Meyer Leaves Charlotte with First Event Win, National Points Lead

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photos courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing

CONCORD, NC. (April 26, 2016) – A/Fuel dragster rookie Megan Meyer and her family-based team continue to impress in their bid for the NHRA Lucas Oil Series Top Alcohol Dragster national championship. Meyer drove her Racers Evolved dragster to her first national event victory at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals last Sunday, marking just her second national event start.

 

Meyer, the daughter of 2003 world championship tuner Randy Meyer, qualified number two with a 5.252 ET at 278 MPH. Randy gave her a consistently quick and fast race car as the 22-year old driver marched through eliminations with elapsed times of 5.308, 5.281 twice, and 5.325, all at or approaching 280 mph. Meyer and final round opponent Josh Hart were close for the first half, but the Racers Evolved machine charged ahead for the Four-Wide Wally.

 

“It was so emotional. Going down the track, I saw Josh’s nose disappear behind me by half track. I was cheering by the time I pulled the parachutes. It was everything that you dream of. It was a very emotional moment for me and for my parents. We were all crying. We were all so happy. It didn’t take us long to get this first win, but it’s been a long process. This is something we’ve been planning my entire life. It’s finally here and it’s exactly what I thought it would be,” Meyer said.

 

Meyer also received a reward for her offseason work behind the computer screen, as the NHRA presented Randy Meyer Racing with the Best Appearing Crew award. She also won Best Appearing Car at her first race last month.

 

 

“Winning that award was very rewarding. I had some help from Matt Levonas with the design. He helped design the car wrap and crew shirts. We worked together, then we had some help from Racers Evolved because the look came from their Megan Meyer Signature Series shirts. As a designer, it felt good to get those two awards at my first two races. My dad has won Best Appearing Crew before, but never Best Appearing Car, so that one was special for Randy Meyer Racing,” added Meyer, who majored in Graphic Design.
 

In addition to the on-track action, the RMR team enjoyed spending time with Charlotte-based sponsor GUNK. The team attended a Charlotte Knights baseball game with GUNK’s TORC Truck racer, Arie Luyendyk Jr., before the race. Meyer also had the opportunity to bring GUNK’s Junior Dragster driver into the staging beams for a four-wide exhibition on Sunday.
 

“That brought back a lot of memories. It’s hard to believe it’s only been five years since I made my last pass in a Junior Dragster.”

 

With her first national event win out of the way, Meyer and her team will continue to focus on consistently winning rounds. She’s been to the final round at four of the five events she’s ever entered, with three of those finals being in 2016. The Charlotte win gave her the national points lead as the team heads into the NHRA SpringNationals in Houston this weekend, a race RMR has won the last three years in a row.

 

 

“We’re all very excited for Houston. I do feel a little extra pressure after that first win to keep it going, but I have an amazing crew. It’s my parents and my uncle and a few guys who help out at various races. Those guys have been with us for years and they know how to do every job on the car. Having that consistent crew makes for a consistent car,” Meyer noted confidently.

 

Fox Sports will air their Lucas Oil Series coverage from the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on FS2 at 9 PM ET on Thursday, April 28. Re-air dates are scheduled for April 29th at 12:30 PM (FS1) and May 1st at 10 AM (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: Racers Evolved, Lucas Oil, NGK, Gunk, Herbalife 24 Nutrition, Team Racepak, Litton Financial, ARP, Horsepower & Heels, Boninfante, Copeland Race Cars, Taylor Cable, Aeromotive, and Clevite.

Tedesco Bounces Back from Super Gas Crash to Score Second TA/D Win of 2015

Courtesy of Tedesco Racing



Indianapolis, IN: Mia Tedesco’s weekend at the NHRA Lucas Oil Series Division 3 opener at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indianapolis did not start well. Saturday morning, during the final Super Gas time trial session, the 21-year-old driver suffered a violent crash behind the wheel of her C.A.R.S. Protection Plus / WeFindParts.com Chevrolet Cavalier, careening off of both retaining walls shortly after reaching a speed in excess of 170 miles per hour.

“After you’ve done this for awhile, I think it’s easy to take things for granted,” Tedesco explained. “We went up for a time trial. It wasn’t an elimination round, and the track conditions were perfect. The last thing on anyone’s mind is an accident.”

Nearing the finish line in what appeared to be a routine Super Gas run, like hundreds Tedesco has made in recent years, something went horribly wrong.

“The oil filter came loose, spraying 100+ psi of warm oil under the car moving at 170 miles per hour,” Tedesco explained. “I saw some smoke, but there was literally nothing I could do. I was completely out of control before I had time to react.”

Tedesco’s Cavalier spun completely around, first contacting the right hand wall with the left rear of the car, then spinning again to catch the left wall with the left front.

“I’ve been through one prior incident; I crashed a dragster several years ago, just after I’d started racing full size cars,” Tedesco said. “That one was completely driver error. I made a mistake, and I knew I was going to crash before it happened – it was like everything was in slow motion. This accident wasn’t like that; it was so sudden. Thank God I was able to walk away uninjured.”

Thanks to the safety equipment in place and the quality of her RJ Race Cars built Cavalier, Tedesco was unharmed in the accident. In fact, within hours she was strapped into the familiar confines of the Hirata Family Motorsports A/Fuel Dragster, ready to make a blast in excess of 270 miles per hour.

Undeterred from the incident, Tedesco and her C.A.R.S. Protection Plus / WeFindParts.com / Aamco Transmissions team put forth a dominating performance that included top qualifying honors in the Top Alcohol Dragster category, and culminated in an event victory – their second win of the young season.

Tedesco paced a strong field of TAD entrants with a 5.294 ET at 276 miles per hour, and backed up that performance with the second quickest run in qualifying: a 5.302 at 270. She then defeated Brandon Greco in the opening round with a 5.379 ET, and knocked off John Finke with a 5.537 after pedaling to recover from early tire shake.

That set up a final round matchup with the unique automatic transmission entry of Brandon Booher.

“Greco and Finke had great cars, in fact the entire field at Indy was really strong. We were concerned with every opponent; but the Booher matchup really had our attention,” said Tedesco. “They’re very consistent. They’re fast. And the automatic gives them an edge in terms of reaction time. Plus Brandon is an excellent driver. Coming into the round, we knew we’d have to be on our game to compete.”

Tedesco and her team were up to the task. As expected, Booher took a slight lead on the starting line: .039 to .061, but Tedesco was able to power past with a 5.356 run to best Booher’s slightly off pace 5.414.

“It’s such a treat to drive this car and work with the Hirata family and this team,” exclaimed Tedesco. “We won the national event in Charlotte earlier this season, but we didn’t have a great combination. We shook on several runs, and when we didn’t shake we ate up parts. But these guys have just kept working. In testing we really began to turn the corner. I don’t feel like we were dominant this weekend; it’s not like we were low E.T. of every round, but we had a fast, consistent car throughout the event. I’m really proud of our guys.”

For her part, Tedesco was extremely solid behind the wheel, varying just .003 in reaction time over her three competition rounds.

“I’m proud of that too,” said the young racer who has staged for as many competition rounds as anyone in the country in recent years. “With my sportsman background, I obviously take a lot of pride in my reaction times. But these cars are slow to react; being a good driver is really as much about being quick as it is being consistent. I’ve put in a lot of work in our practice simulator to improve my reflexes and release. Where I used to be consistently .080, I’m down to .05’s and .06’s. I keep getting more and more comfortable in the car. I’m just happy to be able to do my job – the rest of the team works so hard to do theirs!”

The event victory marked Tedesco’s second win in just four TAD appearances in 2015, and back-to-back North Central Region victories, as she won the 2014 finale in Bowling Green, KY. The win also vaulted her into 4th position in the national points chase.

In addition to C.A.R.S. Protection Plus, WeFindParts.com, and Aamco Transmissions, Mia Tedesco’s Top Alcohol Dragster efforts are backed by Hirata Motorsports, NGK Spark Plugs, Schepel Motors, and Lucas Oil. The Tedesco Racing team also depends on Renegade Race Fuels, Hoosier Racing Tires, Abruzzi Transmissions & Converters, Quick Fuel Technologies and Wilkerson Racing Engines. Mia Tedesco thanked God, her family, and her team: Jason, Krusty, Josh, Kenny, Dave Hirata, Grayson, Chiyo, Molly, and LouLou.

Mia and the C.A.R.S. Protection Plus team will be back on the track May 15-17 at Summit Motorsports Park for the next NHRA North Central Region event. There, Tedesco plans to wheel the Hirata Motorsports TAD entry, and resume competition in the 9.90 category behind the wheel of her team’s ’66 Chevy II. To keep up to date with the latest news on Mia Tedesco and the Tedesco Racing Team, follow Miss Mia on Facebook and Twitter.

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.

Driver Profile - Dave Hirata

Steve Neumann photo

Driver: Dave Hirata

Car: NGK/Schepel Auto Group A/Fuel Dragster

Hometown: Lowell, IN

Occupation: Collision/service/restoration/custom shop owner

Family: Parents – Kenny and Chiyo, girlfriend - Molly

Accomplishments: 5x national event winner, multi-time divisional event winner, 2x U.S. Nationals runner-up

First race car: A/Fuel car

Favorite movies: Bloodsport

Favorite music: Anything violent

Favorite TV shows: ESPN and the Food Network

Favorite sports teams: New York Yankees

When I'm away from the racetrack I: Work 24/7, try to go to as many concerts as I can, and find different places to eat.

Top accomplishments: Working at the family business since 1982, working with my family, and being able to win national and divisional events.

Toughest opponent: Whoever is in the other lane, because no one is not tough.

Favorite opponent: Bill Reichert; I consider him to be one of the best ever, and we want to race the best.

Favorite drivers outside TAD: Sean Bellemeur

Personal heroes: My parents and Roland Leong

I race because: genetically I didn't have a chance; my dad always raced. Also, I like the challenge of it and the people that we've met.

I race TAD because: when I started racing I wanted to run nitro. That was right at the time when they [A/Fuel cars] would run really fast or really slow. You had 100% nitro, and it seemed like there was a whole lot more you could do. The biggest reason was because I wanted to run something on nitromethane.

Pre-race rituals or superstitions: I tend to wear the same clothes at every race. If I'm driving there's a couple things in the car that I try to do every time. I have a Saint Christopher's medal on my steering wheel. When we start the car I put my finger on it. If my girlfriend is there we do this thing that I call belly bumps so we have a goofy ritual there.

Nobody knows: my age – most people don't get it. I guess it's a compliment, or compliment to my parents.

If I didn't race I would: look to work on someone else's race car, just to be out there. I would spend more time working on my personal cars. I'd probably keep my lawn a little more groomed.

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hirata-Motorsports/128855993831990
Twitter username: @davehirata
Instagram username: davehirata
Website: www.hiratamotorsports.com

Steve Neumann photo
 

Randy Meyer Struggles to Repeat Success at Norwalk National

Courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing

July 8th 2014 – With momentum of winning the past two races, the Randy Meyer Racing Team expected to deliver more success at their most recent race this past weekend in Norwalk, Ohio for the 8th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

A 14th qualifying position did not make a strong impression on Driver and Team-Owner Randy Meyer, as his Top Alcohol Dragster struggled to get down the track with parachute problems and losing traction, resulting in the car to run a 5.67 E.T. at 152 mph for the first qualifying pass, a 5.55 E.T. at 167 mph for the second session, and a 5.48 E.T. at 184 mph for the final qualifying session.

Facing the seventh qualifier, Rich McPhillips, for the opening round of eliminations, Randy did his best to tune the car to make a strong pass to defeat McPhillips, but with a difficult track and no lane choice, Randy immediately smoked the tires after launching off the starting line. Randy then backed off the throttle until he saw McPhillips struggle, and got back on the throttle only to smoked the tires once again. However, when finishing the race a head gasket damaged the motor, and Randy was late on letting out the parachutes, causing him to safely stop the car in the sand trap at the end of the track.

“It was a less than expected weekend for us,“ said Randy. “We were hoping to get our third win in a row, but we had a different outcome this weekend. We will take a break for a few weeks and get the car straightened out and ready to race for our 7-week tour that starts with the NHRA race in St. Louis in August.”

This race will air on ESPN2 on July 12th, at 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM ET/3:00 PM - 4:00 PM PT

Randy Meyer Racing would like to thank their sponsors for their support and dedication to the team: Lucas Oil, Smart Chicken, 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.

Steve Harker Grabs the Wally at Norwalk

Words and photos courtesy of Speed City Racing

From Top Qualifier to Event Winner, Steve Harker swept the Top Alcohol Funny Car Class in his Speed City-CAM2 Blue Blood Racing Motor Oil and new sponsor, Crane Trucking, Monte Carlo at this past weekend’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, July 3-6 in Norwalk, Ohio.

Australian racing veterans and longtime NHRA competitors, Steve Harker and wife, Jenelle debuted at this past weekend’s event in only their 7th national event since returning to the sport after a three year break and proving they hadn’t missed a beat. Harker took the top honors of being the number 1 qualifier in the Top Alcohol Funny Car Class after impressive runs of 5.55et at 265.12mph and 5.54et at 264.39mph.

Consistency is the game and Harker proved his experience as tuner and driver throughout the event, kicking things off in round one with a 5.58et at 263.41mph win over a red-lighting Todd Robertson.

The consistency continued in Round 2 as Harker again laid down another bracket car performance with a 5.58et at 262.82mph pass to defeat Fredd Tigges’ 5.60et at 261.47mph pass.

Semi-Finals time paired Harker and Todd Veney in a wacky battle that saw Harker getting the win light with his slowest run of the weekend 5.65et at 262.74mph defeating Veney’s 5.81et at 252.19mph pass.

In a wire-to-wire battle Harker faced off against Central Region Champion Chris Foster in a race that had the fans cheering in the grandstands. Both drivers where out to win and left nothing on the table with Harker pulling a 0.026 reaction time to Foster’s competitive 0.063 reaction time fighting Harker all the way to the 1320ft finish line. A half a car length is all it took for Harker to drive around Foster to win the event that was decided on the start line as Harker defeated Foster’s quicker 5.61et with his slightly slower 5.62et at 240.77mph pass.

Once again the folks at the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park put on a great event for the fans and the racers. Show casing spectacular weather and great performances all weekend, the Speed City-CAM2 Blue Blood Racing Motor Oil team can now notch the Norwalk Ohio racetrack off their wally list.

With support from NGK Spark Plugs, Hedman Hedders, Leanders Clutch, CAM2 Blue Blood Racing Motor Oil and Speed City, Steve Harker and team now look to take a few weeks off before competing at the LODRS Central Regional Event in St Louis, MO August 8-9.

Stalba Preparing for 2014 Season with Improved Performance, Additional Sponsors

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photos courtesy of David Smith

HAMMONTON, N.J. (February 12) – Top Alcohol Dragster driver Karen Stalba and her AA Auto Salvage team have been busy over the offseason, doing everything they can to bring home another regional championship. Karen has been securing new additional marketing partners, while her team has been working over every aspect of her nitro-burning A/Fuel Dragster. The New Jersey-based group hopes their efforts will bring the car back to its race-winning ways of 2011.

Stalba, who won the 2011 Division 1 TAD championship, struggled to perform over the last two years, winning once last year. Karen believes her team's work over the winter, as well as the introduction of new A/Fuel rules, will help bring a higher level of performance to the program.

“We found a lot of problems and inaccuracies over the winter. We had a few 'aha moments'. The team has looked over everything, making sure we have a good tune-up and the right components to start with this season. As far as the new rules, I think the added percentage of nitro will help, especially in the hot weather. Before we start playing with the new rules, we need to get our tune-up from last year sorted out,” said the mother of two.

The new rules, introduced to the TAD class in December 2013, are meant to benefit the nitro-injected A/Fuel dragsters. A/Fuel teams are allowed to use 95% nitromethane fuel, up one percent, chilled ten degrees cooler than last year's minimum temperature, running through an insulated main fuel line.

Karen Stalba will hit the track this April with new sponsors and continued support from several team sponsors.

“I'm happy to welcome NGK Spark Plugs and MAHLE to the team, who will be providing us with associate sponsorship. I'd like to thank Kris Zdral at NGK and Bill McKnight at MAHLE for choosing to support our team this year. This will also be our fifth season with Lucas Oil. We'll continue to have AA Auto Salvage, MX Industrial, and Sheetz Electric on-board with us again,” Stalba said gratefully. Karen also extends thanks to Boninfante Friction and Goodyear for the support they have provided.

Karen's family-based team will also be back for another season of NHRA Lucas Oil drag racing.

“We'll have the same crew back again this season,” Karen said. “My dad, Tom Benkovich, and Erick Cindrich, are the co-crew chiefs. They tune the car and maintain it. Larry Bucher will also be back with us. My mom, Margaret, and Erick's wife Donna also come out and help us. It's a great family operation.”

Husband Tom Stalba also helps when he can, but he will be doing double duty this year, racing in many events and several classes, including Comp Eliminator, Super Comp, and Super Gas.

Stalba and the AA Auto Salvage A/Fuel Dragster team plan on attending at least seven regional events and six NHRA Mello Yello series national events, chasing the elusive first national event win. They will start their season at the first East Region event of the year at Virginia Motorsports Park, April 4-5.

Karen Stalba is the 2011 NHRA Division 1 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion. She drives the AA Auto Salvage/Lucas Oil A/Fuel Dragster in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The team's co-crew chiefs are Tom Benkovich and Erick Cindrich. For more information on Karen Stalba and the AA Auto Salvage Racing team, please visit www.karenstalba.com. Fans can follow Karen Stalba on Facebook (www.facebook.com/stalbamotorsports) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/karenstalba).

Stalba Racing receives support from Lucas Oil Products, NGK Spark Plugs, MAHLE, Boninfante Friction, MX Industrial, Sheetz Electric, Goodyear Tires, and Associated Auto Parts of New Jersey.

TAN Driver Blog - Dave Hirata - TAD

Summer Vacation

So what does a Top Alcohol Dragster owner/driver do during a 4.5 week layoff? Work on Top Alcohol Dragster? That’s what I should be doing. But reality is I have a real job. Hirata's Lowell Body Shop, Lowell Automotive and Hammer'd restos and customs is what fuels my life fire. It’s why I have opportunities in life. Racing is in my blood. Genetically I didn’t have a choice. But our business is my real life. Lowell body shop was established in 1956 by my parents. It’s all I know and do. It’s the only job I’ve ever had. I just heard this saying, "if you love what you do, it is NOT a job" So true.

What really gives me the opportunities I have are my FANTASTIC EMPLOYEES. They make it happen...and to them, THANK YOU. I leave and the place does not miss a beat. I could probably work from home, but I was sternly told by my office manager, Nicole, that will NOT happen.

With that, the race car got put on the back burner to catch up on some real work. I also got a phone call from Route 66 Raceway a few weeks ago.  They chose my mom and dad to be their "LEGENDS" for that evening. It was a very thoughtful thing to do from them. Not a bad year for my parents - Garlits Hall of Fame, got a Norwalk nationals win, and a Legends award. In turn, we also did a little testing at Joliet that night, too. So I did get some race car action in.

Now starts our second Midwestern swing. We start at Bowling Green, move on to the U.S. Nationals and then off to Iowa. Three weeks of misery/fun coming up.  Now, what I really have to look forward to after the Iowa race is 3 days of punk rock at Riotfest in Chicago. Now there is a reason to go to work…Remember, opportunities?

 

Dave Hirata is the driver of the Hirata Motorsports/Schepel Auto Group A/Fuel Dragster. For more information on Hirata Motorsports, visit www.HirataMotorsports.com or like 'Hirata Motorsports' on Facebook.

TAN Driver Blog - Dave Hirata - TAD

Winning Ugly

I don’t believe in 13 being bad luck. When I was told how long it was since my last National win, I did some math: I was in my 30's (something), they don’t even run TAD at that event any more, we were called Federal-Mogul dragsters, and I ran a completely different motor brand (I will elaborate on 13 years ago).

The best part of my win at Norwalk was for my crew: Molly, Grayson Biehn, Chris Wells, Brian & Byron Inouye. These "mad ants" have never experienced a win with me. They have stuck it out through mostly thin lately. Seems like we have turned the corner here and I hope we can be a competitive car more often. (Super Bowl champs: the St. Louis Rams – for real) Also, this is my first win with my "car partners”: Schepel Auto Group, NGK Spark Plugs, Lucas Oil, NAPA Service Auto Parts, Impact, R&R Connecting Rods, and Protect The Harvest. We need them to race at this level and I glad I can finally report a win to them. (13 years ago “Smooth” by Santana & Rob Thomas was longest on the #1 billboard)

As spoiled racers, my "basking in glory" really lasted until I hit the Ohio turnpike. I had 5.5 hours to think about "damn, why did that car run so bad those last two runs?" Well here we are, car torn down, engine out and fixing a few things. (13 years ago the Yankees won the World Series. I’m sure no one cares about that except me.)

What made the last two runs so much more emotional for me was the fact that I had NO idea we won. I just figured when the car shook in the semi's and Brandon Booher shot out past me that we were done. I was wondering why ESPN was not near Brandon's car. I thought that was strange. The camera man pointed at me: holy crap, we won. Same thing in the finals. Our car shook and just shut off. As the NHRA track staff pushed me off the track at the short turn, I thought it was nice that one man congratulated me on our final round appearance. With my back toward the starting line, I took off my gear and heard Ray Martin's crew and horns blowing off. Really, I turned around and it was our crew. I just found out he red lit. WOW. It was definitely  our day.

The winner circle, friends, fans, pictures, and high fives were so much fun. (Barbie & Ken Addams family was a popular toy 13 years ago.) And to top it off, the best track owners in the business, the Bader's, presented me with a billet ice cream scoop. IT IS BEAUTIFUL. A big thank you to them as they’re the BEST OWNER OPERATERS AND STAFF. (13 years ago Angelina Jolie married Billy Bob Thorton. Since I won I’m sure she'll be calling me back.)

Dave Hirata is the driver of the Schepel Auto Group/NGK A/Fuel Dragster. To find out more about Dave and the Hirata Motorsports team, visit them online at HirataMotorsports.com and Facebook.