Memorial Day weekend chaos sets the tone, with rain slowing the Indy 500 and the hosts pivoting into NHRA Potomac Nationals preview talk. They unpack what makes Maryland International Raceway special—new track energy, a Thursday night fan fest, and track logistics like a long shutdown area. Predictions land on Leah Pruitt for Top Fuel and a Funny Car “crapshoot,” while Kelly Clontz shares her pro stock motorcycle goals, a power-outage hiccup, and invites fans to a New Market signing. The show also spotlights pro stock motorcycle “major moments” bracket fun.
#NHRA #DragRacing #motorsport
Join Elon and Abby along with special guest Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Kelly Clontz as we dish on the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS. We will get into all the racing on-track and off-track possibilities as well as talk about the DRBB PSM Major Moments bracket.
🚨 Don’t miss out! Subscribe to WFO Radio for weekly NHRA updates, driver interviews, and exclusive motorsport content. Hit the bell 🔔 for notifications!
MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/wfo-radio?ref_id=24678
PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/WFORadio
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wfo-radio-podcast/id449870843?ls=1
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0oo5mn0E3VmfhRCTHyLQIS
"It might be a story. Well, Elise, you'll have to talk to her about it this weekend..."
The Lotus Elise is a small two-seat sports car made for fun driving. It’s designed to be light and handle well, so it feels quick and responsive. People talk about it when they want to discuss a specific driving experience or ownership story.
The Lotus Elise is a lightweight, two-seat sports car known for its agile handling and driver-focused feel. It often comes up in conversations because its simple, performance-oriented design makes it a memorable “enthusiast” car. In a podcast, it may be mentioned as part of a story about driving character, ownership, or a specific Elise-related experience.
"Dale Worsham is going to be racing funny car this weekend. Super excited about that."
They’re talking about who will race in the “funny car” class this weekend. In drag racing, that class is a big deal and it affects who qualifies and advances.
This segment is about the NHRA “funny car” class, which is one of the top categories in American drag racing. The hosts are previewing who’s competing and how the weekend’s entries could shake up qualifying and eliminations.
Term
top field register
"So if you got a top field register in the Maryland area, haul that thing over to Maryland International Raceway."
They’re talking about getting a top team/car into the event. If the field is full, only certain entries may get accepted for qualifying.
“Top field register” appears to refer to a high-priority entry/registration for the event—essentially, a top-level team or car that should be included in the field. In NHRA-style events, field size and entry status can affect whether a team gets into qualifying.
"So if you got a top field register in the Maryland area, haul that thing over to Maryland International Raceway. We have a spot for you."
They’re talking about the race track in Maryland where the event is happening. Qualifying runs at the track decide how cars line up for the next rounds.
Maryland International Raceway is the track venue being referenced for the NHRA event. In drag racing, the track location matters because it’s where qualifying runs determine starting positions for the eliminations bracket.
"So you're already just going to just concede the number one qualifier to Sean Langdon or Doug Coletta."
The “number one qualifier” is the fastest car in qualifying. That usually means they start at the top spot and can have an easier route through the bracket.
The “number one qualifier” is the driver/team who posts the fastest qualifying performance and earns the top starting position for eliminations. In drag racing, qualifying results strongly influence the matchup path through the bracket.
"[736.3s] I feel like Leah Pruitt could find her way back in the winter circles.
[740.1s] She's been, I mean, I think she's maybe fourth in points right now."
Leah Pruitt is a professional drag racer. In this segment, the hosts are saying she could be close to winning again and are predicting her success in Top Fuel.
Leah Pruitt is an NHRA drag racer discussed here as a points contender. The hosts talk about her momentum and the idea that she could return to winning form in the Top Fuel class.
"So she's my pick for top fuel.
[778.9s] Funny car."
Top Fuel is one of the NHRA drag racing categories. It’s the class with the quickest, most powerful dragsters, built to accelerate extremely fast over a very short distance.
Top Fuel is the NHRA drag racing class for the fastest, most powerful dragsters. Cars run on specialized fuel and use a purpose-built dragster chassis designed for maximum acceleration over a short sprint.
"but I
[792.7s] could easily see a Jack Beckman win.
[796.4s] I could easily, you know, I'll just say Jack Beckman."
Jack Beckman is a Funny Car driver in NHRA drag racing. The hosts think his team will get things sorted and he could win.
Jack Beckman is an NHRA Funny Car driver mentioned as a likely winner. The discussion frames him as a strong pick because the team is expected to get back to form.
"[814.6s] I'm going to say Erica Enders.
[820.3s] I'm actually back post luck wins for elite."
Erica Enders is a professional NHRA drag racer. The host is picking her because they believe she and her team are working through things and could be ready to win.
Erica Enders is an NHRA driver named as the speaker’s pick. The segment suggests she’s in a position to contend based on recent progress and team adjustments.
Topic
NHRA Potomac Nationals
"So go ahead over to NHRA.com and check out those plain HRA odds.
Cause I bet they're pretty, pretty good on, I mean,
they're not as good as they used to be for Erica and Angie earlier,"
This is a big drag-racing weekend run by NHRA near Washington, D.C. Teams race in rounds, and the winners keep moving on until the final.
The NHRA Potomac Nationals is a drag-racing event on the NHRA schedule held in the Washington, D.C. area. In drag racing, fans track qualifying and eliminations to see which teams advance toward the final rounds.
"man, Antron Brown has been running really good.
So I think I'm going to go with a little Antron Brown.
I'm going to go with."
Antron Brown is a well-known NHRA drag racer in the Top Fuel category. The hosts are saying he’s been performing strongly lately.
Antron Brown is a top NHRA Top Fuel driver known for consistent championship-level performance. When the hosts say he’s “running really good,” they’re referring to his recent results and momentum in the Top Fuel class.
Person
Ron caps
"Ron caps or Spencer Hyde and funny car.
Spencer Hyde is my heart.
Ron caps is my head a little bit and also my heart."
The transcript seems to be mangling a driver’s name. The host is basically choosing between two Funny Car racers: Spencer Hyde and another driver whose name is unclear here.
“Ron caps” appears to be a mis-transcription of a Funny Car driver’s name mentioned in the segment. The context suggests the host is comparing two Funny Car picks—one being Spencer Hyde and the other being this “Ron caps” driver.
Pro Stock is a category of drag racing with specific rules for the cars. The goal is to launch hard and run consistent quarter-mile times against another car.
Pro Stock is a class in NHRA drag racing where cars are built to strict rules and compete in head-to-head eliminations. It’s known for very consistent, repeatable performance and for drivers who can nail reaction time and traction.
"I think Greg Anderson is also coming into this race with a little chip on his shoulder for the red light against Aaron Stanfield, even though he didn't have a really good car,"
Greg Anderson is a famous drag racer. Here they’re talking about how he was determined to do better on the start after a previous mistake.
Greg Anderson is a well-known NHRA Funny Car driver and team leader. In this segment, the hosts discuss his mindset coming into the race after a prior “red light” and how he focused on launch timing.
"I think Greg Anderson is also coming into this race with a little chip on his shoulder for the red light against Aaron Stanfield, even though he didn't have a really good car,"
A “red light” in drag racing is when the driver starts too late and the race counts it as a mistake. It can get you disqualified even if you’re fast after launch.
In drag racing, a “red light” means the driver reacted too slowly to the starting signal and the car is disqualified for a false start. It’s a key part of qualifying and eliminations because reaction time and timing are everything.
