Randy Meyer Racing made a strong first appearance at the inagural NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland, with Gary Pritchett driving to a runner-up finish in Top Alcohol Dragster competition while teammate Matt Cummings qualified for race day.
Pritchett qualified the Hoopes Fire Prevention, Hedinger’s Equipment, and NGK Spark Plugs & Ignition Coils-backed dragster in the No. 5 position with a strong 5.267-second pass at 276.58 MPH. Cummings secured the No. 7 spot in the GUNK dragster with a 5.309 ET at 271.95 MPH.
In the opening round of eliminations, Cummings faced Jackie Fricke. Cummings gained the starting line advantage but encountered tire shake early in the run and was forced to click the car off. Fricke stayed planted down the groove and advanced to the next round.
NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS
On the other side of the ladder, Pritchett squared off against legendary drag racer Angelle Sampey in the first elimination matchup between the two drivers. Sampey left first, but Pritchett made up the difference by the 330-foot mark and never looked back, taking a narrow victory with a 5.270 at 271.95 MPH over Sampey’s 5.293 at 271.90 MPH. The margin of victory was just .011 seconds — approximately four feet at the finish line.
Pritchett continued his momentum into the second round on Sunday against Richard Bourke, once again using a starting line advantage to control the race from start to finish. The Randy Meyer Racing driver laid down the quickest and fastest pass of his career, running an impressive 5.210 at 276.75 MPH to defeat Bourke’s 5.248 at 273.05 MPH.
The semifinal matchup proved to be another thriller as Pritchett faced off against Jamie Noonan. Pritchett delivered a stellar .009 reaction time and used the holeshot advantage to hold off the quicker elapsed time from Noonan. Pritchett’s 5.261 at 276.92 MPH edged out Noonan’s quicker 5.216 at 278.06 MPH, sending the Randy Meyer Racing entry to the final round with lane choice.
NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS
In the final, Pritchett matched up against Jackie Fricke. Fricke gained the starting line advantage and never surrendered it, while Pritchett encountered tire smoke off the starting line. Despite pedaling the car multiple times in an attempt to recover, the dragster was unable to regain traction, and Pritchett coasted to an 11-second pass to finish as the runner-up.
“Not the outcome we were looking for, but still a special weekend for us and the Randy Meyer Racing team,” said Pritchett. “Proud to bring home a Runner-Up finish at a place that feels like home. We had some incredible close races all weekend. Congrats to Jackie and the team on the win. I’m looking forward to getting back to Maryland International Raceway next year.”
The runner-up finish continues an impressive stretch for Pritchett with Randy Meyer Racing, further adding to an already successful partnership between driver and team.