“It’s Refreshing and It’s New” - Megan Meyer Finds New Energy in IHRA’s Reimagined Top Alcohol Scene
- Logan Morris
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
By Logan Morris
Megan Meyer is a two-time NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion. There’s not much she hasn’t accomplished in the class. After stepping away from full-time competition in 2020, she returned to the track at the newly renamed Darana Dragway in Milan, Michigan, for IHRA’s revival. Before her qualifying runs on Friday, I caught up with her to talk about what brought her back. Her excitement about the IHRA’s return was clear, and for her, it’s about more than just racing.
“We’re very excited, we’ve been looking to do something different than just only doing NHRA, so this gives us that opportunity. We tried to do something with the Nitro Chaos Series, but you know that didn’t work out in our favor, so we’re happy that there’s another option out there for us to keep racing.”
When asked what specifically drew her to the revived IHRA, Megan didn’t hesitate to credit her father, Randy Meyer. A longtime competitor in the IHRA throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Randy was never able to capture the elusive Ironman trophy. As one of the most respected tuners in the sport, his legacy is significant, but this particular honor has remained just out of reach. Megan made it clear that her mission is about more than personal achievement.
“It would mean a lot, we always love to get all the different trophies out there, so the fact that it is something different and prestigious is something really cool. Also, just to be out here racing with these guys, it means a lot to us, and I really want to help my dad get the win because he tried so hard and never got it so it’s more for us, helping him live out his dream.”
Although she’s already made history in drag racing, Megan isn’t done exploring new challenges. She recently stepped into a completely different form of motorsport.
“I also just got started racing off-road too, so that’s still kind of new out there too. I just did my first race last weekend. It’s fun, but none of this [drag racing] applies to off-road racing, so I’m learning a whole lot of driving skills, but just being able to have the mindset of competition and not letting other people play games with you. That does apply - just not the actual driving skills don’t. So, I feel like I have an advantage to carry that over into off-road and I feel like I’m going to be learning new skills that I will bring back here to drag racing too.”
One thing that continues to excite her about Top Alcohol Dragster is the variety in the competition. It’s a refreshing change of pace compared to the familiar NHRA field.
“The fact that we get to come here and race against different people is fun, so NHRA it’s the same people you race with over and over again. So, it gets repetitive and it gets mundane. So, with this, it’s refreshing and it’s new, it’s new competition, but the fact that we have our crew guys, who are not paid, they are all volunteers, they are so passionate about it and wanted to help us win. So, that always keeps me coming, is to feed off of their energy and their dedication to it because this is what they do for fun, so we’ve got the best guys here.”
At this stage of her career, Megan’s motivation is rooted in her family and the desire to pass on the passion for racing to her children.
“The fact I get to come and do it with my family, and my sister and I are very competitive with each other growing up in racing. We always do the same thing together, always trying to one-up each other. The races I have been doing have not been with her, it’s been with my other teammates. It is more fun to have my sister here, we can feed off of each other’s energy, it’s a little bit more realizing, and I’ve got my son here too. Just trying to show him and motivate him to get into racing. We aren’t going to push him or anything. That’s what our dad did for us, he never forced us or pushed us, but it was always around and he was like, ‘if you want to do it, you have to show me you’re interested. Show us that you want to do it.’ Ever since we were little, my sister and I have always been super dedicated to it and when I got my first car, which was a Junior Dragster. He made us work for it, so I feel like we still have that passion and drive.”
Megan Meyer will be chasing the coveted Ironman trophy on Saturday. Eliminations begin at 1:30 p.m. ET at Darana Dragway in Milan, Michigan.