They’re talking about a big drag-racing weekend in Charlotte. “Four Wide” means four cars race at the same time in adjacent lanes, which makes for a chaotic and exciting event.
They’re describing how “Four Wide” racing can get really messy. When four cars launch at the same time, any small problem can quickly turn into a dramatic moment.
NHRA is the organization that runs and regulates a lot of drag racing events. Here, they’re mentioned because race officials likely made a decision due to rain.
They mean the teams/race officials move the cars back to reset things. It usually happens when weather or track conditions force the event to pause or change the order.
The “pits” are where the crew can work on the car between runs. If a driver is sent to the pits, the team tries to repair or adjust the car before the next attempt.
Qualifying sessions are practice runs where drivers try to post their best times. Those times help decide who gets better positions for the races that follow.
“Funny cars” are race cars built for drag racing—basically quick acceleration runs down a straight track. They’re designed to go as fast as possible over a short distance, and they usually have huge power.
That phrase points to a particular drag racing car/entry tied to sponsorship. A dragster is a race car built for drag racing—made to accelerate hard in a straight line.
John Force Racing is a major team in professional drag racing, best known for competing in the Funny Car class. In the episode, it’s referenced as a “mega team” that a driver wanted to join for higher visibility and resources.
Top Fuel dragsters are the fastest cars in drag racing. They’re built just to go down a straight track as fast as possible, and they use a very powerful nitro-fueled engine.
Qualifying bonus points are extra points you can earn by doing well in the qualifying runs. They help set you up better for the head-to-head races later.
Pro Stock is a drag racing category where the cars are more closely related to production cars than the wildest nitro classes. Teams still modify them heavily, but they have to follow tighter rules.
Brand
KB Titan power
KB Titan power is a brand that provides something performance-related for racing teams—often fuel or an additive. Teams mention it because it’s part of what helps their cars or bikes run well.
The “southern nationals” is a named drag-racing event. The hosts are bringing it up because it’s an event where a driver’s past performance is a big talking point.
Atlanta Dragway is a place where drag races are held. The hosts mention it because the driver’s past results there help explain what to expect this time.
A “rig” here means the team’s tow vehicle and trailer setup. The hosts are saying the event has rules for how teams should bring those vehicles in and park so everything runs smoothly.
Company
NHA
NHA is referenced as the organization providing event guidance, including how teams should enter and operate on-site. In racing, sanctioning bodies or series organizers often publish logistics and rules that teams must follow to avoid delays or penalties.
“Two wide” means two cars race next to each other in neighboring lanes instead of one car at a time. It’s harder because you have to keep your lane and timing while watching the other car.
Concept
all star call out
This is a special race format where the best qualifier (the #1 seed) gets to pick who they’ll race. Instead of everyone racing the same way every time, it creates a one-time matchup choice.
In drag racing, the “tree” is the set of start lights. A “staggered tree” means the lights are set up so the two lanes start with a timing offset, which helps make the races fairer and easier to manage.
Bracket racing is a drag race format where each driver is trying to hit a target time. Instead of only caring who’s fastest overall, you’re trying to be consistent and match your dial-in.
Concept
leave second
“Leave second” means one car starts its launch a little after the other. In drag racing, that timing difference can be intentional based on the starting-light setup.
Concept
top fuel funny car race during testing
The hosts mention that this kind of top fuel funny car matchup has been tried “during testing,” meaning it was evaluated outside of a full official race event. Testing sessions are used to validate procedures, staging, and timing rules before running it as a formal competition.
A quarter-mile is the length of the drag race. Racers run that distance as fast as they can, and the results are usually measured for that exact distance.
The cockpit is where the driver sits inside the car. In drag racing, it’s set up so the driver can see what’s happening and react quickly during the run.
Drag cars use parachutes as an additional braking system because they can reach very high speeds in a short distance. If parachutes don’t deploy correctly, stopping performance can be compromised, which is why the speaker calls out “parachutes not coming out.”
“Getting on the brakes” refers to the driver applying the braking system after the high-speed run. In drag racing, this often happens alongside (or after) parachute deployment, depending on the car’s setup and the run conditions.
Sand is like a low-grip surface, so the tires can lose traction. That makes the car harder to control, so the best strategy is usually to avoid entering it or to enter in a way that keeps the car stable.
Fishtailing is when the back of the car starts sliding left and right. It usually happens when the tires lose grip, and it can quickly get out of control.
They’re saying don’t brake suddenly or super hard. On slippery surfaces, hard braking can make the car bounce and lose traction, which makes it easier to lose control.
“Hard on the brakes” means braking suddenly or very strongly. On slippery surfaces like sand, that can cause the tires to lose grip and the car can start sliding or flipping.
Shifting gears means changing the “gear” the car is using. It helps the engine make the right amount of power at the right time, which matters a lot in racing.
In drag racing, reaction time is how fast the driver reacts when the start lights go off. Faster reaction can help the car get moving sooner, which matters a lot when every fraction of a second counts.
“Cutting lights” means the driver reacts at the start so quickly that it looks very early. In drag racing, that timing is tracked closely because leaving too soon can cause problems.
Brand
Skag Bluebird
Skag Bluebird sounds like the name of the team or car entry in that pit area. In racing, these branded names usually identify which car and crew you’re talking about.
The Ford Maverick is a small pickup truck made by Ford. It’s meant for people who want the usefulness of a truck bed but still want something easier to drive and park than bigger trucks. It may be mentioned because it fits a lot of different everyday needs.
Maryland is where the speaker is excited to race next. It’s being treated like a special or familiar stop compared to other new tracks.
Topic
Epping and Reading
Epping and Reading are track locations the speaker calls out as their home races. In drag racing, “home track” matters because familiarity with the venue and local support can make events feel more personal.
Pro Modified is a drag-racing class for cars that are heavily modified but still based on production models. Racers build them for maximum acceleration while following class rules.
Traction control is a computer system that helps prevent the tires from spinning when you accelerate. It can change how a car launches, which is why racers sometimes argue about whether it’s being used.
Concept
Dugene
“Dugene” sounds like the name of where they’re heading for the races. Different tracks can behave differently, so where you race can change how cars need to be set up.
“Final qualifying” is the last round of qualifying runs that determines the bracket positions for the eliminations. In drag racing, qualifying performance affects matchups and can influence strategy for the race day rounds.
