Joining 29 other rising stars in the drag racing industry, Rachel Meyer was inducted into the 30 Under 30 club hosted by Drag Illustrated on Friday during a press conference at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show in Indianapolis. Over 7,000 young drivers, crew members, tuners, fabricators, and media members were nominated for the 2018 list.
Known as the Clutch Girl, Rachel Meyer is the driver and clutch mechanic when she attends NHRA events. Rachel won her first Wally in Top Alcohol Dragster this year at her home track, Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas. She also earned a Runner-Up finish to clinch the 3rd place points finish in the Central Region of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in her rookie year.
“My favorite moment from 2018 would be my win at Topeka,” Rachel said. “It was awesome getting my first win with my friends and family around to help celebrate. Tulsa was a close second. It was awesome racing Megan in the finals and we all had fun and celebrated after the race. It didn’t matter who won, we are all a team and all worked hard to get to that point and all had fun celebrating a win and a runner up.”
While Rachel only competes in the Top Alcohol Dragster league on a part-time basis, she is a full-time product/machine design engineer at Leggett & Platt, and competes in local bracket races with her Super Comp dragster.
“A few adversities I had to overcome this year included the stress of going to work in the morning then leaving around noon and trying to make it to the races in time for the last qualifying session. I would normally miss the first qualifier and would only have two chances to get in the race, sometimes only one. It’s a risk you take when you go to any race that you might not qualify, but luckily I was able to make the field at every race.”
Joining Rachel in the 30 Under 30 list is Blake Alexander, Hector Arana Jr., Marina Anderson, Tyler Bohannon, and more.
“I’m so proud of our fourth annual 30 Under 30 list and what it represents,” said Wes Buck, Founder and Editorial Director, Drag Illustrated. “As a sport, we need to be looking forward and identifying the next superstars and heroes who will carry drag racing into the future. This is our way of recognizing the accomplishments of a group of young people we believe have done big things and encouraging them as they continue to make moves in the sport.”
“It is an honor to be in the 30 under 30 list,” Rachel said. “Every person in it earned their way into the club. It makes me feel like I am making a difference in the racing community, or that people see my accomplishments and hard work and I am getting recognized for it. It definitely makes me want to push myself even harder now to make an even bigger impact in the racing community and help get more kids involved in the sport. Thank you Wes and Nate and the whole DI crew for having the 30 under 30 club.”
