Tom Nelson on the Genesis of NRE, Crashing in Iceland, the F-Bomb, and the Artistry of Engine Building

HOT ROD Pod: Where It All Began

NHRA's Brian Lohnes and HOT ROD Magazine's John McGann chat with Nelson Racing Engines Founder, Tom Nelson! Tom takes us through the highs and lows of his career, telling never-before-heard stories like putting Twin Turbos in an airboats, and plummeting off 50-foot cliffs in Iceland! The guys talk to Tom about the genesis of Nelson Racing Engines, StreetFire.net, how the show "Driven" got started, the formula off-roading crash in Iceland, reevaluation after the crash, the artistry of engine building, the F-Bomb '73 Camaro, Tuatara, 2019 Ridler Award, and why we're in the wild west era of HOT RODDING! 2:03 - 40,000 hp HOT ROD shoot! 3:14 - Where It All Began. 6:48 - The Go Kart that started it all. 10:16 - Street Racing. 12:52 - The start of Nelson Racing Engines. 18:34 - First NRE projects and learning the business. 21:57 - First PRI Show. 22:59 - From StreetFire.net to YouTube. 28:35 - How "Driven" got started. 33:25 - Formula Off-Roading in Iceland. 35:02 - "We're going off a 50-foot cliff!?" 39:25 - Immediate aftermath of the crash & recovery process. 47:09 - Reevaluating the business. 55:40 - The artistry of engine building. 58:16 - The F-Bomb '73 Camaro. 01:03:34 - The Wild West of Hot Rodding. 01:06:15 - Metal printing with AI. 01:07:35 - NRE x Tuatara. 01:11:46 - The 2019 Ridler Award. 01:16:32 - What's next?