Mendy Fry
Mendy Fry is an American dragster and funny car driver competing in the NHRA. 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, as well as the only female member of the exclusive "Nostalgia Top Fuel 250 mph Club". In 2019 she recorded the first 5.4 second quarter-mile elapsed time in a AA/Fuel Dragster.
Early racing career
Fry drove quarter midgets at age four to six, but only began racing seriously at 12, when she first expressed interest in building and driving a dragster. She went to work for her father's shop at Sears Point Raceway to earn the right. She first raced at fifteen, in the shop truck, losing every round, but returning the next weekend. Her first sportsman car was a B Econo dragster once owned by Amos Beard. It was in the Econo dragster she earned her competition licence.In 1988 in Fremont, California, at age 18 she became the world's quickest Top Alcohol driver, with a pass of 6.15 seconds at.
World's Fastest Street Rod Wars
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Fry raced a supercharged and fuel injected Super Street 1927 Ford roadster, built by Fry and her father., in the NDRA/STREET RODDER MAGAZINE Series. Her toughest competition came from Steve Castelli, Cole Cutler, "Fat Jack" Robinson 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. In her comeback, at the wheel of Ron Johnson's alcohol dragster, Fry reached the semi-finals in Junior Fuel.2004
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. Her a 5.87 second elapsed time trap speed of earned her membership in the Nostalgia Top Fuel 250 Mph Club.2006
Fry was hired to drive the Jennings & Scheele AA/FD. 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.NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series
2008
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 event 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.