Concept
pro classes
“Pro classes” are the higher-level competition categories in drag racing, typically with specific rules and vehicle eligibility. In bracket-style events, the pro classes are often the divisions fans pick from because they run structured elimination rounds.
Drag racing is racing where cars line up and race straight down a short track to see who gets there fastest. It’s mainly about quick acceleration and consistent launches.
Term
rev up deal
“Rev up” means raising the engine’s RPM (how fast it’s spinning). In a racing event, it often happens before the action starts to warm things up or to get ready.
“Pro Mod” is a category in drag racing for cars that are modified a lot for speed. When they say “pro mod guys,” they mean the racers and teams in that class.
They’re saying one driver is in the best position to do well. It’s basically “this is the right place at the right time” for that person to have an advantage.
They’re talking about information from previous runs at the track. If you know how the car behaves there, you can make smarter adjustments instead of guessing.
Concept
runaway
They’re warning against making a big mistake that gets out of hand during a run. If you mess up early, it can be hard to recover later.
Concept
put the thing in the shell
This sounds like racing slang for being careful and getting the car set up right. The goal is to avoid taking unnecessary risks so you’re ready when it matters.
A “speed trap” is a spot where police are watching for speeding. If you go too fast there, you’re more likely to get a ticket.
Concept
bracket busters
In drag racing, bracket racing tries to make different cars compete more evenly by using a target time. “Bracket busters” are the racers who surprise everyone by beating their expected time.
Concept
click all four places in a row every round
This is describing a contest/scoring rule where you have to get the race results in the right order for multiple cars each round. It’s tricky because one wrong pick can ruin the streak.
Topic
Reading race
They’re talking about a specific race event in Reading. The hosts are basically saying more teams might travel there because they have supporters or customers nearby.
In racing, a “triple crown” usually means winning three big, important races or milestones. Here, they’re saying someone is going to try to accomplish all three, including the Reading race.
A “national event” is a bigger race that draws more attention and higher competition than local events. They’re saying it’s valuable because it lets the driver practice more at a top-level track.
LIVE
This is WFO Radio.
Hello, welcome to Life's A Drag. I'm your host, Elon Warner.
The great Jason Logan is busy driving boats in Disneyland, so I'll be flying solo today.
So glad everybody is joining us. Please, please, please like and share the show.
Here is our link. You know, we got merchandise. I believe it's still on sale.
So I want to thank Monica for all her hard work and really excited to be doing the show.
We're coming on the heels of the Four Wide Nationals in Charlotte and heading into the Southern Nationals.
So Wild Weekend in North Carolina had a little bit of everything during the race with, you know, the usual Four Wide mayhem,
but then also Race Day on Sunday got off to a wild, wild start when we were holding off on rain.
You know, they were just worried rain came in Saturday, but we were really, really worried about, you know, getting the race started,
got the race started, and then mayhem on the starting line.
It looked like Tony Schumacher was having some kind of issue.
And then it's, you know, did he get shut off by the NHRA because of rain?
And then what are we going to do, you know, for these other three guys? Yes, Chaos Nationals.
I mean, that is basically Four Wide, what we got going on.
So they basically push the cars back, and sometimes they can just push them back and put fuel in them, as we all know, and then fire them up.
But they sent Schumacher back to his pits, and then other crew chiefs were like, why does this guy get to go fix his car?
But ultimately, he didn't have enough time to fix his car.
They ran three wide for the Four Wide, and it all sorted itself out.
But it was just a crazy, crazy start.
It was great to see, you know, the crowd was very, very solid.
You know, they only get one shot to see Four Wide this year.
So that made it interesting.
Just Gage Herrera back on top and pros like motorcycle, you had, you know, Ron Kapps winning.
You had Doug Coletta winning.
And then Matt Hartford gets back in the winner's circle, which is honestly always good for me.
Because when Matt Hartford wins, he brings me a beer in the press room.
And that is really nothing better than getting a nice cold Corona premium from the great Matt Hartford.
And very appreciative of that.
But now he has two 75th anniversary wallies.
You know, it's just really cool.
It was wild.
Kapps is Four Wide in the funny car.
Hands down had to be one of the best, the best four drivers.
All world champions.
You had Kapps, Hagen, Beckman, and JR Todd.
All those guys solid.
You know, all really, really good cars, all world champions.
It was awesome to see.
Great to see Kapps get the win.
And it was cool.
He came into the winners into the press room and was really, he was happy for Hagen, but he was irritated that he did not win that thousandth funny car race.
That, you know, he felt, you know, Hagen's a four time champion that Hagen deserved it.
But Kapps just really felt like he, that was the trophy that he really, really, really wanted.
And I would agree.
Nitro, Surveyor, the four wide it was really, really good.
It was great to see you.
You know, the whole vibe of the weekend, I thought really built up really well.
We got, you know, almost all four of the professional categories got four qualifying sessions.
Some of the sportsman guys, Rain came in and, and mess them up.
But I just thought top to bottom, there's still, there's still some Austin proc drama, his car basically qualified 16th.
And if, you know, and it really wasn't a solid 16 if there would have been 17 funny cars there very easily Austin proc could have missed the show again.
And they're, you know, they, they claim they're making progress.
And they probably are because just the way funny cars work.
And Nitro car, I mean, you're just kind of stumbling along and you're finding all these little, little bitty things, little bitty things and then something will click and then you just get on a hot streak and Jimmy is known.
Known to do that.
You know, this, like I said, the Charlotte crowd.
We had NASCAR guys there.
Probably one of the coolest moments for me to see was Josh Hart running the Hendricks cars.com Topfield Dragster.
And then on Friday, Mr Hendricks and then also Kyle Larson and his family, popping into his pit and Josh getting to spend some time with not only Mr Hendrick, but also Kyle Larson and they probably spent probably 10 or 15 minutes talking to each other about racing and you
know, funny cars for a little bit, but just seeing Josh interact with Kyle Larson and talk racing was really cool.
And that's the benefit of, you know, that Josh has moved.
That's what he wanted.
He wanted to get over to John Force Racing and be part of, you know, a mega team, a high profile team.
And that's ultimately been Josh's goal from day one.
And the line on, he was constantly signing autographs and he was spending time with fans and they were coming by and it was just really, really cool to see Josh in that element.
Another cool thing that happened this weekend was Richard Gadson brought out.
This is his third year, second full year kind of bringing kids from the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization out, which was cool to see Richard is a product of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
He talks about that a lot. His rookie year at Reading, he brought some fans out, brought some bigs and littles out, took care of him on his own.
I heard about it and, you know, stepped up and started helping him last year.
He brought to six different races, bigs and littles, like basically 10 people.
And we kicked it off at Charlotte last year, we kicked it off at Charlotte this year.
So now we're getting into, we'll do Charlotte, I think Chicago, Indy, St. Louis, Dallas and Las Vegas this year.
Since we're not going back to Reading, it's kind of a bummer for us.
But Richard, you know, other drivers have stepped up.
Daniel Wilkerson lets kids get a tour of his funny car pit area.
Jasmine Salinas lets some kids get a tour of her Top Fuel Dragster over at Scrappers Racing and then they go and see Richard.
They get to see a whole day of racing.
It was really, really cool.
Joe and the announcing team really did a great job of promoting it and talking about it.
And this is just something Richard, Richard just does to just be a good guy.
You know, it's, it's going to be really cool to see how he does this season.
He was runner up.
So, you know, he really was looking to get, you know, another win this year, but those, those bansom hindbikes are running really good.
But Matt Smith was the number one qualifier and Matt Smith has got a really, really good motorcycle.
And he talked about, you know, he lost 20 pounds.
They took 20, he lost 20 pounds so they could move weight around on his motorcycle.
And I think it's paying off for he and Angie.
They both had really, really good bikes.
They got qualifying bonus points seeing Clayton Howie do really well was really kind of cool.
You know, so I think across the board, pros like motorcycle is going to be really, really interesting.
And then in pro stock, it really looked like it was going to be all Greg Anderson all the time.
I mean, he really, he's running the hinders cars.com.
He's hanging out with Mr. Hendrick.
He actually gave Mr. Hendrick a championship ring, which I thought was really cool.
And they just reviving and then it just basically Matt Hartford.
And you want to talk about a team that is grinding and doing all the work Matt and Amber Hartford and they're kind of almost seal team six level organization.
They don't have a big machine.
They've just got four or five folks that make that cargo.
They get KB Titan power.
But basically, you know, you that engine gets dropped off and then or gets put in the car and then they can do whatever they want to it.
You know, and so there's not a lot of data sharing.
And I think I don't think there's any data sharing.
And then they just get right into racing and to just see Matt, you know, come out when the Gator Nationals.
Now, you know, when the fourth race of the season get another 75th anniversary, Wally is really, really cool.
But you look at the young guns in that class, Matt, Latino, Cody Anderson, those guys had, you know, really, really good showings.
I think they're showing that, you know, Cody stumbled a little bit.
He had a really good race car, but he's still learning, you know, getting off the starting line.
But that's again, that kind of experience just only comes from getting laps.
And I think it'll be really beneficial for them to get right back into the second race of season.
This is the first back to back for everybody this season.
So it'll be interesting to see how Cody Anderson stays in that racer mindset.
And I think a lot of drivers talk about they love back to backs for a certain to a certain degree, because you can stay in race mode.
And I think Cody Anderson having a really good race car, you know, he's going to get better on the tree.
Greg talked about how well he's done because you didn't have to unlearn any bad habits.
But it was just overall really, really good weekend.
Today's show we're going to get in, we're going to have Justin Ashley joining us in a few minutes.
And then at the end of the show, we're going to have Dujne Bland who lives in Valdosta, Georgia.
Give us some tips on what is going on in and around the southern nationals.
It's going to be exciting to get that, you know, let's, you know, the upcoming class of pro stock guys is going to make that class better and better.
I mean, you've got young guys coming in, you've got established drivers really, really, really feeding off of this young energy.
And then you've got Dallas Glenn, I mean, 00 Dallas.
I mean, that's that class like I really feel like all the classes in the nature right now are a little bit of an embarrassment of riches.
You can look at top to bottom drivers doing well, you know, rolling into this weekend they're previewing, you know, you know, Leah Pruitt.
I think her first final was at the southern nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
So, you know, she's had some success, you know, in Georgia.
Tony Schumacher, the only race I think Tony Schumacher never won was the southern nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
So he will probably get partial credit if he can figure out a way to win the southern nationals.
This weekend with that team is going to definitely have to step up their game a little bit.
They've been struggling.
But then Clay Millican, this is kind of being a little bit of his backyard.
It'll be exciting to see, you know, it's a brand new facility.
So it's been interesting to see all the information on social media.
We're getting a lot of information from the NHA about how to drive your rigs onto the property.
What are the best ways to get there?
You know, all the new things that you just kind of take for granted of going to tracks on the team side are really they're having to figure a fair amount of stuff.
The NHA has done a great job of communicating all that.
So, you know, it's really going to be an interesting weekend and going back to back.
So as I mentioned, you know, this show we're going to, you know, I'm flying solo.
We miss Jason Logan.
Joe Costello gave me a nice little tutorial on kind of driving the ship a little bit.
But we are now I just want to make sure to give Justin a couple seconds heads up.
He's popped into the green room and I'm going to go ahead and pop him into the show.
So Justin, Ashley, how are you doing there, buddy?
I'm doing great.
How are you?
I'm doing great.
Look at it.
Just a wall of wallies behind him.
I saw a lot of I have a lot of catch up to do compared to a lot of other people.
But well, but but you're going to have to carve out some space for some of those 75th anniversary wallies.
Yeah, those are really cool.
Right.
I didn't, you know, going into the year obviously being the 75th anniversary.
I knew that they were going to do a bunch of really cool things.
I knew that they were going to have legends.
But until I actually saw the new wallies and how they look, it's super cool.
Right.
Because you go to some of these tracks and you get these kind of unique things.
You'll get the same Wally, but then you get maybe, you know, in Brainerd, they give you
something special like a special hat or, you know, in Pomona, you get something special.
But now these wallies themselves are special.
They're different.
So it's really cool looking.
And you get a special medal.
You get the whole, you get the whole, you get the whole thing.
I don't know.
Speaking of getting special things.
Did you happen to see Matt Hagan's video with the thousand funny car trophy?
I did not.
He basically, it's a big bowl.
And he basically said, if I win the thousand funny car race, there'll be signs.
