A diesel particulate filter catches the smoky soot from a diesel’s exhaust. If it gets clogged, the truck can run worse and may trigger emissions problems.
DPFXfit sells replacement emissions parts for diesel trucks. They make parts that are meant to fit like the original equipment (OEM) parts, so you can swap them without guessing.
OEM replacement means the aftermarket part is made to work like the original factory part. That’s important for emissions parts so everything fits correctly and does its job.
FTI is a company that makes aftermarket performance drivetrain parts, especially related to transmissions and torque converters. They’re partnering with another driveline company to grow their reach.
McLeod driveline components is a performance-parts company. The hosts mention it because it’s partnering with FTI, which helps them support racers with drivetrain parts.
In Top Fuel Funny Car racing, the pilot is the driver. They’re responsible for how the car is launched and tuned for each run, which is a huge part of winning.
NHRA is the National Hot Rod Association, the major sanctioning body for drag racing in the U.S. The segment references the season and specific NHRA class results, framing the competitive context.
This segment centers on Richard Freeman joining WFO Radio after an Elite Motorsports Top Fuel win. It’s a key narrative hook for the episode, setting up a recap of the competitive weekend.
Total Seal is known for performance piston rings designed to improve ring seal and reduce blow-by. In drag racing, better sealing can help cylinder pressure and consistency under hard acceleration.
Piston rings need to seal tightly so the engine doesn’t “leak” power. Ring seal technology is about making that seal better so the engine stays efficient and consistent.
A converter helps an automatic transmission launch the car by multiplying torque. In drag racing, the right converter can make the car leave the line harder and more consistently.
Redline Oil is a performance-focused lubricant brand. In racing, oil choice matters for heat control, friction reduction, and protecting components during repeated high-load runs.
Copper gaskets are commonly used in high-heat, high-pressure engines because copper can handle thermal stress and maintain sealing. In drag racing, gasket choice is critical for preventing leaks that can ruin cylinder pressure and reliability.
Composite gaskets are made from layered materials that help seal the engine. They’re used to stop leaks, especially when the engine is under heavy racing stress.
Frank Holley’s Drag Racing School is an educational program focused on teaching drag racing skills and technical understanding. In motorsports, training can cover setup, driving technique, and safety fundamentals.
In drag racing, the “final round” is the last head-to-head race of an event’s elimination bracket. Winning the final round is what earns the event win, making it a key milestone for teams and drivers.
Pro Stock is a drag racing class where cars are based on production models, but they’re heavily modified for racing. Teams tune them to be consistent and fast.
“Fuel car” here means the nitro-fueled Top Fuel drag racing car. The speaker is talking about wanting that team to reach the finals like their other cars.
Pro Mod is another drag racing class, usually with more freedom to modify the cars than some other classes. It’s still very rule-based, but teams can build cars in more extreme ways.
They’re saying their team races at Phoenix. Different tracks can behave differently, so teams often adjust their setup for each event.
Concept
winner nationals
“Winner Nationals” refers to the NHRA event being discussed, where the winner takes a major class title/round of eliminations. In Top Fuel, winning the event is a big milestone because it reflects performance across multiple rounds, not just one run.
Reaction time is how fast the driver reacts when the starting light comes on. In drag racing, being quicker by a fraction of a second can be the difference between winning and losing.
Consistency means the car and driver can repeat good runs again and again. In drag racing, that reliability often beats a one-time great run.
Company
scag
Scag is mentioned as part of the team’s sponsor group. In racing, sponsors help support the team and show up in the way the team is organized and branded.
Colletta Motorsports is another Top Fuel team being compared in terms of past performance. The host is basically asking whether they’ll keep winning now that the situation has changed.
“Spun the tire” means the tires didn’t grip the track and started slipping. When that happens, the car can’t accelerate as well and the run usually suffers.
“Tuning” means the crew makes adjustments so the car performs best for that track and day. It can change how hard it launches and how smoothly it runs.
Concept
tight racetrack
A “tight” track generally means conditions that make it harder for the car to hook up and run its best. The team may have to adjust the setup to keep the car from slipping or behaving unpredictably.
“Fielded” in motorsports means entering and running a car/team in a specific season or event. When a sponsor or partner doesn’t come on board, teams may not have the budget or resources to compete that year.
Company
R and L carrier carriers
R and L Carriers is a shipping company mentioned as a partner. In racing, partners like this often provide money or support that helps a team compete.
They’re talking about two racing teams working together. When teams share resources and coordinate, it can make the car development and race operations smoother.
In drag racing, the starting line is where the cars line up and get ready to launch. How many teams are there shows how many competitors are in the event.
The valvetrain is the part of the engine that opens and closes the valves. In racing, it has to work perfectly at very high engine speeds, so teams tune it for both power and reliability.
Hood scoops are openings on the hood that help bring air into the engine area. In racing, the rules can require or limit them, which changes how teams set up the car.
Racing rules get changed on purpose. When they do, teams have to redesign parts and strategies, so the competition doesn’t get stuck with the same winning approach forever.
“Tune ability” means how easy it is to adjust the car so it runs its best. If the setup is easier to tune, teams can get more performance without as much trial-and-error.
A throttle body is basically the engine’s “air gate.” It controls how much air can get in, and in racing you can change how it’s set up to make the car run better.
The manifold is part of the engine that routes air to the cylinders. “Bottoms” means the lower part of that system, and changing just that section can be cheaper and easier than replacing everything.
Concept
modular rules (one-piece vs multi-piece development)
They’re saying the rules and design are set up so teams can change or improve only part of the system. That’s cheaper than having to replace or redesign the whole thing at once.
The speaker frames NHRA as an “aftermarket sport,” meaning the rules allow teams to use parts from different manufacturers. This can lower costs and encourage development because teams aren’t limited to one supplier’s design.
They’re talking about the Chevrolet Camaro as a race car shape used in pro stock. Even if you move the same engine parts to another car, the airflow and fitment can be different, so it won’t behave exactly the same.
Tuning is adjusting the engine settings so it runs the way you want for that exact car and setup. If the airflow or intake layout changes, the engine may need different settings to make the same power.
The throttle body is the air-control valve at the front of the intake. In racing, the exact way air flows into it matters, so when you change cars (like Camaro to Mustang), you often can’t just bolt everything on and expect the same results.
They’re comparing the Ford Mustang to the Camaro in pro stock racing. Even with the same engine parts, the Mustang’s different shape and airflow path means the engine needs different tuning to make the same power.
They’re saying that the car’s shape changes how air gets to the engine. So even if the engine parts are the same, the airflow can be different, and that changes how the engine behaves.
Concept
broadcast team
The broadcast team is the group that explains the race to viewers—like the commentators and analysts. If the team changes, the show can feel different to watch.
“Blow smoke” means someone is talking big but it might not be true. Here, they’re saying the earlier doubts about winning might have been just talk.
Concept
rear end explosion
A “rear end explosion” means something in the back of the race car broke badly. Drag cars put huge stress on the drivetrain, so failures can happen and the team has to fix the car before continuing.
Car
Top Fuel
Top Fuel is the top class in NHRA drag racing. These are specialized race cars that use nitro fuel and are built to go as fast as possible in a straight line.
Larisse Motorsports insurance is an insurance company that specializes in covering race teams. Regular insurance often doesn’t fit racing needs, so they tailor coverage for race cars and equipment.
“Project Pontiac” sounds like a personal build or racing project based on a Pontiac. The point here is that it’s valuable enough that the owner wants insurance to protect it if something goes wrong.
Race fuel is the special fuel used in racing cars instead of regular gas. It’s chosen to help the car make more power and it has to be handled carefully.
In drag racing, staging lanes are where the cars line up and get ready to launch. It’s an important part of the event, so insurance and safety rules often treat it as “on-event” time.
Exclusions are the “not covered” parts of an insurance policy. In racing, that can mean something happens during a normal track-related moment and the insurer denies it.
Friction in an engine refers to energy lost to moving parts rubbing against each other, which can increase operating temperatures. The segment connects higher friction and temperature to more wear and less horsepower, framing friction as a performance limiter.
This is a website the host is recommending for racing parts. They’re saying it’s a good place to get things like gaskets quickly, especially if you race.
A head gasket seals the connection between the engine block and cylinder head. Copper head gaskets are designed to handle tougher racing conditions where normal gaskets might fail.
Top Alcohol is a type of drag racing where the cars use alcohol fuel. The cars are set up for big power and quick acceleration, but the fuel and tuning are different from nitro.
A “nitro racer” is someone racing with nitromethane fuel. Nitro cars need special tuning and parts because the fuel and power levels are very demanding.
Concept
Tony Seward style of things
They’re talking about a particular drag-racing mindset associated with Tony Seward. It usually means being super prepared and making smart choices so the car runs well when it matters most.
Topic
1,000 funny car race
“1,000 funny car race” refers to a major funny car event where the stakes and attention are high because it’s a marquee race. In drag racing, these big-money, high-pressure events often influence how teams plan qualifying and the final-round strategy.
The U.S. Nationals is one of the most prestigious drag racing events in the U.S., often drawing top teams and huge crowds. Because it’s a major championship-style weekend, teams emphasize consistency in qualifying and execution in the final rounds.
A “whole shot” means you got the best start and were first off the line. In drag racing, that early advantage can be the difference between winning and losing.
On a drag race start, the timing system flashes a light and the driver reacts to it. A “27 light” means the driver’s reaction was extremely quick—around a quarter of a second. In drag racing, that kind of timing can help you win.
“Missed it a little bit” usually means the car didn’t launch the way it should have at the start. In drag racing, the start is everything, so a small mistake can cost you the race. Even a great driver can have a slightly off launch.
“Head-to-head” just means two racers line up and race each other directly, and whoever wins moves on. In drag racing, even tiny differences can decide who wins that matchup. That’s why they’re comparing those direct races.
World Finals is the season-ending championship event for NHRA drag racing, where top point earners compete for class titles. When the hosts say a driver will “get to the World Finals,” they mean they’re on track through the season to qualify for the final championship rounds. It’s a major milestone because it determines who can win the World Championship in that class.
The “World Championship” in Top Fuel refers to the season-long points title for the class, culminating at the World Finals. The hosts are arguing that with the right car/crew support, Tony Stewart can remain in contention for that points-based championship. It’s not just about winning one race; it’s about consistent performance across the season.
Term
injected nitro car
“Nitro” means the car is using nitromethane fuel, which helps it make huge power. “Injected” means the fuel is delivered by a fuel system that precisely meters it, which helps the car run strong and repeatably.
Term
teen lights
In drag racing, “lights” refers to the timing results from the track. “Teen lights” means the car ran in the teens of seconds, which is extremely quick.
That phrase is talking about a big drag-racing event for “Funny Cars.” Funny Cars are special race cars built to go as fast as possible in a straight line for a short distance.
In drag racing, the field gets cut down through head-to-head rounds. “Final four” means only four cars are left, and they race to decide who wins the event.
A “Wally” is the trophy you get for winning an NHRA drag race. When someone says they’re hoping for a Wally, they mean they want to win the event.
Concept
active drivers in class
The phrase “active drivers in class” is about which competitors are still racing in that NHRA category and how successful they’ve been. It’s a way of framing current dominance versus historical records.
Car
funny car
“Funny car” is a type of drag race car in NHRA. They’re built specifically to go extremely fast in a straight line, and they look like modified race versions of production cars.
