Drag racing sisters feel need for speed

  Wednesday, October 23, 2013 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

It’s not uncommon for young girls to dream about their first cars. They’re drawn to the freedom of the open road, wind in their hair.

 

Megan and Rachel Meyer are no different. Growing up in Spring Hill, they thought often about their first cars. They thought about the color, the style, the tires. They day-dreamed about how they would look in the driver’s seat.

 

The hair thing? Not so much.

 

“When you’re going 175 miles per hour, your helmet is on so tight that you might as well forget about having good hair that day,” Megan said.

 

Meet Megan and Rachel Meyer: Pitt State students. Drag racers.

 

“Our dad, Randy Meyer, has been drag racing for more than 30 years,” Rachel said. “We grew up in this business. My earliest memories are at the track. We love it. We love going fast. We love the power those cars possess.”

 

Megan, a junior graphic design major, got her start as a Junior Dragster at the age of 10. Rachel, a freshman mechanical engineering major, was eight when she first got behind the wheel. During the past decade, they’ve trained, practiced and earned their way up to the “real thing” and race with their father’s team on tracks nationwide. This weekend, the sisters will race at MO-KAN Dragway in Asbury, Mo. The sisters will drive in timed runs from 3-8 p.m. Friday and at 9 a.m.Saturday. Elimination runs begin Saturday afternoon and continue at 9 a.m. Sunday.

 

“It’s an awesome feeling, really,” Megan said. “In my dad’s car, I got up to 220 miles per hour. It’s a little nerve-wracking at first, but honestly it’s all pretty much a blur every time. It happens so fast and is over just seconds after you start. So you don’t really get a lot of time to be nervous or scared.”

 

Both women have used their education at Pitt State to enhance their drag racing experience. With the graphics knowledge she’s attained, Megan has taken on much of the marketing duties for Randy Meyer Racing. Rachel works with the crew chiefs on the mechanical side of the industry.

 

“The things I’m learning at Pitt State have definitely helped me with the marketing aspect of our business,” Megan said. “I didn’t have any graphics background before coming here, and I’ve learned a lot that has helped me in that way.”

 

Both women plan to stay in the racing business professionally after graduation. Megan hopes to drive professionally, while Rachel is still trying to decide between driving and working on the mechanical side.

 

“I’d love to be a crew chief for a racing team, but you can’t really do that and be the driver,” Rachel said. “So, we’ll see what happens.”

 

The sisters have only raced against each other one time.

 

“I won that one,” Megan said,

 

“But she’s had a little more experience,” Rachel replied. "It won't always be like that."