Despite earning her first Top Alcohol Dragster championship this season, not much has changed for Julie Nataas since the day of her crowning achievement.
She’s still set for another season in the Top Alcohol class — “I’m going to enjoy having the No. 1 on my car for a season,” Nataas explained — and she’ll still be with the Randy Meyer Racing team.
But now, her hunger for victory is at an all-time high.
“It’s absolutely wild, to be honest,” Nataas confessed. “To have something that you wanted for so long, and to have it actually be happening, just feels surreal and still feels weird. I just feel like I want more. Like, we got it now, let’s go for more.”
The Drøbak, Norway, native was moved to tears after clinching the title at the Texas NHRA FallNationals on Oct. 15, overcome with surprise and emotion upon receiving the trophy.
Oddly enough, Nataas began the day unaware she could end it as a champion, despite having a comfortable lead over Tony Stewart, who was second in the standings at the time.
“I had no clue I could actually lock up the championship that race,” Nataas said.
She had an inkling it might be the case when she heard the announcer mention her name over the PA system ahead of the semifinals at the Texas Motorplex.
“I didn’t really believe it until I pulled up to the race track, saw the stage and you know, it’s just that moment of realization that this is happening and it means so much,” Nataas recalled.
In her semifinal matchup against Shawn Cowie, Nataas pulled a .025 holeshot and defeated Cowie with a 5.141-second pass at 279.02 mph. The victory was enough for Nataas to secure the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol Dragster national championship.
“Yeah, definitely emotional,” Nataas said.
The title was a long-time coming for Nataas, who began her drag racing career when she was nine years old. Like most racers, she grew up at a race track, watching her dad and grandfather participate in straight-line competition.
“My dad was a Top Fuel driver and Pro Mod and God knows what else, but Top Fuel was like the latest he did in the European championship,” Nataas explained.
She got her start in a Jr. Dragster before moving up to Super Comp and eventually to Top Alcohol Dragster. She also raced in go-karts and formula cars while competing in Europe.
After graduating from high school in 2015, Nataas moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., to attend college at Santa Barbara City College. Although that was the main purpose of her relocation, Nataas had another underlying objective — check out the NHRA scene.
“In the back of my mind, I was moving to America to try to become an NHRA driver, but I had to go to school and get my education before I started doing this,” Nataas said.
It was a bit of a bumpy road for a few years, but eventually, Nataas found a home at Randy Meyer Racing while finishing her bachelor’s degree at Antioch University.
She earned her NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster license in 2017, raced part time with Randy Meyer in 2018 and ran her first full Top Alcohol campaign in 2019.
Fast forward four years, and Nataas now has multiple national event wins, three regional championships and a national Top Alcohol title to her credit. And in her mind, this is only the beginning.
“I’m going to go get my Top Fuel license and start getting laps and testing and all that. And then I hope I’ll be racing Top Fuel or Funny Car soon, because that’s definitely a dream,” Nataas said.