This week’s episode of The MuscleCar Place Podcast is out!

Click the Play button below to listen to the show here, or click here to listen in iTunes!

[audio:http://www.themusclecarplace.com/podpress_trac/web/2751/0/the_musclecar_place_podcast_episode74_02222011.mp3]

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Derek Putnam is one of those interesting guys that is obsessed with cars. More specifically, he’s obsessed with drag racing cars. As far as Derek is concerned there are few thrills in life that can match the all-out coolness of hitting the throttle when the tree turns green and not lifting until a quarter mile of pavement has passed by at high speed. By day he’s a Project Manager at National Parts Depot, and by night he a journalist for Fastest Street Car Magazine covering, you guessed it, all things drag racing! In fact, he credits Power TV’s own James Lawrence as the man that inspired him to write about his passion for a living.

In our interview Derek gives a good overview of the many different venues that one could drag race a muscle car, whether it be bone stock, merely appear to be bone stock, or an all out race car. Derek specifically discussed FAST (Factory Appearing Stock Tire), the NMCA (National Muscle Car Association), the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), and the IHRA (International Hot Rod Association). (Long time listeners of this podcast show will recall that the guys have FAST have been on before in Episode 44.) If you’re one that follows drag racing closely these will all be names you’re familiar with, but it not Derek gives a good understanding of what each organization offers with specifics to the kind of muscle car you’d like to run, availability of local tracks, etc. We’ll plan to have Derek on in the future to dig into each series more in depth as it’s not possible to do it full justice in one wide swath!

Thanks for the time Derek. Unfortunately now all I can think about is racing stop-light to stop-light!