Most know Randy Meyer as a kingpin of Top Alcohol Dragster, but the veteran racer from Olathe, Kansas, has roots that stretch deeper into drag racing history.
Meyer, a former Top Fuel driver, was a regular on the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) tour, finishing in the Top Fuel top 10 points for four straight seasons. This month marks 30 years since he lost in the final round of the 1995 IHRA Empire Nationals at New York International Raceway, just outside Rochester.
Meyer isn’t driving at this weekend’s rejuvenated IHRA event at National Trail Raceway, but his daughters Megan and Rachel Meyer are. They headline a loaded Top Alcohol Dragster field, and Meyer hopes to see them square off in the final round to complete his own unfinished business.
Meyer owns two IHRA Top Fuel runner-up finishes: the 1994 World Nationals and the 1995 Empire Nationals, where he lost to Doug Herbert.
“The one against Herbert I red-lit away,” Meyer said. “The other one, we had a little crew error. But both of them, we had the best car at the time, and so I feel like I have some unfinished business at IHRA, and we haven’t.”
For Meyer, it’s not just about redemption. He’s also eager to see his daughters race one of his A/Fuel Dragsters on a national stage.
“They haven’t really had the opportunity to race that much on a national level,” Meyer said. “So this is going to be a new adventure for them, a little bit. They’ve raced quite a bit in regional races, which is easier to do, but nationally it’s much tougher. Hopefully, we will have a good, fun family outing and put a good show on for the people that are coming out to support IHRA.”
Megan and Rachel have raced sparingly at the national level in recent seasons. For Megan, a past NHRA champion, this weekend marks just her second outing of 2025 after finishing second in the 2023 Nitro Chaos series championship.
Rachel last drove in 2023 when she won the Nitro Chaos event at Mo-Kan Dragway, beating Megan in the final.
“We’ve raced against each other before many times in Top Alcohol Dragster and Super Comp and Junior Dragster classes, but doing this new series together adds something special,” Megan said. “The IHRA Nitro Outlaw format brings in a fresh crowd and a new level of excitement that I’m proud to be part of. This is the kind of grassroots energy that drag racing needs.”
“I’m beyond excited to get back behind the wheel,” Rachel added. “My husband has won an Ironman trophy before, but not me, so I love that I have the opportunity to try to win one and tie with my husband.”
Meyer began his IHRA Top Fuel career in 1988 and raced through 1995, stepping away after Rachel was born.
“I had too many irons in the fire, so then I pulled the plug on the Top Fuel deal because I was building up my business,” Meyer said. “I had built a brand new building and just had a lot going on. I decided that racing was the best thing to put on hold for a while to get the kids going and getting the business better, and it ended up being a good move.”
Looking back, Meyer said he’d make the same decision again. What he missed most, he said, were the people and the uniquely level playing field of the IHRA.
“We ran a lot of people who were on our similar level,” he said. “We didn’t have the John Forces and the unlimited-money people all the time. So, you race against people who had small businesses or were hard-working individuals who worked on their own cars and drove, tuned, and did everything else. We didn’t have a whole lot of big-time paid crew chiefs making all the calls and trying to buy the win and everything else. Some people did, but most of them were like me. They were just average blue-collar guys trying to get away to go somewhere on the weekend, have fun.”
In his second act, Meyer has become a titan in the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks, mentoring and fielding championship-caliber cars.
“It’s kind of my way to feel good about giving back to the sport,” he said. “I tell people, the biggest satisfaction I get is when [a new driver] wins a race, and you can’t take that away. And once they win one, they’re a winner, just like McKenna [Bold] did last weekend. She’ll have that memory forever, even if she never has another one. To me, that’s what it’s about. Making that everlasting relationship with her and having a smile that she can have forever.”
Meyer has guided graduates like Justin Ashley, Julie Nataas and Hunter Green through successful transitions into fuel racing. But his most valuable lesson as a mentor has been knowing when to step back.
“You’ve got to be smart enough to know what your priorities are in life,” Meyer said. “I have friends who, ten years after they are done, are still trying to figure out how to pay off their debts and stuff, and have been divorced and everything else. It’s no different than any business. You have to know your limitations and stay in your lane, knowing your boundaries. And I think that’s one thing that we’ve done okay at.”