They’re talking about a huge milestone—this was the 1,000th race in funny car history. It’s a big deal because it marks a long run of the sport and becomes part of the record books.
That phrase means the car’s safety electronics noticed something wrong and took action to protect the driver. In drag racing, this can happen fast, so the safety system is designed to prevent a bad situation from getting worse.
Concept
incrementally, we're on their way to their best run of the year
This describes the typical drag-racing development process: improving the car’s setup and tuning step-by-step across events. Teams often chase small gains in traction, stability, and control-system behavior until they reach their best performance.
If the car “shuts off,” it means the engine stops running during the pass. In drag racing that’s usually bad because the car can’t keep accelerating down the track.
“Lift” means backing off the gas pedal while you’re still on the track. It can be done to prevent something from getting worse, but it also makes the car slower.
Race cars have safety electronics that watch for problems. If something goes wrong, the system may trigger a shutdown or other protective action to keep the driver and car safer.
Concept
saved millions of dollars in parts
The speaker credits safety systems with preventing expensive failures by avoiding damage to critical components and race cars. In Top Fuel, parts are extremely costly and failures can destroy engines, driveline components, and chassis systems, so safety-related interventions can have a big financial impact.
The “countdown” is the NHRA playoffs. It’s a points-based stretch where teams need to keep running well race after race to qualify for the final rounds.
Company
Doug Coletta
Doug Coletta is mentioned as a key figure who helped a team dominate during the playoffs. In drag racing, the people behind the scenes can make a big difference in how well the car runs.
“Mathematically alive” means you still have a chance to win the championship, based on the points. You might not be leading, but the math still works out.
Drag racing classes have rulebooks that limit what you’re allowed to change on the car. When they say “27 rules,” they mean there are specific constraints teams must follow to compete in that category.
Greg Anderson is discussed as a top Pro Stock competitor, culminating in a “greatest of all time” moment in the final round. The hosts credit him with consistently beating Dallas Glenn in finals, highlighting competitive head-to-head dynamics.
Dallas Glenn is a Pro Stock driver being discussed as one of the best performers in the field. The hosts say he ran very strong numbers but still came up short in the final.
“Semis” is shorthand for the semifinal round in elimination drag racing. It’s the penultimate matchup before the final, so teams often manage risk and tune for repeatable performance rather than maximum experimentation.
“Parity” just means the rules are designed to make cars perform more similarly. That way, wins come from tuning, strategy, and execution instead of one team having an unfair advantage.
Concept
pro Camaro conversation
A “pro Camaro” is a Camaro that competes in Pro Stock drag racing. It’s still a Camaro in name, but it’s built specifically for racing and has to follow the Pro Stock rulebook.
A “world title” means winning the overall championship for the season. It’s based on points from many races, not just one win.
Car
John Force
John Force is one of the most famous names in drag racing. The hosts are basically saying Greg Anderson might get close to Force’s level, but catching him fully is unlikely.
“Even the playing field” means the organizers want the competition to be closer. That usually happens when rules or technical limits change so no one team has a huge advantage right away.
They’re comparing this to NASCAR when it brings out a new race car. At first, teams don’t know the best settings yet, so it takes time for everyone to catch up.
Race teams don’t instantly know the best tune for a track. They need practice and data from real runs to figure out what settings make the car perform consistently.
Concept
upper hand
They’re talking about which team has the advantage. In racing, the team that figures out the best setup and tuning first usually gets better results.
They mean smaller teams can still compete if they’re supported by a bigger program. That support can include better parts, engineering help, and tuning knowledge.
A carburetor is how the engine gets the right mix of fuel and air. In racing, tuning it correctly can make the car accelerate harder and run more consistently.
Concept
consideration of the drag racing public
They’re basically asking, “If this happens, will people in drag racing think it’s fair?” In racing, how fans and other teams react can influence what rules get changed next.
They’re asking whether a top team would try to get the rules changed to make it easier to keep winning. Racing rules can cover what parts and setups are allowed, so changing them can completely shift who’s competitive.
In drag racing, a “perfect run” means the car launches and runs exactly how it should, with no mistakes. It’s the kind of performance that gives you the best chance to win round after round.
National points are how drag racers earn a season championship. You get points at multiple events, so “second in national points” means they were near the top all year.
Car
top alcohol dragster
Top Alcohol Dragster is a category of drag racing cars. These are purpose-built dragsters that run on alcohol fuel and compete in timed elimination races.
This is how the bracket is set up. With a three-round format, you have to win three matchups to take the whole event (though the exact round names can vary).
In drag racing, “lights” is how good your start was. “Double O” means an extremely fast reaction time, so the car left the line almost immediately after the light.
In drag racing, the timing is so precise that races can be won by extremely tiny margins. “A couple of thousands of a second” means the winner was ahead by a hair.
“Regional level” means the races are smaller or more local than the biggest national events. Teams often prove themselves there first, then try to win on the national stage later.
“Warm it up” means getting the engine up to the right temperature before you race. If you don’t have time between rounds, teams may skip some steps to save time, but it can make performance less consistent.
“Heads off” means removing the engine’s cylinder head(s) to do maintenance or checks. In drag racing, doing that between runs takes a lot of time, so teams only do it when they really have to.
“Alcohol” here means the type of fuel drag racers use in some classes. It’s a specific racing category, so the hosts are talking about that whole community.
“National level” in drag racing usually means a major NHRA/major-series event where points and prestige are on the line, not a local or regional meet. Winning at the national level is harder because the fields are deeper and the cars are more dialed-in.
An “incident” in drag racing typically refers to an on-track crash, mechanical failure, or safety event during a run. The hosts mention Garrett Bateman being in the other lane, which underscores how serious and immediate these situations are for everyone involved.
The “winter circle” is where racers go right after a run to celebrate and talk to people. It’s basically the victory area at the track.
Concept
thousand foot nostalgia legacy
That phrase is talking about a shorter drag race distance—1,000 feet instead of the usual quarter-mile. It also sounds like a special “throwback” style event where the setup can be different.
That phrase is about how fast the car is by the time it reaches 1,000 feet. If it’s “low 60,” it means it’s getting up to speed extremely quickly, which is a big deal in drag racing.
That means the engine kept running smoothly on all its cylinders the whole way down the track. If it loses cylinders, the car can lose power and may not finish as well.
Superstock is a drag racing category where the cars are more closely related to regular production cars. The rules usually limit how much you can change compared to more extreme classes.
Super Street is a drag racing category for cars that are built to be more performance-focused than stock, but not necessarily as extreme as the top pro classes. Think “street-based” cars that are still fun and somewhat usable.
Car
29 Chevy all steel, five window coupe
They’re talking about a 1929 Chevrolet coupe with the classic “five-window” side profile. It’s also described as “all steel,” meaning it’s built with real metal body panels rather than lightweight substitutes.
They’re describing a Chevrolet Nova that’s been turned into a roadster—basically an open-top custom. The “chopped” and “roof off” details mean it’s been reshaped for a more aggressive hot-rod look.
Top Dragster is another top-level drag racing category. It’s for dragsters (long, narrow race cars) and it’s where you see elite drivers competing for wins.
Charlotte is a famous drag racing stop in the U.S. The track’s surface and layout can change how well cars hook up and how teams set up their cars.
Concept
ground zero of Nitro cars
“Ground zero” here is a vivid way to describe being at the center of the nitro-fueled racing action—where the Top Fuel/Funny Car teams stage and prep. For fans and crew, that proximity matters because the cars’ sound, vibration, and fuel/track activity are part of what makes the event feel so intense.
Downtime just means the car isn’t able to race for a while. In racing, that’s a big deal because you lose chances to make runs and fix problems.
Car
Tony Schumacher
Tony Schumacher is a well-known Top Fuel drag racer. The segment describes him climbing out of the car and reacting to a sudden failure, which helps listeners understand how quickly catastrophic events can happen in Top Fuel.
“Breaking a rear end” means something major fails at the back of the car—like an axle or drivetrain component. When it happens, the car can suddenly lose forward push and feel unstable right away.
“Throwing the rods” means the engine has a major internal failure. Parts of the engine can break loose and cause huge damage, often ending the run immediately.
In drag racing, the “trap” is a spot near the end of the track where the car’s speed is measured. It helps everyone understand how fast the car was going as it approached the finish.
“Prestage” is the step right before the car is fully lined up to launch. It’s basically the car getting into position so the race can start the right way.
Concept
right side wall
Hitting the wall means the car veered off course and couldn’t stay in its lane. In drag racing, the cars accelerate so fast that if something goes wrong at launch, there may be no time to recover.
This is basically a guided drag-racing experience. You learn the basics and then get to drive a dragster, usually without having to buy your own race car or handle track/safety logistics.
Bernie’s Speed Shop is a business being mentioned as part of the show’s circle. They’re associated with the idea of handling important cars rather than just flipping them like ordinary listings.
A barn find is an old car that’s been sitting unused for a long time and then gets discovered. The point here is that people sometimes sell it too cheaply because they don’t realize how special it is.
They’re talking about a car-listing website where people sell vehicles. The concern is that a rare classic might get priced too low if it’s just treated like a normal listing.
They’re talking about a specialty seller/dealer that focuses on important cars. The idea is that these cars get handled by people who understand what they’re worth.
“Catalytic converters for OE trucks” means converters designed to match original equipment (OE) specifications for factory trucks. OE-style replacement is often about correct fitment, emissions calibration, and durability—especially important when you’re trying to stay legal while modifying other parts.
They mention G Sport as a brand. The idea is that it helps exhaust flow better, but still keeps the car within the rules.
Topic
Winston Division two champion hat
They mention a championship hat from “Winston Division two.” It’s basically a prize/trophy item that shows someone won in a racing division.
Topic
division two Winston champion
They’re talking about a championship in drag racing—specifically a “Winston” era title in a division. It’s basically saying the person was a top champion in that category.
They’re previewing a special video/segment filmed at the track with Elite Motorsports. It’s basically the behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening around the race, not just the cars going down the track.
The hosts mention the event coverage was on YouTube, which is relevant as a distribution/coverage detail for fans. It doesn’t add technical automotive knowledge, but it’s a notable media context marker in the segment.
Concept
Game face
“Game face” means getting into the right headspace to compete. It’s about focusing and acting serious because the race is the priority.
Term
Nitro AJ
In drag racing, “nitro” usually refers to nitromethane fuel. It’s the kind of fuel these super-fast drag cars use.
When a Top Fuel car’s “rear end” blows apart, it typically points to a catastrophic drivetrain or rear-axle failure under extreme loads. In this context, it’s being discussed as a frighteningly similar crash and a safety concern for future runs.
In Top Fuel drag racing, a “diaper” is a safety device (often a containment/deflector system) used to help catch or control debris if parts fail. The host is saying officials may require it for subsequent runs after a dangerous failure.
Concept
mandatory on the other rear end, the strange rear end
This implies there are different rear-end configurations or setups on the car(s), and that safety rules may be applied differently depending on which setup is being used. The “diaper” requirement is being discussed as a regulation/safety enforcement issue after a failure.
Nitromethane is the special fuel Top Fuel dragsters use. It helps them make huge power, but the engine has to be tuned carefully to run correctly.
Term
force like numbers 157
They’re talking about a specific benchmark number in the racing world. The point is that hitting that number might be unlikely, but the fact they’re doing math shows how close or important it is.
“Firebird” is a famous Pontiac model name. Here it’s being used like a racing team/car nickname, so it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re talking about one exact street-year Firebird.
