Best Nhrl Podcasts (2026)

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NHRL Finals Recap with 3lb World Champion Alex Wang! 1:30:08

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2d ago1:30:08

1:30:08

Alex has been steadily honing Pinevictus all year. Though Pinevictus has been around since November 2021 during his days at UMD as a Leatherback, 2025 is the year where the robot has been on a meteoric rise. It started the year strong by reaching the Semifinals at February NHRL with a Judges Decision loss to Silent Spring followed by solid runs at …

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2025 NHRL World Championship Finals Recap on Outside of the Box 1:08:24

8d ago1:08:24

1:08:24

It was an incredible Finals event this year at NHRL with some expected wins and some robots flying under the radar. In the end, 3 Golden Bretts were awarded and I spoke to the builders who reached the peak and ended up just missing the win but having incredible runs in the process. I talked to one of the nicest guys in combat robotics Myles Sim abo…

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Holiday Special Blood on the Clocktower on Outside of the Box 2:59:28

7d ago2:59:28

2:59:28

Happy holidays and merry bloodshed! We have a new batch of Twitch Streamers battling in out in a fight between good and evil playing Blood on the Clocktower! This is a special home brew game featuring a variety of standard roles re-skinned for this game. Who is Hans Gruber? Is there a Sandy Claws in the game? So many questions to answer! Ring in yo…

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November NHRL Recap and Finals Preview with Golden Dumpster Winner Liam King! 1:32:12

21d ago1:32:12

1:32:12

Liam has been on a tear this year with Buzzzz-kill recently capturing the 12lb crown at November NHRL! Now the overall 2nd seed behind only Slam Plan, Liam looks poised for a deep run at Finals. Outside of 12lbs, Liam and the rest of Leatherbacks have been racking up wins in the insectweights at events like Water's Edge, MACRO and had a close fight…

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MRCA Finals Recap on Outside of the Box 1:15:21

1M ago1:15:21

1:15:21

Finals are completed in the Midwest and I am joined by a handful of the builders who made deep runs in this tournament during a day filled with amazing fights. I talked to 2-time MRCA Beetleweight Champion Ian with Pipeline Punch, a trio of the antweight builders behind Ampere, Onyx & Poison, two of the most feared competitors in the midwest (and a…

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Interview with Turbofiend Driver and Announcer Dima Papasian! 2:04:21

1M ago2:04:21

2:04:21

Dima has launched onto the scene over the past year with her brother Julian as one of the most dynamic siblings at NHRL! First piloting the very kindly Turbofriend before helming the lethal TurboFIEND to a golden dumpster in October 2024, Dima has proven a very capable robot driver whose quick reactions and skills remain on display throughout the n…

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NHRL World Finals Preview on Outside of the Box 42:02

1M ago42:02

42:02

It is that time of year again when I am joined by a bunch of amazing builders from all weight classes who managed to qualify for World Finals at NHRL. We talked about each of the robots and got everyone's predictions on who could walk away with the Golden Brett in each weight class.By Christine G

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NHRL Round 7 (November) Recap on Outside of the Box 1:13:24

2M ago1:13:24

1:13:24

What an incredible event in the final opportunity to qualify for the world championships - and I got to be joined by some of the builders who made deep runs in the bracket! First, I spoke to the youngest Golden Dumpster winner ever at 13 - Evan of Sir Slicey and his dad Sal as they reflected on some incredible wins on their path to the finals vs Ma…

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Creature Combat at BattleBots on Outside of the Box 1:58:18

2M ago1:58:18

1:58:18

For lovers of innovation and creativity, this is the episode to watch. We kick off with an amazing interview with literal robot master Mark Setrakian, learn all about the development of the Creature Combat event from BattleBots co-creator Trey Roski, builder Donald Hutson & software engineer Arthon Greenspan, and then chat with a couple of the team…

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Halloween Special Blood on the Clocktower aka Twitch Streamer Demon Hunters on Outside of the Box 3:06:05

2M ago3:06:05

3:06:05

We're twitchy and we're spooky for this Halloween special I'm affectionately calling Twitch Streamer Demon Hunters as I am joined by almost a dozen amazing gamers to play Blood on the Clocktower! Check out my first foray as the Storyteller while my friends try to sus out the Demon among them. Can you guess who is good and who is evil before our pla…

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NHRL Round 7 (November) Preview w/Gator Robotics on Outside of the Box 18:15

2M ago18:15

18:15

We are fast approaching the final round of qualifiers with NHRL and I was excited to finally get the chance to chat with Brooks and John from Gator Robotics. They are bringing a swampful of robots with them to the November event including Termigator and Steggy. We chatted about their robotics club and what we can expect out of their crew at this la…

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NHRL Round 6 (October) Recap on Outside of the Box 59:23

3M ago59:23

59:23

Welcome to my #OopsAllVerts episode where I chatted with some of the hard-hitting competitors at the most recent October NHRL qualifying event. I talked to Tristan whose robot Elytra has been tearing it up in the midwest and went nearly all the way for this event, then David whose new massive vert Xenomorph certainly put a scare into some builders …

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Talking Engineering with LEGO Master Luke Horwath on Outside of the Box 30:52

3M ago30:52

30:52

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Luke Horwath, a contestant on the most recent season of LEGO Masters and an engineering student at Notre Dame. We talked about his passion for engineering which was fueled by his love for LEGO and how his mom got to be so involved in that journey culminating in their appearance on the show together. We talked…

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Interview with End Game Co-Captain Jack Barker! 1:19:50

3M ago1:19:50

1:19:50

Jack has been known for years as the driver and co-captain of End Game, winner of Battlebots World Championship V and the Golden Bolt! End Game not only brought the top trophy of robot combat with them to New Zealand, but the whole sport with them in the form of Robot Rumble! Give it a listen!By Behind the Bots

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NHRL Round 6 (October) Preview w/Nathan and Erbert on Outside of the Box 19:40

4M ago19:40

19:40

Welcome back to a brand new episode of Outside of the Box. We preview the October NHRL event with a promising young builder named Nathan who attends Rose Hulman and hopes to bust some brackets with his robot Erbert. This robot has made its presence known at events over the summer in the midwest and is my personal pick as a dark horse contender for …

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Interview with Team Whiplash Captain Matt Vasquez! 1:13:23

4M ago1:13:23

1:13:23

Behind the Bots 234 Interview with Team Whiplash Captain Matt Vasquez! Matt has been building and competing in combat robots all his life with machines like Whomper, Lil Lash and Whiplash! Known as one of the best drivers in the sport, he’s qualified for NHRL Finals, won the Robot Combat Championship and mostly recently took part in Open Sauce! Let…

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Interview with Team Honey Cracked Captain Zoe Lambert! 1:23:15

5M ago1:23:15

1:23:15

Zoe and Team Honey Cracked have been perennial competitors at NHRL with entries like Minun & Plusle, BeeForce, HoneyBombers, and many more! Honey Cracked recently hosted the 2nd Hive Hysteria event on July 26th where 3lb & 12lb bots from near and far competed! Today we ask her about the team, the event, and her goals for the future! To watch the po…

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SEMO July Jamboree Recap on Outside of the Box 42:26

5M ago42:26

42:26

Prepare for an episode full of energy as we broke down the SEMO July Jamboree event at QuadCon in Peoria, Illinois. We first chat with Christopher who is the builder of Fingers Crossed and his team is here to have fun! We talk about his background and why it is so important to keep fun at the top of mind when fighting robots. I also talked to SEMO'…

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All About Hosting Combat Robotics Events on Outside of the Box 1:30:14

5M ago1:30:14

1:30:14

Fresh of the heels of Outside of the Box's first event, it is time to do a deeper dive into event organization. We have several perspectives on event hosting in this episode including talking collegiate events with Ryan and Uday from UIUC, a focus on being a brand new event organizer with Emily, George & Jair from MRCA and the journey of becoming a…

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FIRST Tech Challenge Recap on Outside of the Box 9:57

5M ago9:57

9:57

As you may have noticed, episodes of late have been geared around events and the FIRST Tech Challenge was a really fun event I had the opportunity to attend. Check out a couple of interviews from that event with teams from Romania and Brazil who travelled very far to compete with other teams from around the country and the world.…

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Circle City Clash PopCon Panel featuring Brian Boxell & Ellie Clark 46:42

6M ago46:42

46:42

To follow up on the PopCon Recap, this episode covers the entire panel that featured Brian Boxell & Ellie Clark who are both seasoned builders at both NHRL and BattleBots. There is so much good commentary during this panel including a really heartwarming moment when Brian was asked about his father Glenn Boxell and his accomplishments.…

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Circle City Clash at PopCon Recap on Outside of the Box 15:12

6M ago15:12

15:12

It was such a fun time down in Indianapolis at the Circle City Clash presented in conjunction with PopCon and Robot Smashing League! Enjoy this brief recap with video highlights from the event including our friends at Witch Doctor and Turnabot as well as clips from the tournament itself! Thanks again to our sponsors BAIS219, Palm Beach Bots, Finger…

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Interview with GSCRL EO and Floor Letter Word Builder Alex Curtis! 1:24:36

6M ago1:24:36

1:24:36

Alex has been a perennial competitor at NHRL with Floor Letter Word and a member of the Brett Breakers! He's also well known for event organizing GSCRL whose season championship will be coming up on August 2nd! Let us know what questions you have for Alex! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams on Tuesday…

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Styled For Destruction: Cool Bots From June's NHRL Event on Outside of the Box 40:22

6M ago40:22

40:22

If you want an episode that is proof that robots can be beautiful and destructive - look no further. I had the joy of chatting with Boby of Melon Baller as well as the team behind Killswitch about their awesome designs and solid performances at the last event.By Christine G

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June NHRL Recap with 3lb Golden Dumpster Winner Glenn Boxell! 1:19:02

6M ago1:19:02

1:19:02

This week on the podcast we will be Glenn Boxell, member of team 2 Hot 2 Handle builder of Caldera 12 and recent 3lb Golden Dumpster winner Caldera ! Let us know what questions you have for Glenn! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams! Otherwise, it should be available on all the podcast places later in …

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NHRL Round 5 (June) Recap on Outside of the Box 55:07

6M ago55:07

55:07

As we prepare to take a summer break from NHRL, join me for a great recap with 3 robots that really made a splash at the June event with one of them coming away with a finals win. I chatted with Brian from Murphy's Law about their unexpected run, got into 12 lb talk with Ben from RoboCat and heard from Kevin Milczewski about his speedy robot Red St…

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June NHRL 2025 Preview with Buffalo Wings Builder Eli Davis! 1:48:13

7M ago1:48:13

1:48:13

This week on the podcast we will be interviewing Eli Davis of Team Sawblaze while looking forward to the June NHRL event! We’ll talk about Eli’s experience with Sawblaze and his cool robot designs ! Let us know what questions you have for Eli! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams on Tuesday, May 27th at…

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STEM Spotlight with Designer Sarah DeVolld on Outside of the Box 14:20

7M ago14:20

14:20

It is time for another STEM Spotlight! In this episode, I spoke with Sarah DeVolld of Vintage Train Case about her passion for blending fashion with STEM. She talks about her journey as a designer, some of the projects she has been working on and her experience at the National STEM Festival this year.…

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NHRL Round 5 (June) Preview on Outside of the Box 1:19:44

7M ago1:19:44

1:19:44

It is fitting that this episode is packed full of builders who originate from the Midwest as we preview the MRCA takeover of NHRL in June. I first talk to Emily & Dustin of Nacho Robotics about their pair of hard hitting bots that have impressed in MRCA events. Then, we shift into shenanigans with a group of folks from the Outside of the Box discor…

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NHRL Round 4 (May) Recap on Outside of the Box 1:00:18

8M ago1:00:18

1:00:18

There were some pretty spectacular runs at the May NHRL event and I spoke to a few builders who had amazing performances, but were all stopped by the eventual winners of their respective weight classes. Cameron from Sad Octopus talks about an amazing day of fights culminating in a fun fight versus Jelly Baby, Matt Lantry talks about the journey fro…

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Unconventional Robot Control with Tim Hebert & Pearl Grey on Outside of the Box 44:27

8M ago44:27

44:27

Have you ever thought about driving a combat robot using video game controllers? The builders on this episode did and even WON using these unconventional transmitters. I talked to Tim Hebert about his recent NHRL appearance where he won fights using a DDR pad and Rock Band drums and attempted the same with a Guitar Hero guitar! He breaks down his p…

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LIVE with April 2025 Golden Dumpster Winner Kezia Skye! 2:01:41

8M ago2:01:41

2:01:41

This week on the podcast Jake and Brandon will be interviewing Kezia Skye of Sleepy Anime Girl Club about their recent (and very first!) Golden Dumpster with perennial hard-hitting 3lb robot Chainsaw Kitty! After numerous events at NHRL, Chainsaw Kitty made an undefeated run through the bracket culminating in a decisive victory over fellow powerhou…

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NHRL Round 4 (May) Preview on Outside of the Box 1:13:49

8M ago1:13:49

1:13:49

New episode for you featuring some of the most exciting builders at the upcoming Round 4 NHRL event on May 3rd. Gwen is so backalope with her already qualified robot Jackalope, but is setting her sights on the Golden Dumpster for this event. Jim and Andrew Kazmer talked all about meltybrains including some cool facts fans may not have known! I also…

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NHRL Round 3 (April) Recap on Outside of the Box 1:05:49

9M ago1:05:49

1:05:49

We are back with another NHRL recap, this time highlighting a few of the amazing competitors from the Round 3 April event. I talked to Ben & Razi Strano about Bean Supreme Refried's amazing qualifying run, heard all about Trevor Sommer's run with Void including a heart-stopping win against Minun & Plusle, and chatted with Nick Grumski about his rob…

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Passing the Torch: Our Final Crash Out 2:22:23

9M ago2:22:23

2:22:23

This week on the podcast, Chris, Lindsay, Luke and Kyle say goodbye with one final AMA. We’re handing off the show into the very capable hands of Golden Dumpster winners Brandon Bennett Young and Jake Hoffmann, who will take the show into a new era. We talk about why, and take all of your questions (and very kind comments) in our final AMA as a gro…

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PopCon and Circle City Clash Preview on Outside of the Box 28:22

9M ago28:22

28:22

On the heels of the big event announcement, I wanted to give fans a little bit more information on what they can expect from the Circle City Clash tournament and PopCon as a whole. I first sat down with Kris Keys, co-owner of PopCon, to talk about how they value diversity in the many experiences they offer at PopCon which will include things this y…

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NHRL Round 3 (April) Preview on Outside of the Box 48:29

10M ago48:29

48:29

We've got some heavy hitters in this episode as we talk about the upcoming NHRL Round 3 event happening on April 5th! It will be the 2025 debut of Chainsaw Kitty and the return of fellow Sleepy Anime Girl bot Usawgi whose builders Kezia and Mint are hoping not to face each other until deep in the bracket. I also talked to BattleBots veterans Matt &…

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NHRL Round 2 (March) Recap on Outside of the Box 1:00:39

10M ago1:00:39

1:00:39

It is time to recap Round 2 of NHRL where we saw some amazing fights and underdog wins! In this episode, Christine chats with Dwight of Master Control Bot, Ben of The Wall Pt 2 and Ryan of Count3r Punch and ARES about all of their incredible runs in the bracket. Check out some great discussion from these amazing and talented builders!…

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National STEM Champion Ishaan Kunwar Talks About Using AI to Detect Cataracts 12:37

10M ago12:37

12:37

On this final STEM Spotlight ahead of the National STEM Festival, I chatted with Ishaan Kunwar - a high school student who was able to use AI to develop a better way to detect cataracts. His project could help many in less developed countries or in underserved communities where it would be difficult or a financial burden to obtain this diagnosis an…

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NHRL’s Youngest Beetleweight Golden Dumpster Winner, Lars Elliott! 1:10:07

10M ago1:10:07

1:10:07

This week on the podcast, we’re catching up with longtime friend of the pod Lars Elliott, builder of IMPAKT and Jet Lag. In March (spoilers) he won his first career Golden Dumpster, becoming the youngest NHRL beetleweight champion to date. We learn more about his robots, his parents, his friends, and his favorite competitions. Robots around the Wor…

