Women in Racing

Meyer captures another Runner Up

July 13, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster rookie sensation, Megan Meyer captures another Runner Up finish at the . Meyer was able to navigate her Racer’s Evolved A/Fuel dragster through a tough field, to secure another runner-up finish, her fifth final round appearance of the season.

With the Jeg’s All Star event activities being hosted in Chicago, Meyer and her Randy Meyer Racing team had their hands full with a double race extended schedule that included her father/mentor, Randy competing in the All Star Challenge.

“We had our hands full all weekend at the Route 66 Nationals with running two cars, and two races,” Meyer stated on the busy weekend. “Coming off of a 2nd round finish at my last National event in Norwalk, I was excited to get back in the car and go a few more rounds.”

In qualifying, Megan Meyer would post a 5.501 second at 263.87 mph pass, good enough for a spot in the top half of the field for the opening session. Round two, she would improve significantly, running a 5.288 second, 271.95 mph pass that would shoot her to the No. 2 spot at the close of the second session. In the third and final round, Megan would post her quickest qualifying pass of the weekend, with her 5.279 second, 274.61 mph performance earning the No. 5 final qualifying spot entering eliminations.

Meanwhile, Megan’s dad – racing teammate and mentor, Randy Meyer, was able to snag the No. 8 position in the Jeg’s All Star Challenge. He would advance to the the semi-finals before exiting.

Sunday Eliminations

Typically, the Top Alcohol Dragster opening round of eliminations takes place on Saturday evenings during the National events, but with the added All Star program, Race Day eliminations for the class would take place all on Sunday. This placed added stress on the Randy Meyer Racing team, who had 40 minutes between rounds to service both cars.

“Having first round on Sunday morning was a different schedule for us, but it proved to be a fun-filled day for our team. We were very limited on time between rounds with only 40 minutes, and we were fortunate to not have to do any major repairs. With the great group of guys that we have on our team, we were able to power through the tear-downs and make all necessary tuning adjustments, and still had a very consistent car to win.”

No. 5 qualified Megan Meyer paired against No. 12 Wayne Butler for the opening round of eliminations, marking the first time the two would meet in competition. Though Butler would post his quickest pass of the weekend, it was not enough to hold off Meyer, who left first and never trailed for the win, running 5.300 seconds, at 266.58 mph. She would earn lane choice entering round two against No. 4 qualified Rich McPhillips.

McPhillips would snag a slight starting line advantage over Meyer in round two, but the Racer’s Evolved dragster was able to make up the difference in the first 60’, charging onto the win with a 5.287/273.72 mph performance to McPhillip’s losing 5.380/271.84 mph effort.

Her deadly consistency would carry into round three as she faced No. 1 qualified, Mia Tedesco. The TAD Ladies match-up marked the first time the two would meet in eliminations, and it would be Tedesco who would take the starting line advantage. But Megan covered the distance quickly, and thundered on to take the win, 5.308/272.61 mph to Tedesco’s 5.407/276.41 mph effort.

Meyer Captures another Runner Up

Meyer would carry the advantage of lane choice entering her fifth final round of the year against No. 6 qualified Joey Severance. The two had only met once previously – in the finals of the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka; where Meyer took home the runner-up trophy. She was ready to avenge that loss in this final, but would run an off-paced 5.397/ 272.34 mph pass, leaving Severance his 13th career National event win and Meyer captures another Runner Up finish to add to her impressive rookie season.

“This was the second time that I have faced Joey in the final round, and so far he has been the better car. Joey and the Severance family have a great record so far for the 2016 season and they have always been the one to beat. We tried our best in the final round, but had a hole out early and could not get enough speed to pass him for the win.”

Meyer leaves the event in second place for the Lucas Oil National points series, two points above Rich McPhillips and 116 below Joey Severance. She still retains her No. 2 position in the Regional series behind Gord Gingles.

Next Event: Sisterly Debut?

