OLATHE, Kan. (Feb. 7, 2023) – Julie Nataas and Hunter Green will serve as the full-time drivers for Randy Meyer Racing (RMR) in the 2023 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season, the team announced today. Along with Nataas and Green, Randy Meyer Racing will field its pair of Top Alcohol Dragster entries with new and returning part-time drivers at various races throughout the season.
Nataas is entering her fifth season of full-time competition driving RMR’s Oslo Tapet & Gulvbelegg (OTG) A/Fuel dragster. She plans to run 17 races between national events and regional races to compete for her first world championship and the team’s fourth in five years.
“I’m just as focused as last year, but probably even more motivated to get this dragster back on track and where we want it to be this year,” said Nataas. “We had a lot of both ups and downs in 2022, but we need the consistency and the Wallys. I know this team is capable of doing just that.”
Nataas finished sixth in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series national points in 2022 with a pair of national event wins, including a prestigious double-up at the U.S. Nationals and JEGS All-Stars in Indianapolis. She has even bigger goals in mind for 2023, with a repeat win at Indy and a first-time win at the historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip at the top of the list.
“At this point I’m just really excited to get back at the track for testing and get this year started,” Nataas said. “I’m excited to see where we’re at in testing. I know the team has been working hard in the shop this offseason, so I’m looking forward to starting the year off strong in Belle Rose, LA. The U.S. Nationals is definitely a favorite after we doubled up in 2022, but my favorite racetrack has always been Pomona. Maybe this will be the year we bring home a Wally at my favorite track.”
Nataas will also continue driving Meyer’s new nitro-injected A/Fuel Funny Car, which made its debut in 2022. Nataas will run Funny Car Chaos races with it on weekends that don’t overlap with the team’s prior commitments on the Top Alcohol Dragster schedule.
“I’m so excited to get back into the Funny Car,” Nataas said. “It’s been way too long since March last year. We quickly realized back then that we had a lot to work on, and with the dragsters being our priority we decided to put it on hold. It’s definitely a fun project, and as a driver, I’m excited and ready to expand my driving skills. The little taste I got from testing it last year just made me want to drive a Funny Car even more. I look forward to getting this A/Fuel Funny Car down the track.”
Green, the son of NHRA Funny Car driver Chad Green, is returning for his second year with RMR. An enjoyable rookie campaign with the team led to a bigger schedule this season.
“Randy Meyer, me, and my dad have all gotten close over the last year,” Green said. “Randy and my dad particularly have become pretty good friends. We just mesh good with Randy and his family. Julie is a great teammate too. Megan [Meyer-Lingner] is great with everything she does with social media and the marketing. Between the relationship with Randy and the fact that he has what I think are the best cars out there, I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
The father-son Green duo will have their hands full this season, with Chad running the full NHRA Camping World Series season in Funny Car and Hunter driving Meyer’s Bond-Coat A/Fuel dragster at 11 races.
“Seven of those will be national events and four will be regionals, which is basically just enough to make it to where I can be competitive in the points for the championship,” said Green, 28. “It’s going to be crazy. Three of the regionals I’ll be doing will be at the same time my dad is off somewhere else racing, so this is going to be a different year for both of us. It’s going to be our busiest year in racing yet by a long shot. I’m pretty excited to see how it goes.”
While Green already has an ambitious schedule, he hasn’t ruled out running additional races.
“If things go well at the start of the season, we’re interested in adding more races,” said Green, who also has his Top Fuel license. “Eleven is what we have planned, but we could slip a few more in there if we think we have a shot at being competitive [in the championship].”
RMR will begin testing mid-February before the team’s first NHRA regional race of the season Feb. 24-26 at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, LA.
Fans can also stay up to date with Nataas, Green, and the other RMR drivers on the Randy Meyer Racing website and Facebook page.