Term
bubble up car
“Bubble up car” sounds like racing slang for a certain style of car body. Here, they’re using it to describe the Firebird-based funny cars they’re talking about.
After qualifying and after the race, the winners usually do interviews with the media. That’s where you can hear what they think about their runs and what they changed.
The hosts compare Fogget to a “WD-style” spray, referencing the common idea of a penetrating, protective spray used for corrosion resistance and light lubrication. The key takeaway is the intended function: protecting metal surfaces rather than being a heavy-duty engine lubricant.
Summit Racing Equipment is named as the retailer where Fogget can be purchased. For enthusiasts, Summit is a common source for performance parts and maintenance supplies, including corrosion protection and specialty fluids.
Concept
high performance racing engine
They’re about to talk about engines used for racing. Racing engines work harder, so they may need extra care to stay protected when not running.
“Four wides” means four cars race at the same time, side-by-side. Z-Max is the track where they’re talking about doing that kind of special event.
LIVE
Looking to replace your OEM diesel particulate filter or diesel oxidation catalyst?
Look no further than DPFXfit, a complete line of aftermarket diesel particulate filters and diesel
oxidation catalysts 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.
For more than a decade, FTI has strived to become the leader in the aftermarket, performance,
transmission and converter industry. We've joined forces with McLeod driveline components
under the leadership of top fuel funny car pilot Paul Lee and now have a larger distribution
network, more resources and more power. Come see us in the pits and ask how you can join
the FTI family. It's not cheating. It is the competitive edge. This is WFO Radio.
Hey everybody. WFO Radio is back following the 66th Lucas Oil Winter Nationals. My first race
of the 75th season of the NHRA. I had such a great time, guys. All kinds of stories.
We are going to delve into the weekend. What an amazing weekend. Perfect run in the super gas final.
Guys, Mike Wibbler-Schauzer, trip zero, dead zero. Perfect run in super gas. I haven't seen that in my
life in NHRA. But on this show, Richard Freeman going to talk about elite motorsports first
top fuel win. Jason Galvin going to join us to recap the event. We're going to have a
good time. Take your comments. All of that. Richard, just a couple of moments away. Richard,
the perfect guest because it was right here on WFO Radio that Richard told the story, told the world
unbeknownst to his own team and drivers that he was going top fuel racing and that it was
going to happen. And sometimes in this world, people will set up a straw man like people said
and maybe they did or maybe they didn't. People definitely told me that they didn't think it
was going to happen. Yeah, that's kind of BS, man. Richard coming on your show and he's
selling you a bill of goods. So you put them on the air. I don't know, man. I kind of feel like
it's true. And here we are three races in. They got the job done. Before we bring on Richard,
I want to just shout out the people who make it possible for me to do this, do this show. These
are my sponsors, just like Richard's got R&L carriers on board. Larisse Motorsports Insurance,
we'll go in depth a little bit later. But guys, you got all this racing equipment. You
might as well cover it, right? You might as well cover it. Total seal piston rings,
the leader in ring seal technology, FTI performance. You heard about them and
Jesse converters, the folks at Redline Oil were on with us. HusseyPerformance.net,
Quality Copper Gaskets, Composite Gaskets, Frank Holley's Drag Racing School,
Josh Hart and Bernie's Speed Shop, Gary Stinnett and Foggett. I know I know Richard knows about
Foggett. RodexCoffeeandGrills.com and all of our wonderful friends out there in the world
of motorsports. Supporting WFO, we thank you all. We'll go into depth a little bit later. Let's
bring them on right now. Mr. Elite Motorsports, Richard Freeman. What's up Richard? How are you?
Congratulations. I'm good. How are you? I'm great. I'm great. I'm back. I went to a race
in 2026. I had such a great time just being in that atmosphere and to see you guys go get
your first win. Smoke and Justin in the final round. What a race. But how are you
feeling? Three races, man. What took so long? I hear you. Pretty surreal for us. I mean,
that deal was pretty quick coming together. It's all about people, Joe. Same thing.
Couldn't be prouder of those guys. I sent them all a text after I left to go get on the
airplane Sunday night and I said, you know, one of my biggest fears of entering the top fuel
category was people and making sure that we had the right people and that kind of cemented that
we had the right people. Mike Green, Joe Barlam and that entire group over there,
Dustin Davis. It's just, it's pretty cool. Dustin Davis. There's one. And that's the thing.
All right. You could probably write a mini book about the way this all came together. But there
were key parts of other teams that had invested a lot in certain situations and said, you know,
I'm going to go do this. And that's obviously something to your ability
to convince people that something good is going on. I'm going to out a good friend of mine,
Sarah Slaughter, who is a wonderful friend. And I think though, and she, you know,
she's been at NHRA and she's been at John Force Racing and she said, you know,
there's something going on here and something that I want to be a part of. And like, okay.
So what's going on over there, Richard? How do you do? Listen, we're, Joe,
you and I have talked many times and I have a different perspective and different things that
I believe that we want to do. And, you know, it's the same. I had this conversation with Jason
Johnson on the starting line. He said, man, you're a mover and a shaker. And I said, yeah,
but I couldn't do anything without people like him. You know, when you have partners like
Jason, Nikki Johnson, the R and L group, Robbie Roberts, Brent, Mark Melling, Mark Stocks, all of
the people, the Green Hex at CTECH, all of those people, we can't do a thing without any, without
all of them. And they all play a crucial part of our program. And then just the people that
we have, you know, we got one side that wins a race, three races in, and we got another side that
for the last year and a half, since the end of 24, our pro stock program has faltered.
You know, we all have excuses and you know what those, what those are, everybody's got one,
right? But we're working hard on that side of our program too. My wants and hopes are to
to be able to have that fuel car and a pro stock car, our program in the finals, like we did with
Matt and Tony. Yeah, I think you're going to do it at some point. Greg Stanfield is fast, Aaron is
fast. Erica showed tough weekend for Erica, but we'll talk about pro stock guys. I want to
hear your thoughts on the rules for 27. And I heard Greg talking about him in the in the
winner circle. And Greg sounds like he's on board. But first, people wishing you congratulations,
Keith out there, congratulations to Richard. Thank you for your investment in NHRA. Matt says
congratulations. What a weekend. This guy says Brendan Patina says, is is Erica going to continue
to continue to run pro mod and pro stock at similar events? Is that ever going to happen?
Erica run pro mod and pro stock at the same event? Oh, yeah, I think I think there's
plenty of opportunity for that. We've got a car. You know, we run Phoenix. The problem
is that we don't have enough equipment and our main focus with our pro mod program is Mason, right?
So one of the one of the things that I've always tried to do is make sure we don't take anything
away from our from our customer or partners. And until that were to come to fruition,
we will kind of stay doing we got plenty on our plate right now to keep doing what we're
doing. All right. So let's watch the NHRA on Fox call of the first elite motorsports win and then
come back and talk about the round by round because it was a what a big day. The fact that
smoke punched it in got a little revenge for one year ago. We run it up a year ago and he wins
the winner nationals his premier NHRA win. Now the winners is a big deal. Let's let's
check out Brian Lone's Tony Pedragon on the ball. They leave the top fuel final of the winner nationals.
Header flames up. It's going to be Tony Stewart. Stewart 3683 at 332 miles an hour.
Ashley was 371 to 328 and Stewart claims the first win for the elite motorsports top fuel operation.
Tony Stewart just said he feels like Snoop Dogg right now with all the stuff going around
his neck. And he's like, I don't know if I get more tired from celebrating or driving these things.
But you did a heck of a job driving this car for the first one to elite another 40 reaction time.
Tony, what got you so fired up for that final round? Just everybody at R&L carriers and
you know, I love Richard Freeman and everybody at team elite so much. It's
it's hard to race against your own team. But man racing with Mike Green and and
Joe Barlam and Dustin Davis. Just we got such a cool group of guys over there. And I love my
guys at TSR too. It was nice to see Lee. I mean, Justin took her out, but she had her best light
of the weekend. So I love, you know, seeing her do her thing too. But God damn for our family and
for everybody at team elite seeing all those guys from the pro stocks team up there. Just
what a cool feeling. It's you don't get winded like this driving the car. It's the excessive
celebration when you see that 99 cent damn light bulb on the wall. Come on and know that you won
this thing. So and you're going up against the best guy in the class and not by a little he's
that bad ass by a lot. So just to run with him and, you know, be close to him, leaving and
give this thing a chance to beat him at the lines. Pretty cool. We'll take that Wally
back to your team at Elite Motorsports as your top field champion here at the
Winter Nationals. How about that? Bruno Masel with the interview there. And I guess let's work
backwards. Tell me about preparing for the final round. 25, 25, 25. Justin Ashley's three reaction
times prior to the final round. There had to be some conversation about that. There was
conversation. I walked up to Mike and I said, Mike, you know, you you've raced with Justin
for a long time. Whatever we can do, let's make sure that we have some we try to give Tony some
performance. Just a little bit. And I said, listen, at the end of the day, it's a great day,
right? Justin Ashley is, as we all know, the best lever in the class, his consistency. It's
almost unbelievable. But but but on Sunday, Tony Stewart didn't do a bad job as well.
He drove really well. And in the finals there, I think he was 42 to Justin's 36. So
pretty much a dead heat and made a fantastic run. And Mike told me going up there, he said,
listen, if it does what I ask it to do, we're going we're going 67, 68. So
you know, great team over there on the on the scag side, you know, we we've had involvement with
Randy and the guy and Maria and all the group over there at scag.
They have a fantastic program. Tommy DeLago texted me last night and and told me congratulations
and I told him, I said, listen, those two are probably two of the best out there right right
along with Sean Langdon and and the Clifford guys and Antron and all that stuff. We're going to
see a lot of these things in the in the finals. And hopefully we have have Justin in there as
well and, you know, and give them their time as well. But Sunday was was all Tony Stewart.
Really, it was. It's kind of interesting. Colletta Motorsports one and two last year, Sean Langdon,
Brian Hughes and won the most recent race. They I was kind of, you know, wondering like, all right,
this is a brand new team. And what happened with Justin like there's been some erosion of some of
the strong teams talent going elsewhere. What's going to happen is this going to be a Colletta
Motorsports year of dominance. And you guys both stepped up in the semifinals took out
Doug, took out Sean and kind of showcasing the fact, no, we are going to have a great and
competitive year in Top Fuel. To that point, though, Richard, kind of interesting,
you know, the airing of it all. First round it was Will Smith. That's a brand new team. We
love that kid. I know you do too. He's a good kid. What is he, 29 on the tree? Will 29 on
the tree? What's he doing? Wow. And Josh Hart second round. So Josh, that was his old car,
his old equipment. Josh went to Britney forces team, got his first win. So he's
living his best life right now, but you got the win there. And then Sean Langdon, Tony and Sean
were just eating on each other all last year, Tony with a 42 light. All those fun little storyline
rivalries, they kind of all got a touch at this race. It was for us. It was a storybook
top of the day that just started, you know, it was a long day, as you know. And
they're not one of those guys that we beat that in one of the best, you know. Yes, Will Smith,
I am so happy to see him to get the opportunity that he's got. And that car run really well this
weekend. I watched that. He did good. But just the story behind him. We wish him all the luck
in the world. Good. He's a very good guy. And he's, he's been out there busting his
ass for a long time, trying to do something that he loves to do. And it's, I'm glad to get to see that
Randy and then give him an opportunity to pilot that car. And it's still good. I mean,
they made some really nice runs over there and they'll continue to get better. And his day
will come soon. Langdon, you can't, he's as good as he's as good as he is, right? Josh,
Josh has got a really fast car. I was kind of shocked that they didn't, that car wasn't,
didn't get out against us. I was, I don't know exactly what happened if it spun the tire,
dropped a hole or whatever. But that car is super fast. And usually on a, on a tight racetrack,
the guy that tunes that car is really hard to beat. So whatever happened there, and then
of course, in the finals, two of the, two of the greatest and again, we couldn't be happier with
the outcome. And, and Tony did a great job. Our program did a great job. Mike Green and Joe Barnum
just made all the right calls. And it looked there. We, we went our third race out. It's,
it's awesome. I want to move on to the new pro stock rules and the pro stock team. We got
you for a limited amount of time. That's a problem with having your hand in so many
different things is like you got to talk about each topic. But if you're to look back at this whole
like journey from the, I want to do this decision to the holding up the Wally, if there was a one
key moment that got you here, what would you say it is? You're talking about the top fuel thing?