Megan Meyer and her Randy Meyer Racing team will return home for the Regional event at Heartland Park Topeka on July 28-30th. A rumored Top Alcohol Dragster debut by Megan’s sister, Rachel Meyer, is expected should she be able to earn her TAD license within the two weeks before the race. Rachel Meyer will drive the Randy Meyer Racing Dragster typically driven by her father, Randy, and the Regional event would be her first Top Alcohol Dragster event debut.

Alexis DeJoria’s appearance at Gino’s East

July 7, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA Drag Racing fans can take part in a special meet and greet opportunity with Funny Car driver Alexis Dejoria’s appearance at Gino’s East. The top ten-ranked Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car driver will join Jordan Himmel in the kitchen of the renowned Gino’s East establishment tonight to help make the world-famous Gino’s traditional Chicago-style deep dish pizzas. DeJoria will then jump behind the bar to teach Himmel how to make her version of a perfect Patrón margarita, and sign autographs for fans in attendance.

Alexis DeJoria’s appearance at Gino’s East

The Alexis DeJoria appearance at Gino’s East will kick off at 5:00 PM in the Chicago establishment, and serve as the unofficial opening activities for her weekend at the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, IL. The fan-favorite event at Route 66 Raceway, located at Chicagoland Speedway south of Chicago, marks the official start to the second half of the 24-race 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

WHEN: Thursday, July 7
5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.

WHERE: Gino’s East
162 E. Superior St.
Chicago, Ill. 60611

Tough weekend in Norwalk for Megan Meyer

July 1, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

A tough weekend in Norwalk for Megan Meyer, Top Alcohol Dragster rookie and driver of the Racer’s Evolved/Randy Meyer Racing A/Fuel Dragster. The young driver had her hands full at the 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, OH as she fought her way into the field after a tough start in qualifying.

Mechanical Issues in Qualifying

In the first two rounds of qualifying, Meyer’s Racer’s Evolved Dragster was up in smoke right at the hit, resulting in aborted runs, leaving her outside the field from the bottom of the ladder. To make matters worse, scary incidents plagued both runs. In the first qualifying session, the throttle stuck open on Megan’s dragster as the tires went up in smoke, doing extensive engine damage to her A/Fuel powertrain. The Randy Meyer Racing team had their hands full swapping engines to their spare back up engine between rounds to prepare for the second qualifying session. With the spare in place, Megan again went up in smoke on the hit, and narrowly avoided a down track incident when her competitor’s rear tire came apart.

Lots of unnecessary damage done in Q1 due to the throttle stuck open while smoking the tires. We put the spare in for Q2, only to smoke the tires again. Fortunately, I didn’t get hit by the exploding tire in the lane next to me. Today was not our day, but tomorrow will be a different story,” Meyer said after a disappointing Friday in qualifying.

This gave Megan only one shot on Saturday to break into the field and qualify for eliminations. In a last ditch effort, Meyer was able to catapult her Racer’s Evolved Dragster from the No. 21 spot all the way to the No. 4 position, running a 5.373 second E.T. at 270.75 mph.

It wasn’t the best, but we made it. A tire shaking 5.37 at 270 mph put us in the top half of the field. I was so nervous to qualify, I almost left before the tree activated,” said Meyer of her stressful qualifying experience in Norwalk.

Eliminations – Norwalk, OH

During the opening round of eliminations Saturday evening, Megan Meyer would face No. 12 qualified John Finke. She would take the early advantage at the tree and never looked back, running a 5.346 second, 271.52 mph pass, her fastest of the weekend, to defeat John Finke for the first round win.

This would place her into round two against the other Finke car driven by Jackie. This time, Jackie would avenge the first round loss, as a distracted Meyer left late with an uncharacteristic 0.238 reaction time, giving Finke the holeshot – a 5.406 second, 274.11 mph pass to Meyer’s losing 5.367 second, 270.59 mph performance.

Though the weekend wasn’t what they expected, she ends the weekend still No. 2 in the 2016 NHRA Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings, trailing the leader Joey Severance by less than 100 points.