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Talking with EXPLR Media Founder Jenny Buccos about the National STEM Festival on Outside of the Box 18:58

10M ago18:58

18:58

I had the pleasure of being joined by the amazing Jenny Buccos with EXPLR Media who has been running the National STEM Festival going on its second year. We talked about the surprising and exciting amount of kids whose projects centered on using AI tech for good to help people, what kids attending the festival get to experience while there and the …

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National STEM Champion Bryan Hijam Talks About Prostate Cancer Research 13:19

10M ago13:19

13:19

Check out another STEM Spotlight and this time Christine talks to Bryan Hijam whose project focuses on prostate cancer research for better treatment and management of this disease that impacts so many. Hear him talk about his passion for this area of research, his plans for future career paths and what he is looking forward to when attending the Na…

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How to Win 2 Golden Dumpsters, with Eruption Builder Brian Boxell! 1:27:28

10M ago1:27:28

1:27:28

This week on the podcast, we’re gearing up for March 2025 NHRL with two-time Golden Dumpster winner Brian Boxell. Brian made his NHRL debut in July 2020 with his hard-hitting beetle Eruption. Over the next 4.5 years, he’s grown into a perennial favorite in the weight class, completing 90 career fights across 22 competitions. He’s a multi-time Golde…

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NHRL Round 2 (March) Preview on Outside of the Box 56:59

10M ago56:59

56:59

It feels like we just wrapped up Round 1 of NHRL and we are already so close to Round 2 of more exciting robot fights! Join Christine as she talks to a number of builders about their plans and predictions for March's loaded event. We talk to Zech Matthews about the hype surrounding his beetleweight Fragment X, chat with Peter and Destiny Garnache a…

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NHRL Round 1 (February) Recap on Outside of the Box 49:38

10M ago49:38

49:38

It is Monday and that means it is time for a new episode featuring three NHRL builders who all had amazing runs deep into the bracket at the Round 1 NHRL event. I chatted with Alex from Pinevictus about the win against Coldsnap that surprised even him, Zack Knight talked about having to face friends and teammates in the bracket and Justin of Undert…

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Motorama 2025 Recap with Our Dear Friends Ryan Hunter and Justin Hunter! 1:43:29

11M ago1:43:29

1:43:29

This week on the podcast, we’re recapping all the action from Motorama 2025, with Havoc Rundown cohosts, NHRL Pit Control members and our dear friends, the Hunter brothers! Ryan and Justin served as judges and announcers at NERC’s Robot Conflict at Motorama 2025, and got a front-row seat to all the action. We break down this weekend’s winners, and …

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National STEM Champion Jerry Yao Talks About Developing Assistive Tech 16:27

11M ago16:27

16:27

We are back with another STEM Spotlight and this time Christine talks to National STEM Champion Jerry Yao about the tactile tech he has developed to help those with sight impairments to "see" art. The discussion highlights the importance of using technology to help people as well as dives into other potential applications for this type of technolog…

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Talking Turnabot with the Siegel Family on Outside of the Box 19:20

11M ago19:20

19:20

This episode is all about family as I chatted with the Siegels who run Turnabot out of Georgia. They have created a company that gets people into combat robotics at an affordable price point and has been an amazing resource within the community. The family talks about what they have accomplished so far as well as things to come. Check out turnabot.…

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National STEM Champion Ashrita Gandhari Talks About Using AI to Improve IVF 13:24

11M ago13:24

13:24

It is almost once again time for the National STEM Festival and on this episode I talked to Ashrita Gandhari, a high school senior, who developed an AI that helps determine embryonic health during the IVF process. She talks about her passion for the OBGYN field and her process for researching her project and proving her hypothesis. Please check out…

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February 2025 NHRL Golden Dumpster Winner Dan Vail and ChonkIV! 1:37:13

11M ago1:37:13

1:37:13

This week on the podcast, we’re catching up with Georgia Tech engineering student and ChonkIV team lead Daniel Vail. ChonkIV is the most effective shell spinner competing today, with two Golden Dumpsters within the last 12 months, and taking home second place at the 2024 NHRL Championship. We learn what it takes to build a killer 30-pounder, how Te…