"I think Greg Anderson is also coming into this race with a little chip on his shoulder for the red light against Aaron Stanfield, even though he didn't have a really good car,"
Aaron Stanfield is another drag racer. In this conversation he’s the guy Greg Anderson was racing against, including a start-line moment that didn’t go right.
Aaron Stanfield is an NHRA drag racer mentioned here as Greg Anderson’s opponent. The discussion centers on a prior starting-line issue (“red light”) and a later race where Anderson overshot the timing.
"He just knew he had to hit the tree and we actually were fortunate to be able to talk to him after the race and we touched on a little bit."
In drag racing, the “tree” is the set of starting lights. “Hit the tree” means you time your launch so you start at the right moment and don’t get a foul.
“Hit the tree” refers to timing your launch to the drag-racing starting light system (the “Christmas tree”). Drivers try to trigger their reaction lights precisely so they leave the line at the optimal moment without fouling.
Person
Gregory Spreckman
"And yes, always you should be taking notes for Gregory Spreckman and so that's, that's a constant"
Gregory Spreckman is a person the host mentions as the reason to take notes. The clip doesn’t explain who he is beyond that.
Gregory Spreckman is referenced as someone the speaker says they should be taking notes for. The context suggests he’s involved in the show or coverage, but the segment doesn’t provide enough detail to identify his exact role.
"So we got an extra, you know, we order all the plaques at the same time, a little inside baseball. So we got an extra Charlotte four wide plaque."
“Four wide” means four vehicles race side-by-side at the same time from the start. It’s a special format that makes the event more exciting while still using the usual elimination bracket.
In drag racing, “four wide” refers to running four cars or motorcycles at the same time on a multi-lane starting setup. It’s a spectacle format that increases the number of matchups shown per round, but it still follows bracket-style elimination rules.
"So we have the drag race bracket bonanza pro stock motorcycle major moments bracket is open right now. Yes. Go to drag race bracket bonanza.com."
“Drag race bracket bonanza” sounds like a bracket-style game or feature where drag racing moments are compared against each other. It’s set up like a tournament where winners advance.
“Drag race bracket bonanza” appears to be a bracket-style fan voting or content format focused on drag racing moments. The “bracket” framing suggests matchups and progression through rounds, similar to how sports tournaments narrow down winners.
"The number one source of friction in your engine is not what you think... More friction and temperature means more wear and less horsepower."
Friction is the resistance created when parts rub against each other inside the engine. More friction usually means more heat and faster wear, which can hurt how well the engine makes power.
In engine terms, friction is the resistance to motion between moving parts (like piston rings and cylinder walls). More friction typically means more heat, which increases wear and can reduce effective power output.
"Piston rings rubbing against the cylinder walls generate more friction than any other part of the engine."
Piston rings are small rings on the piston that help seal the engine so power can be made efficiently. If they rub too much, they create extra friction and heat, which can wear the engine faster.
Piston rings are the thin metal rings on a piston that seal the combustion chamber and control oil consumption. In a drag-racing context, their contact with the cylinder wall is a major source of mechanical friction, which can increase heat and accelerate wear.
"Fortunately, the team at Total Seal knows how to reduce friction and wear through innovative piston ring design. If it takes a piston, Total Seal could build a better ring."
Total Seal is a company that makes aftermarket piston rings. Their goal is to reduce rubbing and wear so an engine can run better and last longer.
Total Seal is an aftermarket performance brand known for piston ring designs aimed at reducing friction and wear. The pitch here is that improved ring geometry/materials can help engines run cooler and last longer, which matters in high-load drag racing.
"Looking to replace your OEM diesel particulate filter or diesel oxidation catalyst?"
A diesel particulate filter is an exhaust part that catches soot from a diesel engine. If it gets clogged, the vehicle may need a replacement filter.
A diesel particulate filter (DPF) traps soot (particulate matter) from a diesel engine’s exhaust. Over time it can clog, so replacement or aftermarket options are common when emissions systems need service.
"Looking to replace your OEM diesel particulate filter or diesel oxidation catalyst?"
A diesel oxidation catalyst is an exhaust cleaner that helps reduce harmful emissions. It usually works alongside the diesel particulate filter.
A diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) is an emissions-control component that helps convert certain exhaust pollutants into less harmful substances using a catalyst. It’s often paired with a DPF in modern diesel aftertreatment systems.
"Look no further than DPFX fit a complete line of aftermarket diesel particulate filters and diesel oxidation catalyst designed as an exact fit OEM replacement..."
DPFX fit is a brand that sells replacement exhaust emissions parts for diesel trucks. They’re advertising filters/catalysts made to fit like the original equipment.
DPFX fit is presented as an aftermarket supplier for diesel emissions components, specifically diesel particulate filters and diesel oxidation catalysts. The ad emphasizes “exact fit OEM replacement” coverage across truck classes.
"...designed as an exact fit OEM replacement with all makes coverage for light, medium and heavy duty trucks."
OEM replacement means the part is made to replace the original factory part. That’s important for emissions parts so everything fits and works correctly.
“OEM replacement” means a part intended to match the original equipment manufacturer’s fitment and function. In emissions systems, exact-fit compatibility matters because sensors, mounting, and exhaust flow characteristics affect performance and emissions compliance.
"But I also, you know, Matt Hagan, you know, has been very
[2038.3s] outspoken about tethers and about safety."
“Tethers” are safety straps/devices used in drag racing. They help keep the car under control if something goes wrong at high speed.
In NHRA drag racing, “tethers” are safety devices used to help control a car’s rear-end behavior if something fails at speed. They’re designed to reduce the chance of the car becoming unstable or parts separating during a run.
"…to be able to hoist the first Wally and a diamond one at that.
I mean, that, that's, that would be everything right there."
“Wally” is the trophy NHRA winners get. Saying they want to hoist a Wally means they want to win the event.
“Wally” is the common nickname for the NHRA trophy awarded to winners in drag racing events. When the guest says they want to “hoist the first Wally,” they mean winning the event’s top trophy.
Term
grudge race scene
"The Richard Gadson has talked about how popular pro stock
motorcycle is there, like in the grudge race scene and you
talked about you growing up there, how has the ground swell"
The “grudge race scene” refers to informal or semi-formal drag matchups where riders/teams race head-to-head for bragging rights, often outside the main points-focused event structure. It’s a culture term that describes how fans and competitors build rivalries and hype.
"We'll do that tonight while we're shuffling all the things to, we're not going to load unload because they say the rain, there might be some thunderstorms coming."
Bad weather like thunderstorms can cause delays at drag races because the track can get slippery. That makes it harder for cars or bikes to launch cleanly, so they may hold off until conditions improve.
Thunderstorms can disrupt drag racing because wet track conditions reduce tire grip and can make launches inconsistent. Promoters often delay or adjust schedules to keep the event safe and fair.
"I mean, it's going to be crazy over here in our pit. There's going to be so many people."
The pit is the area where the racing teams work on the car between runs. It’s basically the team’s “garage area” at the track.
In drag racing, the pit is the team area where crews park the cars, prep them between rounds, and handle logistics. It’s where you’ll see staging prep, quick adjustments, and crew coordination before the next run.
Topic
carry drag racing
"sharing the same love of any carry drag racing. First ever here at Maryland international race."
They’re talking about drag racing—cars racing in a straight line. The “carry” wording sounds like a mis-hear in the transcript.
The phrase appears to be a transcription error for “car drag racing,” meaning drag racing with production or race cars competing in straight-line acceleration. In NHRA context, it implies the standard drag-racing competition format with staged runs and eliminations.
Select text to request an explanation
This is WFORadio.
