Top Alcohol Dragster racer Megan Smith persevered through perhaps one of the most pressure-filled Top Fuel debuts on record Friday night at the annual World Series of Drag Racing at Cordova Dragway.
The third-generation driver sat in Del Worsham’s Top Fuel dragster at Cordova Dragway as the national anthem played, looking out at a capacity crowd at the sport’s longest-running independent drag race. Smith looked toward her mother, Rhonda Hartman-Smith, a respected Top Fuel veteran, who would back her daughter up and pull her into the beams for her first pass in a 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster.
“I was like, ‘Are you good?’” Smith said. “She was like, ‘No, but I know you got it.’ I’m pretty sure my mom was pretty nervous.”
Six seasons in a nitro-burning A/Fuel car in the Top Alcohol Dragster class had prepared Smith for the controls and procedures. So, too, had all the knowledge passed down from her mother, father and extended family.
Despite a lifetime around the sport, watching her family succeed in Top Fuel and Funny Car, she had never experienced a Top Fuel car from the seat before rolling into the water box at Cordova.
Smith understood how unusual the setting was. Licensing runs like these often begin with short launches in a private setting, with few, if any, people there to witness them.
That Smith’s first lap — a full pull to 1,000 feet, no less — came during the feature showing in front of a packed house demonstrated a level of composure and natural ability befitting her family name.
Veteran Worsham, who has coached many a young driver in his illustrious career as a champion driver, crew chief and team owner, gave her a standard: “Do what feels comfortable. If it does something stupid, follow your instincts.”
Smith followed it.
“It went A to B,” she said.
The dragster left cleanly and reached the finish with a 4.00-second elapsed time. The track had no 1,000-foot speed blocks at the time, and the quarter-mile speed clock showed 280 mph.
It was Smith’s first Top Fuel pass and her first full pull in one, both coming on the same run.
“Once I hit the ’chutes and got everything shut down, I was like, ‘Holy bleep,’” she said of that first thrill ride. “Getting out of the car, I just couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.”
Top Fuel has always been Smith’s goal. She grew up watching her parents, John “Bodie” Smith and Rhonda, race in the class.
Her grandfather, Paul Smith, had discussed at times putting her in his Funny Car after she gained Top Fuel experience.
“It’s always been something I wanted to do, and my parents knew that,” Smith said. “I’ll drive anything with four wheels. The Funny Car is something I want to do, but I think Top Fuel is the first step.”
“I grew up watching my parents drive those cars, so that has always been my dream.”
During Monday testing at Norwalk earlier this summer, Worsham was licensing another driver and mentioned a match race he had coming up. He asked if the Smiths were interested.
The offer began casually and remained uncertain while John stayed in contact with Worsham as Cordova drew closer.
“He said, ‘I’ve got a match race coming up. Do you want to do it?’” Smith said.
She accepted, then waited.
“I really couldn’t believe it until I was sitting in the car getting fitted.”
Her A/Fuel experience made the controls familiar, but the 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel car changed the speed and force of every procedure.
“My mom always said, ‘It’s going to kick you back in the seat compared to your car,’ and it did,” Smith said. “The controls are like the A/Fuel car, so I felt prepared.”
“It put you back in the seat, then did it again at half-track. Everything is quicker. It’s an awesome feeling to hit the gas.”
Smith made three runs during the weekend. Her 4.00 remained the quickest, followed by a 4.04 at 270 mph.
All three were full passes to 1,000 feet. Early this week, with paperwork pending and support from Worsham, NHRA officials reviewed her runs and awarded Smith her Top Fuel competition license.
Her debut created a footnote in history, making her the sixth member of her family to drive a Top Fuel dragster or nitro Funny Car. Paul Smith, Mike Smith, Richard Hartman, John Smith and Rhonda Hartman-Smith preceded her.
Megan became the family’s third generation in the nitro classes and joined Rhonda as the first mother-daughter pair to drive Top Fuel cars.
“I’m the sixth person in my family to drive a Top Fuel car,” Smith said. “I don’t know what the record is for the most family members to drive one, but we could be there.”
The weekend also gave Smith a practical education in operating a Top Fuel car, including the turnaround between passes. Worsham’s crew prepared the dragster Friday for the event while teaching the Smith team its service routine.
“They showed my guys how to turn it around,” Smith said.
Saturday belonged to the family crew.
“My dad oversaw everything, and he and I worked on the bottom end between runs.”
Smith will return to the familiar family A/Fuel car this weekend at the prestigious U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, chasing the biggest prize in the sport. She sits eighth nationally in points — one of her best seasons to date.
A race win and top-10 finish remain goals. Her nitro future is dependent on funding, but the goal and the dream have long been established.
“These nitro cars run off money,” Smith said. “It would be great if a deal came about to make that next step into Top Fuel.”
Smith left Cordova with three complete passes and a clear answer to the biggest question surrounding her move into Top Fuel. She can drive the car, manage its procedures and remain composed under pressure.
“This is something that kicks it off,” Smith said. “Anyone can come knocking or calling, and I’m prepared.”
“It would be great if a deal came about to make that next step into Top Fuel. We loved working with Del, and that would definitely be something I could see myself doing again, whether it’s another match race or putting a deal together for an NHRA race.”
“The dream has always been to race with the family, but if someone else asked me to drive a Top Fuel car, I don’t think the answer would be no.”
