Dirt
The Voices of the World
Doorslammer Nationals
Joe Castello and Jason Logan
step up to the mic
By Nate Van Wagnen
When ironing out the details
for the inaugural Drag Illustrated
World Doorslammer
Nationals, Wes Buck felt it was
important to blend the elements of a high-level
national event, an unpredictable outlaw race and
a big party all at the same time. In Joe Castello
and Jason Logan, he found two voices who could
add that unique atmosphere to this first-of-itskind
race.
Castello, one of the lead announcers on the
NHRA Mello Yello Series tour, was called in to
announce the event at the last minute to fill in
for Brian Lohnes, who had to back out due to
unforeseen circumstances. He would be joined
by fellow Florida-based announcer Lee Sebring,
known for announcing PDRA events and Duck
X Productions’ radial races.
Castello planned on watching the event from
afar while preparing for a busy week at the NHRA
Gatornationals the following weekend, but he
jumped at the chance to be a part of the race.
“I was totally out of my element because this
was not what I was planning on doing, but now
we’re doing it,” says Castello, a South Florida
native. “I knew Jason was going to be there,
and Jason and I work together every weekend
and we strategize about what works and what
doesn’t work. We have our attitudes about entertainment,
and honestly, Wes is on the same
page with that. Wes empowered us to do what
we felt would be good, period. That made things
very fun and exciting.”
Along with calling the on-track action, Castello
announced the Pro Stock first-round pairs drawing,
where drivers pulled chips to determine who
they would race in the first round. Rather than
pairing up based on qualifying order, drivers drew
random pairings Sunday morning with their cars
in the staging lanes, then suited up and strapped
in to race with time to make only minimal tuneup
changes.
“I love being taken out of my comfort zone,
and I think it was very beneficial for all these
drivers and teams to be out of their routine. They
shined because of it,” Castello says. “In particular,
the chip draw for first round created great moments
of entertainment and this atmosphere of
the unknown. In moments like that, the pre-race
ceremony was just tremendous and funny and
bizarre all at the same time because of the way
we had to put it together on the fly.”
Logan, otherwise known as “Mr. Mello Yello” at
NHRA events, signed on after Courtney Enders
and Richard Freeman suggested he should come
DJ at the event. It was a natural fit for Logan,
combining his fun banter with Castello, drivers
and fans over the PA system with DJing, something
he does at corporate events and weddings
around the Orlando area between races.
“Music makes an event, whether it’s a live band
or a DJ,” Logan says. “It can make or break one.
If you go to any NBA game or baseball game,
there’s always music playing when there’s nothing
going on. I thought having that aspect at the
event was fantastic.”
From his DJ station in front of the Orlando
Speed World tower, Logan cranked out hit pop
songs that gave the starting line a vibe almost
like a Vegas day club. It loosened up the atmosphere,
even on Sunday afternoon when racers
were competing for big checks.
“I might not be the best DJ in the world, but
I’m pretty good at reading a crowd and understanding
what kind of music they want to hear,”
Logan says. “Wes said he wanted some fun party
music, so I played some Top 40 stuff with a dance
beat behind it. I see one person in the stands
nodding their head, then I see crew members by
their cars dancing. Then I’m like, ‘OK, they like
it. This is great.’”
Castello also recognized that the race had an
atmosphere unlike any other event, making it a
win-win for the fans and participants alike.
“It was a race, but it was a party,” Castello says.
“Nowadays, people are always looking for value.
The hardcore racing fan got to see some of the
best races and runs – some of the quickest runs
ever. At the same time, their kids got to hear music
that they like, and people were dancing during
breaks in the action. It was entertainment driven
and a lot of fun was had.” DI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE BRENWALD AND KAYLEE CURRAN
32 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 156