Hello, welcome to Life's A Drag with Elon Werner and my wonderful co-host, Abby Werner Woodward.
There you go.
So look at Abby repping the Stampede of Speed, which will be here before we know it.
And obviously, I'm always trying to wrap Drag Race Breakup at Anza,
but welcome to the post Memorial Day weekend show, which we're glad to have everybody already jumping on with us.
So please, hopefully you're watching the show now and then share the show.
And definitely we want, you know, to get as many people watching as possible.
And then of course also merch, merch, merch.
Get your Life's A Drag merch.
But Abby, we would come on the heels of Memorial Day weekend, busy weekend.
You were in your husband's hometown of St. Louis taking care of some family stuff.
Yes.
But we had racing, racing, racing and Indy 500, a little bit of rain delay.
But let's kind of dive into that a little bit.
Had planned on doing crawfish boil, but the weather was just a mess this weekend.
Yes, it was.
Just everywhere.
I mean, it slowed Indy 500 down.
You got weathered out coming out of St. Louis, took you all to get back to Dallas.
Yes.
Just a mess.
But once the Indy 500 got started, well, before that, let's let's jump into what really matters.
Weenie 500.
Yes.
Weenie 500.
The Weenie 500.
Mizzou Hot Doggers 2 for 2 on winning this thing.
Cookham Cam, Mizzou Hot Dogger.
I can't remember.
I think she was driving the New York dog.
But yeah, she got it done.
It was an exciting race.
Those winter mobiles don't go super fast, but they don't make pretty much.
There was some aggressive driving in that day.
There was some blocking.
I mean, those things, I don't know if you've seen, hopefully everyone has had the pleasure
of seeing a winter mobile in person.
They are a hefty vehicle.
They are quite long.
And they weigh like 14,000 pounds.
Exactly.
Like when we had one at the motorplex, we had to get like a weight check on it to make sure
that it wouldn't ruin the track, like ruin the rubber on the track for the track walk.
So they are, I would assume a fairly cumbersome vehicle to drive.
And, but it was, it was for sure an exciting race.
And, but yeah, no, Mizzou 2 for 2, M-I-Z.
As long as that street continues, I'll be a happy, happy winter mobile fan, happy alumni
or alumnus.
But yeah, so that was a good race.
And then the actual NU 500 was what, like the closest finish and closest finish ever,
like a legit drag race to the finish, like 0.02 seconds or something.
I mean, it was what, what a crusher for the guy that came in second, but amazing win for
Rehnquist.
And then you sent me this picture of, you know, they get the road, flowers.
So he has just had a baby.
So he made a little flower ring for his baby.
Yes.
She's like, I think less than a year or less than a month old, their first kid.
I just thought that was really cute.
I love children.
So that, that made my little heart smile, both as a motorsport fan and as, you know, a baby
fan and a baby.
Exactly.
Well, I love all the pomp and circumstance around the NU 500 and pre-race is ridiculous.
Yes.
Black cop helicopters flying around and it just seemed like that celebrities everywhere.
Well, and also like things like the parade.
Like, did you see that, that Hannah records was one of the parade, like parade float people.
Oh really?
No, I did not know that.
Yeah.
She was like, I'm so sorry.
You should go check out her Instagram.
It might be a story.
Well, Elise, you'll have to talk to her about it this weekend because I can't wait to hear
more like about this logistically.
But yeah, she wore an outfit and was one of the people like holding the string for the
like a parade float or like one of the balloons.
It was like a yellow car.
I think that she.
All right.
So Hannah records getting the parade.
Yeah.
So they do a parade.
They have all the pre-race stuff.
But then to me, I love after you win, they put your car on the platform and that all
the, there's the milk.
There's the firestone hat.
They present you with the ring.
You get the flowers, all, all the things.
And I just love like watching the chaos in the background and to me, you know, the chaos
of an NHRA national event win is also very fun, particularly like a Pomona when you win
your clincher championship of Pomona.
And you, you know, the best is being a part of you win the world finals and you win the
championship is just hat chaos.
Yes.
Yes.
Well, and just think of how many behind the scenes people have to be frantically running
around just to like make it a smooth experience, particularly for TV, like just keeping things
just moving.
Like it's fascinating to me.
And the great peccaparelli.
I'm sure repping firestone was right involved in that because I saw firehawk in the background.
But I'm sure also shout out to our good friend, Mike Miller, who won in a row, not catching
himself on fire at the Indianapolis 500, which is good, but he did get a shout out.
I mean, that came up and he also has a spectacular Google bio.
If you just Google Mike Miller, any 500 it's spectacular.
His Google intro is fire incident at the Indianapolis 500.
He caught on fire with the Alexander Rosses car last year.
Pat likes to say her husband's super hot, super hot, hottest man at any 500 for sure.
So any 500 happens.
They did a cool memorial for Kyle Busch who tragically passed away and then the Coca Cola
600.
They do some really cool things.
But just what a, what a crusher for the world of motorsports to lose Kyle Busch so quickly
and unexpectedly, you know, I would expect the NHRA to honor Kyle this weekend at Maryland.
We weren't racing.
But just please, our good friend Joe Morrison is going to be back on track this weekend.
He runs an organization called right to breathe that primarily focuses on your lung health
COPD, but he just did a really good PSA about pneumonia, which is ultimately what led to
Kyle's early passing.
So please get your lungs checked.
Don't go see your doctor.
Go to urgent care.
But just super sad, but so glad Joe Morrison is going to be back on track this weekend.
Yes, it's great to have him back.
He is one of the all time.
He's, he is a, I think he's a real Renaissance man.
Top fuel, funny car, nostalgia cars, alcohol dragsters.
He's in a band.
I love it.
I've lost track of the number of licenses he has.
And he's just a really good dude to chat with.
Right.
Yeah.
He, he also has a really like one of the most insane memories when it comes to remembering
fans.
Yes.
Like I, I feel like more than, oh, I mean, at a certain point, I feel like if you're a
driver, they have to just all start running together.
And that's like no one's fault.
It's just like a lot of people, a very chaotic race weekend, but he can recall fan interact
like very specific fan interactions from years ago.
And like when he sees a fan from previous year, previous race, like it's, it's pretty cool.
Yeah.
You know, you probably don't know, but also Linda Vaughn, the great Miss Hurst.
Okay.
She also has a photographic memory and she's been involved in the sport for 60 years,
but she remembers names, remembers people.
It's re, it's ridiculous.
That's impressive.
But yeah, so Joe's going to be back.
He's driving the Hertzhauer Hertzhouser funny car.
Dale Worsham is going to be racing funny car this weekend.
Super excited about that.
Yes.
Basically full fields for everybody.
I think we might be one top field register short.
So if you got a top field register in the Maryland area, haul that thing over to Maryland
International Raceway.
We have a spot for you.
We have a spot for you.
I don't know if you can really do that or not.
You might want to.
I don't think you can.
And I don't think Evan would appreciate us.
They would, they would not, Jason would not like you showing up with just an 18 wheeler
or even a chaperone trailer and being like, I mean, but do we really just want to give
one of the Coletta guys another buy?
No.
Do they really?
So you're already just going to just concede the number one qualifier to Sean Langdon or
Doug Coletta.
I mean, I feel like that's a pretty.
Yeah.
I mean, again, past performance is no guarantee of future results unless your Coletta Motorsports,
which then we're pretty much you're going to need to really step up your game.
So, yeah.
So new track, pro stock motorcycle, centric track.
So we're going to be joined later in this show with the great Kelly Klontz.
Yes.
