Booher Earns St. Louis Wally for Newborn Daughter

Booher Earns St. Louis Wally for Newborn Daughter

ST. LOUIS (August 11, 2015) – An average stop on the NHRA Lucas Oil Series regional tour turned into a significant occasion for Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Brandon Booher this weekend. Racing at the All-American Hot Rod Showdown at Gateway Motorsports Park, Booher picked up his first event win of 2015 when he defeated A/Fuel rookie Megan Meyer in the final round. It was also Booher's first win since he and wife, Shannon, welcomed their daughter, Adelynn, into the world on July 31st.

“It was great to be back and to get that first win as a dad was pretty special. At the start of the season, before she was born, I promised Adelynn I would get her a Wally. I was hoping I would get it a little sooner, but it's nice that she's actually here to enjoy it. This one will be special,” Booher said of the traditional trophy awarded to NHRA event winners.

Booher qualified fifth in the strong eight-car field with a 5.409 elapsed time. He used a .021 reaction time and 5.427 et to defeat Tripp Tatum and his Anthony Dicero-tuned A/Fueler in the first round, lining up a semifinal match-up with “Miss Mia” Tedesco. Tedesco currently leads the North Central Region points, while Booher is closing in at second. Booher was ready with another quick reaction time and consistent 5.424 lap, easily taking the win over Tedesco's tire-smoking run.

“The second round was the most important one of the year so far. If she went on to win that round and win the event, I think that would've been the championship decided. We killed two birds with one stone there, being able to take her out of the race while also gaining more points.”

The race didn't get any easier from there, as the AB Construction/Goodson Tools team had to face TA/D rookie Megan Meyer in the final round. Meyer, the 22-year-old daughter of world championship tuner/owner/driver Randy Meyer, was strong all day, cutting quick lights and defeating class veterans Robin Samsel and Marty Thacker to reach the final.

“You have to look at it like you're racing her dad, or even a quicker-reacting version of her dad. Randy is one of the best there is at tuning an A/Fuel car and Megan is no doubt proving herself as a driver. I saw two of her lights. One of them was an .02 in testing and she was .05 against me in the final, so she's going to be a handful for a lot of people as she continues to develop as a driver and attend more events.”

The two drivers left the starting line with just two thousandths of a second between them, but Booher picked up enough steam to power to a 5.418-to-5.496 victory.

Booher, who works as a tuning consultant for NHRA Pro Mod and PDRA Pro Extreme/Pro Boost teams, was quick to thank his family and crew for their part in the success.

“I want to thank my dad, Aaron, brother, Brian, and crew member Pete Brady for their hard work this weekend, as well as my wife and daughter for allowing me to go racing. Special thanks also to my mom, Rhonda, and Shannon's mom, Laurie, for lending a hand with Adelynn while I'm away. They make it possible. That's the most important thing to me right now, and it takes a lot help from a lot of people.”

Brandon Booher also offered appreciation for Goodson Tools & Supplies and MVM Motorsports Products, the team's product support partners.

“A lot of the car's consistency goes back to reducing the variables. If the car reacts the same way on every launch because the wheelie bar isn't flexing, you're taking out that variable. We put the MVM carbon fiber wheelie bar on the car at Norwalk, eliminated that variable and we're now able to focus on the finer areas of the tune-up. Props to Mike and Frank Valerio for making such a great product and allowing my job to be a little easier,” Booher said.

Next up for Brandon Booher and the AB Construction/Goodson Tools Top Alcohol Dragster team is the NHRA North Central Region finale at Kentucky's Beech Bend Raceway Park, August 28-30. The biggest race of the year, the 61st Annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Sept. 2-7, will follow.

ABOUT BOOHER RACING
Booher Racing is a father-son NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team led by owner/crew chief Aaron Booher and his son, driver/tuner Brandon Booher. The AB Construction team holds the title of quickest and fastest torque converter-equipped vehicle in the world. The 2013 NHRA North Central TAD Regional championship-winning Booher Racing team receives support from Goodson Tools, MVM Motorsports Products, Spitzer Enterprises, and Torque MGMT.

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