Megan Meyer Becomes Quickest Female in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster at Lucas Oil Nationals

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion

BRAINERD, MN (August 25, 2016) – NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster standout Megan Meyer added another impressive event performance to her rookie season scorecard last weekend when she qualified number one and reached the semifinals at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. She also became the quickest female in NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competition with a blistering 5.178 elapsed time during eliminations.

Meyer’s Racers Evolved A/Fuel dragster started off qualifying with a 5.539, then stepped up to the number two position with a 5.281 at 275.83 mph on Friday’s second run. With her father, Randy, making the tuning calls, Megan fired off a 5.195 at 276.41 mph to qualify number one for the second time in national event competition.

“Going into Brainerd, we had high hopes that the car would run quick due to the colder weather conditions and the fact that we have a great race car and crew with us. When we made the first qualifying pass, we were all a little bit disappointed because it was very slow and just felt really off going down the track. We made a few tuning adjustments going into the second session, and we were all hoping for a better turnout. When it flew down the track and ran the 5.19, we were all so excited to have ran that quick and reset my career best E.T.! Although we were thrilled to be the number one qualifier, that was not where we wanted to end up because of how the ladder was set up – we were aiming for the number two position,” revealed Meyer, who would have faced national points leader Joey Severance in the second round if she qualified in the second position.

Another 5.19 or even low 5.2-second run would’ve been more than enough to secure the first-round win, but the Randy Meyer Racing team isn’t one to settle for “good enough”. Meyer uncorked a 5.178 at 278 mph for an opening round win over the blown alcohol dragster of Dean Dubbin. The run gave Meyer the title of quickest female in Top Alcohol Dragster, the NHRA’s quickest and fastest Sportsman category. She followed it up with a 5.179 at a faster 279.85 on a bye run into the semifinals.

“When we pulled up to the starting line for the first round of eliminations, I was confident that we would run quick enough to get the win, even though we backed it down some on the tune-up. I was focused on getting the starting line advantage over Dean, and making it from A to B with no problems. I knew the car was flying when it screamed past the lights and I never saw Dean. I did not expect it to pick up and run a 5.17, but I'm ecstatic about it and couldn't be happier for my dad and our team. Our entire operation has proven to be incredibly successful this year, and I think having me in the driver’s seat and my dad making the tune-up adjustments works out perfectly for us. This is a huge accomplishment for our team and our sponsors, and it has always been one of my goals ever since I was a little girl to have a national record,” Meyer said.

Meyer was aiming for a decisive victory over past world champion Duane Shields in the semifinals, but her Racers Evolved dragster went into violent tire shake while Shields went on to record a 5.25 to move on.

“We're still unsure what caused it to shake,” Meyer admitted. “It shook hard early on in the run, and when I lifted off the throttle to calm it down, I didn't pedal it to try and chase down Duane. I was a little shaken up about it, but I was more upset about losing the race because we were doing so well.”

Overall, Meyer was pleased with her Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals debut. She recorded low elapsed time and top speed of the event, added 53 points to her second-place total in the national championship standings, and was able to spend time with local sponsor John Haley #1 Roofer LLC.

“We had a lot of great friends and fans visit us this weekend, and we had a lot of people from John Haley #1 Roofer LLC visit the track this weekend and cheer us on. We're grateful for our friendship and partnership with John Haley and hope everyone had a great time at the Lucas Oil Nationals.”

The next race for Megan Meyer and the Racers Evolved/Meyer Truck Center A/Fuel dragster is this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Series North Central Region race at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

ABOUT MEGAN MEYER
No stranger to a life in the fast lane, Megan Meyer grew up around the sport of drag racing. In 2004, at just 10 years of age, she was given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Junior Dragster, alongside her younger sister, and took over the driving duties with no hesitations. Megan stepped up to the Super Comp class in 2010 after a successful career in the Junior Drag Racing League, earning two track championships. She is now making the transition to Top Alcohol Dragster with her father and veteran driver Randy Meyer as her mentor and driving coach. Follow Megan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/meganmeyer.racing), Twitter (www.twitter.com/meyersisters), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/meganmeyer.racing).

