Two junior technicians are among this year’s biggest winners at the 2019 Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. John Lipscomb and Beau Fleming, students at Lincoln Technical Institute in Nashville, Tennessee, spent Labor Day weekend in the pits with Randy Meyer Racing. It was as a once-in-a-lifetime chance for these budding techs to work on some of the highest-performing race machines on the planet. It played out with their cars advancing to the semifinal round—and a place in the winner’s circle with the racing team.
The Randy Meyer team brought its “A game” to the event. Blazing runs through the qualifying and elimination rounds pushed Rachel and Megan Meyer to a sister-versus-sister showdown in the semifinals. Beau was on the crew for Rachel’s car; John worked on Megan’s.
“Beau was a great help,” says Rachel. “He picked up fast on things and did everything we asked without hesitation—a real contribution to our team.”
“John was pleasant to work with and fit right in with the guys,” says Megan. “He has a quiet demeanor but is very knowledgeable and not afraid to ask questions. He was especially helpful when we were rushed between elimination rounds on Monday.”
“Beau and John were two of the best young techs we’ve worked with,” says Randy Meyer. “We would not hesitate to have them join us again.”
The semifinal run saw the Meyer sisters finish less than one-tenth of a second apart, with Megan advancing and ultimately prevailing in the finals. Having already clinched a regional championship for top alcohol dragsters, the win keeps Megan and Randy Meyer Racing in close contention for the ultimate prize.
“We were thrilled to have both students, Technician.Academy, and MotoRad with us in the winner’s circle for our first U.S. Nationals event win. It strengthened our hand as we head toward the season’s close with eyes on a world championship.”
See complete U.S. Nats race results here.
John and Beau earned their berths by participating in Respect Is Learned© In The Pits. The annual contest is organized and administered by Technician.Academy in consultation with Randy Meyer Racing and with sponsorship from MotoRad. Students in NATEF-certified automotive programs are prompted to apply at technician.academy; a panel of automotive-industry professionals reviews the entries and selects winners.
“The weekend was unreal,” says Beau. “The guys I worked with were awesome. I learned quite a bit. It was cool how the cars are made to be worked on—and worked on fast. I’ve always wanted to do something in racing, and after this weekend I want to do it even more.”
“I’m out of words to describe how I feel,” says John. “It was absolutely awesome. I’m not sure what I expected, but I got way more out of it than I hoped for. I never met a cooler bunch of people to be around and I learned a ton. The weekend reinforced my desire—I’m going to be involved with racing in one form or another.”
“This was the third year for Respect Is Earned© In The Pits,” says Shawn Collins, Founder and CEO of Technician.Academy. “It’s gratifying to see the interest among students—we had more than three dozen applicants—and to give them a chance to work alongside professionals at the highest levels of automotive performance.”
Watch the Round-by-Round Action
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About Technician.Academy. Technician.Academy provides personalized training for the automotive technicians of today and tomorrow. Education is category-specific, supported by manufacturers, with no sales pitch. Online instruction includes tailored courses, blogs, how-to tips and industry insights. Technician.Academy also conducts training at colleges, wholesale distributors, automotive events, and professional garages. Learn more at: https://technician.academy/
About Randy Meyer Racing. A highly respected member of the NHRA Drag Racing family, Randy Meyer has had a successful career spanning over 35 years of drag racing as driver, team owner, and crew chief from AHRA Pro-Comp to IHRA Top Fuel and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster. Randy Meyer is a multiple World Champion in the sport of drag racing and conducts himself, the team, and the race cars with the utmost dedication and hard work. Learn more at: https://randymeyerracing.com/
About MotoRad. Established in 1958, MotoRad develops, manufactures and supplies innovative thermostat solutions, cap solutions and engine management solutions for automotive OEM and aftermarket industries. The MotoRad name is synonymous with quality, reliability, comprehensive coverage of vehicle models and exceptional customer service. Learn more at: https://motorad.com/
About the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals (U.S. Nats) is largely seen as drag racing’s most prestigious event. It takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg (Indianapolis), Indiana.
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