At the NHRA Nitro on the Bayou event held at No Problem Raceway last year, Megan Meyer fought her way to the final round but came up a few thousandths short of a victory. This year, the Louisiana-based track saw her dominate the field and take home the win.
Tuned by her father and World Champion driver, Randy Meyer, Megan claimed the number one spot in her first hit down the track with a 5.26 E.T. at 275 mph. Out of the 14 dragsters at the event, she held the top spot even after sitting out the third qualifying session. The opening round of eliminations on Sunday paired Megan up against Dean Dubbin, who could not get the car into reverse after his burnout and had to escort the car immediately. On her solo run, Megan slowed to a 5.33 E.T. at 274 mph but still held lane choice for second round.
“It’s unfortunate for Dean and his team to not be able to make the pass first round,” Megan said. “Dean is a good friend of ours and they are just working out the kinks in their new Copeland-built dragster. It’s never in our interest to take a win on a bye. I love competing against these guys and I cheer them on even if they take me out.”
The Meyer family defeated Robin Samsel in the second round of eliminations with a 5.32 E.T. at 273 mph, but noticed a puff of smoke at the top end of the track, resulting in a hurt cylinder head. The team quickly replaced the head and made sure it was firing on all 8 before heading up to the staging lanes to face Jackie Fricke. This is the third time that two females have faced each other in the finals at a regional race. Megan was off the line first and ran the quickest and fastest pass of the weekend, also setting the track record, with a 5.23 E.T. at 279 mph for the Nitro on the Bayou win.
Annie Whiteley also won in Top Alcohol Funny Car, making it the first time that two female drivers in the Alcohol classes have won an event.
“This is a weekend to remember,” Megan stated. “I was bummed out we didn’t get the win at No Problem last year, but it makes this win mean much more to us. We had beautiful weather, a great track to race on, and a lot of support from the local crowd. Although it got over 80 degrees on Sunday, we were able to beat the heat and set the new track record in the final round. I couldn’t be happier for my team to get this win and use the momentum we have going into our next race at Houston.”
Megan extends her Regional series points lead with two event wins now. She also gained traction in her National series point standings to get closer to reining class champion, Joey Severance.