Who I believe we'll have to ask us, I think she could walk to the track from her house.
Yeah.
I mean, I know I've heard her talk about that she can for sure hear everything from her
house.
Yeah.
So I think that distance.
Yeah.
So she's super excited.
She was posting about how she's going to be able to spend time with her cats and sleep
in her own bed and then go right to the racetrack.
I mean, the dream weekend.
Dream weekend.
Richard Gadson did a really cool interview with Hannah Rickerts on NHRA's Facebook page.
Yeah.
Also on their YouTube channel and about his experience, like basically
the motorcycle people are going to be all over the place.
And I'm super excited that like Gage has a long history there.
Richard Gadson has a long history there.
Kelly, I'm sure all the motorcycle guys have raced there and they say the track is smooth
long shutdown area.
Yeah.
Should be really cool.
So.
Yes.
And there's going to be a fan fest this weekend on Thursday.
Thursday night.
They've got a ton of people at that.
And I think they have all the reigning world champions are going to be at it, which is
cool.
It's just, that's a great opportunity to get all your stuff autographed up.
Plus a ton of other drivers like basically visit Maryland is putting that on.
So you definitely want to support that.
So yes, we got Thursday night fan fest into racing on Friday and Saturday.
And I'm just, you know, I'm excited about a new racetrack.
Yes.
South Georgia Motorsports Park was awesome.
Let's see what the new racetrack in Maryland has to hold it because it's got a long history.
So I think it'll be curious to see how, how well that all stacks up.
Agreed.
Agreed.
Who do you like to win this?
I mean, it's, it's a new track.
So I think the motorcycle guys have an advantage, but like, what's your, what's your top fuel
prediction for this race?
I feel like Leah Pruitt could find her way back in the winter circles.
She's been, I mean, I think she's maybe fourth in points right now.
She's going rounds and I think if something funky once again goes on with the Coletta
guys, she could easily get a win.
I, and I, I, it's not a matter of if it's a matter of when she's back in the winter
circle this season.
This is a seventh race in.
She's clearly found her like group and not that she ever lost the groove, but I mean
two seasons away from the sea, there is a little bit of a warmup period I think to get
back into it.
So she's my pick for top fuel.
Funny car.
I don't know.
Funny car is kind of a crapshoot right now.
Like, and which I love.
I love, I mean the two repeat winners, Ron caps, Chad green as of right now, but I
could easily see a Jack Beckman win.
I could easily, you know, I'll just say Jack Beckman.
Oh, we have, he hasn't won yet.
And I feel like they're going to like find their way back in as well.
So I'll say Jack Beckman is my pick for funny car pro stock.
I'm going to say Erica Enders.
I'm actually back post luck wins for elite.
I mean, yeah, I think they're figuring some things out like like they're, and I
mean, it was what a three to one ratio for TV in the semi final last race.
And she was one of those and she was number one qualifier in Chicago.
And I don't know.
I just, I would not surprise me at all if she, if she got the job done.
And then Angie Smith for pro stock voters.
Like, I don't even have to think about it.
Like, I think, I think that she's going to go in with such a fury.
Like, like, like,
She's not going to have a chip on her shoulder.
She's going to have the whole tree.
Exactly.
And I think.
I didn't intentionally pick three women, but I'm not mad about it.
No, I think that's, I think that's really, I mean, and the thing that's
so funny is you don't even think about, you're not like picking them because
they're.
Hey, these are the racers that are going to be.
Exactly.
They just are legit.
These are solid picks people.
Shout out playing HRA.
These are solid picks to look at.
Exactly.
A chance to, um, to, you know,
went a little bit of scratch if you want to.
So go ahead over to NHRA.com and check out those plain HRA odds.
Cause I bet they're pretty, pretty good on, I mean,
they're not as good as they used to be for Erica and Angie earlier,
but I bet they're still pretty, pretty solid.
So who are your picks off the top of your head right now?
I will say for top fuel.
That Leah pick is actually was pretty solid.
But I,
man, Antron Brown has been running really good.
So I think I'm going to go with a little Antron Brown.
I'm going to go with.
Ron caps or Spencer Hyde and funny car.
Spencer Hyde is my heart.
Ron caps is my head a little bit and also my heart.
Yes.
You, you, I mean, again, look, look right here.
Look who's always constantly.
So that's a Ron caps head.
That's a Ron caps side window.
And those are Ron caps, big bud, shootout, wind, gloves.
Is Ron caps.
If he's like a little angel on your shoulder, is he the,
is he the little level?
Yeah. Just,
just like Hagan was saying that Jesus is whispering in just
in Ashley's ears time to leave.
That's caps telling me up your game on the podcast.
Exactly.
Okay.
So funny car pro stock.
I,
I think Greg Anderson is also coming into this race with a
little chip on his shoulder for the red light against Aaron
Stanfield,
even though he didn't have a really good car,
I think he made up for it with driving and then he just got
too lamped up for racing Aaron Stanfield.
He just knew he had to hit the tree and we actually were
fortunate to be able to talk to him after the race and we
touched on a little bit.
He just got so excited, you know, just really just overshot a
little bit.
And yes, always you should be taking notes for Gregory Spreckman
and so that's,
that's say that's a constant and then pro stock motorcycle.
Man,
I,
I would,
I would love to see again,
we'll get into this.
My heart so wants Kelly Klontz to win this race.
I mean, that goes without saying that I, you know,
just the chips to fall her way would be so awesome.
But I think realistically you're looking at,
I think Richard Gadson,
I think Richard Gadson is going into this race.
It was really cool to hear him talking about with Hannah,
how many like big money races he's won here.
Well,
and this is this track is literally like his happy place.
Yeah.
Like he,
he said a friend texted him before his first win in Bristol of
like, Hey,
you need to visualize your racing at Maryland international
Raceway like in your favorite.
Like, so he has like hardcore, hardwired,
a favorite lane,
a favorite lane.
Yeah.
I mean, how cool is that?
I, I'm, I'm going to be like,
so up in these pro stock motorcycle people's business this weekend,
just like, cause it's going to be cool.
I mean, they don't want attention and this is a track.
I think there's going to be pro stock.
I think, you know,
Courtney Enders and Jason Gabb,
they're not going to have to tell people to stay in the stands for pro stock
because they're going to want to be there for pro stock motorcycle and pro
stock car.
So it's just going to be bonkers to have them be the highlighted
category of hope.
Yes.
Agreed.
And you want to see them have,
have a great race.
So I think that's really cool.
You know, this race, you know,
I'm super excited to just get there.
I think, you know,
Royce West is going to be very cool to highlight that.
But he seems very hands on,
like all of the,
all of the new track operators for these four new tracks seem very like
personally invested, not just, not, I mean,
they're just really excited to be happening in the national event coming to their tracks.
Right.
And it's kind of like the first time for an NHRA national event in the state of
Maryland.
Yes.
Check that box off.
They've had, they've had big races, but, you know,
he's great for the series.
And I'm trying to think, you know, who,
it's also going to be interesting.
They, they don't have a lot of categories.
No, they don't.
But I think that's going to make the show really, really good.
Like you're not going to leave your seat because you're going to go right from
the mission classes to top out called rags or top out call funny car,
you know,
and also super and true.
We're going to have to ask Kelly about this.
Richard gave a shout out to the track food.
Yeah.
On his interview with Hannah.
And I'm going to be honest.
I, that's rare.
I feel.
That's not something you hear very often.
I feel like it's just, you know,
run of the bill concession stands.
Seattle has good track food.