Meyer also enjoyed another special race weekend FitCamp provided by Megan Meyer Racing partner, Trinity Performance Wear. They kicked off Sunday morning with a great workout session, offering fans and other racers a chance to train with Megan and Trinity Performance Wear, and even extending some special offers on clothing and accessories.

Undeterred, Megan Meyer and her Racer’s Evolved/Randy Meyer Racing team are already looking forward to their next events: in Chicago for the Route 66 NHRA Nationals July 7-10; the Jegs All Star event th Meyer and her father, Randy will be racing.

Changing the Stereotypes About Female Racers

June 24, 2016 // by Scott Huntington

Stereotypes About Female Racers

Do a Google search for “female race drivers.” Go ahead. See anything… interesting? Of the ten results on the first page, these are some of the headlines you might notice:

Top 10 Hottest Female Race Car Drivers Around the World
8 Female Racers Hotter Than Danica Patrick
10 Most Appealing Female Race Car Drivers
World’s Top Ten Hottest Female Race Car Drivers
The 10 Hottest Female Race Car Drivers

An astounding half of the articles are about looks, and four of five use the word “hottest.”

It’s 2016. Women fight alongside their male counterparts in many of the world’s military forces, run major corporations and hold powerful positions in global politics — yet in many ways the racing world still treats women as second-class citizens.

Why is it that the motorsports community takes this outdated view of its female participants, and what can be done to change it?

A Slow Start

Motorsports started life as a male-dominated institution. People raced cars since the late 1800s, before women’s rights were even brought into question. It took decades for women to gain access to racing venues. Having managed that much, female racers face an image crisis that must be overcome to attract new young drivers.

In recent years, Danica Patrick has become the face of female racers. Patrick has demonstrated her skills in 2013 earning pole position and a top-10 finish at the Daytona 500, but her starring role in sexually charged GoDaddy advertising campaigns has been critiqued as a step backwards by her peers.

Finding a Following

But a new generation of women drivers are earning the respect of young followers by winning without seeking the attention of FHM. British driver Pippa Mann raced the Indianapolis 500 for her 5th time this year. NHRA champion drag racer John Force’s daughters, Courtney and Brittany Force, have risen to stardom in the world of drag racing, with Courtney taking home the 2016 Spring Nationals trophy. The win marked 5-in-a-row for female NHRA drag racers.

We’re competing with the guys and winning races against them,” says Force. “I think that’s making a huge impact on young fans who are watching and tuning in and seeing these girls in 10,000-horsepower cars going rounds and winning.”

Holding the Line

Indeed, wins and not just appearances are what is needed for women to be taken seriously — and for young fans to get excited about the prospect of going racing. However, the boys still hold an unfair advantage in most racing disciplines.

When there are only a handful of competitors representing your gender, the odds are stacked. This dynamic isn’t going away anytime soon, but it’s important that females realize their place in the racing world out of their own desire to compete, rather than be forced into the sport and then misappropriated as eye-candy.

I think it absolutely is possible for women to do well in F1,” says Formula 3.5 racer Beitske Visser. “Of course it would be nice if we had more girls on the grid. But it has to be something they want for themselves.”

What else can you do?

There are a number of ways to get involved, and to help change the stereotypes of female racers. It starts with focusing on gender equality as a whole, and then bringing the same ideas into racing. Both males and female can make a difference.

Start paying more attention to female racers. This very website your on is a great place to get started, as it’s filled with tons of great resources and articles.
Watch your mouth. Pay attention to the language you’re using, and avoid backhanded compliments like “she’s a pretty awesome driver for a girl” or “I didn’t expect her to win.”
Get involved online. Start commenting on forums and blogs. Don’t get overly “social justice warrior” on people, but be kind and spread the word about the great things females are doing.
Find unique ways to participate. There are tons of ways you can get involved in racing and car culture. For example, check out this awesome video Shelbie Rassler created to win a college scholarship. She made an entire song just using the sounds of a Mustang:

Source: CJ Pony Parts

Or, become a racer yourself. What better way to show that girls can race than to get out there and prove it?

