Drag Illustrated Issue 118, February 2017 | Page 83

TheHOTTEST2017
HANDS ON
Meyer is rightfully proud of the fact
that she isn’t just a driver, but also a
skilled crew member. Having worked
on her father’s cars at the shop and
in the pits since she was old enough
to handle a torque wrench, Meyer
has learned how to complete just
about any task involved with running
a nitro-injected A/Fuel dragster.
dragsters come into play. I’ve done a few different
appearances and speaking opportunities through
that, and I expect to do more of those this year.”
Meyer is clearly driven to succeed in Top Al-
cohol Dragster, a class considered by many to be
the training ground for the Top Fuel and Funny
Car ranks. After all, current and former nitro
stars like Steve Torrence, Brandon Bernstein,
Shawn Langdon, Melanie Troxel, and the three
Force daughters all spent time in an A/Fuel car
before moving up to the big leagues. Don’t expect
Meyer to be too eager to make that same jump
anytime soon, though.
“It’s a tough decision, because I would love to
stay in A/Fuel for as long as I can, but there is that
desire to move up to Top Fuel and to be in that
competition. For me, that desire isn’t as strong
as some other young drivers in my class.
“You never know. [Moving up to Top Fuel] is
something that has come up at the end of 2016,
but it’s something that we haven’t really talked
about. We just put it on the back burner because,
like I’ve told everyone, I’m going to get a champi-
onship before I move up to Top Fuel. I don’t want
to hurry up and rush and go to Top Fuel without
establishing a good history in A/Fuel. I want to
be able to compete as much as I can, to have my
name be one that people remember.
“To me, that means more than all the media
and everything that you can get in the Top Fuel
class. I mean, it’s fun to be able to race something
that goes that fast and to be in that kind of at-
mosphere with the fans and everything, but it’s
just…I don’t know. It’s just not as fun as racing
A/Fuel and doing it with your family and doing
it with people who you love and racing against
people who are your best friends. To me, that
means more than the fame of being a Top Fuel
driver. But yes, I would like to run Top Fuel one
day. If I did, I don’t know how long it would last,
but yeah. I would say I’ll spend five more years in
A/Fuel and then, who knows? I mean, I could get
the championship this year and then be in Top
Fuel next year,” Meyer posits. “You never know.”
It’s a bold prediction, but Meyer has been ac-
curate in calling her shots. She reiterates, though,
that the glitz and glamour of racing at the sport’s
highest level isn’t strong enough to lure her away
from the familiar atmosphere offered by the class
she’s grown up with. The draw to Top Fuel isn’t
strong enough yet, anyway.
“There’s not that kind of pressure in A/Fuel.
There’s no tension here; it’s laidback and it’s com-
fortable. And that’s what I love doing. But I have
been drag racing my entire life and I would like
to go all the way to the top. I would say in five
years, I’ll be in a Top Fuel dragster.”
DI DI DI
DI DI DI DI
DI DI DI
D r