Mendy Fry

Mendy Fry
Fry mixing nitromethane at the 2005 March Meet in Bakersfield.
Nationality American
Born (1969-05-24) May 24, 1969
Santa Rosa, California
NHRA Heritage Series career
Debut season 2008
Current team Smokey's Darkside Nitro Funny Car
Car no. 781
Former teams Frymore Racing, Mendy Fry Racing, Ron Johnson Racing, Mastercam, California Trucker, McCain's Bomb Squad, Forever Young AA/Fuel Dragster

Mendy Fry (pronounced "mindy") (born May 24, 1969 in Santa Rosa, California) is an American dragster and funny car driver competing in the NHRA.[1] Under the tutelage of her father, Ron, she began driving quarter-midget sprint cars at age 4. As a teenager, she campaigned in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster class. She is the only female drag racer to record a 5-second 1/4 mile elapsed time in a front-engined Top Fuel dragster,[2] as well as the only female member of the exclusive "Nostalgia Top Fuel 250 mph Club".[3]

Early racing career

In 1988 in Fremont, California, at age 18 she became the world's quickest Top Alcohol driver.[4] Driving a dragster she built with her father, Fry recorded an unprecedented 6.15 second elapsed time, with a trap speed of 220 mph (350 km/h). The motorsports press labeled the run "unbelievable".[5]

World's Fastest Street Rod Wars

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Fry raced her father's supercharged and fuel injected 1927 Ford roadster in the Super Street class in the NDRA/STREET RODDER MAGAZINE Series. Her toughest competition came from Steve Castelli (1941 Willys), Cole Cutler (1934 Ford Coupe), "Fat Jack" Robinson (1946 Ford sedan delivery) and Ray Castor. Fry faced and defeated them all as a teenager. During this time, Fry alternated between Super Street and NHRA Top Alcohol. In August 1990, she and her father went back to Indianapolis to the Goodguys Hot Rod Nationals to compete with the '27 Ford, eventually winning that event.

Goodguys VRA Series

2001

After a decade long hiatus, Fry returned to driving dragsters at the 42nd Goodguys March Meet in Bakersfield, California.[6] In her comeback, at the wheel of Ron Johnson's alcohol dragster, Fry reached the semi-finals in Junior Fuel.[7]

2004

Fry at the 2004 California Hot Rod Reunion

In October, at the NHRA California Hot Reunion, Fry became the first female dragster driver to record a 5-second elapsed time in a AA/Fuel dragster (or "Nostalgia Top Fuel car"). Her a 5.87 second elapsed time trap speed of 251 mph (404 km/h) earned her membership in the Nostalgia Top Fuel 250 Mph Club.

2006

Fry was hired to drive the Jennings & Scheele AA/FD.[8] Using a Chevrolet motor in a class dominated by Dononvan hemis, in competition at the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion, Fry established a new mark for Chevy-powered nostalgia fuelers when she stopped the clocks with a 5.85 second elapsed time.[9]

NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series

2008

Fry getting fitted for the Future Flash Funny Car

Fry began the year campaigning the Future Flash fuel Funny Car in NHRA's Hot Rod Heritage Series. After a runner-up finish at the Las Vegas Speed Spectacular in May, Fry progressed to first in series points, despite a final round crash resulting in Future Flash withdrawing from further competition for the remainder of the year.

After missing a crucial even in Boise, Idaho, following the wreck, in September Fry resumed racing in the Nostalgia Funny Car class, signing on with the McCain's Bomb Squad fuel Funny Car team, finishing the year fifth in points.[10]

2012

Fry is campaigning the Forever Young dragster, and placed second in the Heritage Series Top Fuel Points Championship.

2014

After a one-year hiatus, Fry returned to competition in NHRA's Heritage Series, driving Smokey's Darkside, a 1978 Dodge Challenger fuel funny car, powered by a supercharged Arias engine, a “hemi heads on a Chevy block” combination unique to the class.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Hot Rod Heritage Series
  2. ↑ 5-second 1/4 mile elapsed time in a front-engined Top Fuel dragster
  3. ↑ Nostalgia Top Fuel 250 mph Club
  4. ↑ she became the planet's quickest drag racing driver in the Top Alcohol Dragster class
  5. ↑ Unbelievable
  6. ↑ http://www.good-guys.com
  7. ↑ Fry advanced to the semi-final round of competition in the Junior Fuel class
  8. ↑ Fry was hired to drive the "Jennings & Scheele" AA/Fuel Dragster
  9. ↑ Fry established a new mark for Chevy-powered nostalgia top fuelers, when she stopped the clocks with a 5.85 elapsed time
  10. ↑ 5th in points
  11. ↑ NHRA Hot Rod Heritage (retrieved 14 November 2017)
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