Meghan Dillner started off the 2008 season with a long checklist of things she would like to accomplish during her rookie campaign in the Pro Challenge Series. First and foremost on that list was to gain experience in the high-horsepowered scale-car series as a graduate from the developmental Bandolero ranks while earning the respect and loyalties of the other drivers and fans. Dillner did have lofty goals on the list as well, including finishing in the top-10 in the final series' point standings.

But at the end of the season's long schedule, the 15-year-old Dillner did not only meet just about every one of her long list of goals – she exceeded most of them. And now she has been named Pro Challenge Series “Most Popular Driver.”

“I was definitely excited when I was named the ‘Most Popular Driver.' That meant a lot to me because I was doing the thing that I love to do the most. It meant a lot that my family, my friends from school, my friends at the track, the folks at Chevy and Racing Electronics and more were voting for me every day. I really appreciate all of their support in the voting and throughout the season, too.”

From the first time she began piloting a Pro Challenge machine in the spring, Dillner was a force in the Pro Challenge North Region and a strong challenger in the overall series' National Point

standings, despite entering the series last in the going. She began her campaign in BDI Racing's #151 Chevy Silverado truck and then moved into the team's #51 Chev-Stang at the season's halfway point. Dillner captured consistent top-five finishes throughout the season. A strong four-race effort during the Pro Challenge Playoff earned Dillner fifth in Pro Challenge National Points at the series banquet a little more than a week ago, when she was also voted the series' Most Popular Driver.

The on and off-track success for Meghan Dillner made the 2008 season one that she looks to build on.

“We started off the year definitely not expecting to do as well as we did this year,” said Dillner. “Throughout the whole process, I learned a lot. We were just hoping to get through the year and get a couple top-10 finishes during the season. We went right out and finished in the top-10, so we were hoping just to finish in the top-10 in National Points. Ending up fifth in National Points was a great achievement for me. Hopefully next year we'll be able to go even further and win the National Championship.”

Dillner wasted little time in getting up to speed in the high-powered Pro Challenge machines. The series has quickly become the industry standard in developmental scale-car racing for young racers and the competition level in the Pro Challenge Series in 2008 reflected the series' growth. Still, battling side-by-side with some of the country's best young drivers at the Southeasts' toughest racetracks did not faze the rookie.

“Going from a Bandolero to a Pro Challenge car, the first thing I had to learn and get used to was shifting. That was probably the easiest part of what I had to learn just because controlling a Pro Challenge car is totally different than controlling a Bandolero. The cars have much higher speeds and we raced at a bunch of different tracks, all of which took some getting used to. In the Bandolero, the cars were a lot slower and we really only raced at a couple of tracks in the area. We went from Orlando to the bunch of tracks in Georgia to all the tracks in the Carolinas and we raced against some really good drivers in this series. That was a lot of fun for me.

“Now I can take the knowledge I gained racing in the Pro Challenge Series at all the tracks we raced at last year and use it towards an even better year in 2009.”

Two runner-up finishes, including one in the series' final event at Peach State Speedway (GA) in November, helped Dillner capture the fifth-place finish.

Dillner now sets her sights on becoming the 2009 Pro Challenge Series National Champion when the series officially begins its season in March. Until then, Dillner will continue to be around her BDI Racing teammates at the racetrack as a crewmember for the organization's Super Late Model program, which recently finished fifth in the season-opening SpeedFest 2009 CRA Super Series-sanctioned event at Lanier National Speedway (GA) with driver Michael Pope. Dillner will be with the team when the Super Late Model hits the track next with Pope behind the wheel during Florida Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway later this month.