Jay Meyer Gears Up For Run at Division 4 Championship

BAYTOWN, TX- Longtime Division 4 Federal Mogul Dragster driver Jay Meyer opened up the season with a bang with a win at the first Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series race of the year at Houston Raceway Park. Meyer, of Freeport, Texas, defeated local driver Troy Buff in the final with a low e.t. of the race 5.415/ 256.77 to Buff's trailing 5.591/ 254.16. The win marks the start of a year long quest to regain a Division 4 Championship, in his first full season of racing since 96. Meyer last won the Division Championship in 1986.

Meyer is quick to credit his huge leap in performance to the addition of crew chief Tom Conway (Two time Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion, 8 time Division 4 Champion) and additional help by Norm Drazy (creator and manufacturer of the PSI Supercharger.)

When asked how the race put him going into the year, Meyer replied, "It's really great. We put the car together over the winter and put the crew together over the winter, and to come out here and gel like that in one race. The guys did great, Tom Conway did great, Norm Drazy, can't say enough about either one of those guys. It's just been like a fairy tale."

He added, "Pinch me, I hope I don't wake up anytime soon."

Meyer's 5.57/ 253 first qualifying pass was his first time into the 5.5 zone, putting him in the second qualifying spot going into Saturday's final session. Meyer then switched to the new Hoosier tire that is sweeping the alcohol ranks, and ran a 5.443/ 258 to become the 2nd quickest blown alcohol dragster on the planet, second only to World Champion Rick Santos.

"We got out there last year and ran a couple of races and figured out what we needed to do over the winter, lighten the car up, go to the smaller motor. We experimented with the Hoosier tires, the Goodyear tires, and did a lot of testing over the winter. I never really did a lot of testing, I thought it was a waste of money, but boy, I found out that's not right. We learned a whole lot real quick. That was the whole key, and the crew- Stacy [McLemore], Jim [Morrison], Troy [Boeldwyn], Will [Hanna], Bruce [Meyer], Stuart [Herbst], and Dixie [Mansel]. It's just been great fun."

Meyer's next race will be the Checker's Schucks Kragen Nationals in Chandler, Arizona, where he will square off with the best of the West Coast, including World Champ Santos, February 24-27.

The following weekend Meyer will return to Division 4 for the second race of the series at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TX, where Meyer will continue his quest for the division crown.