And it's him basically eating cereal out of the trophy.
He has filled with water and he's track doing track.
It is, it is, I know you don't do a lot on social media, but it would be worth going
out and just seeing that video because it is very, it's very funny.
So can you talk about your, I mean, obviously, you know, your, your season is getting,
getting started.
It's four races in, it's a marathon, not a sprint, but what, what are the four
wides like for you?
Do you kind of look at them and get excited and then be like, oh my God, I'm so
glad that's over.
Yeah, I think that's probably about right.
At the end of the day, really the reason you do them is for the fans.
So if it's something that the fans like, I'm all for it.
If I'm being 100% honest, I prefer the traditional form of racing, but I still enjoy the four
wides.
It's just different.
I like that it's once a year in the past.
So it was twice or three times a year.
I was good with that too.
But it is, it's tricky just because it requires a different level of preparation.
Most of us, myself included are pretty routine oriented.
So when something happens that, that throws us out of routine, it just requires a little
bit of extra headspace, a little bit more preparation.
So for me going into every four wide, there's just kind of that mental rehearsal that I
go through the week leading up to it, understanding, okay, left to right, the lanes are one, two,
three, four.
And the funny thing is it's so simple, right?
Like what's so hard?
One, two, three, four, left to right.
Okay, fine.
But for whatever reason, when you get up there, especially in lanes two and three, and the
staging gets a little bit crossed up and you're staring across the other way, it gets a little
bit tricky.
So it's kind of just like I'm up there and I'm trying to find the right balance between,
okay, understanding which lane I'm in and thinking about it, but not thinking too much and overthinking
it either.
So I enjoy it.
It's something different.
My favorite track is actually Zmax Dragway.
I think it's just a beautiful facility.
So I had fun there.
I thought there was a great crowd there.
Yeah.
But I'm ready to get back to two wide also.
Is there, this is kind of a curveball.
Is there another style of racing that you would like to do?
Like would you like to have a race where it was like old school, funny car versus top
fuel?
Or, you know, it's so hard for us to do kind of a field of dreams.
Yeah.
Type deal, but in a perfect world, what would like Justin Ashley like to have as like an
all star race or a curveball race?
Yeah, I would love an all star.
So like the thing that I think about is the all star call out.
I like that.
It's not something you're going to do every race, right?
You're not actually going to call out people every race, but as a one off, I like that.
The idea of saying, okay, you're the number one seed.
You get to pick who you want to race.
I like that.
But going back to the old videos and watching the top fuel funny car races, I thought that
was the coolest thing.
Was it a rocking hand?
It was actually a Bristol because they just rebuilt Bristol.
And that was the before they had national events that had the noble showdown.
Yeah.
So I think if I could choose one, the funny car top fuel racing, I think would be awesome.
I think the fans would love it.
It would be super cool.
The only thing that would be tricky is the staggered tree.
Yeah.
We're not used to it.
Like that's total bracket racing, the staggered tree type.
And if you're a top fuel car, obviously you're going to leave second.
So you have to have a certain level of patience before you leave.
But I think a top fuel funny car race would be cool.
They've done it during testing.
It's not like a race, right?
Teams that have a funny car and a top fuel line up next to each other.
I just think that's, that's rare.
And I think it's just a really cool look.
Yeah.
And it's, I actually went back and watched the video of the 1999, like the showdown
and it was really cool to see how well it worked.
That basically the funny cars leaving and then the top fuel guys, you know,
and the funny cars are out in front until about just past half track and that.
And again, they were going a quarter mile.
Yeah.
The drag, you know, it became like a rating.
I would think that would be cool for you because you knew your open cock,
you know, in your cockpit to be able to see a car out there.
And knowing that if they're hitting on all eight and you're hitting on all eight
as they're coming in and going.
So pretty neat to try and like chase them down.
It's like you're trying to chase them down.
Now they did it in, was it only in 1999?
Or did they do it multiple years?
I think they only did it in 99 and then they,
I think they started getting their national event.
So the reverse of that was the JR Todd's parachutes not coming out.
And the visual of Caps hitting his parachutes and then JR just literally
flying down the track.
Now he did an amazing job of getting on the brakes and kind of burning speed,
but how do you like in a dragster in those situations,
what's the ideal way to go into the sand?
Don't go in at all.
That's the idea.
But JR did a great job because at that point it's out of your control.
Right.
So all you could do is try and hit it the right way.
And what he did was he was smarter.
He did it.
He didn't hit the net.
Correct.
I'm mistaken.
So by not hitting the net, he helped limit more damage.
Right.
Obviously, I think he had it up on like two wheels in the sand.
Yeah.
He fishtailed it in there and it kind of went sideways.
He did that really good.
All the best things.
Based on feel and didn't get, the worst mistake you can make,
and it's really hard, right, is don't get on the brakes too hard.
Because your initial instinct is going to get on the brakes,
but when you get on the brakes, the car is going to start bouncing.
Start bouncing and then getting Katie Wampus and stuff.
Yeah, exactly.
So he did a really good job.
I think you try and do the best you can when you go through the sand.
Obviously, you don't want to be hard on the brakes.
And top fuel is a little bit more, it's not more challenging.
It's different, right?
Because it's longer.
So the funding car has got a shorter wheelbase.
So the trajectory of it and the way you hit the sand is a little bit different.
But because it's longer, you really just,
you got to be so easy on the brakes because you make one wrong move in it.
And the whole thing is just going to spin and tip over.
So hopefully you're always only talking about this theoretically.
Theoretically, exactly.
You would want to hit it kind of, you know, you want to hit it easy.
You want to hit it the right way in the middle, easy on the brakes.
Is that something that as, as you were a young top fuel driver,
do they have a conversation like that?
And I'm not trying to throw a bad jujitsu out there, but now I just kind of,
it's just kind of like.
You got to be ready for everything.
I don't think it's a conversation that's had.
I think I've discussed it with crew chiefs are discussing with the father
over time, watching other people.
Now, thank God I've never had that issue.
I'm willing.
I'll never have that issue, but you have to be prepared, right?
And understand.
Okay. If this happens, I have to do my best to do X1.
And then totally shifting gears.
How much fun are you having with Tommy DeLago as, as your crew chief?
Yeah, a lot of fun.
Him and I have a really good relationship personally and professionally.
I've really enjoyed this time.
Him and I talked a lot about.
