Megan Smith is keeping the family tradition alive as she prepares to make her Top Alcohol Dragster debut under the International Hot Rod Association banner at Galot Motorsports Park in Dunn, North Carolina. The third-generation racer follows a bloodline soaked in nitro, from her grandparents Virgil Hartman and Paul Smith to her parents, John “Bodie” Smith and Rhonda Hartman-Smith.
The lineage is one of deep IHRA roots. Her father raced a Top Fuel dragster, earning Rookie of the Year honors and later adding a nostalgia Funny Car win to his résumé. Her mother claimed three national event victories and the same Rookie of the Year honor in Top Fuel, while her grandfather Paul Smith reached 11 IHRA finals and won three.
Smith said returning to IHRA feels like a homecoming. “Growing up, it was hard because IHRA was on the decline and I always envied my mom being able to kickstart her Top Fuel career in IHRA,” she said. “So it’s cool it’s come full circle being able to do that and having the history that our family does with IHRA.”
Now, she’s entering an organization that has regained traction in the sport. Under new leadership, the IHRA has been rejuvenated and is climbing back into respectability with race fans and grassroots competitors alike — a revival that adds even more meaning to Smith’s debut.
The 26-year-old driver will compete in a family-operated A/Fuel Dragster, with her father tuning and her mother managing the program. Smith said running under the IHRA banner is as much about heritage as it is about performance. “It’s going to be really neat to be able to participate in that event and hopefully more next year,” she said.
Her car, though not as quick as her mother’s Top Fuel machine, compares closely in performance to the alcohol cars of that era. “I was actually looking at one of my mom’s winning runs — it was like a 5.20,” Smith said. “I think she would have me on the mile per hour, but it was pretty close, and that’s pretty cool to think about. It’s like coming full circle.”
Smith, who already has several seasons of A/Fuel experience, said every run still presents new lessons. “Every run you’re learning something new, and I feel like especially with the A-Fuel cars, we’ve learned this program from the bottom up,” she said. “It’s different than even my parents describing the Top Fuel cars.”
Her father, a veteran tuner and driver, often offers guidance from the computer data after a run. “We’ve experienced some quick shake and it will just go up and smoke probably halftrack, and my dad’s like, ‘Yeah, you probably couldn’t have caught that,’” she said. “But I’m always hoping to get better each and every run.”
Smith’s approach is measured, blending patience with persistence. “Every run is a learning experience,” she said. “I’m figuring out if I feel the shake, if it’s going to drive through it or if I need to do a quick pedal or nothing I can do is actually going to save it.”
The Smiths’ program remains small but tightly run — a true family operation where Megan, her parents, and a handful of crew members handle all aspects of race prep. “We just upgraded our rig and all that, so it’s getting one foot in front of the other kind of deal,” Smith said.
That hands-on experience has given her a better understanding of what it takes to eventually reach her next goal: Top Fuel. “We always talk about we should just start a Top Fuel team,” she said. “You put a blower on it and this and that, but it has to be right for the whole family.”
Smith said she often thinks of her late grandfather Virgil Hartman, whose influence still drives her ambitions. “I miss Papa Virgil a lot,” she said. “We always talked about putting me in a Top Fuel car because he always had a lot of connections and stuff.”
Her other grandfather, Funny Car legend Paul Smith, remains an active part of her racing circle. “Grandpa Smith’s got the Funny Car, and I always give him a hard time that I have my boots in my fire suit bag and my helmet’s ready to go funny car racing,” she said with a laugh. “It’s hard to get him to commit to something.”
That push to move up is constant, but Smith insists it will happen when the timing and funding are right. “It’s definitely the next step for me,” she said. “The opportunity has to be right, and of course, funding has to be there as well.”
Her persistence hasn’t gone unnoticed among peers in the nitro ranks. “My mom was a little hesitant to go Funny Car racing, but I even have my mom on my side now,” Smith said. “Gary Pritchett, everyone gives me crap because I’ll work on the Funny Car if my car’s not there.”
She said fellow driver Krista Baldwin is also quick to remind her where she belongs. “Every time she hears our car warming up, she’s looking to see if I’m warming it up,” Smith said. “I said I would just jump in it and not get out.”
Her family might be keeping her out of the seat for now, but Smith said that won’t last forever. “That’s why they won’t put me in it,” she said, laughing. “Because they know I won’t get out.”