Yes. Tony Sturk saying he'd drive the car. That, that was the final deal that said,
hey, if you build it, I'll drive it. It just made sense, right? And, and listen, Joe, let's
don't, let's don't, we were real close. If R and L carrier carriers doesn't come on board,
that car doesn't, doesn't get fielded this year because I will not do it without the
right partner. And, you know, I always say things happen for a reason. And they did and
we couldn't be, we couldn't be happier. So that, that is the one thing Tony called me and he said,
hey, you know, I'm getting fired. That's what he said. I'm getting fired at the end of the year.
Lee is going to jump back in the car. And that brings up a really good point to do what we're
doing with, with the partnership between our two programs. Tony owns his own program. He's
got Matt and Leah over there driving that. And then he's over here. I am. It's, we're doing something
that's never been done before, right? To my knowledge. And it's working really well. Got a
fantastic text last night from Matt Hagen about just, just really the accolades of putting
something together like that and then making a smooth transition. And it is smooth. I'm telling
you, we've had, it's, it's unbelievable how our two programs have worked together. And
the other thing is in a short time, how our pro stock program and the fuel program,
not just on my side of it, but the TSR side of it. There's some really cool things going on
on that, that are already implemented and Matt attested to that. And that makes, that's pretty
cool stuff. Again, I don't think it's ever been done. And, and, and as you can see on the starting
line, seven, there were seven teams on the starting line when Tony won that race. And that's
that man that makes me happy. It's cool. Yeah, I've got a video of my, my perspective. I'll
show it after we let you move on. But can you share like something from, you know, like pro stock
world? Because I take pride in this because I love pro stuff. Give me an example.
You know, there's, there's it's, it's valetrain stuff. You know, I don't want to get into it
a lot. There's secrets, of course. Yeah, I mean, there's, there's, there's a lot of stuff
going on. I mean, Kyle and Jake and, and, you know, Jason Lines got his hand in there a little bit.
We're, we're working on some stuff. And we bought some equipment as a group,
TSR and Elite to, to, and we've already started in that. So it, I'm telling you,
it's, it's pretty neat stuff. And, and, and again, it's early. But, but I think,
I think that the guys over there, I think Stretch and Neil and all those guys, they're, they're,
they're probably kind of fast forwarding that. And, and I'm, I'm just telling you what I see,
what I witness and what's going on is pretty special. And they're all out there watching
right now going, shut up, Richard. Don't. Yeah, I know. Oh, yeah. They'll be calling me here,
man. Hey, keep your mouth shut. That's okay. All right. So the pro stock teams, I think it's,
you know, the pro stock guy coming up to top fuel. How's he going to do? He did pretty well.
And that says a lot about the competition in pro stock. We can talk about the specifics
of this year, but I really want to talk about next year hood scoops. Heard you
with Brian loans a couple of weeks ago talking about 20, 27 rules. Now everybody is kind of
knowledgeable that it's going to happen. Not everybody loves it, but it is what it is,
as I understand those are the rules. If you follow formula one, they change the rules every five
years. They shake it up every five years or so to reset things. So is this just going to be kind
of going back to old manifolds you've got up in the attic with hood scoops? Or now,
what do you see this as, as being in pro stock? What do we have to look forward to?
Well, I can tell you, we've already done it with Rolls-Lees, a conch car, which is our pro stock
stuff, just to kind of get a jump on it. He'll be in Charlotte with that car running comp. And
so we're going to start working on that. That's something that's fairly easy, but it's done.
And what I can tell you as far as tune ability, putting two throttle bodies on top,
instead of that front air albatross ship we have now, it just cleans it up. It just does. And so
we did need a change. Racecars have hood scoops. I can tell you, we had a phone call,
I don't know, it's been two or three months ago. There was 15 or 16 people on the phone call.
We voted. And all of them were yeas except two nays. And so at the end of the day,
I think everybody will love it as we go here. There's always that, you can't make everybody
happy. We've been talking about it for a couple of years. I can tell you that
Greg Anderson and I may not agree all the time, but we agree on this. And he will tell you
this is better. It's a better way of doing it. And in the long run, it will be cheaper.
And if you ask me why that is as well today, we not only have manifold bottoms, we have two R&D,
we have tops, we have snouts, all of that stuff. So if you got throttle bodies on top,
all you got to work on now is the bottom. So it doesn't take a rocket science to figure out
that that overtime is way cheaper than, one piece is way cheaper than three pieces. So I did think
something was pretty interesting. Again, I'm not sure that NHRA has done this in the past,
but I want you to think about, we don't have to use one person's throttle body.
You can run a Holley, you can run a Wilson manifold, you can run a whatever. There's
several people that build throttle bodies and we're not confined to one area. And I think
that kind of sets the tone for us as a sport. You know, I think NHRA and everybody's kind of,
this is aftermarket sport. And so maybe embracing that a little bit. I was kind of excited to see
that. I like that you Keith Wilson is a friend. He's made a great throttle body for a lot of
time. He doesn't have a way to participate in pro stock now. Now he does. I heard Greg
Anderson with my own ear say to myself and Elon Werner from Life's A Drag, he's okay with it.
They always do well eventually when the rules change. And he said, he goes,
guys, this is how it should have been done from the beginning.
A hundred percent. I agree with him. I couldn't agree with him more. I've said it all along.
The only reason we did it the way it is right now is for the manufacturers.
They wanted that they don't even that some of the stuff you read on internet is correct.
The manufacturers don't build cars anymore. There's very few cars made, right? So we're not
trying to sell a Camaro on Monday because they don't make a Camaro, right? So we did it.
The manufacturers are no longer in our sport. And when I say in pro stock, they don't support
it. So it's time for a change, period. Can you double back? We had a great conversation
inside the elite motorsports track side experience, which I've got some video I'll show after we let
you go. But that how this rules change could also benefit other body styles other than the
Camaro. Can you share some of that? Well, again, we've had some with with the quadras,
as you know, they run the Mustang. And I can tell you, and again, Greg will tell you,
you can take an engine right out of one of our cars manifold and all and just go from a Camaro
to another Camaro. Okay, just move it over. And it's not the same. It doesn't tune the same.
It's not the same. Now, you can get way closer going from a Camaro to a Camaro, right?
But you take that same motor and same manifold and same throttle body and put it in the Mustang
and you'll spend all day trying to get it right and never get it just right. And you
my what you should say is what do you mean not just right? Well, the way the air enters the front
end and the way it's laid back or stood up or whatever, it makes a difference. Now, it doesn't
make it wrong or right. It's just that the reason you see all Camaros is that's where we've all,
KB, myself, the McGay Hayes, right? To where we've all spent all of our money. So
therefore you got all these cars. So what I would tell you is I think that you will see
other car manufacturers, bodies show back up. The Quarters aren't racing this year. There's a reason
why they're not racing. Yes, they have some family stuff. They have some business stuff. But
you know, we struggled last year. We're still struggling right now, but it's my job to continue
to work through that. But but that will correct a lot of that. Well, that would be great.
That will be great. I'm excited. Well, I want to let you go, but I do have one more
question for you. You know, Richard, you're not used to losing employees. Usually people stay with
elite motorsports. But recently you did lose a big one to the National Hot Rod Association, A1
Courtney Enders. Yeah, you served into the broadcast team and we certainly love her.
What do you think of that? That's what is now a big part of the full broadcast?
Let me just make it clear. Courtney ain't just all completely gone. She's still, you know,
she's over there kind of helping us out, but I will tell you, in my opinion, she is unbelievable
up there. She does a great job. I tell you what I like about Courtney up there and not because
I would call mine, but she understands our sport really well. She don't ask ignorant questions
at the wrong time. She gets it. And I think she's got a, I think she's got a huge opportunity
and I love to see it. I support Courtney. She's a lot to handle, but the energy she has
and what she does is fantastic and I couldn't be more proud of her.
No, I agree. I agree. Well, that's why we are thrilled to have her and it's been going great
and the whole broadcast is different, different energy. Who knows? She's been around Pro Stock
a little bit. She knows it all. I mean, she gets it, but I tell you what, she also pays
attention to the rest of it. She's got all that stuff down and she loves what she's doing
right now, which is fantastic. That is a fact. Richard, thanks very much. I appreciate you
making the time here today. I know we're going to probably do this a couple more times over the
course of the year, but this is a big one. The first one, you broke the news right here on WFO
and now you've won a race. It's like a little over a year later, not bad.
Thank you, Joe. I appreciate you having me. Appreciate it, Richard. Richard Freeman
with us here on WFO Radio Elite Motorsports Top Fuel. They have won a race. And when I
say people said to me like, yeah, Joe, I don't know if that's going to happen. And here
we are a little over a year later. When the guy told me, people can't blow smoke.
I'm smiling, but I'm also thinking, hmm, is this going to happen? And it's not always true.
There have been some times where smoke has been blown and I haven't figured it out,
but I usually do. Get your comments in the comment section, guys. Let's see,
like this guy says, Courtney is the best. I had to ask that question, right?
Courtney Andrews has done such a great job with us. But let's take a second to check out
a couple of other videos that I happen to make. Like, how about this? The Joe's Eye View. Do I
have it? Of the final round. This is what I saw. Remember, we had a couple of a rear end
explosion. We were down for rain. It was late. It was like the finals. It was late. Not
supposed to be this late. This is what I saw from the starting line. First race back.
Remember, pretty cool.
So
a
huge moment in the sport of NHRA drag racing. Tony Stewart first win for elite motor sports
and R&L carriers. Just a great job. Thanks to Richard Freeman for joining us on the show.
I see Jason Galvin has just connected. He called that race and a couple of others as well.
We'll get to Jason on the other side of the break and he can fill the excuse me.
How about that? I'm getting choked up at the emotion. But first, I want to tell you
about Larisse Motorsports insurance guys holding Larisse was on with us a couple of weeks ago.
I highly recommend you go see that interview and I'm going to post it independent
of the rest of the show because there are so much to know about insurance for race cars.
There is insurance and then there's insurance for racing cars and racing equipment.
I am a customer of Larisse Motorsports insurance because now with Project Pontiac,
I got something to lose that I could never possibly replace out of my pocket. It just is
not going to happen. So I had to ensure it. That's why, you know, if something happens,
I get a nice swimming pool. You get the point. Larisse Motorsports insurance.com.