Enjoying the outcomes when we win races and when we do well,
but enjoying the process in between him and I have great communication.
We're on the same wavelength with a lot of stuff,
but he does a great job of being in my corner and understanding the things
that I want to work on and he'll help me as a driver to reach those goals,
right, which will ultimately help the team.
And, you know, this is a brand new combination for us.
It's essentially like we're building a brand new house and he first laid the foundation.
And then once you lay the foundation, you can start to build up from there.
So you're starting to see some of that hard work now come into fruition.
We ran obviously a 369 E1 and Charlotte and we made some really good runs at Pomona.
So we're just working through the new combination.
But what I love about Tommy most is the kind of person that he is,
but when we're talking about the kind of crew chief and leader that he is,
he really cares about the individual.
He cares about what's doing in the best interest of the team,
but he's also brilliant.
He's very proactive.
He's very innovative and he's very forward thinking in a sport that's so reliant on
technology and advancements.
I think that's his key.
He's still forward thinking in his approach and just fun to work with someone like that.
And your new Top Fuel teammate, Will Smith, you guys are just having basically like,
it seemed like you guys were having a reaction time,
his match, because he, I mean, you obviously are the leader in the category
and Will's, you know, new as a full-time driver,
but seeing him cut lights like that,
what is the secret that's going on over there in the Skag Bluebird Turf pit area?
You ever see Space Jam?
You know, like they have Michael's secret stuff, right?
It's the unicorn desk we talk about.
You guys are just...
No, so the funny thing is I, him and I have a great relationship, right?
Dave, Danny, we all have a great relationship.
We talk about personal stuff.
We talk about professional stuff.
We talk about driving.
In terms of reaction time specifically,
there's nothing I've done to work with him or help him or anything like that.
Like if you go back and look at his statistics in a fuel dragster,
they've been the same.
He's just good at reaction time.
He's a really good driver and is a really good lever.
And I figured it was only a matter of time and a matter of laps
before people really started to figure that out.
So I don't think it's anything in the water or anything like that.
I think he's just, he's very, very good.
He's very thorough.
He understands how the cars work.
And he's just a very good driver and he's a lot of fun to work with,
very humble, very grateful for the opportunity.
So I'm super happy for him to have this opportunity.
Super happy for Glenn, Scotty, that entire team.
It's really, they're all kind of their first opportunity in lead roles.
And I think they're doing a really good job.
And you talk about also, you know, having the two funny car guys,
you know, and I see all four of you guys together, Will and Dan and Dave,
you know, you're all, you know, Dave and Dan have families.
So how much are you now relying on them of like, Hey, you know,
I'm about to have a kid.
How, you know, what's that like as a driver?
It's interesting.
You want to be able to lean on family and friends to understand that perspective.
And I was talking about it with my wife, Gina today.
We were saying like, this is different, right?
Like racing is a lifestyle and it's something that we need to figure out how to balance,
which I think we've done a pretty good job of so far.
But now, thank God we have a baby boy coming into the picture,
but it's just going to change things, right?
We need to understand how to do a good job of balancing everything.
And I think Dave and Daniel set a great example for me in that way.
They do an awesome job of being present at the racetrack and then being present at home.
And what I've learned from them and watching other people,
my father included growing up.
So I think that's the most important thing is when you're home, be home.
When you're at the racetrack, be at the racetrack.
And I think it takes a team, right?
It takes a team.
It takes a good family and good people around you to be able to do that.
So I'm excited about that.
It's a new process for us.
But Daniel and Dave have been great to lean on them and just watch the way that they go about their business.
Have you started thinking about other drivers and personalities that like, you know,
Maverick Hall is about a year old.
Courtney Enders and Spencer Hyde announced they're also having a baby this year.
Are you thinking like down the road?
Like, man, this crew of little kids in like five years, you know,
I feel like I may have to keep an eye on them that, you know,
Mab Hall and Hyde Baby and Ashley Baby on top of a haul are thinking,
yeah, I think we can jump off this and land on this golf cart.
It sounds great.
We're going to go get all the, you know, we're going to get all the,
that's also got to be kind of exciting to know that there's kind of this network of other people
that are going to have kids the same age.
It's fun. We spoke about that.
It is a lot of fun.
Congratulations to Courtney and Spencer.
His top end interview was great.
Like we didn't get, we didn't get it done on the track that we got it done.
Something like that.
That was, that was awesome.
So congrats to them.
But no, it's cool.
Like you see all these young kids running around the race track.
I was that young kid, right?
You think about all the havoc they're going to be wreaking running around,
probably causing some trouble.
But I think it's great.
Like, you know, family is such a blessing and it's such a wonderful thing,
but there's family at the race track and the kind of friendships that you make
and develop at the race, at the racetrack turn into family.
And there are people that will have your back through thick and thin up and down
and everything in between.
And I'm excited for my son to be a part of that, right?
To develop his own relationships with the racetrack and want to go to the races,
want to have fun, see Matt, see Dom, see all these different people.
Right.
At the racetrack and have a good time together.
So that'll be a fun part of his life.
It's definitely, definitely exciting.
Perfect.
And now we're heading to the Southern nationals and we got a question here.
Obviously, you know, which of the new tracks, you know, we're about to go to the
Southern nationals, but do you have you thought about a favorite for that as far
as what you're looking forward to?
Well, I don't want to take the cop out answer.
I'm looking forward to them all, right?
Because it's all different.
It's all new.
I think that, I think Maryland being a little bit maybe from the East Coast,
So that's Epping and Reading where my home races.
Now it's kind of like Epping and Maryland, right?
That's kind of like a home race for me.
So Bud's Creek, I actually race there, PDRA and Top Dragster in like 20,
2016, one of my first races ever.
So I'm looking forward to going to Bud's Creek.
My dad raced there and pro-modified as well.
So yeah, I would say Maryland is one that I'm looking forward to.
But all four of them, just to go to new places.
If nothing else, just for the sake of change.
But I know that these owners, right?
Like Royal Torres and South Georgia Motorsports Park,
like think about the investments that he's made to get his facility right for
this national event.
So it's up to us now to put on a good show.
And you're doing the fan fest on Thursday night.
I am.
So I'll be there tomorrow night.
Yep.
So that I'll see you there.
I'm actually getting Thursday.
