The 2021 race season started this past weekend for Julie in Gainesville, FL, with the Baby Gators regional race. Fourteen cars were entered and ready to battle it out in an eight-car field. With two qualifiers Julie and the Randy Meyer Racing team qualified no.4 with a 5.22ET-277MPH.
“I was so excited to be back at the racetrack after a longer off-season than normal. I spent my off-season in Norway with my family, and I moved from California to Indy, so I felt ready to go when I got to Gainesville before the race.”
In the first round of eliminations, Julie was supposed to race Will Smith, but he did not make it because he had engine problems. Instead, Tom Fox stepped in as the next alternative outside of the eight-car field. Julie smoked the tires right at the hit, but Tom Fox turned on the red light; it was an automatic win for Julie and the Randy Meyer Racing team.
It rained all day Saturday, so the race got postponed a day. Sunday morning, the sun was back, and everyone was ready to finish this race. In the second round of eliminations, Julie raced Jackie Fricke, the no.1 qualifier of the race. It was an extremely close race as Julie left with a .035 reaction time and Jackie left with a .036 reaction time. Julie crossed the finish line first with a 5.20ET- 274MPH only .004 seconds before Jakie Fricke.
“Second round of eliminations is probably one of the coolest races I’ve raced in a long time. Jackie Fricke and her team always have a really good car, so I was prepared for a battle, but a battle that looked like a bracket race was just awesome. We had no clue who won when we got to the top end as none of us saw a win light or each other on the racetrack”.
Julie Nataas had lane choice over Duane Shields going into the finals. Duane Shields had some problems going down the racetrack, and Julie won the race with a 5.23ET-276MPH.
“We couldn’t start the 2021 season any better than this! I’m so proud of my team, and I’m so excited to see what else we can do this season.”
