The 2011 season was awesome. Not only was it my first season racing a Top Alcohol Dragster, but we made it to two final rounds, had a perfect qualifying record for every national and divisional event we participated in and finished third in the Pacific Division.
I want to take a second to acknowledge my team, because of course without them I wouldn't be where I am. Jerry Darien, owner, teacher and crew chief; Debbie Darien, coordinator, parts cleaner and team mom; Geoff Monise, clutch; Howard Mazei, bottom end; Casey Grisel, heads, and I always say assistant crew chief J. Thanks guys for an awesome season. And thanks for putting up with me, having confidence in me and always making me laugh.
I earned my TAD license in April 2010, six and a half years after going through Frank Hawley's to get my super comp license. I have been racing super comp ever since, and all of the seat time in that car made for a relatively easy transition in the alcohol dragster. Not to mention, I have the best teacher in the alcohol ranks in Jerry Darien and the best crew anyone could ask for. Truck-Lite Company came on board as our primary sponsor in May of last year, and it has been a wonderful relationship. Truck-Lite is a top-notch company that manufactures the best heavy-duty lighting products in the industry. Probably most known for their stop-turn signals, they also manufacture forward lighting, mirrors and harnesses. If you have a chance, visit their website at http://www.truck-lite.com/ to learn more.
The off-season has been somewhat relaxing, but I have kept busy. Of course, I work fulltime at SEMA, so it's not as though I've been on vacation. I did have a few days off at Christmas and spent time with family. My dad, Robert Hight and I went trap and skeet shooting after Christmas, which has become sort of a tradition for us. My parents, the Dariens, the Hights and I also went to the Bob Seger concert at STAPLES Center. Wow, what a great concert! Of course we work on getting the car together for the season, and I practiced at the shop with our full-size tree that we can hook up directly to the car. Oh, and I replaced some old lights on the trailer with brand new Truck-Lite LEDs.
Last month, I traveled to Falconer, New York to visit Truck-Lite's headquarters for the first time. In two and a half days, I visited not only the headquarters and manufacturing plant there in Falconer, but also traveled to their plants in Pennsylvania. Truck-Lite manufactures everything but metal. That means the molds, the lenses, the circuit boards, are all designed and created there. I was able to see how the products are made, and had time to sign autographs and tell people about our team. I had an awesome time.
We are exactly one week away from the start of the 2012 season. Jerry, myself and the team are so ready to get started! We will be in Pomona with the Truck-Lite/Davco dragster and hope to walk away with my first Wally. I ran a career-best pass at the Auto Club Finals in November of 5.31 at 271, making it even more exciting to get back to that track.
Megan McKernan is the driver of the Jerry Darien-tuned Truck-Lite/Davco A/Fuel Dragster.
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