McKenna Bold delivered a standout performance in the Diezel Dragster this past weekend at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, advancing to the final quad and securing a runner-up finish in Top Alcohol Dragster competition for Randy Meyer Racing.
Heading into the event, team owner Randy Meyer approached the weekend with a clear objective: take advantage of the unique four-round qualifying format to test and refine tuning combinations. With only 14 cars entered in a 16-car field, the team had flexibility to be aggressive with different setups while still ensuring both entries qualified solidly.
Bold capitalized on that strategy early, qualifying No. 10 with a best pass of 5.295 seconds at 280.43 mph, and steadily improving throughout eliminations. In the opening round, she used a sharp .053 reaction time to be the first to cross the finish line, posting a 5.272-second pass at 272.34 mph, while Jamie Noonan recorded a 5.240 E.T., both advancing over Anthony Troyer. She followed that up with another holeshot-driven victory in round two, pairing a .048 light with a 5.283 at 271.62 mph, while the quad’s average reaction time was .063, defeating Megan Smith and Corey Michalek to move into the final quad.
In the finals, Bold again showed her starting line prowess, cutting a .030 light and running 5.264 at 276.52 mph only to fall short to Joey Severance’s 5.20 winning E.T., ultimately securing her the runner-up finish over Jamie Noonan and Jackie Fricke.
On the other side of the Randy Meyer Racing pit in the GUNK Dragster, Matt Cummings helped Randy gain valuable tuning knowledge over the course of the weekend. Cummings qualified No. 3 with a strong 5.232-second run at 274.50 mph, which set the field for him to face Megan Smith, Corey Michalek, and Jon Bradford. However, in the opening round of eliminations, he encountering issues that ended his competition early.
NHRA 4Wide Nationals
The Charlotte event highlighted the team’s momentum early in the 2026 season, with Bold’s runner-up finish reinforcing the effectiveness of the team’s experimental approach during qualifying.
“We had a great weekend in Charlotte, carrying our momentum from winning the Baby Gators,” said Bold. “I was able to get the holeshot win in rounds 1 and 2, and my .030 light gave us the holeshot runner up in the finals, so it was a successful weekend. I’m looking forward to going to the NHRA Chicago national event for my first time next month, with the momentum of going to the final rounds. I felt great behind the wheel and was nailing the tree each pass, so combine that with having a great race car that my team provided me each pass, I knew we were going to go rounds and be in the hunt for that diamond wally! I couldn’t be more happy with how the 2026 season has started.”
With strong early-season results and continued performance gains, Randy Meyer Racing now shifts its NHRA focus to Chicago; a track where the team found success with victories in 2017, 2018, and 2019. After time away from the event as NHRA removed the Top Alcohol competition until this year, the team is eager to return and reestablish itself as a contender for the win.