The world is changing when it comes to stereotypes about female racers. Unfortunately, it still has a long way to go, but a little help can make a big impact.

Larsen to appear on Jay Leno’s Garage

June 24, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Florida Institute of Technology Jet Dragster driver, Elaine Larsen to appear on Jay Leno’s Garage in July with a special episode that sees the popular television host join the Larsen Motorsports Jet team in Florida.

Jay Leno, the popular celebrity host and avid car collector, is set to take on Elaine and the Larsen Motorsports Jet operation in an upcoming episode of the CNBC television show, Jay Leno’s Garage.

Former late night show host Jay Leno, has created a new reality TV show to showcase his automotive passion, called Jay Leno’s Garage. The show follows Jay and his colleagues as they explore a wide variety of different cars, motorcycles and anything that moves all while meeting new people and making new acquaintances along the way.

The episode will air Wednesday, July 13th at 10pm ET/PT.

Visit LMSJETS.com for more updates on the show, exclusive, behind the scenes footage, and contests to win prizes!!!

Watch Jay Leno vs. Elaine Larsen – Jet Dragster

Elaine Larsen is the thrusting force behind the Jet Dragster superteam, Larsen Motorsport, home of the fastest girls in town. Can Jay Leno handle the heat in a drag race against Elaine? Tune in to the next episode of Jay Leno’s Garage to find out who wins.

Enders partners with Dutch Boy Paints

June 24, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Erica Enders partners with Dutch Boy Paints and Menards for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event this weekend at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

Enders will drive the Elite Motorsports prepared Dutch Boy/Menards Dodge Dart at the 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

“I’m honored to drive the Dodge Dart this weekend with such a recognizable brand on the door and the hood of our car,” Enders said. “I’m glad they’re giving us an opportunity to show them what we can do for them.”

To help kick off the partnership, Enders made an appearance at the Menards store in Sandusky, Ohio, on Wednesday. Menards has more than 280 home-improvement stores throughout the Midwest and is known as the low-price leader. The company has backed motorsports for many years, in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR, and ARCA.

Dutch Boy Paints, available at Menards stores, continues to be an industry leader in delivering innovative and high-quality products and packaging solutions.

Enders became the first woman to win the Pro Stock championship in 2014, earning the title in the final round of the final race. She repeated in 2015, winning nine times and setting NHRA records along the way. She is the only driver in NHRA history to win three consecutive final rounds on holeshots.

Enders and her Elite team partnered with Dodge to field the new Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart for the 2016 season.

Parise joins forces with Aerospace Components

June 15, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Ladies supporting and working together is one of the most key elements of success for women’s advancement in automotive and motorsports. Recently, two very important women in drag racing have joined forces to align and support one another in the racing industry.

2015 IHRA Crower Pro Modified reigning World Champion, Dina Parise and Aerospace Component’s President, Kim Kussy have just announced a very special mutual partnership for the duration of the 2016 season. Parise joins forces with Aerospace Components on her award-winning Cadillac CTS-V Pro Modified, nicknamed “Stella”.

When Kim (Kussy) and I first met, we hit it off. Two hard working women in this amazing industry both loving every minute of it. What’s not to like, right?”, said Parise of her first meeting with Aerospace Component’s President, CMO and co-founder, Kim Kussy.

With the Dina Parise Racing team’s longstanding history of advocating and supporting our nation’s veteran population and active military, the two ladies shared a mutual passion for our United States Armed Forces. Aerospace Components began as a MIL-Spec certified contractor for government projects, and is proud to employ many veterans in their facility. Parise has campaigned several tribute racecars that help honor and celebrate the sacrifices made by our service men and women. They participate in many events in support of veterans – both publically and privately.

I have always said it’s not about getting to the stripe first,” Parise says. “But the journey you take to get there”.

Since their military roots, Aerospace Components has involved to become a very active supporter of the Drag Racing industry. They are a contingency supporter of the National Mustang Racer’s Association and the National Muscle Car Association, rewarding racers in contingency awards on 5 products (Brakes – Front and Rear); Vacuum Pump, Water Pump, Fuel Pump and Shifter) in all classes and series with Promedia for the past five years. They also sponsor the Aerospace Winner’s Circle for all the Promedia series and events. In addition, Kim works closely with the NHRA to award a very special “ Aerospace Component’s “Excellence in Engineering” Wally award at select national events.

Both Dina and Kim have built a very dedicated and engaged community of fans and customers through their social media outreach efforts, sharing success of their peers and customers.

Dina interacts regularly with fans through special live videos of her time on the road with the rest of the Dina Parise Racing team and other special messages, often touching on important topics she feels passionate about. Kim hosts a video series entitled “Kimmy’s Garage” that teaches and educates consumers about their products, how they are made and installation instructions.

The female racing powerhouse partnership between DPR and Aerospace Components is an exciting new development that both are looking forward to showcasing to the industry. Aerospace Components joins other key supporters of DPR in Eastwood, CRC Auto, NGK, Lucas Oil, Speedwire Systems, Hussey Performance, Hoosier, Motorsports Unlimited and Crank It Media.

Car Chix Ladies Only Drag Race

June 7, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Our friends over at Car Chix have announced their next Ladies Only Drag Racing event at Bryon Dragway in Byron, Illinois. This event is a special program held for women competing in all levels of competition — from beginner to Pro level racers.

Car Chix Ladies Only Drag Race

Date: Saturday, July 23, 2016
Location: Byron Dragway –
Gates Open: 9:00AM
Racing Begins: 10:00AM
Ladies Only Driver’s Meeting: 10:00AM

Racing Information

Regular Tree 1/4 Mile Bracket Race
2 Rounds of Qualifying Before Eliminations
All racing vehicles must pass NHRA Tech
NO BOXES

Class Information:

Street (11.50 & Slower)
Pro (11.49 & Faster)
Bikes

Drag Racing for Life Fundraiser

The event is Car Chix’s annual Drag Racing For Life fundraiser, benefitting the All About Me Program at Rochelle Community Hospital. There will be a mix of 50/50 Raffles, Item/Ticket Raffles, Silent Auctions & Contests throughout the day with proceeds benefitting breast cancer awareness and prevention – All About Me Program.

Career best finish for Pippa Mann

May 31, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Sunday’s 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 resulted in a career best finish for Pippa Mann. The lone female driver to compete in this year’s Indy 500, Mann showed one of the strongest runs of her career at the famed event, running as high as eighth, and ultimately finishing 18th.

Mann qualified for the 33 car field in the No. 63 Honda with Dale Coyne Racing, her third year under the banner of Susan G Komen. Her Indianapolis 500 campaign promoted breast cancer awareness and included a crowdfunding effort with a goal of raising $100,000 for the cause.

Starting the race from the 25th grid position, Pippa Mann avoided several on-track incidents with the help of her spotter team, delivering a clean and consistent performance. With each pit stop, Mann praised the performance of her car to the Dale Coyne Racing crew, repeatedly asking that little on the car be changed.

As the race went on, we were able really keep improving the car at the stops,” said Mann. “As the track got hotter and more difficult to drive for the other people out there, our car kept getting better and better. That’s a great thing to have happen during a race like this.”

A full course caution came out with less than 40 laps to go, and the Dale Coyne Racing crew brought Pippa into pit lane under yellow for a full service stop. She restarted in 16th, and with 21 laps to go, she cracked her way into the top 15. The rest of the field showed their hand, running low on fuel, with cars pitting one by one. As laps wound down and tension increased, Mann cleanly climbed her way to 8th position, hoping for a late race caution to allow for fuel conservation. With four laps to go, the crew of the No. 63 Susan G. Komen Honda called Pippa in for a splash of fuel, rejoining in 18th position.

