Megan Meyer will return to A/Fuel dragster competition to take part in the inaugural Nitro Chaos Championship Series with the Randy Meyer Racing Team. Megan will run the full four-race series, while sister Rachel will drive at two races and serve as Megan’s crew chief at the other two events. The team’s longtime partner, GUNK, has signed on as the sisters’ primary sponsor.
Last year, Megan drove one of the Randy Meyer Racing A/Fuel cars at the Nitro Chaos at Mo-Kan Dragway for the win. This year, she’ll defend her Mo-Kan A-field title while chasing wins – and the championship – at three additional races.
“After we won the Nitro Chaos last year at Mo-Kan, it planted a seed in my head that maybe I could come back and do more of it,” said Megan, who stepped away from full-time competition after winning back-to-back NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world championships in 2019-2020. “We had so much fun getting to race at one of my home tracks. Getting to run big cars on an eighth-mile track where we used to race Jr. Dragsters was like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We just had so much fun with it and I want to do it again.”
“I miss everything about the alcohol cars,” added Rachel, who last drove the A/Fuel car when she won the 2021 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world championship. “From the atmosphere out at the races, to the adrenaline rush you get going down the track and between rounds, to interacting with the fans and spectators. It will be awesome to be close to home so my husband and some of his family will hopefully be able to come watch, along with friends who have never seen the alcohol cars before.”
The unique Nitro Chaos series, which has a rules-free format that only requires entries to burn a minimum of 80% nitromethane, will hold championship events at Edgewater Sports Park near Cincinnati on April 28-29, Eddyville Raceway Park on May 26-27, Mo-Kan Dragway on July 14-15, and Thunder Valley Raceway Park on Sept. 22-23. Rachel plans to compete at the Eddyville and Mo-Kan races. Eddyville is a joint race with the Funny Car Chaos series, so the team also plans to run its A/Fuel Funny Car driven by Julie Nataas at that event.
Both sisters will race with GUNK branding on the sides of their A/Fuel dragsters. GUNK, which was acquired by B’laster Holdings in May 2022, has been involved with Randy Meyer Racing for two decades. The company offers a range of cleaning products, including engine cleaners & degreasers, hand wipes, parts cleaners, surface cleaners, and other specialty cleaners.
“Ever since we ran Jr. Dragsters, we’ve always used GUNK,” Megan said. “It’s been the only brake cleaner and cleaning supplies that we’ve used on the cars ever since I can remember. We’re just really proud to now be big brand ambassadors for them. We always put priority on maintaining relationships with sponsors no matter how big or small they are. We want to treat them like family and make sure that we under-promise and over-deliver for them.”
“Randy Meyer Racing has been great to GUNK over the years,” said President & CEO, Randy Pindor. “It was time to take our sponsorship to the next level. Megan and Rachel are sure to make some waves in the Nitro Chaos series this year.”
Megan jumped at the chance to compete for another championship while also staying close to home.
“I know I’m going to be 100% committed to chasing points and trying to get a championship in a different series,” Megan said. “From my point of view, if I want to race, I want to do the best that I can and try to compete for a championship. The fact that there’s only four races is perfect for me and our family. At the same time, I’m trying not to get too serious about it, just have fun.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of tough competition and a lot more cars this year,” Megan continued. “It’s going to be tough. We don’t really know exactly what we’re going up against, whereas in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster you know every person, every car, what they can run, and what their strategies are. Now, it’s completely a different ballgame. I’m excited for this new challenge. I’m going to do the best that I can, and hopefully it works out in our favor.”
A schedule overlap at the beginning and end of the Nitro Chaos season will present a unique opportunity for the Meyer sisters. The Edgewater and Thunder Valley races are the same weekend as the NHRA events in Charlotte, where team owner and tuner Randy Meyer will field a pair of cars driven by Julie Nataas and Hunter Green. Rachel, an engineer by trade, will serve as Megan’s crew chief while Randy tunes over the phone.
“To be able to be a crew chief has always been one of my goals,” Rachel said. “Every time I’m at the track I try to find time to ask my dad as many questions as I can about how he tunes the cars and why he did what he did. We talk about the graph of how the car ran and what changes we can make to get the car run better. Being able to finally have one of my dreams come true is amazing. I’m thankful Megan trusts me enough to give it a shot, and it’s awesome that I am able to do it with my sister driving the car and my favorite crew members. Of course, I’ll be calling up Dad for advice here and there, but it’s nice to be given the chance and put what I know to the test.
“I’ve always thought how cool it would be if I would tune a car with Megan driving it and have an all-girl crew,” Rachel continued, “and although that is not exactly what is happening in Cincinnati, it’s one step closer.”
Fans can follow Megan on Instagram HERE and Rachel on Instagram HERE.
