Land Speed Legends cover art

Land Speed Legends

Land Speed Legends

By: Allison Volk Dean
Listen for free

Conversations with men & women who make land speed racing legendary!

© 2026 Land Speed Legends
Episodes
  • From Matchbox Cars To The Bonneville Salt Flats...The Legendary Randy Speranza Explains How He Built A 200 MPH Sidecar Harley.
    Apr 14 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    200 MPH on a sidecar Harley with a pushrod motor is like a tall tale until you hear how Randy Speranza actually did it. We sit down with Randy to trace the full arc: a kid in Chicago reading about Bonneville in an old Hot Rod magazine, a first heartbreak visits when the salt is underwater, and then the long, stubborn journey that turns curiosity into real land speed racing results. We talk through the hands-on years that build a racer, from street cars and drag nights to joining a lakester team and chasing records at El Mirage and the Bonneville Salt Flats. Randy breaks down what keeps him hooked, how the land speed community shares knowledge instead of hiding it, and why records are “on loan” no matter whose name is on the page. If you love motorsport history, grassroots engineering, and the practical reality of going faster on the salt. Then the conversation gets personal. Randy opens up about the moment he finally breaks 200 mph, the family emotions tied to that red hat, and the terrifying day his aorta dissected at Bonneville. He walks us through the life flight, surgery, rehab mindset, and what it means to come back to racing with stents, scars, and a different sense of purpose. We also get into what he’s chasing next, including goals on two wheels, three wheels, and four wheels, plus helping his wife Diet build her own speed story. Subscribe for more Land Speed Legends, share this with a friend who lives for Bonneville land speed racing, and leave a review with your favorite moment from Randy’s journey.

    Support the show

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • When A Family Sport Becomes A Lifetime Obsession: THE LEGENDARY BRAD WHITE Explains What It Takes To Chase 300 MPH On The Salt
    Mar 24 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    He first showed up on the Bonneville Salt Flats at five or six years old and thought it was normal for a family to spend summers chasing world records. That’s the world Brad White grew up in, and it shaped the way he races, builds, and thinks about speed today. We talk with Brad about the White family legacy in land speed racing, the long arc of chasing 400 mph goals, and what it feels like to realize later in life that you were surrounded by legends the whole time. Brad also walks us through his own path from running around the pits as a kid to driving and setting records in a modified roadster, then splitting time between Bonneville and nostalgia drag racing. The top fuel years add a whole different kind of intensity: 4,000+ horsepower, full teardown every run, and a crew effort where discipline matters as much as bravery. If you love racing history, high performance engines, and the behind-the-scenes work that makes a pass possible, this conversation has it. The heart of the story is Brad’s current Comp Coupe program, built from a 1971 Honda 600 and engineered for stability with a chopped top, a raked body for downforce, and a blown alcohol engine combination that keeps evolving. He shares the kind of lessons you only learn the hard way, including spinning at over 200 mph at El Mirage, redesigning throttle pedal travel for control and tracking down a fuel tank vent issue that didn’t show up until the car was deep into a Bonneville run. If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to chase 300 mph records on the salt, this is the real-world version. If you enjoy Land Speed Legends, subscribe, share this with a racing friend, and leave a review so more people can find these Bonneville and El Mirage stories.

    Support the show

    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
  • How A Family Turned Grit, Four-Wheel Drive, And Blown Chevys Into Land Speed History: Listen to THE LEGENDARY RICK WHITE Stories On Chasing Salt And Speed
    Feb 24 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    The salt can make you or break you, and Rick White has lived on both sides of that line. From towing a $500 high school Corvette to Bonneville and setting a 151 mph record to piloting the first single-engine car beyond 400 mph, Rick’s journey blends fearless engineering, family grit, and relentless problem-solving. Growing up at Nolan White’s elbow and rooted in land speed racing, He watched his father enter the 200 MPH Club in 1963, he learned how to build speed from wood, steel, and stubborn ideas. We dig into the turning points that define land speed racing. Rick explains why he and Nolan built a rare four-wheel-drive streamliner in 1980 to fight traction loss, how blown fuel became their language, and what it took to sort a one-off machine aimed squarely at 400 mph. He breaks down the differences between SCTA and FIA records, why two-way runs collided with today’s shorter, rougher salt, and the day parachute failure on a return run took his father’s life. The conversation is raw, clear-eyed, and focused on what changed and what still drives him to innovate safely on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Then we go under the hood of Rick and his son Brad’s current project: a competition coupe built around a tiny Honda 600 body to punch the smallest hole in the air. With a 540-cubic-inch blown-fuel big block, carefully set wheelbase, and a hand-formed aluminum nose, the car is aimed at a 305 MPH class record and a blue hat. Rick shares the fix that unlocked new pace—proper tank venting for a bigger fuel pump—and how a 257 mph El Mirage record proved the direction. His years in nostalgia top fuel, including March Meet and Hot Rod Reunion wins, and how the salt taught him how to be a better drag racer. If you love Bonneville history, four-wheel-drive streamliners, FIA records, and the hard math of traction, drag, and fuel delivery, this story hits all the marks. Tap play to hear a family legacy carried forward with craft, courage, and an unwavering eye on the next mile marker. If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend who loves fast cars, and leave a quick review—your support helps more speed fans find the show.

    Support the show

    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet