Respect is Learned© In The Pits

Each year, Technician.Academy invites current college students to apply to win a weekend internship with Randy Meyer Racing at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, IN. The chosen students win the opportunity of a lifetime as they get to work hands-on in the pits with the RMR drag team at the largest drag racing event in the world, handling the team’s Top Alcohol Dragsters.

There were two In The Pits winners in 2021. Each student worked exclusively on one of the two Randy Meyer Racing dragsters, driven by Rachel Meyer and Julie Nataas, during the Labor Day weekend event on September 1-5, 2021. 

Check out the images and testimonials below to learn more about previous contests and to see what our winners experienced in the pits at the Lucas Oil Raceway.

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I went down in Indy expecting to watch the crew work on the car, ask questions, and watch some racing, but what I got was so much more. When I first got to the pits I was introduced to the team. After we got acquainted, they asked about my experience and knowledge. Then they put me to work rebuilding the engine, I got to do everything from taking the heads off to replace the bearings in the bottom end. The more I could accomplish the more tasks I was given. During the racing, I was given a job on the starting line of checking the wheelie bar height. During the day there was always work to be done on the car, and at night I heard some of the stories of previous races and in-depth detail of how the car functioned mechanically. I was lucky enough to be invited back to help the team the following year with 4 other races.

Currently, I have an automotive engineering degree, and I design, install, and tune modern mopars at a shop called Satera Tuning out of Hampshire, Illinois. All because I won a contest that made me fall in love with the high-performance aftermarket.

Joe Martino

In The Pits 2018 Winner

The In The Pits program gave me the opportunity to get my hands dirty working on the best top alcohol dragster team. From getting to experience getting the engines rebuilt and adjustments made under time constraints and having to do it right, to the downtime getting to talk to the people that do it every weekend just trying to squeeze every bit of information out that I could, this is an experience of a lifetime and definitely worth it whether you are on the fence about racing or 100% adamant that you want to do it for the rest of your life like I am.

Michael Stupakewicz

In The Pits 2020 Winner

In The Pits is one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. The whole weekend was one I will never forget. From initially meeting the Randy Meyer Racing team, to standing on the starting line as the world’s fastest alcohol dragster speeds down the track, there was never a dull moment. Randy, Megan, and Rachel were extremely knowledgeable and very eager to teach and help me learn in any way possible. I highly encourage everyone to enter in this competition. Even if you think ‘there’s no way I’m going to win’ it doesn’t hurt to enter. I’m from a small town in Kentucky you’ve probably never heard of and entering in this was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Beau Fleming

In The Pits 2019 Winner

Learn more about previous contest winners!

Click an image below to get started.

Juliaun Pracht
Jeremy Sullivan

Respect is Learned© In The Pits 2021 is brought to you by:

Randy Meyer Racing
Ivy Tech
MotoRad
EXTEND GROUP
Romain Cross Point Auto Park