What makes them different for racers by racers? They understand that not having
race fuel in your trailer is not a reasonable expectation. So they don't have all the exclusions
and exemptions that other insurance providers have. They cover you from when you pull out of
the staging lanes and then onto the return road. They even have key on like like on track
coverage if you want that. But there are so many exclusions and exemptions. If your car is on the lift,
like you're lowering your car and something happens on the lift, it's not covered. What are you
talking about? That's exactly where something could happen. And so that's what makes Larisse
Motorsports insurance different than many of the other like we'll call them macro carriers
because there's a lot of the big companies that write you insurance and it's like you
have a classic car, right? Where was it parked though? Oh, it was at your friend's house
between races. Sorry, not covered. You got to read your policy, guys. You got to read your policy
and then call Larisse Motorsports insurance. They will take you through. They'll help you out.
Again, they are racers, so they know exactly what you're looking for when it comes to coverage.
And tell them you heard about it on WFO radio. When we come back, we're going to connect
with Jason Galvin and recap the Winter Nationals. Share the show, guys. Galvin is up next.
Redline Oil. Formulated to win, proven by me. Redline Oil. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win. Formulated to win
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 can build a better ring.
Drag racing fans, check out Drag Race Bracket Bonanza.
It's the free, family-friendly fantasy bracket gauge.
Now, after your 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 buttons to fill in the blanks.
It's for fun, stay engaged, and pick your winners today.
The button is going to be the key to success for me, I think.
We will see.
Hey, real quick, before we get to Jason Galvin, I want to tell you about hussyperformance.net
for all you racers out there, right?
Like I don't know that our fans are going to buy copper head gaskets or composite
gasket.
But if you're a sportsman racer, a Lucas Oil racer, a top alcohol racer, pro-mod
racer, nitro racer, if you haven't tried these guys, Dave and Alan and the team,
it's all sourced in America, made in America.
Their turnaround times are lightning fast.
Why wouldn't you give them a shot?
Number one, two, seven, one, six, four, eight, seven, two.
That's the number, hussyperformance.net.
Tell me you heard about it on WFO radio.
All right, let's bring on the guy who called that race we just watched while I enjoyed
my view from the starting line.
Mr. Jason Galvin, what's up, Jason?
How are you?
Good, Joe.
How are you?
First time back on WFO in a long time.
It's been a minute.
I've got to see if I can remember how to do this, you know?
It's great.
First off, we'll have to do a good start, like, you know, the microphones were working,
the cameras were working, so.
You got to say stuff like that in Jinxus, though, and they, like, tempt the technical
gods to serve us up a fail.
All right.
Something like that.
So, just, we heard from Richard, and we really dived into the Tony Seward style
of things.
I want to talk about the 1,000 funny car race, but if you have a point to make
about Tony Seward and Elite Motorsports, now would be a good time.
I just thought, great weekend for Tony, right?
And there was so much that went into that final, you know, I even went back and kind
of listened to the whole buildup.
And I know I talked about the Mike Green, you know, Tommy DeLago, Mike working for
Justin Ashley's situation.
It was so easy to forget with everything that was happening and also, you know,
I hate poor excuses, but I think, frankly, by the time we got to the final round
Sunday night, you mean everybody else on planet Earth and drag racing were drained.
That, you know, I did a bad job of, you know, even remembering back the last time
those two cars ran in a final, Joe was the U.S. Nationals where Tony Stewart
lost on the whole shot, you know?
So just his ability to, you know, and he wasn't like late in Indy.
He was in the 50s.
Justin just ripped off a 27 light, you know?
Justin, it sounds wild.
Justin missed it a little bit.
He was in the 30s and that was the difference.
And Tony and Tony was in the 40s, you know, Tony stepped up when he
needed to.
Those two raced head-to-head in Chicago last year as well, ironically.
Tony Stewart's only other head-to-head win in Top Fuel came against Justin
in Chicago last year, where Justin missed it a little bit.
He was 42 and Tony was 48, which got him close enough.
And then Neil Strauss Bile ran, you know, Justin's car.
So listen, Tony Stewart's an unbelievable race car driver.
And Mike Green chuckled at the end of his interview and said,
that guy can drive just about anything, can he?
And that he continues to prove it.
And if Mike Green's going to give him the horse that Mike Green's given
Justin actually the last couple of years, and I think we all expect that Mike
will do that, then there's no reason to believe that we won't get to the
World Finals and Tony Stewart will be one of the Top Fuel cars that's
in contention to win the World Championship.
Right. I mean, that's basically been the case every year that Mike Green
and Justin Ashley were together.
And I see no reason why we won't see that with Mike Green and Tony
Stewart this year either.
No, I agree.
I agree. A note, quick note on Justin Ashley, though.
You know, nicknames are tough.
And I don't want to give him a nickname that he doesn't want.
But this guy's the alien, man.
25, 25, 25, he's not human being.
He's not. Come on, Mike.
And maybe like, yeah, there's something up going on.
This guy's their movies now about how they are walking among us,
you know, all around us.
And I think maybe, maybe Justin Ashley is an alien because that's not
possible. That is not.
It shouldn't be. Consistency, the quickness, first of all,
like the consistency.
And then we'll submit that at a twenty nine first round, by the way.
So maybe it's actually something the team is doing.
I don't know. And so I'm here to tell you that I think
there's something that they're doing.
And I'm not going to tell you that.
I don't think Justin's one that found it, right?
But they, as an organization, have figured out
or Justin has at least and is willing to share maybe so much
with Will, although I think he will submit some credit.
I vividly remember Will ripping off like teen lights
in an injected nitro car as well.
So I mean, he's Uber talented.
But look, Justin Ashley has figured something out
and he's not letting the world in on this no matter how many times
you, me, Bruno, Amanda, Courtney, et cetera, et cetera,
stick a mic in his face and go, how do you do it?
He's just going to keep going about his business
until you tell us, Justin, I'm going to question
whether or whether or not you've you've got alien blood.
You're an alien. You're real or just a little alien blood,
like maybe way back.
You know, it's a joke and it meant it's a term of endearment.
Like wouldn't that be great?
All right. Thousand funny car race.
I don't see the serious guys.
Well, I mean, shouldn't we consider Tiger Woods?
You do spend you do spend a couple of days
with Carlos every year.
I do. I've had a deep in depth
conversation that lasted over an hour with Bruce Larson was there, too.
We witnessed it and we went hardcore into it.
And that's my knowledge has kind of expanded greatly from that.
I am not. I'm not one of those skeptics, not me, man.
I want to know more and we're finding out
the government's going to tell us any day now, any day.
They're going to tell us.
They're all around.
Jodes, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter,
all aliens, part of Elon Musk.
He's Tiger Woods was an alien.
He'd be a better driver.
All right, you got me.
They got me there.
Thousand funny car race, Jason.
Couldn't have been two better contenders.
Dean Antonelli, I'm harboring like a tiny twitch of guilt.
He claims he didn't even know it was the thousand funny car race.
Until I told him after he was going to the final,
Captain Hagen, you know, mentor, mentee, Hagen wins.
Man, that is a big milestone for Matt Hagen and that team.
It is. And, you know, I think if you were put together,
you know, the nearly perfect ladder at the start of the day,
it's pretty close to that, right?
And like, if you looked at what we had to deal with going into Sunday,
the way the 16 cars shook out, you down those final four cars,
you've had, you know, a trio of world champions.
And Jordan Vandergrift is, you know, I think everybody expects to be that,
you know, the next the next thing, right?
If Jordan Vandergrift keeps that ride for the next 10 years,
he's going to win a world championship.
Like, forget the race.
Like he's going to win a race soon.
Like before we get to the U.S. nationals, I suspect Jordan Vander
at least a Wally.
I think we probably all feel that way.
But it's probably the next time.
Come on. Seventy nine, sixty one, seventy seven.
The guy's driving like a vet.
He looks every bit at home in that car, right?
So I think when when you think about, you know, the way that that day could have
shook out, you ended up with the two most successful active drivers in class,
two of the greatest drivers in funny car history.
Matt Hagen beats Ron Capps in the final.
You know, Matt Hagen is, you know, on the precipice of making funny car history.
His next world championship puts him in a category, you know,
it's it'd be force and Hagen, you know.
I mean, I think all three people have driven a funny car
in one world titles, caps and height and, you know, Tony and Cruz.
And, you know, you just roll through the the rolladex of history, Snake and Kenny.
And you want to go back in the days, right?
In Jungle Gym and it'd be Hagen and force when Hagen wins his next championship,
which, you know, do I think it's going to be this year?
I don't know. I don't have the crystal ball.
I think this year is going to be wide open and funny car and very fun.
But I think at some point, as long as Matt wants to keep driving,
Tony Stewart keeps giving him this equipment.
There's a good chance he's going to win a fifth world championship, right?
So, you know, the right two people,
we just talked about the thousandth race of all time, right?
The right two people, I think, end up in the final.
Nobody's cheering for that.
We could have made great stories out of anything, right?
You know, Jason Rupert and, you know, Dan Wilkerson final
would have been awesome, too, right, for all the different reasons.
But you think about Hagen and Capps and their legacy in the sport
and and it just kind of made sense.
And now we roll to Charlotte, which is, you know, Matt Hagen
is the legend of the race, which is crazy to say, because he's like
five years older than I am and and and we're going to celebrate him
while we're in Charlotte.
But it's, you know, it's, you know,
indexically speaking, his home race, it's, you know,
closest to where he grew up and we get to celebrate
not just him being part of the 75 greatest drivers of all time now,
not just the four time world championship, but now the man
forever be known as the person who won the one thousandth race
in funny car history.
Huge, huge deal.
Any other notes coming out of funny car, Austin Prok out first round?
You said the safety system shut down.
I think everybody agreed that.
All right, that team, as much as they did also
not get out of first round, they're mainly they're making their gains.
Anybody wants to write them off, write them off.
You do it. You look bad in a couple of races.
It's just a matter of time before that one happens.
I think just look at Saturday, the car ran really good Saturday,
made their best run of the season Saturday afternoon.
And incrementally, we're on their way
to their best run of the year on Sunday.
And you can watch the video all year.
I mean, like six times to see if I could see what happened.
There's no shake. It doesn't spin.
It just shuts off, you know, and unless we all think that Austin
decided 500 feet was a good time to lift in round one of eliminations,
right, like then there's no reason to, you know, just believe
you know, what the team put out on social media, you know,
I that's a there's a post out there from the task team, the safety system failed.
Those systems fail.
You know, probably more than the cruciates would like them to, unfortunately.
Now they have also saved, you know,
millions of dollars in parts and, you know, dozens of race cars.
And, you know, who knows, maybe a life or two along the way across,
you know, annals of drag racing and all the different areas that we use them now.
So they're there for a reason.
They need to be there.
And sometimes those things, you know, something trips it
finicky and, you know, who knows what the situation was.
But I think that car is, you know, I don't think that they're back
like they were at the end of last year when, you know, the car couldn't
turn a tire, the smoke, the tires once in six races in the countdown.
Not even in eliminations.
Like if you go look at all the qualifying all the way through,
the car went down the track every single run.
They're not there.
And I don't know that.
I mean, maybe they never get back to that point.
Right. We've had Steve Torrance had a perfect countdown.
And, you know, it's hard to get back to that level of dominance
when you're playing with Nitro and in this sport.
But I have no reason to believe that we won't go to Charlotte.
And if you told me, Austin Prox, one of the final four cars and wins the race,
I think it's it's very realistic.
But what I'm enjoying about it right now, Joe, is for the last
three or four years, I mean, top fuel has been wide open, right?