Like Jason Logan and I have it, you know,
they have like the biscuit guy, the scope of the scone person.
I'm trying to think of other.
Now,
Sonoma has expensive track food.
Yeah.
We did enjoy two,
two smashed burgers with fries for $60 last year.
Yeah.
I, I really like the motor plexus a low tape vendor.
Yes.
Yeah.
So motor pricks has got some strong been.
So I'm very intrigued to ask Kelly about.
Yeah.
What's the deal with track food?
What's the, what's the deal with the track food?
And we could probably also text Richard too,
because I want to get, get more into that.
But big news this week from our good buddies over drag illustrated.
Yes.
Dropping a new program.
The, what's it called power 100.
Yes.
So the top like 100 influential people in drag racing.
So what I, what I like,
and I think nominations are open now and through the beginning of July.
So go ahead, go to drag illustrated to check that out.
But I, I mean, I love their 30 under 30 program.
I think it's really cool to recognize the people who are coming into the
sport and who are, are future basically.
But life doesn't end at 30.
Right.
I missed that window.
I got, you know,
Yeah, I, you did.
I'm sorry.
You're what?
I'm not going to well over 30.
Let's just say 30 plus 30.
Let's not get into the details.
Almost twice that, but that's neither here.
It's a bit of a shot.
Okay.
Your math is not wrong.
So, um, yeah.
So, and they're breaking it up and they really, they have an idea.
They have a vision for this.
It's not just drivers or crew chiefs or even track.
They want like people that move the needle in drag racing,
not an HRA like part developers.
Like all like the people that I can't even like in my little communications
brain, I'm sure I wouldn't even know to think about like,
Like I was actually talking to West buck about it.
And I was like,
When you think about people that are influencing the sport,
it could be someone like the head engineer at Bickel chassis
or Murph McKinney or Allen Johnson, you know,
Like the guys are making parts that are, you know,
coming up with new race series, you know, drag radial guy or,
you know, obviously, you know,
Cletus is one of those guys, you know, um,
Like the people who are studying the data,
like the tracks specialists,
like how can gain a fraction of a second just by properly evaluating
like all the different data and right inputs.
So it's super, I think it's super interesting.
Um, and I don't, I don't want to give away like West does the 30 for 30.
Um, but they also for, you know, they did, um,
You know, they, they do a great job of highlighting special things,
30 for 30.
The women are racing now this, and this influential 100 people,
they do the photo issue.
Um, you know, so I think they're just kind of looking at the next
thing.
And, you know, I'm hopeful there's kind of a plan.
You know, I don't know if they could do an event or,
you know, something around recognize, I mean,
I think it would be really cool if you could get as many of those
people together in one spot, but I don't know how,
how you would pull that off.
I mean, I'm sure West and Mike and Nate have an idea for that in JT.
Yes.
Cause they're idea guys.
So please go and fill out your influential 100 people because
I think that's just something really cool for the industry.
And then when 30 for 30 opens up, it'll be, you know,
high time to do that, but it's already started.
Like you're already getting people reaching out asking who,
hey, who are you going to submit?
Who do you think should be submitted?
And it's, you know, it's a pretty, it's not a crazy involved process,
but they break it down pretty easily.
Yes.
I mean, you should definitely head over there for that.
So we had that going on this week in the world of NHRA has obviously
the postponement of the IHRA race have not heard when that's going
to be rescheduled.
And that's it.
I mean, that's a complicated process because they're trying to
avoid other rate, like other sanctioning bodies, scheduling
wise, it's got to be still good weather there up in Pennsylvania.
And also, I mean, just the dynamic of it being the first race of
a three race series.
They've got to not only like reschedule it, but figure out how that
affects the, what we're supposed to be the second and third races.
Right.
Those now become the first and second.
Exactly.
Move that, the Reading one to the third, which I know why they
started with Reading because I mean, that's your premier.
I mean, that could be their Indy 500 type of it.
But think about how powerful it could be if the Reading race,
which has this huge Nitro fan base is like the third race.
Yep.
So yeah, I do not envy the people making those decisions.
Cause I know it's complicated.
Right.
And they got a new president now.
So he's trying to sort all that stuff out.
But yeah.
So can we talk a little drag race bracket bonanza and how we
have in a weird twist of fate, we got an extra pro stock motorcycle
plaque.
I guess the glare, you can't even see what it says.
I promise it's a Charlotte.
Let's just see.
There you go.
Yeah.
So we got an extra, you know, we order all the plaques at the same
time, a little inside baseball.
So we got an extra Charlotte four wide plaque.
So we have the drag race bracket bonanza pro stock motorcycle
major moments bracket is open right now.
Yes.
Go to drag race bracket bonanza.com.
It'll be right on the homepage.
Super easy to fill out.
64 pro stock motorcycle moments.
Every try to do a really good job of Dave Schultz and Peggy
Llewellyn.
It was funny cause I was talking with Tim Haley who does eat
my ink and he was texting me like, Hey, how can you don't have
this one?
And Hey, how can you, oh, you missed this one?
And I'm responding like, dude, go to this quadrant.
It's there.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Go to it.
He was like,
And we don't claim to say that these are like, we did our best
when coming up.
And we asked other people.
So we, yeah.
Yeah.
So we outsourced.
Yeah.
We asked Bansom Heinz guys.
We asked Matt Smith racing guys.
We asked a variety of people.
Just general way more about pros like motorcycle.
Exactly.
But we know we may have in fact, Mr.
And we want to hear about it.
We want to hear about it.
And we want to hear, Hey, you made me make some tough choices
early.
You maybe make them tough choices late, but long story short,
we have this extra plaque.
Yes.
So I'm taking it with me to Potomac and we're going to get a
bunch of pro stock motorcycle riders to sign it.
And then we're going to give it away randomly to someone that
fills out the pro stock motorcycle major moments brackets.
So you got plenty of time.
You got all the way into the weekend to do it.
And I was also fortunate to be at the motor plex when Peggy
won her race, which was awesome.
Peggy Llewellyn is one of my favorite pro stock motorcycle
riders.
She's going to be there for the stampede of speed being
honored as, you know, being around.
So that's where the whole major moments program is really
something that's taken off.
Yes.
More people fill out pro stock motorcycle brackets for this
one, then the top fuel and pro stock.
And then we'll have funny car later.
And then we'll have a full like combined major moment bracket
going into Indy.
Yeah.
Top 16 moment like voted by the fans from each of the four
classes and people will get to make hard decisions all over
that'll be.
And so I'm thinking we'll produce on the air right now,
Abby.
Okay.
Do you think so we have the top 16 top fuel guys?
Yes.
And pro stock and then we'll have the top 16 pro stock
motorcycle.
Do we keep them all in their quadrants to ultimately get a
final four of a top fuel moment, a funny car pro stock pro
stock motorcycle?
Or do we jump them all up?
I kind of assumed that's just like we would keep them
quadrant by quadrant.
Just be.
I don't know.
I'd be open to hear it.
Like if people feel a certain way,
I'd be open to hearing about in the comments.
Or, you know, email.
Yeah.
I'd love to hear like, do you think we should keep it all
compartmentalized?
Yes.
Or could we just totally randomize it and use the
randomizer button to.
Receive the whole thing for us.
We got some time to figure it out.
That's some time to figure it out.
But that's sure.
I'm sure Aiden I think would probably prefer that we do just
the 16 16 16 16.
We can reorder them a little bit.
Yeah.
We love to give them a challenge.
So.
So we got, you know.
So break up an engine is continuing to grow.
We've got some fun things going on there.
How about we.
Pace.
