Billy Meyer simply was born to be bold. Son of Paul Meyer, founder of one of the country's largest motivational institutes, Meyer grew up on the power of positive thinking, and eventually built a successful business empire with auto racing at its hub.

As a teenager, Meyer burst onto the racing scene and made a name for himself as a top Funny Car driver. On the business end, he helped change the face of drag racing with the construction of the Texas Motorplex.

Meyer began racing go-karts at 11. He won four championships in Texas, including a pair of state crowns, but knew after sitting in a Funny Car for the first time that drag racing was the venue in which he wished to compete.

Meyer's first shot at Funny Car driving came at 15, when he began taking stints behind the wheel of Bobby Steakley's Camaro. A year later, Meyer earned his Funny Car license with a series of supervised test runs at Ft. Hood Dragway, which at the time made him the sport's youngest Funny Car driver.

In 1971, his competitive career began, and, with the aid of his father's business as a participating sponsor, Meyer purchased his own Funny Car in late 1972. That set the stage for his upset victory at the 1972 Manufacturers' Funny Car Championship at Orange County Int'l Raceway, where he defeated the heavily favored Chi-Town Hustler.

Meyer then took some time away from the sport and joined Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham in building a land-speed-record vehicle (the car eventually set the speed record in 1979 and is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute). When Meyer returned to drag racing, it was like he never left. Almost instantly, he competed again on a championship level and was a threat to win from 1977 until his retirement in 1987.

Meyer won 13 NHRA national events -- at the time, making him the second-winningest Funny Car driver -- including the last he participated in, the 1987 Winston Finals. He reached at least one final from 1977 through 1987 and finished second three times (1980, 1982, and 1984) and third three times (1977, 1978, and 1986) in the Winston Funny Car points race.

But Meyer's racing career is not the only thing for which he will be remembered; his lasting legacy will be the Texas Motorplex. Meyer envisioned a facility like no other, and the end result helped redefine the face of drag racing.

Meyer didn't cut any corners while building the first major track in more than 15 years. The highlight of the facility, which opened its gates in August 1986, was the VIP tower behind the starting line that contained 24 suites. The track itself had everything, from programmable signage at the entrance and the scoreboards, to state-of-the-art lighting and permanent amenities, including air-conditioned bathrooms. The all-concrete track surface instantly produced some of the best numbers in drag racing. The track became the model for such refurbishment projects at Bandimere Speedway, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Gainesville Raceway, and Pomona Raceway, and inspired new venues such as Houston Raceway Park, Heartland Park Topeka, Route 66 Raceway, and Bristol Dragway.

With drag racing's premier facility as part of the package, Meyer branched out and purchased IHRA in 1988. After one season, he rejoined the NHRA family, and has since been a major player in much off-track development. The Motorplex has hosted an NHRA fall event for 16 seasons.

Outside of drag racing, Meyer built an empire that at one time included 16 businesses. Currently, Meyer holds interests in one of the largest publishing businesses in the Southwest, and is also involved in aviation purchasing and manufacturing. -- John Miller

Comments from the panel:
"With a respectable record as a Funny Car driver, Meyer's greatest accomplishment was building the Texas Motorplex, a track that heralded a new era in facilities. As breathtaking in its time as Route 66 Raceway is today. We'll overlook the IHRA experiment." -- Rick Voegelin

"Amazing story: rich teenager gets his dad to give him a Funny Car. Surprise ending: the kid is actually pretty good. But secures a spot in this rarified atmosphere for his vision of how drag racing needed to become truly professional with professional facilities." -- Dan Bennett