Daily Driver

This week's Daily Driver episode is dedicated to honoring the 2025 NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Champions. 

Wednesday afternoon, NHRA made an announcement that changes the game! Due to an awful forecast, the sportsman classes will run to completion Thursday... without a time trial! How does this wrinkle alter the championship chase? And what questions are still unanswered?

There is no driver coming into Pomona with more potential variance in outcome than Darian Boesch. And he's not even racing in Pomona. He's coming into the season finale leading both Top Dragster and Top Sportsman. Will he end the weekend as the 4th driver in NHRA history to win 2 world championship in the same season? Or will he leave empty handed? 

We're here, the final race on the NHRA Lucas Oil series schedule. What will happen in the Super Classes? Will Whitfield and Brock hold on? 

Continuing our deep dive into last weekend's captivating race in Vegas, I mentioned in yesterday's episode that today would be dedicated to Jeff Taylor. He's a three-time NHRA World Champion and this past weekend he reminded everyone exactly why. 

This is what I love about November every year. This past weekend was absolutely captivating. Today's episode of the Daily Driver is dedicated to Justin Lamb, who came into the event knowing he had to do one thing: win the race. Nothing less would do. And boy did he show out! 

On today's episode of the Daily Driver, we're talking about lane discrepancies and how you can use them to your advantage. 

Jimmy Hidalgo, Jr. is the favorite in Super Stock... but it's not over! Kris Whitfield is the favorite in SC... but it's not over! JJ Brock is the favorite in SG... but it's FAR from over! Luke does his best to break down all the scenarios (and even gives some odds) in today's Daily Driver!

As we come into the final two weeks of the season, only the Stock Eliminator and TAFC titles have been determined. Today, Luke breaks down the favorites and contenders in the "fast" classes: Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, and Competition Eliminator!

Only two events remain in the 2025 NHRA Lucas Oil season! In this episode of Daily Driver, I'm recapping all the action from Las Vegas, a weekend that favored the points leaders. No lead changes this time, which is something you don't see often this late in the year. 

In this episode of Daily Driver, we're diving into the “nothing to lose” mindset. I've learned over the years that when I race with that mindset, I perform at my best. The real challenge? Figuring out how to tap into that mindset consistently. 

In this episode of The Nerd Out, fair warning, it's going to run longer than 10 minutes, we're diving into the incredible drama of Super Gas. Over the past three seasons, the chase has come down to Pomona, and it feels like destiny is leading us right back there again. As we head into this weekend, 11 drivers remain mathematically in the hunt for the world championship and all 11 are entered in the West Coast races. 

Today, we're resetting the stage in the 8.90 Super Comp category as we head into the final three weeks of the season. It's fair to say the 2025 season has been all about one man, Kris Whitfield. But there's a twist... he waived two events that he actually went on to win. Because of that, the championship isn't quite locked up just yet.

Short of Super Gas, the Super Stock title race may be the most compelling. Reigning champ Jimmy Hidalgo, Jr. is the leader in the clubhouse with what "should" be a fairly comfortable lead... But his two closest contenders have combined for NINE NHRA World Championships!

Over the next week I'm going to try my best to set the stage for the remaining 3 weeks of the season. Today I'm focusing on the Stock and Comp classes. 

Continuing on with the Nerd Out series and this week I'm turning the spotlight back on Top Dragster. 

The Nerd Out series is back, and it's getting way too juicy to cram multiple classes into a single weekly episode. So, we're switching gears. From now on, each episode will focus on just one class at a time, with multiple episodes dropping every week.This episode? It's all about Stock Eliminator. Let's nerd out!

It's that time of year again... time to Nerd Out! Today I wanted to take a bird's eye view on a few classes that I don't think will be too impacted by the trio of upcoming divisional races this coming weekend.   

From time to time on The Daily Driver, I like to share pieces from my column The Science of Winning featured in NHRA's National Dragster magazine. This week I am sharing The Jr Dragster Experience. 

On this episode of The Daily Driver, we're joined by none other than Mikie Sturgill, former NHRA World Champion, multi-time track champion, and multi-time divisional champion. A highly respected figure in the sportsman drag racing world and a guest instructor with ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE, Mikie brings a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience to the mic. So I had to ask him the burning question, why the switch from a dragster to a door car? 

 From time to time here on The Daily Driver, I like to share a piece from my column in The Science of Winning, featured in NHRA's National Dragster. Today, I'm bringing you one titled ‘Where I Come From'.

On this week's episode of the Daily Driver, I am joined by one of our regular guest instructors in ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE Matt Dadas to talk about his ability to adapt, evolve, and drive multiple classes. 

This week's episode is taken from our segment over on the ThisIsBracketRacing Facebook page called Question of the Week. Each Friday we answer a question submitted from racers from all over. Submit your questions over at thisisbracketracing.com/ask. This is a common question that comes up a lot about what helmet shield do you recommend? One of our regular guest instructors over in ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE, Mikie Sturgill joins me in answering this. 

This week's episode centers on character — the kind that shows when it seems to matter least. When no one's watching, how will you choose to act? 

This week brings the final audio edition of the ThisIsBracketRacing email series on the idea of what if bracket racing was easy and it is focused on the mental game of racing. How to make performing under pressure, easy! 