So I'm going to swing by and check that out and talk a little dry gray
with the new fans and stuff.
But you know, I think that's going to be really cool.
It's a good lineup of drivers.
Do you have, I mean, do you like to sit with top fuel guys at fan fest?
Or do you like to maybe sit with pros dot guys and meet new guys?
I don't know.
I think it really doesn't.
I think we end up, we end up probably teammates, right?
End up sitting by each other.
So if it all possible, I end up sitting by Will Daniel and Dave.
I enjoy sitting with the top fuel guys or some of the new pro stock and
pro stock motorcycle people.
A lot of it is just dependent upon if there's not name plates,
like when we get there, right?
Depending upon when you get there,
I might end up sitting next to somebody who I never had the opportunity to
really speak to before.
So, you know, when you go to these things,
whether you sit by the same person, whether you sit by somebody new,
you know how the way the NHRA community is 99.9% of people are open,
are fun, enjoyable to be around.
We all know why we're there.
So no, I think it kind of fluctuates and it kind of depends,
but my teammates will be there.
So we'll probably try and stick with each other.
Perfect.
And then this, this is something that came up when we had Hagan on a couple
of weeks ago.
He is convinced that you actually have a higher being that whispers in your
ear, Justin, it's time to go.
Can you debunk that theory that you do not have a higher power,
that that is your key to success?
You know what I feel like?
I feel like you remember that interview with four or six years ago where
they were accusing him of traction control and like he,
he like took off his fire suit.
He's like, I don't have to do that.
Like that.
So that interview was so funny.
I actually was watching it and cracking up.
And then I actually went and spoke to Matt because I'm like, I have to,
I have to, I said, listen, I literally said, Matt, thank you,
A for making me laugh.
But B for always treating me so good.
He has always treated me so well.
So you'll appreciate this.
We were at the champion's dinner at Texas motor.
Favorite dinner of the year by far in 2022.
You're competing for our first championship kind of right in the
hunt or whatever.
He came up to me just unsolicited and, um, which is super nice, right?
Like literally came up to me just to say great job.
And here are a few words of wisdom that you could take moving forward.
So super nice, super kind, super good guy.
But those comments, he cracks me up.
He is a, I mean, this guy is like the funniest guy in the world.
I think back now, like anybody who knows Tommy DeLago and his personality,
thinking back to Tommy work with Matt to be like a fly on the wall and
hearing those conversations must have been hilarious.
Had to be so great.
And it was so funny, like when he did it, just the way he like totally
like hunched into the camera.
Justin, it's time to go.
Yeah.
But yeah, so I love, you know, all the success he's having.
I love, I love the kind of the brotherhood amongst drivers and that you guys
are having that.
Have you, has anyone given you any tips about what to do in the
Valdosta, Adele, Georgia area?
Are you just going to go in there blind like I am?
I'm going blind.
I don't know what to expect.
You know, it's different.
My thing is I'm really trying to plan ahead to be honest with you on traffic.
That's my main concern.
Like I want to make sure I get to the track on time and I don't have
any Gainesville situation, which is good.
Like I hope there's traffic.
I just, I don't want to be in it.
I don't want to be in it.
You want to be the person inside, looking out of the tower going, man,
look at all those people stuck on a, stuck on the highway.
I hope my first friend.
You know what I mean?
Like I want more people.
We want more.
I understand.
I understand.
So yeah.
So actually in the second half of the hour, we're going to have Dujone on
because he lives in Valdosta.
So he's going to, we're going to, I'm going to wear him out about all the
good, all the good places to go.
So Justin, I appreciate it always.
You know, you're, you're one of my favorites.
I don't know if you can see over my shoulder.
There's, there's your Arizona nationals.
Wally.
Oh, that's so cool.
There it is, huh?
There it is.
So I love that.
Just hanging out always, always present in the office.
So you got so much safe travels and I can't,
I can't wait to see it tomorrow night at the fan fest.
Thank you.
I'm looking forward to seeing you there.
A new market for Skag power equipment too.
So, oh yeah, for sure.
So that's got to be lots of you.
You have a lot of new, new folks there.
So that, that's always cool.
So you got to be good.
A new territory for us.
Randy and Marie and their investment in the sport is just, it's just,
it's amazing.
I'm so grateful to be a part of this team.
So it's going to be a great weekend.
So I look forward to seeing everybody there.
Awesome.
All right.
Thanks, Justin.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks.
All right.
That was a Justin Ashley with kind of getting the ball rolling,
going into the Southern nationals.
So we are actually going to pay some bills before we get up to a
Dugene.
So stay tuned and check out, we really appreciate all our sponsors that
are supporting Life's Drag and WFO radio.
So we'll be back on the other side with Dugene Bland.
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All right.
We're back with Life's Drag.
I'm your host, Elon Warner.
Really appreciate all the sponsors for stepping up.
And also, I appreciate all our regular listeners,
hopefully still tuning in since I got the commercials out of order.
Usually Redline is the capper on that.
So we've mixed it up a little bit for you to keep you guys on your toes.
But as Justin mentioned, we were talking about new tracks
on the NHRA tour this year.
First one coming up, South Georgian Motorsports Park,
the return of the Southern Nationals.
And I am going to pop on my great friend, Dujane Bland,
who is in Valdosta.
And he is going to give us the scoop.
Look at him.
He's all branded up Valdosta.
Look at this.
I love it.
So Dujane, how excited are you to have a home game
for an NHRA national event?
It's awesome, man.
Like, you know, they've put in a lot of work at that racetrack.
And it's always been a good facility.
But, you know, role in this game just have taken it to the next level.
And they've done an excellent job of not just with enhancing what was already
a gym into a diamond, but it's the relationships between the track
and the local community and local government that has really helped
this to be able to be possible.
So it's pretty awesome.
Unfortunately for me, when you work in drag racing,
sometimes you end up missing.
And I'm going to try to be there Sunday,
trying to make that five hour drive back on Saturday night
and see if I can make it Sunday.
But I will be in Woodstock for Southeast Gas Association.
Gotcha.
Hey, one thing that's really cool,
speaking of their relationship with the local community is,
you know, Visit Valdosta is hosting the Thursday night.
Yes.
You know, I can't, you know, rev up deal.
You know, they're going to have Justin Ashley, Greg Anderson,
all the Skag guys, Edith Zetterstrom, Austin Proc.
