MENDY FRY
O
WINNING
ON HER TERMS
N THE STR ENGTH OF A COMPLETELY DOMI-
nating run, Mendy Fry clinched the Nostalgia Top Fuel
championship long before the 2018 season ended, giving
her plenty of time to reflect on what she and the High-Speed
Motorsports team had accomplished.
But months later, it still hasn’t completely sunk in for Fry, a second-gen-
eration racer who has been racing for more than three decades. Even at
the 2019 March Meet, the annual NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series opener,
there were moments where Fry was reminded of what it felt like to achieve
a lifelong goal.
“At one point, we’re walking across the staging lines and it hit me that
people are looking at me as part of the team that won the championship.
It was like, ‘Wow,’ because I remember looking at other people the same
way,” Fry says.
Fry’s championship and the way the Tom Shelar-owned front-engine
dragster performed all season was one of the feel-good stories of 2018, in
part because of the journey Fry has been on in her career. Seemingly des-
tined for a career in Top Fuel, Fry saw a pair of opportunities fall through,
one 30 years ago when Fry “thought I had a Top Fuel sponsorship locked
up” and another in the early 2000s.
But when those doors closed, the front-engine Top Fuel opportunity
opened and Fry has thrived in the nostalgia ranks. The 2018 campaign
was her shining moment, as the team set low E.T. at every race and top
speed at every event but one, sweeping the season after losing in the
final round at the March Meet. “Honestly, I’m so happy the way it all
happened,” Fry says. “I know I’m exactly where I want to be with the
team I want to be with.”
Fry has formed a special relationship with her team, too, making this ride
that much more special. She credits Shelar for his unique ability to get the
most out of everyone, and that impact has been felt throughout the team.
“Tom is such a good leader and he cares about everybody on the team,”
Fry says. “We all work well together and complement each other well. It’s
so much about his leadership and ability, and the rest of it is just great
people on this team.”
Fry is certainly included in that mix, displaying special driving talents
while carving out her own niche in the sport. The team is off to another
fantastic start in 2019, going an incredible 5.490 at 259.71 mph en route
to a runner-up finish at the March Meet, while Fry continues to set an
ideal example for budding drivers.
She doesn’t think of it as female or male drivers, but only in terms of
getting younger people involved in the sport. Fry continues to push for the
day when she’s simply thought of as just a racer and not a female racer, but
she’s excited to note “it’s getting there.” That’s progress for Fry and a sign
the sport continues to move in a positive direction.
“It’s definitely different now and it’s great all the kids are getting in-
volved, both boys and girls,” Fry says. “(But) the year we had last year was
an amazing year and I don’t think the fact I’m a female made it a more
amazing year.” - AINSLEY JACOBS
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D r a g Il l u s t r a t e d . c o m
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Dr ag Illustr ated