Oh, hang on.
Hang on.
Steven's weighing in.
Let's separate until the end.
Just my opinion.
All right.
That's that's one vote for keeping it.
Normal.
So we'll take that under advisement.
But how about.
We, we pay some bills.
And then when we come back.
We will.
We'll just kind of continue to chit chat.
And then we'll be joined by the great Kelly Klotz to get a
theme of the show.
I love it.
The number one source of friction in your engine is not
what you think.
Piston rings rubbing against the cylinder walls generate more
friction than any other part of the engine.
More friction and temperature means more wear and less
horsepower.
Fortunately, the team at Total Seal knows how to reduce friction
and wear through innovative piston ring design.
If it takes a piston, Total Seal could build a better ring.
Looking to replace your OEM diesel particulate filter or
diesel oxidation catalyst?
Look no further than DPFX fit a complete line of aftermarket
diesel particulate filters and diesel oxidation catalyst
designed as an exact fit OEM replacement with all makes
coverage for light, medium and heavy duty trucks.
With thousands of units in stock, we ship the same or next
day and be sure to check out our comprehensive reverse OEM
lookup tool.
Always new, never remanufactured.
For more information, be sure to visit dpfxfit.com.
That's dpfxfit.com.
Drag racing fans, check out Drag Race Bracket Bonanza.
It's the free, family friendly fantasy bracket game.
Now after final qualifying at every national event, you can
fill out your bracket for all the pro classes.
It's free, easy to click on your picks.
If you need some help, just hit the randomizer button to
fill in the blanks.
It's for fun, stay engaged and pick your winners today.
And we're back.
So we're just talking about the Potomac Nationals.
I'm your host, Elon Warner.
This is Abby Warner Woodward.
I want to dip our toes back into the influential people real
quick.
Okay.
And I'm going to put us both on the spot and I'll go first.
But if you had to pick like one or two influential drivers,
like what do you think makes an influential driver?
Is it someone that wins a lot and they're influencing the race
based on their on track success or they like a driver crew chief
guy or gal that's like rule implementation?
You know, because to me, like an influential driver could be
someone like Jim Head or Tim Wilkerson because they're working
on the car or Jimmy Proc as a crew chief, but then like an
influential driver, obviously Tony Stewart comes to mind.
I think his team owner driver.
But I also, you know, Matt Hagan, you know, has been very
outspoken about tethers and about safety.
Um, you know, so to me, that's, that's a really interesting thing
thinking about what exactly how, how are you wielding your
influence in track or even radial guys like Jeff Lutz on the
radial side and guys in promod, um, Totoro and spin, you know,
guys that are doing that.
Um, Mason Wright, you know, what do you think of when you
think of an influential driver?
Um, the first person who comes to mind to me right now is Ron
Capps.
Um, I think he's influential in the sense that he's, you know,
a really successful driver.
Yep.
Um, you know, one, what is it, three championships.
Yep.
And, um, you know, worked his way up from like driving for a
team, now a team owner.
Um, but then also, I mean, bringing on the team owner side,
bringing in a driver like Maddie Gordon.
Right.
And really having like an eye for the future.
Um, not just giving a driver who's like maybe currently part
time a seat, but looking kind of a little further outside the
bubble.
Um, and really thinking like what's, what could be good for
the sport as a whole.
Um, he also is one of the yes people, like in the sense that
he's willing to do the media tours and do the extra stuff.
And, um, isn't there just to like drive his race car and go
home.
And so I think it's just like from a talent business
perspective, he's really, really like an influential driver.
I have to a player like he's like, that's, that's probably,
that's a great, that's a great pitch for run caps to be one of
the top 100 influential.
Yeah.
If anyone would like to like steal any of that and nominate him,
it will be feelings at all.
And I guess the other thing in talking about influential people,
I mean, on the media side, cause there's a media category,
there's kind of like a media.
Um, and I, I actually full disco, I actually nominated Kelly
Crandall.
Um,
I think that's a solid solid.
I think, um, because she not taking anything away, you know,
you know, I think Bobby Bennett is very influential.
Obviously Wes is very influential, but I think Kelly Crandall
coming into the sport.
Um, she was so NASCAR centric.
Um, and that's really the way she got into the sport was through
Toyota.
Uh, and the golden PR agency invited her out.
They, they constantly were inviting people out.
Yeah.
We got her out.
She had a good time.
I think the access our drivers afforded her, um, was huge.
Yeah.
Um, but she writes for racer.
She has a very popular, uh, podcast.
Um,
She's very active on Twitter in particular,
very active on social media, but I've always thought that her
influence actually came when she was away from the track that
she would talk up her NHRA experiences at other, like at
NASCAR races at Indy car races.
I think that was always super helpful.
She does a really good job too of when she's not at a race
highlighting other media professionals who are like, Hey,
I'm not going to be on site, but please look at Mighty Mac,
Noah Carmichael, which Noah is someone I would nominate in the
media category, Mighty Mac guy.
Um,
He is one of my favorite people when he's there, uh, at doing like
the press conferences because, and I was, I think talking to
like Brian Bolander about this in Chicago, cause Noah interviewed
him, um, because of peaks involvement with the Chicago race.
Right.
And he is so well researched and really asks insightful
questions, but it's in a way that never feels like a gotcha
moment.
It never feels like he's trying to get like a click baby answer.
He's just knows his stuff and knows how to get really interesting
tidbits from people and his YouTube channel is just really,
really solid.
Yeah.
I think like he, he, he, he's a great one because he is rarely
in the press room.
Yes.
He's always on the move.
That's the sign of a great reporter is they're kind of popping
in maybe for a snack or meal or whatever, but he is in the pits
and he is hustling and he's got a team of people.
Yeah.
And I think that's the other thing that always impressed me about Bobby
Bennett and all the things that he does like Bobby covers the U S
nationals or has covered it in the past with six or seven people.
Yeah.
And, you know, that ebbs and flows, you know, based on time and
money and all those things.
But I think we've got a lot of really cool influential people
really kind of promoting the sport, talking about the sport.
So it's going to be really interesting to see when, when this
list comes out where, and also I'm talking to West, this is not
a set like it'll change year to year.
Like, you know, I'm sure guys like, you know, Glenn Cromwell
and Daryl Cottrell and duck who does a lot of promotions, you
know, they're going to be main seats.
But I think you'll just see them rising and falling based on kind
of things that they're doing and the way things are going.
You know, but I'm, I'm, I can't, they get thousands of nominees
for the 30 and or 30.
Yeah.
I can't imagine once you open it up beyond basically to anyone.
Right.
They're going to get, and I know it's a very difficult and lengthy
process for them to sort through it all and make hard decisions
and whatnot.
Yeah.
I just noticed the time though is Kelly in the waiting room.
Kelly, Kelly is in the waiting room and I cannot wait to talk
to her about the process she's going through.
And I will not embarrass her, but she's, she's not on, she's, I
think someone walked into her.
She looks like she's in her hauler and I think someone just
walked in on her, on her hauler.
So I think if we're okay, we're going to bring Kelly onto the
stage right now.
So we're welcoming the great Kelly Klontz.
Kelly, do you read us?
I read you and everything was great until we pulled up to the
track and Chris needed me right at 12 38 and then the power
just went out and he put the jet.
It never fails.
I want to say this is something that we would obviously never
show.
Kelly Klontz is a true professional.
She's gone through like three different hairstyles and went
with the cat.
I'm watching it.
I saw y'all had them.
I was like, oh yeah, I'm putting them on the case.
We can see the agreement.