This week's Daily Driver episode is taken from the Question of the Week segment that we do over on the ThisIsBracketRacing Facebook page. Typically myself or Justin Lamb answers the questions but this week we had suspension guru Mike Mans of FastShocks on to answer the question 'What are the impacts of adjusting ride height?'. 

This week's audio edition of the ThisIsBracketRacing email series on the idea of what if bracket racing was easy is dedicated to tech. My car is a pile of....hot garbage! How can I make it better?

In this week's Daily Driver episode I am joined by regular ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE guest instructor and accomplished bracket racer Mikie Sturgill. Our topic is a fun one: assuming money isn't an issue, what is the ultimate bracket car?

We are back with another audio episode of the ThisIsBracketRacing email series on the idea of what if bracket racing was easy. This week is dedicated to making the finish line easy. 

In this week's episode I am joined by 5 time World Champion and ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE and Junior co-instructor Justin Lamb. Our topic is the finish line and even more specifically his discipline at the big end. 

This week's episode is the audio version of the email series we launched in ThisIsBracketRacing on the idea of what if bracket racing was easy. What if we had one of those giant red EASY buttons. That would be nice, right? First up, making the starting line easy. We will be sprinkling this in over the course of the next month or so. 

Today's world is full of information. This podcast is one of dozens of resources you choose to listen to each day. "Listening" is great, but in today's episode, Luke shares why the best racers are the ones that prioritize "doing" over "listening". Learn more about ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE at thisisbracketracing.com/elite (Enrollment closes Friday).

In this episode of the Daily Driver, regular ELITE guest instructor and highly accomplished racer, Matt Dadas joins me and we talk about what makes old Super Stockers great bracket cars. 

In this special release of the Daily Driver Podcast, we share a "pre-screening" audio of my upcoming live webinar "Bracket Racing Made Easy". I like to ask myself "What would this look like if it were easy?" in all facets of life. But especially on the race track, this can be an illuminating way to becoming a more effective racer. In this episode, I share how to lean into your strengths and guard against your weaknesses, plus some practical tips that will help you find more win lights today. Enjoy!

This episode isn't catalyzed by a specific incident but actually from a discussion with my 6 year old while he was playing with his hot wheels. 

In this week's Daily Driver I want to talk about the Victim Mindset and how we can flip the script to empower ourselves. 

For this week's Daily Driver I wanted to read from my column that I pen for NHRA National Dragster called The Science of Winning. My latest contribution is titled It's About Time and that is what I wanted to share today with you. 

ELITE Members know, the “off” season is a busy season! A big part of that within ELITE is our offseason practice league. In this episode I wanted to talk about my personal journey with the practice league and how it translated in 2024 and now into 2025 on the track. 

In this episode of the Daily Driver, I am joined by regular ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE guest instructor, former World NHRA Champion, multi-time division and track Champion, Mikie Sturgill. I wanted to talk with Mikie about strategic flexibility and in particular how he got to the level he's at in that flexibility. 

Learning from each and every run is important. Of course in our TIBR Jr logbook we track all of the typical data but then we ask 5 specific questions each and every run. And they aren't just for Jr drivers or parents. These are core principles to making us ALL better. 

I know, it's way to early for this but in today's episode I wanted to look at the 2025 Lucas Oil Chase. Let's nerd out! 

This week I am joined by my co-instructor in ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE and accomplished racer Justin Lamb. Justin has proven capable of winning in just about anything. So I asked him, why Stock & Super Stock?

On last week's show, I detailed what I believe to be our responsibility as racers: to our sport, and more directly to a successful day at the track.This week, I want look at where do our responsibilities as a racer end and the responsibilities of the race track, race director, track operator, or race promotor begin.

I've been a racer for more than 30 years. In a perfect union, racer and race track work together in a sort of harmonious partnership. As a racer, what is our responsibility at the track?

This week's Daily Driver episode is taken from our Question of the Week segment over on the ThisIsBracketRacing Facebook page. The question is "How to balance the rear of my car?".

For this episode of the Daily Driver, I am joined by one of our regular guest instructors in ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE and accomplished driver, Kris Whitfield. The question I asked him was how his experience and background with racing in his area of the country, one of the toughest to dial and run a consistent car in, has helped to shape his approach and progression as a driver.

On today's Daily Driver I'm pumped to talk about our new FREE program, Day 1. If you're a racer, you almost certainly remember your first trip down the track. That holds true whether that maiden voyage occurred at age 6 or age 46! Day 1 is a brief (and fun) course will make their first day on the track safer and more enjoyable!Click for drivers and parents Click for tracks

This week's Daily Driver is featuring a Question of the Week from over on the ThisIsBracketRacing Facebook page. How do I calm down my wheelies with regular guest instructor in ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE Mike Mans.

This week on the Daily Driver, I wanted to talk about the origins of Big Buck Footbrake Racing and my own memories of it starting. 

This week on the Daily Driver, I am joined again by regular ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE guest instructor, Kris Whitfield. Kris talks about his battles with anxiety and the ways he has worked with it in his racing. 

A common question I'm frequently asked is, what's the best way to prepare for racing after the offseason break? I can tell you one relatively simple thing that I still do, 30 years into my racing career.