I mean, Doug Coletta got, you know, right to kind of ran away
with things last year in the countdown and got hot.
But I mean, he wasn't the points leader going into the playoffs, right?
Tony Stewart was and went to the finals at Indy.
So Tony Stewart was the hottest car in top fuel into into the countdown.
But funny car has, you know, for all intents and purposes
kind of been over pretty early in the year the last two years.
Doesn't feel that way this year, right?
Like, I think we've got two top fuel and funny car, both.
I think we get to Pomona and have four or five cars in each category.
I really do.
It's early.
It's worth three races in.
Things could change.
Talk to me in August.
But if you had to ask me right now, we're going to get to the world
finals and have four or five cars.
And I don't mean four or five cars mathematically alive, right?
I mean, I think the fifth place car wins the race.
They're going to win the world title at Pomona type of situation.
All right, let's let's not set the expectations too high.
Let's just I said it's early.
I just think that's where the three races in.
It's fun. It's fun.
It makes race day really fun for you and I, right?
And I think for the fans, too, completely, completely.
It was it was great, great stuff.
And what a long day you mentioned being a little taxed at the end of the day.
I was going to bust your chops and be like, I was full of energy, but I was not.
Man, it's it's, you know, we started early.
We told the fans we're going to start at 10.
We didn't get to start at 10, but we were certainly ready to go before 10.
And we raced to nearly eight o'clock at night and was wild.
And it felt like the finals with the way the sky was and everything.
But let's move to pro stock now.
You probably heard Richard talking a little bit about those 27 rules.
They are what they are.
But this year, Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn have continued to show
they've got the quickest and best cars on race day.
Greg Stamfield's got the fastest elite motorsports car.
But in the final round, double O Dallas Glenn showing why we gave him that nickname.
He's double O five in the semis.
He's double O three in the finals.
And he loses to Greg Anderson, who is 18 with a 50.
A big time, greatest of all time moment right there for Greg Anderson.
Yeah. And and and Greg has had Dallas's number in the final for whatever reason.
Right. I mean, Dallas has gotten him one time in 10 finals.
And it's not for lack of effort from Dallas.
It's double O three.
Dallas could have been perfect.
He wouldn't win the race.
You know, Greg, Greg hadn't covered.
So, you know, Greg Anderson is the greatest of all time.
And we are there's there's a moment that we need to really relish, right?
Because if you look at the history of pro stock and I know we're going to have,
you know, a demographic of our fan base, it's going to tell you, well, Bob Glidden.
And I'm not going to argue the greatness of Bob Glidden at his time.
Right. And I will not argue the greatness of Warren Johnson in the 90s
because I grew up watching it in the grandstands.
I still for whatever reason, I still was, you know, I was
such a Warren Johnson pro stock fan in the 90s that I still have this
memory of of a TNN open in Bristol, Tennessee, with them using Alabama's.
I'm going to hurry to get things done to feature about Warren Johnson.
Right. I was like five or six.
I mean, that's how far back my memory goes of watching WJ.
So that I grew up with WJ and pro stock as the dominant force.
But what Greg Anderson is doing in a class that on paper should have so much
parity, you know, because of the way the rules are and how in a box pro stock is
and we can get into the pro Camaro conversation, you know, on another
stratosphere at some point because I'm tired of it.
But it's I hope that our fans at least take a minute to enjoy.
Or appreciate at least maybe you're not a great fan.
That's fine. At least appreciate what you're watching.
Right. You are.
You're really watching somebody who has been so much more successful
than anybody else who's ever tried to do this and not particularly close.
And he's not slowing down.
And I think there's something to be said for that.
I appreciate what Greg Anderson continues to do.
He you take your shots at him.
Dallas going down for the world title last year, right?
Erica has certainly gotten him, you know, her fair share of times.
There was the great gray season that we relived Sunday at Pomona
with one of the throwback shows.
And I'm sure there will be others that come along as well.
But but for now.
He's saying yes.
So on ignition last night, we we had to take a moment to consider.
And we ultimately came to the conclusion of no.
But we had to consider.
Could Greg Anderson catch John Force?
Could that happen?
We did some quick math and it would take, you know, five races a year
for the next like eight years, and that's probably not going to happen.
Greg is probably not going to stick around that long
and you can't win five, six races every year in pro stock.
It just can't be done.
So the answer is no, he can't catch John Force.
Can he get close to John Force?
Yes, he can. Yes, he can.
Can I give you one, can I give you one?
I guess caveat to that, Joe.
Consider next season.
I think next season.
Let's see, it's easy to go can go, but you know, one of three ways, right?
But I think there's a likelihood that next season
will even the playing field in pro stock, at least early on.
In many ways, similarly to how when NASCAR rolled out their latest car,
right, and then you had that that first season and people like Michael McDowell
are like fourth in points in the middle of the year and with a, you know, low budget team.
Right. You're like, how's this happening?
It's like, because the engineers haven't had this car and this setup
racing on these tracks long enough to catch on.
And now, you know, it's five years later and here we are, right?
Like the Gibbs and the Penskeys and everybody kicking everybody's butts.
Right. And so I think it's likely that next year
that we as good as KB out of the gates,
maybe elite will have the upper hand, right?
Maybe the, you know, some of these others, you know,
smaller teams that get their power from the programs.
Chris Vang, Derek Cramer, Hart, you know,
Hartford's already a championship caliber car.
Right. Maybe Kenny Delco is back in the fold and the McGaiz are back.
I hope I hope that's the case. Right.
There's also a scenario.
Let's be realistic here.
There's also a scenario where Greg Anderson figures out for everybody else.
And we're already figured it out with carburetors and stuff in the attic works.
And so I, I, while I would be 98% on your side here,
I don't think Greg will catch John or even get what I would consider close.
Like, will he get in the ballpark?
You know, yes, there's a world where he's, you know, gets into the 130s, right?
But if Greg finds something next year,
I mean, there have been seasons like the Tanner Gray season, right?
Where there's just a car that, I mean, Eric has had a couple of years like that, right?
And Greg has had a couple of seasons like where they are just wipe the floor
with the competition.
And so, you know, like, let's see how next year plays out.
Yeah, there it is. That's all.
But I wanted to be, listen, I wanted to just like float it
for consideration of the drag racing public.
Like, could that happen?
You know, I believe that that elite is
I don't know, just based on what I know about the conversations behind the scenes,
I'm inclined to believe that elite may have gotten a head start on this.
Yeah, because I think I think that Richard would probably, you know,
because it's been pretty honest.
If you can't tell, just listen and do them.
Richard was kind of the one that really moves this along, right?
Now, Greg may be on board now and Katie Titan is on board now,
but the initial conversation came from the elite camp.
I think everybody, you know, well, and so I feel very comfortable
that Matt Hartford is OK with me telling this story.
And if you are a patron and you listen to hear from Heiner,
Michael Heiner has said it on his show for our patreons.
If you were running up front, would you aggressively try to have the rules
changed? And that's all.
And most people would say, no, probably not.
You probably leave them as as you were.
But the rules are changed so it doesn't really matter.
All right, let's move on to some of the other stuff that happened
out there at the Winter Nationals.
And I want to start out with you and I both enjoy racing as best as we can
when we can. And the concept of winning in the 75th season
at Pomona Dragstrip at the Winter Nationals in Super Gas,
arguably the toughest category to win of all of them with a perfect run.
Mike Wibblishhouser, I'm calling Mr. Perfect trip zero, dead zero
against one of the greatest of all time, our contemporaries,
back to back, top two in points, Val Torres.
Like, where do you rank that as far as accomplishments
that we saw this past weekend or ever? Yeah.
I mean, that's that's the greatest final round performance
I've ever seen in Luke's Old Drag Race in series.
That's what I have.
I mean, and if you go back and listen to Michael,
I mean, you can hear it in my voice, right?
I mean, he's off the starting line.
And I think I kind of said something, you know, like, oh, hold on or something
like that, right, because I saw it. I think Val was 20.
I thought it wasn't late.
You know, like, Wibblishhouser was perfect, but but the race wasn't over
not with Val Torres and the other lane and, you know, being within,
you know, Federer's length, so to speak.
I mean, you put a perfect run on the board at Pomona
with the car that won the world title two years ago
by winning at that track, by the way.
And almost almost did it again last year
and ended up second in national points.
That's that listen, I mean, Mike Wibbishhouser should, you know,
I almost would have hung my helmet up after that, right?
Wibbishhouser won't because he's way better than I am.
But had I backed into that, I would have just been like, that's good guys.
I've shown you what I'm capable of.
Now I'm going to do things that actually challenge me.
But it was incredible.
Just great.
All right, and I put that first in our Lucas Oil stuff.
Garrett Bateman, one top alcohol dragster.
Doug Gordon, who his reaction times, I know there were eight cars,
so it was a three round race, but his reaction times were
Justin Ashley, Esk or improved.
I think he had a 10, a 13 and a double O lights.
If memory serves me right.
Doug was on the wheel and route to his funny car way.
He was 10 in the final, right?
And Annie Whiteley was 27 on the other side and
and outran Doug by a couple of thousands of a second.
Great alcohol, funny car, final round there.
Annie's wins coming.
And I've been saying that I think since the middle of last year,
I mean, that GNA cars really run him well
and Annie is really driving well.
And and I know that they've gotten there at the regional level,
but the national event wins coming for that team sooner than later, too.
It's a weekend.
I mean, like I said, eight cars, an alcohol, funny car,
but there were, you know, there were the eighth best car was still a good car.
It wasn't, you know, a pushover field by any stretch of the imagination.
There were, you know, the four or five really good cars.
And in Doug Gordon showed the world why he's a three time champion, right?
And basically stood there and watched the last two years
and it took him a month and a half,
a month and a half to figure out how to win again.
So it was it was really impressive.
I want it real quick, Garrett Bateman, Garrett Bateman and Ricky
and the performance they had this weekend,
that car rolls out of the trailer like four times all year.
They don't chase national points.
They don't even go to all the most races.
They had three guys working on the car with borrowed parts.
They didn't even take the heads off of it between rounds
because they didn't have time to didn't warm it up.
That was wildly impressive performance for that team.
That was an all time weekend for if you're from the West Coast
and you're around the alcohol range, especially or the nostalgia world.
Or if you're a Bonneville racer, you know,
Garrett Bateman is one of the real good guys in the sport.
He really is.
And it had been a long time.
It's 2017 since last time we won a national.
He'd never won anywhere but Vegas at the national level.
Really cool story.
And Garrett Bateman was in the other lane on Saturday
when the James Stevens incident happened.
And I know that weight on him
because he told me so in the winter circle after.
So, you know, that was it was it was cool to see Garrett Bateman
longtime coming for that team, genuinely good guy.
Great moment, great moment for the class there.
To your point, our best to Jane Stevens,
which I have received some text messages regarding the
the incident from from a lot of people and wanting updates
like Nick is updating on social media.
And that is their story to tell.
But following their social media will give anybody
the interest that is interested as much information
as they're willing to put out.
I can tell you that of all the races that I have called
where things have gone literally sideways,
that one had me extremely worried.
So when I received the information about, yes, he's banged up.
But with us and going to be able to, you know,
unfortunately go through the journey of getting better.
But it made me feel wonderful because that was just
a very difficult situation.
Yes, Garrett was on the other side of the racetrack
when that went down.
Let's keep on going in that I want your expertise on Jeff Moniz.