I mean, that's going to be a really cool event,
totally free at the convention center, I think there.
At the Rainwater Center.
At the Rainwater Center.
Yeah.
So can you tell like you're familiar, I'm familiar with that.
Like what do you think that vibe is going to be like they're going
to have food trucks and music?
City of Valdosta is really good about these events and having
food trucks and things like that out there.
The Rainwater Center is a perfect place for it.
You can see it right off the interstate.
You can get there two ways.
Exit 16, which is East Hill or highway, US Highway 84.
You can come down that way, get to the light at Norman,
turn left and you're on the left right there before you get
really at the light.
You can turn left right there and go in.
Opposite side is exit 18.
You can come down to St. Augustine and come in to Norman Drive
and go that way.
But it's going to be good.
There's one thing downtown.
We have different festivals throughout the year where we have
food trucks and even surrounding cities do a good job of having
their own version of that.
And it's going to be fun.
It will be fun.
I have had it up in our utilities department there in Valdosta.
And we've also given that flyer to the director as well.
So he made it known to everybody else downtown.
So I'm hoping that our city workers and along with our town
will show up and show out.
And when it comes down to cars and whatnot, they're going to show up.
Nice.
You kind of talked a little bit about traffic flow to get the fan
fest.
I've never been to South George Motorsports Park.
What's the, and they've been, NHRA has done a great job.
Ellen, who does a lot with the pro mod guys, has been putting
stuff on Facebook about the best way to get to the track.
But I'm assuming like, and this isn't breaking news for a lot of
tracks.
Right.
If you don't want to miss anything, you need to plan on getting
there early.
You need to get there early.
It is a one way in and out.
Kind of like what the Gainesville used to be before they kind of widened
it right there at the track.
Yep.
So really a good example of that is it's what Atlanta was.
Yeah.
One way in, one way out.
It is a farmland on the right.
If you're coming south, I wouldn't take the first exit.
If you're, if you're a media, I would take, I think it's exit 32.
But I would come in the back way.
Okay.
That way you hit the first one and then B is media.
If you come the other way, you're probably going to, that's where
they're parking a lot of people on, I think that's gate C.
So yeah, I would come in the other way.
And Don, Don O'Neill did a great job of having a video of explaining
all the, all three exits.
Nice.
Where you should come in.
It's right on the South Georgia Motorsports Park Facebook page.
So check that out if you have any questions.
But yes, get there early.
It's going to be an issue.
They're going to have a lot of people there.
It's going to be an issue.
So make sure you're there early or you will have your teams out there
with scooters coming to pick you up.
And here's my deal.
I, I don't mind waiting in line to go to an event or to come out
because you know what?
Guess what?
You wait in line at big time events.
Sure do.
You don't wait in line at a minor league baseball game.
Right.
You can just go right in and park, but when it's a national event
and it's a big deal, you got to park.
You got to wait.
You got to walk.
Yep.
And it's being communicated to get there early, pack a lunch,
you know, get there, you know, get on your phone, social media,
whatever, but don't be mad because there's traffic.
Exactly.
Because it's going to be traffic.
And they've had big events there.
So they can handle traffic flow and everything.
And like you talked about Raul and Jennifer Torres have done
an amazing job.
I think promoting it.
Yeah.
The drivers are excited.
Let's get to the nitty gritty.
Where are the best places to eat that are not a Chili's or now
that huge name?
Right here in Val D'Osta.
My first place would probably be Austin's.
It's right there off of exit 16.
Okay.
Right.
They are a steakhouse.
They have a variety of things.
They've been here for quite some time.
They just opened up a new building over there right behind where
their old building used to be.
So I would recommend Austin's.
You can come downtown on that is exit 22.
You have to come a little bit into town on North El Dosta Road,
but there's friends bar and grill.
Very nice.
You know, sit down restaurant.
I would say it's four or five star.
You know, you get your money's worth with the food.
There's the fairway tavern that's right by that kind of burgers and
you know, things like that, but a very good place to eat.
If you come downtown, there is a place called things 390 North.
That's right downtown.
It's right off of North Patterson Street that you can go to,
which is another great place to eat.
I also have to pronounce this right.
I also like the, there's an Indian restaurant right off of exit 18
called it's per se.
It's per persist.
Burria.
Burria neat.
Burria me Indian restaurant.
It's right off of exit 18 coming south.
It's right when you get to the light there, you're going to make a
right hand turn towards the QT and you're going to take the first
left and go beside the QT.
Just, just a little ways down on the left hand side.
It's a white building, beautiful inside and the food is phenomenal.
They just open.
I think about a year ago and we used to go to another place for
an Indian restaurant.
That's downtown, but boy, they.
This is the spot.
Okay.
That's the spot.
For sure.
All right.
What, what about a good breakfast place?
Cause that's the other thing.
Any, any good diners, you know, to just go in and get cause it's funny.
Like there's a couple of places called Bravo Burger that you just see
all going to Topeka.
There were some like restaurants that you would diners that you would go
in and it was like a crew chief convention for breakfast.
I stumped them.
Yeah.
That's a good one.
I personally, there's a place here called hog and bones.
Uh, great breakfast.
All right.
Say that it's called hog and balls, hog and bones, hog and bones.
Okay.
Yes.
All right.
Right off of exit 18, it's down a little ways on St.
Augustine.
Okay.
But yeah, I would say there, um, there, you know, you, you want real
breakfast.
So outside of that, like that one is a, that one's a toss.
I'll give you Waffle House for sure.
You can't.
Waffle House is always, Waffle House is always on standby.
For sure.
That's always on standby.
Okay.
So, um, what, what do you, who do you think has a leg up?
I'm going to put you on the spot.
Like going to a new track, you know, when you're looking at how
the season has started, do you think we're going to see more of
the same like caps and the Coletta guys and Hartford and the KB
Titan guys doing well, or do you think this is an opportunity
for other guys to step up?
This is going to be opportunity for other guys to step up.
And I think you're going to see some, I think I see some first
time winners for the season and some people that haven't won in
a while.
When I, when I say that, I think this is the prime spot for
Cruz Pedragon.
Um, the guy has come here and tested here.
It's been a while, but he has some data on this place, unlike
other folks.
Um, so I think he could have some really good success here.
You look at the bikes and I think, I believe Vance and
Hines has come here before, uh, with a couple other people.