ABOUT RANDY MEYER RACING
A highly respected member of the NHRA Drag Racing family, Randy Meyer has had a successful career spanning over 35 years of drag racing as driver, team owner, and crew chief from AHRA Pro-Comp to IHRA Top Fuel and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster. Focusing on the things that brought the team to existence has been the reason that Randy Meyer Racing has been so successful. In 2002 he handed the driving duties over to Gary Ormsby Jr. to become the first Top Alcohol Dragster to run in the teens with a solid 5.135 ET. The following year, Meyer tuned Alan Bradshaw to become the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion. Randy has returned to the driver’s seat since then, and has earned multiple Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 5 and Central Region points championships. For more information on Randy Meyer Racing, please visit www.RandyMeyerRacing.comand like RMR on Facebook (www.facebook.com/randymeyerracing).

Megan Meyer and the Randy Meyer Racing team receive support from the following companies: Meyer Truck Center, Lucas Oil, NGK Spark Plugs, GUNK, John Haley #1 Roofer, Herbalife Nutrition, Team Racepak, Copeland Fabrications, Aeromotive, Goodyear, ARP Bolts, MAHLE/Clevite, Litton Financial, Trinity Performance Wear, and Grinds Coffee Pouches.

Megan Meyer Prepared to Defend RMR's Lucas Oil Nationals Titles

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photos courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing and Alkey Alex Drag Racing Photos

BRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) – Powerhouse NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team Randy Meyer Racing enters this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals with intentions of winning the event for the third time in three years with as many different drivers. Team owner, tuner and driver Randy Meyer won it in 2014, former RMR driver Mark Taliaferro won last year, and now Megan Meyer looks to add her name to the history books at Brainerd International Raceway.

“Racing at Brainerd has always been a dream of mine,” Meyer said. “Some of my earliest memories are at BIR with my sister and I riding our scooters and selling t-shirts in the pits. As we got older, we were fortunate enough to bring both of our Junior Dragsters to BIR for a couple of years when they allowed juniors to race during the divisional race. Rachel and I claimed a couple of wins, and it was a really fun time to get to race at the same time as our dad and share the winner’s circle with him. Now, it's my turn to return to the track and try to take down some of the fiercest competition in the Alcohol class. I'm very excited to get back in the seat after claiming another runner-up at our last race in St. Louis,” said Megan, who is second in national points after a win and three runner-up finishes in national event competition and two runner-ups on the regional level.”

Meyer will be back to competing on her own this weekend after racing alongside younger sister Rachel at the last two races, where the Meyer sisters experienced mixed results.

“After the disappointing outing we had at the Topeka regional race, where Rachel and I both lost first round, we were all beating ourselves up pretty bad. We have some of the best dragsters in the nation and for us to go out and lose first round was very upsetting. We made some changes and ran a few test runs at the next race in St. Louis, and our efforts paid off on race day. We walked home with a Semi-Final and Runner-Up finish, and the track record mph of 274,” Meyer recalled.

A final round appearance was a timely confidence booster for Meyer, who will race for the next five weeks at national events in Brainerd, Indianapolis, and Charlotte, as well as LODRS regional events in Bowling Green, KY and Earlville, IA.

“I'm glad that we're going into our 5-week tour on a positive note and a happy race car. Over this year we've collected a lot of important data and have ran some incredible times, but we've also ended up hurting some critical parts in the process. With our rig only going home once or twice in the next 5 weeks, we have to be careful not to do too much damage so we don't run out of parts and products. Thankfully, we have some pretty great companies on board with us that supply us with the necessities of racing, such as Lucas Oil, NGK, Moroso, Boninfante, ARP, Mahle-Clevite, Goodyear and Gunk.”

This weekend, Megan Meyer and the Racers Evolved team will also receive support from John Haley #1 Roofer, a family-owned business based in Brainerd. John Haley #1 Roofer is a Twin Cities leader in residential and commercial roofing, siding, gutters, remodeling, windows and repairs.

“After first partnering with Randy Meyer Racing to advertise my business in 2014, I knew I had to partner with RMR again this year with Megan driving. The Meyer family is always fun to spend time with and they do a great job on the racetrack. I think Megan will be the #1 driver in Top Alcohol Dragster this weekend,” claimed John Haley.

“We are excited to have John Haley #1 Roofer back on board with us for the Lucas Oil Nationals again. We have a great relationship with John Haley, and we will be entertaining him and some of his guests this weekend as we try to bring his company back to the winners circle,” Megan added.

Randy Meyer shared his daughter’s sentiments, adding, “We have a tough field this weekend; even though there is a small car count, they are the quickest and fastest cars in our class. The cold weather conditions will be right for our car to run in the low 20s.

“We would like thank John for his continued support of the Randy Meyer Racing Team, and we hope to get him another Wally this weekend.”

Top Alcohol Dragster competition at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals begins on Friday with two qualifying sessions, followed by a third and final session on Saturday morning. First round of eliminations is scheduled for 2:30 PM on Saturday. Eliminations will continue on Sunday. FOX Sports will air their Lucas Oil Series coverage of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals on Thursday, August 25th, at 10 PM on FS2. Six additional replay dates are currently scheduled for FS1 and FS2.

ABOUT MEGAN MEYER
No stranger to a life in the fast lane, Megan Meyer grew up around the sport of drag racing. In 2004, at just 10 years of age, she was given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Junior Dragster, alongside her younger sister, and took over the driving duties with no hesitations. Megan stepped up to the Super Comp class in 2010 after a successful career in the Junior Drag Racing League, earning two track championships. She is now making the transition to Top Alcohol Dragster with her father and veteran driver Randy Meyer as her mentor and driving coach. Follow Megan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/meganmeyer.racing), Twitter (www.twitter.com/meyersisters), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/meganmeyer.racing).

ABOUT RANDY MEYER RACING
A highly respected member of the NHRA Drag Racing family, Randy Meyer has had a successful career spanning over 35 years of drag racing as driver, team owner, and crew chief from AHRA Pro-Comp to IHRA Top Fuel and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster. Focusing on the things that brought the team to existence has been the reason that Randy Meyer Racing has been so successful. In 2002 he handed the driving duties over to Gary Ormsby Jr. to become the first Top Alcohol Dragster to run in the teens with a solid 5.135 ET. The following year, Meyer tuned Alan Bradshaw to become the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion. Randy has returned to the driver’s seat since then, and has earned multiple Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 5 and Central Region points championships. For more information on Randy Meyer Racing, please visit www.RandyMeyerRacing.com and like RMR on Facebook (www.facebook.com/randymeyerracing).


Megan Meyer and the Randy Meyer Racing team receive support from the following companies: Meyer Truck Center, Racers Evolved, John Haley #1 Roofer, Denver Print House, Lucas Oil, NGK Spark Plugs, GUNK, Herbalife Nutrition, Team Racepak, Copeland Fabrications, Aeromotive, Goodyear, ARP Bolts, MAHLE/Clevite, Litton Financial, Trinity Performance Wear, and Grinds Coffee Pouches.

Randy Meyer Earns Brainerd National Win at U.S. Nationals

Courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing

 September 2nd, 2014 – On August 14th – 17th, the 33rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals was held at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota. Unfortunately, the race was canceled due to a tremendous amount of rain, and eliminations rounds for sportsman racers were completed at different races.

For Top Alcohol Dragster, the semi-final and final round of eliminations were to be held at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis during qualifying on Labor Day weekend. Randy Meyer, who qualified his Injected-Nitro machine in the second spot with a 5.33 E.T. pass at 269 mph, faced Dean Dubbin, the 13th qualifier, for the opening round of eliminations. Randy spun the tires on the launch, causing a slow start, but he quickly recovered the run and crossed the finish line first with a 5.41 E.T. at 265 mph.

With a not-so-full field, Randy got a free pass in the second and quarterfinal round, and ran an unopposed 5.30 E.T. at 269 mph. After this pass, however, rain interrupted the race and caused another delay. The race for Top Alcohol Dragster was postponed after the showers, and declared to be finished at the U.S. Nationals.

While in Indy, Randy faced Duane Shields for the semi-finals of the Lucas Oil Nationals, and got the round win with a 5.32 E.T. at 270 mph, but did not earn lane-choice over Tripp Tatum for the finals. Wrapping up the final round of eliminations from Brainerd during the third qualifying session of the U.S. Nationals, Randy Meyer was off the starting line first, and never looked back as he ran the quickest time of qualifying, earning the number one spot, and the Lucas Oil Brainerd National event win with a 5.27 E.T. at 271 mph.

This win was the Randy Meyer Racing Team’s fifth win of the season, and Randy’s second NHRA National event win of the year.

“We were eager for this win from Brainerd,” said Randy. “We have had a great turn-around from our struggling performance earlier this summer, and we have one of the best race cars and crews out there. I am very proud of my team, they deserve it.”

Supporting Randy Meyer Racing for this race was John Haley #1 Roofer, LLC based out of the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota, who provides residential and commercial roofing, siding, gutters, remodeling, windows, repair needs, snow and ice removal, and more (click here to learn more).

“Investing in the Randy Meyer Racing Team was a good decision for me,“ claimed John Haley, owner of John Haley #1 Roofer, LLC. “I had a lot of race cars to pick from to advertise for me during the Brainerd race, and Randy was my first choice. He has all the qualities of what it takes to be #1. He is friendly, caring, helpful to other racers in distress, and respectful of others below him on the ladder of life. He is very serious in his efforts to do the best he can to win races. I have much respect for Randy and his team, and we would like to put our name on his car again next year for the Brainerd race.”

The television schedule for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals event has not been released yet. We will announce the date on our Facebook Page: (/RandyMeyerRacing).

Randy Meyer Racing would like to thank their sponsors for their support and dedication to the team: Lucas Oil, Smart Chicken, John Haley #1 Roofer, LLC, Aeromotive Fuel Systems, NGK Spark Plugs, MOTOR MEDIC, Quik-Latch Products, Boninfante, Taylor Cable, Aeroquip Performance, Belzona Industrial Solutions, Rezner trailers, ARP, Copeland Race Cars, MAHLE Clevite, Hedman Hedders, and Moroso.

For more information on the Randy Meyer Racing Team, please visit: www.randymeyerracing.com

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RandyMeyerRacing

Duane Shields and PEAK A/Fuel Dragster Go Two Rounds at Indy

Courtesy of Rich Bailey

Nate Van Wagnen photo



At the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, it was two races in one for Duane Shields. Beside competing for the US National title, he had a little bit of unfinished business to attend to as the NHRA ran the final two rounds of the Lucas Oil Nationals from Brainerd during qualifying.

Duane was competing against Randy Meyer in the postponed semi-final round. At the start, Duane had to pedal the car but still had a super close race along side Meyer. At the other end it was Meyer taking the win with a 5.32 to Duane’s close 5.35.

Duane was then able to concentrate on winning the prestigious US Nationals title. In round one, Duane who qualified ninth with a 5.35 at 265 MPH faced Ashley Sanford. At the hit, Sanford red lit and then shook the tires. Duane went on to make a very smooth run after battling tire shake most of the weekend. Duane recorded a 5.37 at 263 MPH to advance to round two.

In the second round, Duane was determined to return the favor from his earlier defeat as he again faced Randy Meyer. As the lights came down, Duane was out of the gate first with an 0.050 to Meyer’s slower 0.094. Duane then experienced some early tire shake but was able to still make a race out of it. At the stripe, Meyer won a close one again as he rung up a 5.31 at 269 MPH to Duane’s valiant 5.37 at 268 MPH. The margin of victory for Meyer was just .0128 of a second.

Duane was very disappointed with the loss but happy with his team's effort. “The only reason we go to Indy is to win and Randy Meyer got me twice this weekend. We gave it a good effort but Indy plays out differently than other races so you never know what’s going to happen. We faced some of the best competition out there so we had the tune up on the edge and it was either going to work or it wasn't” Duane said.

Duane would like to congratulate Jay and Shelly Payne and the entire PEAK Top Alcohol Funny Car team on there big win at Indy as well as thank PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil, Final Charge, Blue Def, NGK, GRP and Brad Anderson Enterprises for all of their support in 2014.

Whiteley Out in Round Two at Brainerd

Courtesy of YNot Racing

After running not just low e.t. of the meet but low e.t. of all three qualifying sessions at the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Annie Whiteley was upset in the second round of eliminations when her car got loose and drifted over the centerline. It was the fifth time in her career that she's qualified No. 1 at a national event and the third time already this season.

"Somewhere before half-track, the car decided to make a left turn," said Whiteley, who reached the first national final event of her career at this event in 2012, her rookie season in Top Alcohol Funny Car. "I have no idea why – it left hard and until that point was running just like it had all weekend."

Whiteley wheeled her J&A Service/YNot Racing Mustang to a 5.61 at 257.63 mph to pace the field and clocked a 5.67 and a 5.64 in the other two qualifying sessions. She earned a first-round bye for being No. 1 in the short field, but following a solid 5.67 on a single that was within .01-second of low e.t. of the round, the car veered toward the centerline in round two not long after she swapped feet.

"Shane Westerfield's car broke the rear end in the pair ahead of us," Whiteley said. "I don't know if that had anything to do with it or if it was because it was misting when I staged – the conditions weren't ideal for any of us – but the car turned left right where his rear end broke. When [crew chief Roger Bateman] looked at the computer, he saw right on the G meter where something upset the tires."

The Brainerd event was the first of back-to-back-to-back events for the busy YNot team. This weekend is the Central Regional at Heartland Park Topeka, and next weekend is the most prestigious event of every season, the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, where last year Whiteley fell just short of victory in a close final-round match with Frank Manzo.

Randy Meyer Looking for a Rebound Win at Brainerd

Courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing

August 14th, 2014 – After earning three back-to-back wins this year in Houston, Topeka, Tulsa, followed by winning the Jegs AllStars in Chicago, Randy Meyer and his team were on a roll until they had issues with the safety device at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event in Norwalk, Ohio. With a couple of weeks to regroup, Randy did what he could to fix his hot rod, and took on the role of crew chief at last weekend’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Regional event in St. Louis, as Shayne Lawson piloted the Schnuck’s Top Alcohol Dragster. Unfortunately the team had an unexpected first round loss, and went home empty handed.

Eager for another win, Randy is looking forward to having a strong performance at the second race on his eight-week tour this weekend in Brainerd, Minnesota for the NHRA 33rd Annual Lucas Oil Nationals held at Brainerd International Raceway. Partnering with the Randy Meyer Racing Team for this event is John Haley #1 Roofer LLC. John Haley #1 Roofer has been a leader in providing the Twin Cities metro area with all its residential and commercial roofing, siding, gutters, remodeling, windows, repair needs, snow and ice removal, and more. They will now be serving the Brainerd/Baxter area with their top quality, dependable services. Learn more at: http://www.johnhaleynumberoneroofer.com.

 

 

 Randy will be back in the driver’s seat of his Injected Nitro machine this weekend, and will be running alongside teammate Chase Copeland in the Belzona Industrial Solutions A/Fuel Dragster. Top Alcohol Dragsters will get two qualifying runs on Friday, with the last session held on Saturday, followed by the opening round of eliminations. Eliminations will conclude on Sunday.

This race will air on ESPN2 on August 23rd, at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET/9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PT

Randy Meyer Racing would like to thank their sponsors for their support and dedication to the team: Lucas Oil, Smart Chicken, John Haley #1 Roofer LLC, Aeromotive Fuel Systems, NGK Spark Plugs, MOTOR MEDIC, Quik-Latch Products, Boninfante, Taylor Cable, Aeroquip Performance, Belzona Industrial Solutions, Rezner trailers, ARP, Copeland Race Cars, MAHLE Clevite, Hedman Hedders, and Moroso.

Make sure to follow the Randy Meyer Racing Team on Facebook (/RandyMeyerRacing) for the latest news and track updates.

Visit www.randymeyerracing.com for more information on the team

Gingles Wins His First, Manzo His First This Year

Courtesy of Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association

At the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, defending Central Region champ Gord Gingles upset reigning national champ Jim Whiteley for his first career national event victory in Top Alcohol Dragster, and Frank Manzo rode a string of 5.50s to what surprisingly is his first national event win all year in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

In the final, Gingles left with a .030-second lead and crossed the finish line first by the same amount when both drivers ran almost identical e.t.s – 5.313 for Gingles and 5.314 for Whiteley, who lost for just the sixth time in 26 career national finals.

Whiteley's J&A Service/YNot Racing blown-alcohol dragster and Gingles' Manitoba-based Bull A/Fueler qualified 1-2 and ran within a hundredth of a second of each other all day. Following a first-round single Saturday afternoon when Dr. Jerry Powell was unable to appear, Gingles ran a 5.28 against many-time national event champion Marty Thacker in round two. Earlier in that round, Whiteley made the only other run in the 5.20s in eliminations, a 5.277 that held up for low e.t., to cover Robin Samsel's 5.43.

Gingles grabbed the upper hand in the semifinals with a 5.30 win over Randy Meyer, who taken out Mark Taliaferro on a huge holeshot the round before, 5.50 to 5.33. Whiteley followed one pair later with a close 5.31 to 5.36 decision over Topeka winner Alan Bradshaw in a battle of former national champs.

In the final, Gingles, who had the best reaction time of the event, .026, in the second round, got the jump on Whiteley, .061 to .091, and won by half a car-length despite Whiteley's six-mph faster speed, 270 to 264. Whiteley also set top speed of the meet at 272.83 mph in qualifying.

In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Manzo won the Minnesota race for the second year in a row, the fourth time in five years, and the seventh time overall, including the inaugural event in 1982. What might have been a side-by-side final ended when Dale Brand, Manzo's nemesis this year, banged the blower at about the 500-foot mark. Manzo cruised to his 100^th Top Alcohol Funny Car win and 101^st national event title overall with a 5.56, his third mid-.50 of the day, as Brand slowed to a 6.88 at 118 mph.

"The car has been trying to turn the corner for about a month now, but I ruined it every chance I got," Manzo said. "This time, I decided to let the car win the race for me, and it did."

The victory was Manzo's 40th in a row in national event finals, three times more than any other driver in any class in drag racing history. His last national event runner-up was to Jay Payne at the 2006 Winternationals.

Brand eliminated Lance Van Hauen in round one with a 5.62 and Payne in the quarterfinals with a 5.59, then shut off to a 5.66 at just 220 mph on a semifinal single that may have been his most impressive run of the weekend. Manzo, who lost to Brand at the Gatornationals and in the final round of the Cordova regional this year, tested the track on his first-round, single, then took out Annie Whiteley, who narrowly fouled, in round two, and 2011 Brainerd winner Kris Hool, who gave him his best race of the weekend in the semi's, with times of 5.55 (low e.t.), and 5.57.

The win moved Manzo up to sixth in the national standings, 71 points behind leader Tony Bartone. "I'm pretty far behind," he said. "It's going to be tough."

Hunter Optimistic About Brainerd Debut

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photo courtesy of David Smith/PSA

BRAINERD, Minn. (August 15, 2013) – Despite a first round loss at his most recent event in Seattle, Top Alcohol Dragster driver Greg Hunter is optimistic as he heads to the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, August 16-18. His results at the Northwest Nationals might not show it, but Greg’s ExactAir Compliance Systems dragster is showing promise.

“We were really happy with how the car was running at Seattle. Obviously we were disappointed that we lost first round, though. We had a small issue – the car didn’t run what we thought it should have run first round. We had a bunch of new stuff on the car. It responded to everything we did so the team and I were very happy about that. We’re going to take that information to Brainerd and tune it up a bit,” Hunter said, who qualified in the middle of the field with a 5.38 and fell to event finalist Garrett Bateman first round.

This will be the Kenny Gilmour Motorsports team’s inaugural visit to the popular stop on the NHRA circuit.

“We’ve never been to Brainerd before. One of our crew guys and sponsors, Del Lloyd of Omega 2000 Cribbing, has raced there a lot so he’s looking forward to it and we’re looking forward to it for him, as well. I’m also interested to witness The Zoo,” Greg laughed, referencing BIR’s fan campground that is known for its party atmosphere.

Though the team doesn’t have any experience racing at Brainerd, Hunter believes they will be able to adjust quickly to the new setting. The natural surroundings of the track can produce conditions prime for producing horsepower.

“NHRA national event tracks are usually good. From what I understand, there are a lot of trees around the track, which usually provide us with plenty of oxygen in the air to work with. We’re really looking forward to it.”

Top Alcohol Dragster qualifying at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals is scheduled for 2:30 and 5 PM on Friday, with a last chance qualifying session Saturday morning at 10:30. Eliminations begin at 2:30 PM Saturday and continue on Sunday.

ExactAir Compliance Systems is a company that supplies compliance, maintenance and control systems for the Natural Gas Compression industry. For more information on ExactAir’s state of the art technology, visit them on the web at: http://www.exactairsystems.com

Greg Hunter and Kenny Gilmour Motorsports partner with some of the finest companies in their industries, including ExactAir Compliance Systems, Omega 2000 Cribbing, Goodyear Tire, NGK Spark Plugs, Lucas Oil, Dark Side Racing, Oasis Emission Consultants, Mopac Auto Supply, Rock Bit Industries, GRP Connecting Rods, Winberg Crankshafts, National Transmission, Paron Paint & Body, Mechanix Wear, Berube Custom Tanks, Peter Vaughn Custom Glass, Koolsville Golf Carts & Accessories, VP Fuels USA, and Top Gun Coatings.

For more information on Greg Hunter and the Kenny Gilmour Motorsports team, please visit www.kennygilmourmotorsports.com