I was talking about that watching that final round.
You went nuclear in the final round.
I'm not so familiar with thousand foot nostalgia legacy
funny car E.T. enough yet to know when I see something
that I maybe shouldn't see.
Fortunately, I've got Jason Galvin to blow the windows out of
the tower and let me know that this is a big thing that happened.
Yeah, to run a low 60 to 1,000 feet is out of this world
in one of those cars.
Let's put it that way.
That run was so good that had it been a heritage race
where they run the 1320 and that car lived on all eight
cylinders to the finish line, which I've watched
the replay and it certainly appears from my eyes that it's
on all eight of the stripe that it would have it would have
taken a real stab at that.
Todd played's national record run from the March.
I mean, I couldn't find the incrementals from that run.
I was really curious.
In fact, I should text my games because he might have it.
But it was it was out.
I mean, that's as impressive of a run in a nostalgia
funny car you will ever be in your life to go into the
four sixties up, you know, well over 240, you know, trying
to close in on 250 miles per hour to 1,000 feet.
That's that's Doug Coletta in Seattle last year.
Good if that gives you any indication.
Yeah, that's kind of gives me an indication.
I feel pretty comfortable now with that analogy.
Other other winners from the weekend,
Kyra's only in Superstock, Ryan Warder and comp eliminate.
We finished all this stuff on Saturday.
Super comp was Justin Morris.
Jamo from Pomona, him and his family were there.
Like I love those stories, not that I'm rooting for anybody.
Excuse me, when it's happening, I'm thinking to myself,
that would be great for the local community.
One of their own goes out there and wins it.
Kenny Snow won Super Street.
So happy to see Super Street at the Lucas Oil
winner nationals.
And we were rewarded with crazy cars, man.
Our best appeared car, 29 Chevy all steel, five window
coupe, roof off chopped Nova Roadster Super Street.
I want to highlight that category mostly because I that's
the category I run.
But if you love cool, unusual cars, that's where you're going to find it.
Kenny Snow.
Yeah, yeah.
Kenny Snow, great, long time, personal friend.
First first drag race ever announced.
Kenny Snow was was running King of the Hill at Irwindale drag strip.
So that was cool to see Kenny win it.
Yeah, Rick Oliver's car, the best engineered car.
That was that's a cool race car, Joe.
Like, how do we how do we see that thing more?
I want to see I want to see more of suit at more than one national.
I know, I know, I knew I knew you'd go there.
Do you know anybody that I can complain to Jason?
Is there somebody that I could go to with the NHRA that might be able
to tell somebody that that's a good idea?
My inbox is pretty full right now, Joe. Sorry.
All right, real quick.
I just want to say countless couple, couple cool stories.
Don't want to gloss over Kyle Rosoli.
You mentioned Justin Morris went to home school.
Kyle Rosoli, if if your friends with the Rosolies or you follow Kyle
on social media, you know, he and his daughter, his wife and their daughter
have gone through hell and back basically since she was born premature.
I know that was a huge moment for Kyle and really, really nice to see
after everything that they've been through to kind of have have something
I think, you know, thankfully she's doing better now.
And then to have that happen, I think was, you know, that's one of those
things that you need almost, especially for your dad, like that hits me as a dad.
And Justin Lamb, like Justin Lamb won a six world title last year.
He's 40 yet.
He's one back to back national events start the year.
When we talk about like all time greats, it's one of them.
Truly, truly, he is as good as it gets.
And I give every result grand jury and top dragster Jeff Gillette in top sportsmen.
Too fast to Tasty was Doug Dallas.
They got the job done there.
Matt Hagan, so Hagan sweeps the weekend.
How about that?
Jake Hodges won a summit junior shootout, which was a holdover from the finals.
And that'll do it for results two weeks from now.
We'll be back East for wide nationals and Charlotte, one of your favorite
race tracks, I know I'm excited about it.
But most importantly, for me, I was happy to be back at all this weekend
to just the sights and the sounds.
And I was nervous, Jason, I was nervous.
I was nervous, not so much about doing the job, although did get a late
start on the season had been since October, since I called Nitro car,
just being next to a Nitro car at all, just being down there, ground zero
of Nitro cars, it's it gets your attention.
Oh, it gets your attention.
Yeah, every every time, every time we take a couple of weeks off
and I stand next to him on it, it gets my attention.
I think the day that it stops getting your attention is the day
that you and I should step aside and let the next generation come along.
Right. But that's that's why we love our job.
I mean, I tell I'm I did a KTLA hit
LA news station Sunday morning at 7 a.m.
when we were talking about I feel like the luckiest guy here this weekend.
That's all these people at race.
Like I get to sit here.
You know, you and I grew up sitting in the grandstands spending money
to watch this stuff.
And now somebody pays us to talk about it.
Now, whether everybody likes that they pay us to talk about it's not
your problem, right?
But yeah, man, it's cool.
And it was so good having I mean, I know I've told you that 100 times
and you know, the world's probably tired of hearing it.
But I don't care to me.
You're like family and the first two races, they weren't right without you.
So good.
All is right in the world as far as I'm good.
All in the world as far as I'm concerned, Joe.
Good. Well, I plan to be at the rest.
I went over. I was hanging with Ma today.
We did have a bit of a scare on Saturday.
We're sorting through that Sunday and Monday was good.
And today I went and saw her. She's good.
She's sitting up in a chair.
She texted me a few moments ago.
So we are going to work over this week to try to, you know,
get her out of there and get her on to whatever is next.
So did I tell you I figured out what happened Saturday?
What? She watched Tony Schumacher's run.
And yes, here are problems again.
Oh, she's running and upset her, right?
She's like, no, guys.
I know I know Jim, I was like, fam to you.
I talked to Tony about it.
Those guys, folks, both of those two individuals
were distraught over the downtime they caused all of us.
They were they were not.
Thinking about like, oh, man, I'm disappointed about my car.
I'm sure that was in there.
They were bummed to have had that happen and to cost us, you know,
let's call it three and a half hours of downtime.
That's about what it was.
Nobody wants to be that person once.
You never want to be that person twice, right?
That's the I can't even imagine, you know, a Saturday is bad enough.
But I can't imagine this, you know, I think you can see
Tony's body language, he climbed out of the car and turned around.
Like, you know, Tony Schumacher is already not the tallest guy in the world.
He was about three feet tall when he stood out the top of that car
and turned around and saw what happened.
And he probably knew because you can feel that as a driver.
You know, it's a different feeling than throwing the rods out,
even though that's the end result because, you know, the car goes through the roof.
But, you know, you there's like that lurch of, oh, I don't,
you know, I don't have forward momentum anymore that comes with breaking a rear end.
So I think he knew what he was going to turn around and see.
But when his eyes and we had the camera on him and you could see and just
compress, I felt so bad for him.
Yeah, it was terrible.
Hey, Kara says, I loved your and JLo's announcing fight.
I don't really remember that, but you guys were doing something.
I loved JLo interviewing our head of security during downtime.
That was good.
Well, and that's when I was talking to Tony Schumacher
and you guys are all like, go talk to this like, no, this is not.
This is not one of those on the air kind of conversations.
Off air so we can maybe have one on the air eventually conversation.
And producers had to produce Joe producers had to produce Joe.
You know, Joe's back there.
Anyway, Jason, thank you very much.
Good stuff. I appreciate it.
Can't wait to see you and Charlotte once again.
See you next week. Bye.
There goes Jason Galvin with us here on WFO radio.
Put your comments in the comment section.
Anything goes is a whole bunch of them stacking up regarding Jason
and regarding the race and we'll address them rapidly as we go to get on out of here.
But my experience was extremely positive.
My experience was extremely positive.
Obviously, I love this sport and I love everything that is going on.
Even the tough moments like I was on the mic
for James Stevens incident at Pomona along with Wil Hanna
and Dennis Taylor, I believe in, I think it was 2017, where he went into the trap.
And then here it is again.
And I didn't I don't recall every positive or negative thing that happens
to the driver every time I call their race.
So I was just getting ready to call the race.
I remember being, you know, noticing Melanie Johnson, you know,
after taking a tough loss to her teammate, engaging with the crowd.
I remember talking about that, got to the cars in prestage,
bringing them up, they take off and it was just a lightning quick moment
with James going towards the center line and then into the right side wall.
And it was, you know, what can I say to you guys out there?
When this happens, I don't know about my other fellow announcers,
but I can tell you for me, it connects me to that person kind of
in a big way, emotionally and their family and everything,
like we're there in the car, but we're kind of in the same moment together.
And it was really brutal.
And when information started to come out later in the day,
I was I was able to relax a little bit, was able to relax.
And me and the guys went to Coco Palm up there.
Didn't have the best experience, I'll tell you, you know,
I don't know what they're going to say on Life's a Drag,
but service means everything.
Service means everything.
I want to tell you about Marvin Rodak,
RodaksCoffeeandGrills.com, hot sauces, spice rubs.
Guys, if you like coffee, this bag is not long for the world.
It's about to go in there.
The aroma, now this is kind of old.
They roast it fresh per your order.
And it's been sitting here, the display bag, the stampede of speed,
Kenya, bold blend, but Marvin Rodak 817-924-6821
makes the best coffee, hot sauce, spice rubs,
barbecue tips, tools, information.
Go to the website, RodaksCoffeeandGrills.com in the business.
Call them, tell them you heard about it on WFO Radio
and Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School, the Dragster adventure
where average civilians like you can gain the experience of driving
a dragster with very little investment, just the cost of the course.
You don't have to buy any safety equipment.
You don't have to buy a car.
You don't have to rent the track.
They do it all.
Then you drive the dragster and you say, wow, this was super fun.
Maybe I'd like to do more or maybe you just want that fun experience.
Go to FrankHawley.com.
Tell them you heard about it on WFO Radio.
Our friends at Bernie's Speed Shop, Josh Hart doing so well.
What I always like to tell you is there's all these stories
about barn finds and your kids are going to find that classic car
that you've been coveting all your life
and they're not going to know how special it is
and they're going to put it in the auto trader.
They're going to give it away for pennies on a dollar and what a waste that is.
You've got a car that you're ready to sell.
Reach out to the folks at Bernie's cars of consequence,
cars of significance, exotic cars, muscle cars, beautiful luxury cars.
They take them and they'll sell them on consignment.
B-U-R-N-Y-Z-Z dot com, Bernie's Speed Shop.
Josh Hart and the team.
Shout out to our friends at Redline Synthetic Oil
and of course HussiePerformance.net, the guys at Jesse Converters.
Matt Latino, no more Mr. Nice Guy, goes out there
and has a double O light in the first round again
and catches some people by surprise.
Got a limited amount of time before everybody realizes Matt's real.
Now, it's all an exercise to let you all know about Jesse Converters,
Global Emissions Systems Incorporated, catalytic converters for OE trucks.
That is the DPF X-Fit brand.
So if you've got a big diesel and you're looking to replace your cats,
you want them with everything exactly as the OE one TPF X-Fit.
You've got a high performance car and you want to adhere to the rules.
You want to make it a little easier to breathe around the car
for you and your family, G Sport.
That is the brand right there.
Also doing our Patreon giveaways.
We're going to do one here this week for everybody who has been
a big supporter of WFO radio.
What I've started to do as I try to downsize in my life
is I'm just giving it all away, like cool stuff from around
the WFO studio.
Like how about this Winston Division two champion hat?
You know who won this?
Can you guess this?
Can you guess who won this hat the first time originally?