The 18th place finish marks an Indianapolis 500 career best finish for Pippa Mann, boosted by running in eighth position in the final laps. Although that late race caution the team so eagerly hoped for never came, Mann expressed satisfaction in her performance.

At the end there, we were really hoping for that lucky yellow, and we’d have come away with an incredible result,” remarked Mann. “I still have to be happy we had such a strong run here, especially seeing how hard the guys worked all day and all month long.”

At the time of the checker flag, Mann and Susan G. Komen’s crowdfunding efforts raised $68,500, almost $10,000 more than the year before. The fundraiser can be viewed on the official Get Involved Campaign on Indiegogo.

“I want to thank BREVAGenplus for believing in me and this car. I’m grateful they came on board to partner with us to make this year’s Indianapolis 500 possible. It’s really great to be able to represent a brand that has so many ties in the breast cancer space and whose mission is so similar to that of ours: to end breast cancer forever.”

Shirley Muldowney diagnosed with Lung Cancer

May 24, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Legendary NHRA three-time Top Fuel World Champion and Women in Racing pioneer, Shirley Muldowney has been diagnosed with Lung Cancer, reported today by NHRA.com. The 75 year-old has been diagnosed with Stage 2 lung cancer, and is scheduled to undergo surgery at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in downtown Charlotte, NC early tomorrow morning to remove the tumor from her right lung.

Renowned thoracic and cardiac surgeon Dr. Harold Howe will lead the team performing the five-hour-long procedure.

I urge everyone to keep up with their health and get chest X-rays as often as possible to make sure they are OK,” the 75-year-old Muldowney said. “I’m a fighter, always have been, and I’m going to fight this as best I can with everything I got. Dr. Howe is the No. 1 guy in the business, and he’s as ready as I am to get this thing out of me.”

Muldowney began her racing career in the 1950s, becoming the first woman to earn a professional NHRA license in 1965. She raced gas dragsters before graduating to Funny Car, winning her first major race in 1971 at the IHRA Southern Nationals. She moved onto Top Fuel in 1973, and was the first woman to win an NHRA Professional class race in 1976 at the Columbus, OH Springnationals.

In 1974, she earned the NHRA Top Fuel championship after becoming the first driver in the class to win three consecutive national events. It was the first time a female driver had won a major motorsports title anywhere in the world. Muldowney earned the Top Fuel crown again in 1980 and 1982, and she earned the AHRA Top Fuel championship in 1981, her fourth major championship in a six-year period.

“The fans have always been what’s kept me going, and I’m sure people will be concerned about me now,” said Muldowney, who had a movie, Heart Like a Wheel, made about her life. “Well don’t be; I’ll be fine. There’s still a lot of things left I want to do.”

In lieu of flowers or cards, Muldowney is asking her friends and fans to donate to her charity, Shirley’s Kids. Muldowney has championed the charity this season, and already has helped four children in need with large cash donations at races in Gainesville, Charlotte, Houston, and Atlanta. Because of corporate support, Shirley’s Kids gives 100 percent of all donations to the children it helps.

The most joy I’ve had in years has come this season working with our little team at Shirley’s Kids,” Muldowney said. “Stan and Sheila Mae Holt have covered all our costs so all the money we raise goes to the kids, and Rob Geiger, Nicci Gustavus, and Frank Bellini have worked tirelessly to make this thing a success. If people can find it in their hearts to make a donation, that would brighten my spirits immensely because I know where all the money in this charity goes — right to the kids that need it. And believe me, we have changed some people’s lives for the better. “

Due to her current medical condition and the doctor-recommended recovery and rehabilitation time, Muldowney’s agent, Geiger, announced that scheduled appearances at the NHRA national events in Englishtown and Bristol will be canceled. Her future schedule will be largely dependent on her health moving forward, and other appearance dates will be announced on ShirleysKids.org.

Thank you in advance for all the love and prayers. It all helps. My sister [Linda Roque] and niece [Betty Peek] along with Stan and Sheila are here with me, so I’m in great hands.”