains and hard work. Angie Smith's win at MIR was historic, marking the 200th professional class female triumph, an amazing milestone. IT was also as wild and hard fought as any she has had before or ever will in the future. Listening to her tell the tale of Matt being hospitalized, deciding last minute to run the motorcycles, qualifying number one, and running the table on Sunday is astonishing. A show you'll dig from end to end.

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Chicago winners Matt Smith and Chad Green join the show to talk about how they navigated the track, the wind, and the competition to victory. For Matt Smith, it was a harrowing experience picking up a second consecutive win on the NHRA tour. The crosswinds tested his bravery and ability on the drag strip. He goes in-depth about what they did to navigate it, his close call, and the final round that didn't go the way anyone expected it to. Chad Green is having a career season in Funny Car. For the first time he has multiple wins in the same campaign and he has done it twice in six races. Green talks about pedaling around Ron Capps, the consistency of his people, new sponsors, and the team that he calls the best of his career. This is a great episode with two chats that define two very different winning experiences!

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast powered by Speedmaster, Brian Husen the Crew Chief for the record setting and Southern Nationals winning Kalitta Air dragster and Chris Cunningham, the crew chief for the winning Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet Funny Car join host Brian Lohnes to break down their memorable wins on a wild and challenging Georgia weekend. Great insights from these tuners who have spent their lives in the sport of drag racing to grow and perfect their craft are shared into the tuning approach, the team nature of the sport, and how it all came together for them on a sunny Sunday at South Georgia Motorsports Park. A fun listen from two top tier tuners in the NHRA!

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 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 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.