Randy Meyer Racing Celebrates Runner-Up Finish and Prestigious JEGS Allstars Victory at Texas NHRA FallNationals
Randy Meyer Racing continues to solidify their status as one of the most dominant teams in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) competition, with yet another stellar performance at the Texas NHRA FallNationals. The team reached their 17th final round of the season and clinched the highly coveted JEGS Allstars title for the 5th time—an elite competition where the top eight drivers from around the world face off.
The team entered the hot weekend with all three Nitro Injected Dragsters—Julie Nataas in the OTG dragster, Hunter Green in the Bond-Coat dragster, and Scott Dean in the Gunk-sponsored dragster. However, the competition in Texas was fierce, with the quickest 16-car field in NHRA history for the TAD class, pushing the team to their limits during qualifying in the Texas heat.
Julie qualified 9th with a 5.271-second pass at 270.50 mph, while Hunter and Scott also struggled to break into the top half of the field, qualifying 13th and 15th respectively. Hunter ran a 5.290 at 276.89 mph, and Scott clocked in at 5.357 at 269.95 mph.
In the first round of eliminations, Julie faced Angelle Sampey, where she overcame early traction issues but expertly pedaled her way to victory with a 5.822-second pass at 239.36 mph. Hunter Green, delivered one of the best passes of first round at a 5.227-second run at 277.66 mph, but he was edged out by Karen Stalba, who ran her best time of the weekend with a 5.176 at 279.17 mph. Scott Dean faced Joe Maynard in the first round, but mechanical issues limited him to a 5.357 pass at 269.95 mph on only seven cylinders, ending his weekend early, despite a solid 0.025-second reaction time.
Julie Nataas went on to deliver her second NHRA runner-up finish of her final season with Randy’s team. In the second round, she faced off against Mike Coughlin, laying down her best run of the weekend with a blistering 5.182-second pass at 271.44 mph to take the victory.
In the semifinals, Julie squared off against Karen Stalba. Despite slowing to a 5.349 at 271.61 mph, she still managed to secure the win over Stalba’s 5.581 at 263.19 mph, propelling her into the final round. In the finals, Julie faced Matt Cummings but was hindered by a delayed reaction time and a slightly slower car, running a 5.264 at 272.18 mph against Cummings’ 5.246 at 279.71 mph, resulting in a runner-up finish.
The team’s standout performance came during the JEGS Allstars competition, where only Julie and Scott were eligible to compete. Scott was once again underpowered, running 5.391 at 274.52 mph, falling to Karen Stalba in the first round.
Julie, however, shined. She opened her Allstars campaign with a win over Mike Coughlin, running a 5.271 at 270.50 mph. In the semifinals, she outpaced Matt Cummins with a 5.212-second run at 274.57 mph, setting her up for a final round against Karen Stalba. With her best reaction time of 0.047 and a pass of 5.313 seconds at 273.56 mph, Julie took home the Allstars win, besting Stalba’s 5.404 at 263.02 mph.
Julie Nataas’s Allstars victory marks Randy Meyer Racing’s 5th JEGS Allstars title, further cementing their legacy in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster competition.
With their runner-up finish in Texas and another Allstars victory under their belt, Randy Meyer Racing is poised for continued success as they close out the 2024 NHRA season. The team will look to build on their momentum and continue their pursuit of another championship with Hunter Green at the lead.
This story was originally published on October 14, 2024.
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