Powerhouse NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team Randy Meyer Racing claimed their first win at the NHRA Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, leading a stacked sportsman field at the World’s Biggest Drag Race. The team has competed at this event for decades but never sealed the deal until now as Megan Meyer added her name to the history books at Lucas Oil Raceway.

 

“After the disappointing outing we had at the Brainerd race, where I red-light in the finals, I was beating myself up for disappointing the team,” said Megan. “We have some of the best dragsters in the nation and I had to let it go and come to Indy with a clear head and intentions of winning the race. Having my fiancé and family in the pits with me was comforting, and the crew did a great job of keeping me calm before each run and getting the car dialed in to run quick every run.”

 

 

Megan qualified second with a 5.18 ET at 279 mph, setting top speed of the event, pairing her up with Jasmine Salinas on Monday for first round of eliminations. The NGK Spark Plugs/Technician.Academy team ran a 5.26 ET at 271 mph to defeat Salinas. Megan faced Duane Shields next, and pulled ahead with a 5.23 ET at 272 mph for the win.

 

The semi-finals saw Megan and Rachel go head-to-head for the first time at a national event, and Megan got the lead over the Dot’s Pretzels/Motorad Dragster and never trailed for the win, running a 5.24 ET at 276 mph to Rachel’s 5.33 ET. This set the stage for another final round match-up against Troy Coughlin Jr., who has never beat Megan in eliminations before.

Coughlin did his best to get a startling line advantage but left before the green light and lost the round with a .003 red-light, as Megan ran a 5.25 ET at 270 mph for her first win at Indianapolis.

 

“I saw TJ roll in deep and take out the top bulb, which I know the McPhillips team is known for. I stayed calm and stuck to my routine and cut a great light, but I already saw the red light in the other lane before we crossed the 60-foot timer and I knew we had won the race! I’m so excited to cross this win off our list, we have been trying for years to win the U.S. Nationals, and we’ve come close before but haven’t left with the Wally until now. My dad and team have worked so hard for this achievement all year long, and their dedication shows with having to run 4 rounds on Monday without complaining or slowing down once,” said Megan, who is second in national points after this event win, just 10 points behind the leader, Shawn Cowie. Megan has three National events left to earn points, but she will have to make it past the semi-finals to replace her two worst finishes.

 

 

The team hosted two interns to work on the girls’ dragsters at the U.S. Nationals to give them hands-on experience outside of the classroom. The internship program put on by Technician.Academy and Motorad, allows college students studying an automotive field to apply to be a crew member for the Worlds Biggest Drag Race, and this year the team chose John Lipscomb and Beau Flemming, both from Nashville, to be their interns.

 

“John and Beau were very pleasant to work with and they were a great help this weekend,” Megan said. “John has a quiet demeanor but is very knowledgeable and wasn’t afraid to ask questions to learn more on my team. Beau worked on Rachel’s car, and he picked up fast on things and did everything we asked him to do without hesitation. We are thrilled to have taken both guys to the winner’s circle for our first U.S. Nationals event win.”

 

Fox Sports will air their coverage of the NHRA Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals on FS2 at 8 PM ET on Thursday, September 12.

The Randy Meyer Racing Team will visit Earlville, Iowa this weekend for a Lucas Oil Regional Series event race, with drivers Matt Sackman and Julie Nataas, before heading to Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania for their next NHRA National event.