Henkelman & Baca adds Meyer as tuning consultant

National Dragster, Jan 30, 2004

The Henkelman & Baca Top Fuel team has hired tuner and former Top Alcohol Dragster driver Larry Meyer as a consultant for the 2004 NHRA POWERade season.

"I am more than pleased to have Larry Meyer onboard to work with and assist crew chief Johnny West," said David Baca. "As competitive as Top Fuel was last season, and the way performance picked up as the season progressed, you'll need a lot of brainpower to get one of these cars down the track and be competitive in 2004. You need more than one person handling the tuning calls. Therefore, to reach our goal of finishing in the top five and ultimately winning the championship, we [recruited] the best person available to fill that role.

"Larry Meyer's reputation speaks for itself," added Baca. "We feel that with him working with Johnny, we'E be able to compete at a higher level and meet the goals we have established for this team. With all of the other teams upping the ante, we feel we'd better load our guns, too."

Meyer is best known as the crew chief who spoiled John Force's domination of Funny Car in the 1990s, when he tuned rookie Cruz Pedregon to the 1992 Funny Car championship. Meyer finished the 2003 season assisting newcomer and former Top Alcohol Dragster driver Bill Ancona, tuning him to career-best times and speeds. Other notable drivers and teams that have benefited from Meyer's expertise include Tommy Johnson Jr. and Don Prudhomme's Snake Racing team, Gary Densham, Mike Dunn and the Darrell Gwynn Racing team, Shelly Anderson, Brad Anderson, Chuck Etchells Racing, Lori Johns, and Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen.