NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Brian Lohnes: Hey everybody. It's Brian loans here at the NHRAEast coast, Wally park studio with one of our big winners from the 2020 NHRA Denso Spark Plugs U.S.Nationals, not only winning the Top Alcohol Dragster category, but obliterating a decade plus old record along the way. Megan Meyer, how are you doing? 

Megan Meyer: I'm good. How are you Brian? 

Brian Lohnes: Doing really well, the whole entire Top Alcohol Dragster category put on an incredible show over the weekend, whether we're talking Jegs, Allstars, whether we're talking to the eliminator, but you stood out of course, in particular for winning the race. But we've got to talk about these record runs first because I got to witness the first one, which happened at night 4.09, or rather 5.09 and change. And your dad, as soon as that thing went about a 100 feet, your dad put his fist in the air. So I want to know if you knew the thing was set up to do what it did?

Megan Meyer: I had no idea, which is so funny because everyone was telling me that they were showing my reaction on the top end. And I'm just standing there like I normally do just waiting for the next pair of cars to come down and wait for the guys on the golf cart to come pick me up at the top end. And I'm just so happy I wasn't like picking my nose or anything cause I was on TV and I had no idea that I was, um, yeah, you know, he never said anything before. Like if he was going to put like a bad or a great tune-up in it, um, or nothing. I mean, we were running Jackie [Fricke], so we knew that we had to step it up cause she was running amazing. Especially after she just won the Allstars. So we really had to step up. I didn't know it was going to be a tenth faster than what she ran. 

Brian Lohnes: It was wild. And so the run happens 5.07, I think the first one was and the place goes crazy. We're all losing in the announcer booth. And then, you know, drag racers are typically these doubting-Thomas-type people. So they're kind of like, 'well, is it legit?' And then you come back in the daytime and go 5.090.

And Megan Meyer drilled them with a .017 light, Cowie is all over the racetrack. And Megan Meyer 5.090, the quickest run in the history of the category. 

Once again. Same question when you went the 5.090. Did he, did your dad finally say, 'Hey listen, you might want to strap the belts a little tighter this time. '

Megan Meyer: Um, again, no, he did not tell me. So you're running Cowie, which Cowie, he's like our big nemesis. Cause you know, we're fighting, we're battling points right now. So again, really had to step it up. It was around five o'clock when we ended up running, um, didn't know like that it was going to be able to repeat because of the weather and conditions, but thankfully it cooled down because it had rained that morning. So that kind of played in our favor. Um, and yeah, you know, just hats off to my guys and to my dad for doing an excellent job at this past weekend. 

Brian Lohnes: So we moved past the record setting runs, which are certainly just backbreaking and really fun to watch. And we get down the brass tacks of actually winning the U.S. Nationals, such a different race this year in terms of the schedule in terms of the times during the day that everybody was running and the whole thing was kind of a jumble. So talk to me a little bit about by the time you make it to the later rounds, we'll talk about, say the semifinals had you really settled into a groove within yourself and you really kind of found that place you knew you needed to be at? 

Megan Meyer: It was a great weekend. You know, we were really on point that we can, especially for the fact that we were running three dragsters for the very first time, it was very stressful, Wednesday, Thursday, and then Friday, you know, we kind of struggled with the [Jegs] Allstars, but Saturday and Sunday, we were on point. Everyone was doing exactly what they needed to do during eliminations. You know, everybody did a great job. We had our best crew out there with us this weekend. Um, you know, and it was just a great weekend. Overall. We also had some college students that were interns with us with one of our sponsors Technician Academy. So they were a huge help for us in the pits and on the starting line. So, you know, again, um, just very hard to, to top this weekend, but winning the U.S. Nationals last year was pretty amazing. Winning it again for the second time is just as amazing, especially the fact that we broke the record doing so. 

Brian Lohnes: And listen, there is a pretty good size kind of spark plug war for the hearts and minds of America going on inside the NHRA you're an NGK-sponsored car. You have been for a couple of seasons and I'm sure you've got a couple of happy phone calls, when that NGK car made it to the finals that won the race at a Denso-sponsored event. 

Megan Meyer: Yeah, it's funny. Um, you know, we were trying to count all the NGK cars that had made it to the semis or finals or that won the race. And it was pretty much almost all of them. You know, you start off with Shawn Langdon and then go to Doug Gordon in [Alchohol] Funny Car, us in Alcohol Dragster and you know, all the alcohol dragsters mostly run NGK spark plugs. So pretty much everyone that made it to the semis were running NGK. And then also I want to give a shout out to my cousin Dusty. He won in Top Sportsman class in his yellow pickup truck, which also runs on NGK plugs. 

Brian Lohnes: And this is not the first time this has happened. Right? You guys have won this at the same place a couple of times if my memory serves correct?

Megan Meyer:Uh, just one time before it was at Norwalk back in 2018.

Brian Lohnes: Very, very cool. So I have to ask what's the plan for the rest of the season. This has turned into a bit of a retirement tour. You've announced that this is going to be your last season in the seat of the dragster. You're looking forward to pursue other opportunities in your life, which we certainly all respect, but I want to know what's going on for the rest of the season. 

Megan Meyer: Yes. And thank you. So I'm racing this weekend in Earlville, Iowa. It'll be my very last regional race and Earlville is a special place for us. So I'm really excited that I will get to do it at a track that means so much to me. Um, and then after that I'll be at Gainesville and Dallas and I am planning on Dallas being my very last race, unless I am first in points, then I will go out to Vegas. Um, if I need to, but I'm getting married the weekend of Houston, which is a month and a half away, which is crazy. Cause back in April when I had cancel it, it seems like October would never get here and now it's coming up quick. So, um, I'm really bummed that I'm going to be missing the Houston race cause we won that last year, but I will have other plans that weekend that I'm really looking forward to. And then next year I'm looking forward to being retired at 27 years old. 

Brian Lohnes: Well, Megan, I speak for all of us in the NHRA. It's a pleasure to watch your race, wish you all the luck for the rest of the season and uh, give them hell. I want to see this thing go down to the end. I personally would like to see you in Vegas, trying to stop whoever would dare enough to take the number one spot from you. Congratulations on back-to-back U.S. Nationals wins as well. 

Megan Meyer: Thank you, Brian. And my goal for Gainesville, cause I think we can do it as I want to beat the mile-per-hour record, and the fact that my sister is now faster than me, I've got to beat her. So I got to go 286 mph at Gainesville. 

Brian Lohnes: How about that? I like that. I'd like to see that happen. The 5.09 e.t. record, 286 on the speed and the guys that make the rules will be chewing on Maalox. It's going to be perfect. It's going to be great. You're going to keep people up at night. 

She's Megan Meyer two-time NHRA back to back U.S. Nationals champ. We'll be back with more conversations from right here in the East coast NHRA Wally Parks, virtual studio soon. I'm Brian Lohnes. Thanks for watching.