So they have the bikes have some data, but I really think this is
a really good opportunity for, um, uh, Maddie Gordon, uh, Justin
Ashley, who's been right there, right?
Uh, just had some things not go his way.
Uh, you know, someone like that to be able to come in Spencer
Hyde, I think it's Spencer Hyde and him having an opportunity
to, uh, to navigate this thing.
It is a great surface.
Um, and if, if things hold true, which it looks like it's going
to be cloudy for most of the Friday qualifying, you're going
to be fast on Friday.
Um, you know, unfortunately there's possibility of weather
and for us, I said it on my show, I really don't give a damn.
Um, we got fires out here.
We need to put out and there's been a lot of people that have
lost homes.
So at the very least it may not be an all day thing because
they say it is.
And sometimes it just, it never pans out what rational
weather service says be, so you might be able to get something
in, but Sunday is going to be electric.
But I would, I would say this to all crew chiefs and drivers.
Friday and Saturday, Friday is your day.
Let's not go out here and throw a runaway.
You're going to need to put the thing in the shell.
Because there's a high probability that if you lose a run, it's
going to be very difficult on that last run to put yourself in
because your backs are against the wall on a new surface that
you have no data on.
Right.
Um, I think this is, I think it's going to be fun.
Uh, but I think it's going to be fun for the fans because I think
we're going to see new people, people that haven't won in a while
get an opportunity to win that 75th Wally.
Cool.
Well, Dujone, I really, I appreciate the time today.
And I can't, and hopefully it all works out.
Yes.
To, uh, to, to get you there.
But if not, we'll definitely, uh, keep you updated.
Um, but you know, whether what, what other tips am I, am I missing
anything, you know, the area, um, any speed traps in any, you know,
75 is a big fat speed trap.
Um, from soon as you hit the Georgia border and you hit exit five
onward, uh, there is between Lowndes County police and Georgia state
troopers from that point, pretty much all the way up to about exit 22
here in our, uh, across the proper, you'll hit a patch between
there and Hayhara.
That's not that bad.
And then once you get from Hayhara on our way, on your way up to Adel
and even Tifton, if you're staying in Tifton, Lord, please don't speed
through there.
Okay.
They're always out.
Whether it's the Tifton police or the state troopers, they're always
out.
It don't matter what time of day, what day it is.
It don't matter if it's the weekend.
They're sitting out there ready to generate revenue.
Fair enough.
All right.
So that's the tips we're looking for.
That's the kind of content you're going to get on Life's a Drag, man.
Hey, Dujna, I can't thank you enough.
Uh, thanks for having, you know, Raul on and I know you had Don O'Neill
last night on power hour.
So go back, uh, if you're watching, check those shows out.
Both interviews, by the way, they are totally different interviews.
So you will not get the same content as you got on a power hour on the
Not Blanche show.
Perfect.
Well, um, appreciate, appreciate everything and appreciate the speed trap
tips.
So, uh, we'll see you down the road, Dujna, and I really can't thank you
enough for hopping on.
I appreciate you.
And, uh, y'all have fun there.
Hopefully I see you on Sunday.
Perfect.
Thanks, Dujna.
All right.
That was a great Dujna Bland from the Not Bland show, which you can
catch on Tuesday nights.
Um, let me see, uh, let's, we had a, we had a bracket, uh,
Drag Race, Brack Banana is a question.
Um, so I think I did a terrible job of keeping track of
bracket busters this past weekend.
Um, but, um, you know, there were guys that just, you know, it's always
a coin flip with some of these guys.
Uh, and I know, um, the four wives were tricky.
We got a lot of stuff.
We had some people commenting the four wives, you know, having to
click all four places in a row every round.
That's tripped people up.
Um, but luckily that was the only four wide of the year.
We like doing it.
It's a lot of fun, but now it'll be all smooth sailing with Drag
Race, Brack Banana, moving forward.
So we've got brand new plaques for the Southern nationals.
It'll be all, all good stuff.
So, um, you know, Justin Ashley, Dujna gave us some good tips on
the Southern nationals.
I do want to touch on some of the breaking news that came out
yesterday, which is, um, Ron caps and Maddie Gordon announcing
they're going to make a run at the triple crown and Reading.
Uh, that surprises me 0%.
I think you'll have, um, more teams coming out now saying they're
going to go to that Reading race at least cause they have customers
up there.
Caps talked and caps talked about, you know, he's got Napa dealers
up there.
They want to see him.
I bet you, you know, wouldn't surprise me if Skag popped up there
because like Justin said, you know, they've got a lot of Skag
dealers up there.
Um, it'll be, it'll be a lot of fun to see, you know, if some, if
a regular guy wins, regular NH Ray guy wins that race, um, making
a run for a million dollars.
Uh, you know, it'll be interesting to see.
So I, I, you know, I don't think it's a bad thing.
I think it's, you know, particularly for Maddie Gordy, it's
just more opportunities for her to get laps at a national event
caliber track.
So why would you not?
Why would you not do that?
So that was big news.
We touched on a little bit with Justin.
Congratulations to, uh, Courtney and Spencer on the announcement
of a baby hide on the way.
That's going to be exciting stuff.
And, um, next week we'll have Jason Logan back, uh, hopefully,
and we'll be back live for noon and we'll be recapping the, uh,
the Southern nationals.
But I'm going to go ahead and, um, call this a show.
I want to thank everybody for listening and sharing by all means.
If you missed the show, you can go back to the archives.
Definitely go back and watch other WFO radio shows.
Uh, as always want to thank our sponsors.
Thank the NHRA.
Thank Joe Costello for giving, uh, me the opportunity to, uh, to fly
the airplane by myself today.
And we will definitely, uh, check in down the road.
We'll be, have our eyes on, have a full recap of Southern nationals
next Wednesday, but thanks everybody for listening and I
appreciate, uh, everyone tuning in.
This is WFO radio.
About this episode
A chaotic Four-Wide weekend in Charlotte sets the tone, with standout wins, team chemistry, and a few memorable behind-the-scenes stories. The conversation then turns to Justin Ashley’s thoughts on four-wide racing, special formats, and balancing life at the track with family. The back half previews South Georgia Motorsports Park’s big NHRA weekend, including fan fest plans, traffic advice, local tips, and expectations that the new venue could shake up the results.
