An early-season check-in with Daniel Wilkerson and Andrew Hines
On this episode of the NHRA Insider podcast powered by Speedmaster, host Brian Lohnes is joined by rookie nitro Funny Car driver Daniel Wilkerson and multitime champion-rider-turned-Vance and Hines crew chief Andrew Hines. The two guys have unique perspectives on the 2024 season, and they share it in these conversations.
For Wilkerson, it has been a decent start to the 2024 year, culminating in his best race yet in Charlotte at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. Wilkerson talks about so many aspects of his evolution as a driver and the face of his team this season. It is interesting to understand the working dynamic between him and his crew chief dad and how they are both settling into what are new roles for each of them.
Hines oversees the tuning of Gaige Herrera's Suzuki motorcycle and many aspects of the workload at the Vance and Hines shop. He talks about the fact that two races in they are still learning, how Richard Gadson is doing, and why the Pro Stock Motorcycle class is as tight as it can be with the motorcycles showing up these days. Lohnes asks him about the controversies coming into Charlotte and squashing them with a strong win. It's a wide-ranging conversation about competition, motorcycle drag racing, and more!
Two dynamic racers doing what they do to succeed in the tough world of NHRA!