Who this hat came from?
A division two Winston champion, who could it be that I might know
who put this in my hand, right?
The answer is Daryl Wynn.
So our Patreons, not only do they get all the extra content
and the behind the scenes and the here from Heinershow
and the Monday Motivation and knowledge of secrets
before anybody else, but they're starting to get monthly giveaways.
Cool, fun stuff.
Patreon dot com slash WFO radio.
Join our minions, become part of the WFO universe.
And we just want to do it a little bit.
Get some merch.
It's discounted as we speak, merch.
All right, let's see what the comments are.
And I'm going to give you one more of my Joe's Eye videos
of the 1,000th funny car race.
Do I want to do that?
Do I have that?
I don't think that made it.
Instead, let's do the elite motorsports track side experience.
Check this out.
Just raising. All right, here we go.
Elite motorsports track side experience.
Let's check this out.
All right, digital board screen.
That's cool.
Oh, look at me with like VIP access.
I feel like I'm breaking into the place.
I like it.
I like it.
Oh, donuts.
Way to go team elite raising the bar.
All right, look at this.
We're going to get a tour of Chef Cody Martin.
What's up, Cody?
What's going on, Joe?
What are you going to show us here?
We're going to see the new command center for TSR elite.
Let's do it. All right.
Tell us what we're seeing.
We're seeing Richard, Erica.
All right, here we go, guys.
Look alive. Here we go.
This is it, the command center.
Oh, man, I'm hooked.
I'm hooked. Help me, Cody.
Thank you. Look at this.
There's Michelle. Look at this.
Wow, this is great.
You got a picture to watch the masters.
Oh, yeah. Who are you rooting for?
Rory. Rory. Rory McElroy.
Me too. Or a chef.
All right, either or either or.
All right, this is nice.
This is nice. What else, Cody?
Look at this. Command center.
This is the lounge.
This is where we lounge.
Have some snacks.
Look at these two.
Hello. How are you? Take it easy.
Take it easy.
This is the rainy day cabin.
This is great.
This is like a cool hangout center.
Not bad for a company like Rednecks.
And what about the food, though?
You got any good food in this place?
How's the chef?
I don't know if the food's going to be good today.
It's just too wet.
All right, we understand.
Track wet, food wet.
I'm sure we'll throw something out.
Excellent. Cody, thank you.
Thank you, Joe.
There it is. Team Elite raising the bar.
There you go. How about that?
You get to see inside the trackside experience.
All right, let me go through some comments rapidly.
I ask you all, share the show.
You are our marketing platform.
Word of mouth, buying commercials and ads and all that.
It's just this simple.
You're a fan of drag racing.
You want to share some inside knowledge
and be on the inside of something.
WFO Radio.
Tell your friends. WFO Radio TV.
Click subscribe and share.
You share the show.
Life's a drag on tomorrow.
Look at this, Chef Cody.
My man says, Aiden, what's up, Aiden?
How are you, buddy? Aiden Patterson out there, right?
So we've got VIPs of all kinds.
Cody is a great guy.
Love Cody. Let's see.
I don't know where or how Pomona became part of the rainforest,
but you and all of NHRA did an outstanding job of getting it all in.
Says nose for nitro.
Getting it in.
That's the goal.
We got it in.
People said it wasn't going to happen and it happened.
Shocking with the two rear end explosions in the rain.
We got in late.
We got it in.
And that's what matters.
The guys on NHRA and Fox did a great job.
Brian and Tony, I was in the booth with them on Friday.
We had a blast.
It was all on YouTube.
Good stuff.
Monica says, Patreon is the way to go.
She's overselling it a little bit.
It's just OK.
But if you want to help out the show, then, yeah, do it.
Eddie, this is my man, Eddie in North Carolina.
Hey, Joe, as always, great show.
How did it feel being back at the track?
First of all, how do you feel, Eddie?
Eddie, very similar to my mother,
is having some health situations.
If he's commenting on WFO, I'm assuming you're doing a little bit better.
If so, priorities, Eddie.
Eddie, I can't possibly describe what it was like.
And people who know me personally know that I'm the kind of person
that gets very emotional, but also thinks it's the responsibility
of the person to bury it deeply down inside
and just put it in a box and let it burn from the inside out.
And so that's what I'll be doing with all the emotions from this weekend.
It was incredible to see people.
That were happy to see me.
People that are working in their moment.
And when they saw my mug, they broke out of their work.
Game face and said something amazing to me about appreciating me be there.
Did I not expect that?
I didn't really think about all that.
I didn't go down that road until it happened.
And it was amazing.
Got a lot of hugs, got a lot of positive feedback.
And, you know, if it's an acquired taste
and not everybody likes the same thing.
So I know that there are people that don't like my presentation and don't like me.
I know it's a numbers game, but the numbers are good enough for me.
And I'm really happy into those people that don't care for what I'm doing.
They're probably not watching the show, most importantly.
And if nothing else, they know that I'm trying to do as good as I can.
Trying to do as well as I can.
Let's see. Glad you were back trackside, continuing positive vibes for mom.
She was really good today.
Reminds me of Mike Austin's crash a few years ago.
I went back and found that crash very similar, frighteningly similar.
Nitro AJ, what's up, AJ?
Great show.
Feel better, bud.
Let's see.
The rear end blew apart.
Clay had some of that in his pits on his YouTube.
I saw Jesse showed me some things as well.
And I don't know exactly what's OK to disclose or not.
But we can't have that happen again.
Let's just start there.
And so this gentleman, Mary, excuse me, maybe lady.
Says they put a diaper on Clay's car for the rest of the runs for the next run.
As I understand it, the diaper is not mandatory on the Christmas.
It's mandatory on the other rear end, the strange rear end.
But now I think they should just quickly, rapidly be mandatory on both.
That having been said.
I talked to several people who say that don't expect a diaper to retain
large percentages of the oil when that kind of thing happens.
So let's let's see what else.
Congratulations to Tony Stewart and R&L carriers.
Drag racing monster person.
Jordan Vanagraaff is killing it.
Can't wait to see where he goes.
Jordan, one of those people who had really positive things to say
to me about just being back.
And HRA is doing a great job promoting the 75th season, loving it.
Next season, the four season, 50 years of John Ford's.
Did I take the ring?
Yeah, let's see.
Great weekend of racing.
Greg Anderson, top of his game.
Clearly top of his game.
This is the kind of sport where.
When you're running well, it infuses you with new positive energy.
And so Greg Anderson, is he going to get to force like numbers 157?
Probably not.
But the fact that we had to do some math to see if it was impossible
tells you a little something.
Task a team will write the ship.
I don't think the ship is like if this is a ship, we've just kind of slid it
out of dry dock and floating it on the water.
It is at the very beginning.
Remember this in drag racing, every project takes longer than you'd expect.
That's why I took three races for elite motorsports to win in top fuel.
Tiger used to drive a spaceship.
That's why driving cars is hard.
Yeah, Tiger Woods could be an alien.
That's all. It's a joke, guys.
I don't think anyone's an alien, but maybe they are cyborg, right?
Maybe Justin is a cyborg.
He's not an alien. He's an AI cyborg.
Those are all weird nicknames, though.
And Justin is such a nice person.
Gina Marie just had a big birthday that I don't want to give him some
alien nickname, but I do wonder how the heck he does what he does.
Tony could drive a washing machine and win.
Tony Stewart, guy, is doing a great job.
Keith says, support WFO and subscribe to Patreon and get some WFO merch.
He's telling you what to do.
Guys, don't listen to these people telling you what to do.
Speaking of WFO newsreaders,
Jay Blake's follow a dream double a funny car made their debut
on the eyesight this past weekend kudos to him and the team.
I want to know about Jay. That's Jay news.
Thank you. Thank you.
Hey, Joe, Firebird wins in the old funny car, the old funny car,
the legacy, natural funny car, Glenn Moniz.
That class is nearly exclusively old firebirds.
What does that tell you?
It tells you something, the bubble up car, Firebird, all funny funny car.
Or all firebirds.
Joe, is there any way to see the post qualifying
and racing winners media Q&A?
I don't see where it is posted online.
Thanks, WPR 58, which could be a media outlet for all I know.
I am under the impression that they are posted
each number one qualifier and each race winner
is interviewed in the media center and we ask questions.
It did take Hagan and Tony Stewart a little long to get to the media center.
I was down the road at that point, but I'm under the impression
they are posted on NHRA's YouTube and social media channels.
I will inquire. I will inquire.
And let's see.
But those are great for those of you who do not know
Central Florida in the house listening.
And that is it. How about it?
All right, guys, I appreciate all of you.
I'm going to head back to the hospital.
See my mom.
Remember, this show is available on PowerTube TV.
If you've never watched it on PowerTube TV, if you, you know,
you've got the Roku or the Apple TV and you download those apps.
And if you've cut the cord, download PowerTube TV
and you could watch WFO radio and HRA Nitro.
Also, Ignition for you podcast only people
Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple podcast.
Ignition is a lot of fun.
Dave Morris from Fuel Factory got to the final round
in his class out there in Virginia.
That was kind of cool.
My friend, Rick Daddy, McDonough,
South Georgia Motorsports Park, one top sportsman, race one,
qualified for the Jags All-Stars.
And so he is going to be going to the stampede of speed in Dallas.
It was his goal.
It was his goal.
And he accomplished it.
Also, a quick reminder, Fogget.
If you want to support the show, like think extremely higher quality
spray oil, WD style thing.
So if you're a homeowner, you can use a can of Fogget.
You don't have a race car.
You can use a can of Fogget,
available at Summit Racing Equipment for about 20 bucks.
Get yourself a can of Fogget at Summit Racing Equipment.
Now, if you have a high performance racing engine
that you're trying to keep fresh every time you use it,
you need Fogget.
You've got to have some Fogget.
It's just that simple.
And everybody else out there, appreciate all of you.
Remember, the boys from Life's A Drag
do a show on Wednesdays, noon Eastern.
Jason Logan, Elon Wernher.
What did they take out of this race?
I got to tell you, I was just so thrilled to be there,
just happy to be there at all.
I, you know, I have no complaints about anything.
Had a blast, had so much fun, excited about four wides at Z-Max
and thrilled and South Georgia Motorsports Park.
Coming soon, too.
You want to be there for that one.
Get your tickets now.
Thanks to Richard.
Thanks to Jason.
See you next time. WFO.
About this episode
WFO Radio recaps the Lucas Oil Winter Nationals with a big focus on Elite Motorsports’ first Top Fuel win. Richard Freeman celebrates the surreal milestone, crediting the right people, key partners, and Tony Stewart’s final-round performance, while also touching on pro stock struggles and what’s coming next—especially the 2027 rule changes (hood scoops/throttle-body setup) and how they could broaden body styles. Jason Galvin adds race-call perspective, highlights Justin Ashley’s consistency, Matt Hagen’s funny car milestone, and pro stock’s Greg Anderson vs Dallas Glenn storyline, plus standout Super Gas and nostalgia/grassroots winners.
#NHRA #dragracing #tonystewart
Tony Stewart's team owner, Richard Freeman joins WFO Radio after his first Elite Motorsports Top Fuel win at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. Freeman who broke the news about his Top Fuel teams on WFO Radio, joins Joe Castello for a deep dive into Tony Stewart's win over Justin Ashley. Freeman will also address the 2027 Pro Stock rules and the return of hood scoops. Jason Galvin joins WFO Joe to recap the event from In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
🚨 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
