What’s this guy doing with the Harker twins?

Will Hanna and the Harker twins, Kate and Diana, will launch their new show, Radio Nitro, on RaceFanRadio.com next Monday, Mar. 1, at 8 p.m. EST. The one-hour show will feature commentary and interviews with the top names in the sport with a behind-the-scenes, technical feel.  2009 NHRA Rookie of the Year Spencer Massey and 2009 NHRA Division 7 Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion Sean O’Bannon will be the show’s first guests.

Both Hanna and the Harker Twins have competed in the NHRA Top Alcohol ranks. Hanna, who got his start in the NHRA’s Jr. Dragster program, drove the ATC Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car from 2005 to 2007 and currently works as a Crew Chief/Consultant for several teams.  Most recently, he was named the 2009 NHRA Division 3 Pro Sportsman Mechanic of the Year after tuning Chris Foster to the Division 3 Championship.  He formerly contributed to DRO and currently owns/operates internet websites InsideTopAlcohol.com, InsideCompRacing.com and InsideFastBrackets.com.

Kate and Diana Harker have followed in the footsteps of the racing family’s patriarch, Steve Harker, who has finished second nationally in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class for the past two years. The Australia natives also started in the Jr. Dragster ranks, working their way up to driving in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. Both have experience driving 270 mph injected-nitro dragsters and currently share the driving duties of the family’s blown Top Alcohol Dragster.

Radio Nitro will air live Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on RaceFanRadio.com.  Fans will also be able to listen to archived shows or download as a podcast on RaceFanRadio.com.  The show will feature guests from the NHRA, ADRL, ANDRA (Australia), FIA (Europe), IHRA and other outlaw circuits.

RaceFanRadio is part of the Indianapolis-based RaceFanNetwork (RFN). [2/23/2010]

Wheel and tires separating from fuel cars more common than we thought

From DRO editor Jeff Burk: In yesterday’s news and analysis I wrote that wheel and tire assemblies coming off of fuel cars and going into the pits or grandstands was a very rare occurrence. I was wrong about that point.

We have had lots of e-mails today documenting this kind of failure including Larry Dixon at Memphis, Dan Wilkerson, Darren Morgan in Australia, Joe Hartley, and reportedly there was a tire in the stands incident at the 1964 U.S. Nationals.

The point I was trying to make was that this was the only fatality pertaining to a tire I could remember. To be sure, though, there obviously is a problem with the rear end assemblies. I am following up on this and DRO will have further info regarding this issue in a future issue.  [2/23/2010]