4.11 A Driver and Two Chiefs

Funny car racer Blake Alexander as well as crew chiefs Jamie Miller and Dickie Venables join host Brian Lohnes on this post-Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast. Off the top of the show, Lohnes recounts the race, his experiences during it, and the near-mythical quality it took on as what was a seemingly lost weekend turned into one of the quickest pound-for-pound two day stretches in NHRA drag racing history.

Blake Alexander was the runner-up in nitro funny car and nearly completed what would have been a storybook return to the sport after a disastrous ending to the 2021 campaign. His team suffered the tragic loss of crewman Dylan Cromwell in a transporter crash. That crash also destroyed a truck, a race trailer, and many of the contents inside. With a new crew, a mostly completed trailer, and the memory of Cromwell on their mind, his team put forth an effort for the history books. 

Jamie Miller is one of the most diversified, sought after, and successful crew chiefs in door slammer drag racing but NHRA victory has long eluded him. That all changed at Gainesville when he tuned Kris Thorne's ProCharger equipped Camaro to a solid victory after making not a single qualifying lap. Miller talks about tuning pro mods, racing on different surfaces, and how he and his guys were able to lock up a win in the hotly contested pro mod series. 

Dickie Venables is one of the greatest nitro crew chiefs in the history of the sport and one of the most experienced. Even his voluminous experience didn't prepare him fully for the conditions facing racers on Sunday. Using his guile and the skills of his team and driver Matt Hagan, he was able to tune the car to the first drag racing victory of Tony Stewart Racing. He recounts the race, the challenges, and why his team is championship caliber already, just three races in. 

A big show from a big race filled with big stories!