Julie Nataas and Matt Sackman will be piloting both Randy Meyer Racing Top Alcohol Dragsters to kick off the 2019 NHRA race season in Pomona, California. Julie will be in the NGK Spark Plugs/Lucas Oil Dragster with support from Oslo Tapet & Gulvbelegg (OTG) while Matt will run a Hangsterfer’s Metalworking Lubricants, Gemini Farms and TMS Titanium livery. Matt’s little brother, Zach Sackman, will also be supported by Hangsterfer’s in his Top Dragster at the 59th annual Lucas Oil Winternationals.
“This is a very cool opportunity,” said Matt Sackman, 25. “Zach and I are both going to be running the Hangsterfer’s colors, so to have two shots to win at the Winternationals for Hangsterfer’s is a big deal.”
“I’m very excited to race at my first national event,” added Matt. “It’s the Winternationals. It’s one of the bigger NHRA races of the year and just to race a car there is pretty cool. I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’ve been looking at the forecast and it’s going to be a cool Winternationals, so there should be some quick ETs and fast speeds. Plus, I know the Randy Meyer cars are definitely capable of running fast at Pomona.”
Matt’s schedule as a crew member on the Antron Brown-driven Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster for Don Schumacher Racing has prevented him from competing in national events in the past. While Sackman will still serve as a cylinder head specialist on Brown’s car this weekend, he’ll occasionally slip away from the Matco pits when Top Alcohol Dragsters are called to the staging lanes.
“I definitely couldn’t do this without the group of guys working on the Matco car,” Sackman said. “They’re going to cover for me so I can make some runs in the alcohol car. I have to thank Mark Oswald, Brad Mason and all the guys on the team. The schedule is going to make for some late nights, but I think it will be worth it.”
Qualifying at the 59th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com will begin Thursday, Feb. 7. Final eliminations will take place Sunday, Feb. 10.