So Kelly was just like, she wants to make sure, please sponsor Kelly
because she is a true professional.
She's making sure she, you know, looks good on the show.
Thank you so much for joining us, Kelly.
Thank you.
I don't, I don't know what he's doing, but he's trying to get the
generator to come on.
So I have some light.
I'll go in the front of the hauler, but we're here at the track.
You know, we took me 11 minutes to get here.
So I was, I was going to say, you're really plus it up with what
hauler.
This is not one of those events where if you get in your hauler
and you think, oh, you know what, we forgot this, that it's like,
oh, is it worth going to Walmart or Target to buy it?
You can just go to your house.
Oh yeah.
We're, I mean, we brought a separate vehicle so we could bring
drinks and stuff for everyone coming this weekend.
It's going to be crazy.
So if we got to run home, I mean, we could run home and back in
between rounds.
It's that close.
Oh wow.
Wow.
Cause we had a discussion.
We weren't sure.
We knew you looked really close, but I was, I asked earlier like,
could you walk to the track from your house?
Not that close.
I could run a half marathon home.
Oh yeah.
That close.
Yeah.
But no, I mean, we're one county over.
So the tracks in St. Mary's County, Chris and I live in Charles
County, which we were born and raised in.
So we lived in St. Mary's for a little bit and then now we ventured
back to Charles County so that we're just one county over.
So how many times do you think you've raced at Buds Creek if you
had to guess?
So I raced cars before I met Chris.
Chris and I met in 2001.
Now he's here.
Chris is here because I don't have a generator yet.
Why did my lights not come on?
We're, we're live right now.
Doing all the things that I don't know.
I think it might have popped a breaker or something.
I don't know.
He'll fix it.
I didn't turn anything.
Chris, I'm live on a thing.
Wednesday is met for.
It's okay.
What's that?
Wednesday is meant for figuring these things out.
But like I tell him, I'm like, it does.
I scheduled something.
You know how it goes.
You scheduled something.
You got one thing to do that day and they need you that day at that
time, but it's good.
So, um, how many times you've raced at Buds Creek?
Yes.
Okay.
We started, I met Chris in 01.
I started racing here with my dad.
Um, before then I raced and altered with my dad.
Um, we were born and raised here.
So I have three sisters and like this is what we did.
We hung out at the track.
So, um, I couldn't tell you how many laps we had down that race track.
It was Friday, Saturday, Sunday, every single week for,
from 2002 to 2015.
I mean, we raced.
We raced and you know, the only way you could get better is if you
showed up.
So, um, that's what we did.
Your excitement level to be racing at your home track,
at an inatory level, national event,
is it on a scale of one to 10?
What do you, what do you think it's at right now, Kelly?
Oh,
she may have frozen up on us.
He's frozen, but this is a great photo.
Yeah.
She had a great frozen.
That's, that's the perfect frozen face.
I mean,
this looks like a selfie that you took intentionally.
I like it.
I love it.
So, so like on, on your excitement level,
how, how cool is it for you to be racing at your home track?
Oh, I couldn't help myself yesterday.
We actually rode up here just to kind of check things out and see
what was going on.
I haven't been able to come by and we've seen the pictures on the
internet.
It's kind of like a bittersweet.
All the trucks and trailers and.
We always race the IHRA sanctioning body prior.
So now it's the first annual, but it's just really cool to see
them putting things in place and getting that NHRA vision with
home.
Awesome.
Now let's get down to the nitty gritty.
The pro stock motorcycle competition has just been so tough.
Your programs coming along so well.
What, what would winning this race mean to you?
Oh man.
That, that's, that's my eyes on the prize.
When we started pro stock nine years ago, we never thought,
hey, we were going to have one at home.
So when that rumor came out, we're like, no, we don't believe it
until we hear it, you know, from, from the horse's mouth.
But when we heard that, it was like, that's going to be so cool
because we know how many people show up for us just here at
this track and how long we've been doing this to be able to
hoist the first Wally and a diamond one at that.
I mean, that, that's, that would be everything right there.
That'd be the icing on the cake right there.
The Richard Gadson has talked about how popular pro stock
motorcycle is there, like in the grudge race scene and you
talked about you growing up there, how has the ground swell
of pro stock motorcycle excitement for this race?
Have you heard that from your fans and things like that
for this weekend at this, at Maryland?
I just think because this, this facility, like, you know,
I was kind of spoiled learning here because it's always been
one of the top notch facilities that people want to come to.
It's always been a quarter mile track and they've always been,
you know, top notch.
So everybody wanted to come here.
So Roy Smiller, the track owner, his son, they've had a
sanctioning body for motorcycle racing since before it was
actually a sanctioning body.
I remember it was like the, I think it was called like
motorcycle showdown or something.
I don't know.
Back in 2001, it had its own name before it was actually a
sanctioning body.
So they, you know, they put the work in to build that, you
know, motorcycle, just group of people.
I mean, it, and people show up in like, they'll have eight,
900 entries that the names changed a couple of
times, you know, as they've created different other tracks
to partner with them and stuff.
But people wanted to come here because it is a great facility.
It's top notch.
And it just, this was the place and we were just lucky to have
it in our backyard.
So then I got really spoiled.
Okay.
Richard Gadsden gave a shout out in an earlier interview this
week, how good the track food was.
Can you confirm the track food is really good?
And what, what, if so, what is some of your favorite track
food items?
You know, it's been a long time since I've ate track.
I haven't been here since, I think we tested here a couple
of times, but we really haven't been here.
Once we started in HRA, um, I would say I, I'm always a
chicken tenders kind of gal.
But I always, my, my go to was I had to get like, they had
the, um, chips of whey cookie sale.
So we'll be like every Friday night or Saturday night,
after first rat out, eat your chocolate to cookie,
say, which ice cream, I'm an ice cream kind of guy.
Like sweet, give me all the chocolate and forget the food.
All right.
Now for a new track, Abby and I like to talk about where,
where to go.
So Abby, go ahead.
Let's, let's dive into where do we need to be when we're off
the track?
Exactly.
Where should we eat?
Where should we, you know, get a drink?
Any, any recs in that department?
So it's funny because I'm not real like a tourist kind of,
you know, person, but like I'm one that builds the relationships
with people.
So Lito's pizza was like my first job ever and I worked at
one at a different location, but now, um, I ended up meeting
my best friend, Chris and I met her at the Lito's in Charlotte
Hall.
So Charlotte Hall is where they're having the, um, barns at
Newmarket.
It's five, not even five miles away.
There's Lito's pizza.
So it's your pizza place.
They've got subs and, um, appetizers, salads, all kinds of
things.
Um, they are a franchise, but my best friend owns it over
there.
Um, she's part owner over there.
And, uh, so definitely want to give her a shout out because
that's somewhere we always go to.
All right.
Um, we kind of just stick same places over and over again
because we know it supports the people we love.
So I'm going to give that one like the best.
And that's what we're looking for is we don't want to go
change.
I would love to like this, like hamburger best, you know,
corn beef stand, breakfast, also breakfast places.
We're always looking for a good place.
Um, so, so Lito's is a franchise, but they're not nationwide.
So I feel like that's fine.
Because they're more East coast.
Um, like in Delaware, Maryland, they're not nationwide.
So that you definitely got to hit them up.
Um, there is a pub that we go to that's been there quite a few
years.
It's called old line pub.
That's in Charlotte Hall as well.
Um, down the street from signing, um, which is about seven
miles from here.
Um, I know there's a breakfast place.
I believe it's Marie's in La Plata that everybody loves.
I've never been there, but everybody loves it.
Okay.
So I don't like, I just cook it at home.
Um, I'm kind of old fashioned.
I like to just whip it up at home.
What's, what's your go to breakfast at home?
Um, I really pancakes, bacon, Chris would choose everything.
Um, whatever Chris wants.
He's the one that loves all the food and I just, you know,
I'll figure it out.
So Chris is your husband and crew chief for those who are
unacquainted.
What is it like having your husband as your crew chief?
Well, you kind of just saw my composure.
Like I told you I needed power.
No, we actually, I mean, if you could survive through 25 years
to race it together, you could survive anything.
So, I mean, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I know he 100% has my back.
I'd never doubt that.
Um, we have our moments.
It doesn't last past the moment.
And then we get back on the same team and continue to work
towards hoisting that diamond Wally.
Well, and y'all have had really great success this season too
with Clayton Howie on your rental bike.
Yup.
You know, we were able to pick up a second motorcycle,
which I think has helped our program a whole lot.
And he's come out here and been a really consistent rider.
And it's been awesome.
You know, we have Greg Gunnerdahl out here as well,
who has been in pro stock forever.
He raised, been a sun raised, and now he's helping Clayton.
So I think when you have a great dynamic of team and bringing
Greg in and Greg was here, so we actually purchased one of
there.
It was a SOFR underdog rental bike that we purchased as our
first pro stock motorcycle.
And then we actually got the second one from them as well.
So we, you know, like I say, it's all about those relationships
you build and everything comes full circle.
And that's been a big thing for us this 25 years.
We're just seeing how that, you know, how true that is.
But Clayton's doing a great job and I can learn a lot from him.
And I'm hoping we have a very successful long weekend this weekend.
Perfect.
Um, Joe Costello texted me a question too of how late are
things open in Mechanicsville or that greater area?
Cause sometimes like Norwalk, things like close at like nine o'clock.
So are there places that are open later?
Or is it kind of a, they roll the sidewalks up around nine or 10 o'clock?
Um, I would say probably Thursday night, they're going to close a
little earlier Friday nights.
They'll be open a little later.
I like to be in bed and sleep in.
So I am terrible at telling you where that goes.
That's not a, that wasn't a bear trap, Kelly.
We're not trying to like, oh man, let me tell you where to go at two o'clock in the morning.
Yeah.
No, I mean, I mean, if it was back in the day, I would go to the Taco Bell
drive-thru, you know?
Right.
But I don't even drink.
I'm like, what kind of fun do I even have?
That is, yeah.
You race the pro stock motorcycle.
That's plenty fun.
You know, and that's what I tell people.
I'm like, there's a lot to this.
I need my rest.
Like, you know, shuffle in a career and shuffle in, you know,
running pro stock motorcycle.
And it's Chris and I doing the grunt of everything.
Actually, it's Chris and he's right there.
I don't know.
Look at that.
I guess he's starting up the truck.
Um, but, um, it's a lot.
We don't have a whole lot of time to do all the things that we pick priorities.
Perfect.
Last question.
I'm going to put you on the spot.
Have you, have you checked out the drag race bracket bonanza pro stock
motorcycle major moments?
I have not.
I don't, I didn't even know where the link was.
And I wanted to find it, but I've been running around crazy.
I figured all the weeks.
Um,
it's, it's just drag race.
I would encourage you if you get a chance to just check it out and
then bring the high heat because Abby and I,
we reached out to other people.
We had like the 64 greatest pro stock motorcycle moments all in a bracket.
So I would love to,
I'd love to get yours and Chris's, Chris's input on it.
Awesome.
Yeah.
No, I'll definitely make sure we do that.
We'll do that tonight while we're shuffling all the things to,
we're not going to load unload because they say the rain,
there might be some thunderstorms coming.
So we'll unload until tomorrow.
So we'll have tonight to do other things, but it's going to be crazy.
I'm really excited.
The weather is going to be amazing.
Okay.
Good.
So I don't know if you guys have seen that it's like,
I did.
I did see that and that has me very excited.
So it's good since you all had to deal with the wind in Chicago.
It's nice to have a race that's hopefully a little bit better for
y'all weather wise.
That was interesting, but you know, when you get to this level,
you kind of just have to go with it.
Like, but I mean, Chicago was a good weekend.
We were very consistent.
I'm always looking forward to just being consistent,
keeping my focus.
And I know all the, all the other things will pan out the way they
supposed to.
All right.
Kelly, before, before we cut you loose, anyone you want to give a
special shout out to or any special things going on that when fans
are at the track, they might want to swing by and see what's up.
Well, I hope everybody comes out to the Barnes at New Market on
Thursday.
So tomorrow between five and seven for the signing.
I really want people to show up.
So they just see, you know, the support that Southern Maryland
has for racing.
This is what, you know, this is what we do here in Southern
Maryland.
Um, and of course our sponsors seen fitter UA local 602.
They've been on board with us since 2018.
So they joined with us once we decided we were going full time
and they've been part of us the entire time.
And, and that warms my heart.
And there's so many people that are going to come out and I hope
they, they see what we've built for the last nine seasons.
They're going to be excited.
Some of the business agents have been able to come out prior, but to
get a lot of the members to come out and show their support.
I know it's going to be amazing.
We also have Archkey out here, um, who I work for and we're excited
to have them.
You know, these are my coworkers for 10 years of my career.
Um, to, to see Kelly and that different Kelly, you know, what
you get with Kelly, but to see me, you know, doing the whole
motorcycle thing and, and everybody knows that it's our
passion, but they've never seen it.
So I'm looking forward to that.
And of course we have a Natalie and her team at innovative
creation experts.
Um, she does all of our social media and photos.
I want everybody to tag us in all the photos.
Yeah.
This is what it's about is, you know, just seeing things through
other people's perspective, their excitement.
Um, that's really other than, you know, the diamond Wally is
Sunday eye on the prize, but just everybody.
I mean, it's going to be crazy over here in our pit.
There's going to be so many people.
I'm so excited for it because everybody is excited for their
own reasons and it's just going to be really cool to have everybody
over here sharing the same love of any carry drag racing.
First ever here at Maryland international race.
It's going to be awesome.
Kelly, thank you so much.
And you and Chris have a good afternoon batting down the hatches
and we will look forward to seeing you, uh, here in a couple
of days.
Thank you guys so much.
I appreciate you guys and we'll get our bracket in and we hope
everybody else gets their bracket into.
Thanks Kelly.
Thank you guys.
Appreciate it.
Yeah.
Right.
All right.
Look at that.
One more bracket filled out by Kelly.
All right.
So, all right.
So we got some dinner recommendations.
Yep.
That's some breakfast recommendations.
So now, and it sounds like things are open a little bit later.
Okay.
Always a good thing.
We have to report back to Joe that we got that info.
So, um, let's get excited for the Potomac nationals.
Woo.
Come out.
All right.
This weekend fill out your brackets for both pro stock motorcycle
major moments.
And then also on Saturday night, head over to drag race bracket
bonanza and fill out your Potomac nationals and try to win that
first.
Drag race bracket bonanza plaque for the nationals.
Any parting shots.
Just really excited for this inaugural event.
Perfect.
All right.
Everybody have a great weekend.
We'll see you guys next Wednesday live again.
Abby.
Thanks for everything.
Thanks.
WFO radio.
Thanks Joe.
Silla for the chance and we appreciate all our sponsors.
So you guys have a good rest of the week.
This is WFO radio.
Request an explanation for:
1 cars
1 cars featured
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.
See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark.
Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.
