Caitlin Shaw to participate in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity

A few weeks ago, Caitlin Shaw got a most-welcome, but unexpected phone call. The call was from NASCAR officials, inviting her to join the Drive for Diversity Combine.  For the aspiring race car driver, it was music to her ears.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” said Shaw, an 19-year-old who graduated from La Cueva in the spring and is attending Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, studying motor sports management. “This is a great opportunity to me.”

The Drive for Diversity Combine will bring 24 young drivers from across the country to the South Boston Speedway in Virginia on Monday and Tuesday, competing for one of the 15 spots in NASCAR’s Developmental Series. The winning drivers will land berths in either the Camping World Series or the Whelan All-American Series.

The drivers will be showcasing their skills in front of NASCAR executives and team owners in two days of competition. The participants also will undergo media training and evaluation.

Shaw and the others will be behind the wheel of closed-wheel, late-model stock cars, pushing 3,000 pounds of power around the track. This will be quite a change for Shaw, who’s used to open-wheel, midget racers that weigh 900 pounds with horsepower of about 400.

“There’s a big difference in the type of racing,” she said. “There’s a lot more power.”

Drafting, braking and powering through the turns are the biggest difference, Shaw said.

“When you’re coming through a turn, in a midget, you hit the gas at the apex of the turn to keep your momentum,” she said. “With the stock cars, you roll through the turns.”

Another big change is the midget drivers sit in the middle of the vehicle while in stock cars, drivers sit in the traditional left-hand side of the car.

Shaw has had some experience testing the stock cars, as well the trucks from the Craftsman Truck Series, so she’s not entirely unfamiliar with how they handle.

And she’s confident once the executives get a good look at her ability, she’ll open some eyes.
“This fits right in with my goals for my driving career,” Shaw said. “Within five years, I plan to get into the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.”

Shaw has been gearing toward a driving career since she was nine, racing quarter-midgets. She moved up to mini sprints at 14, winning a number of local championships at the Sandia Motorsports Park. As a 16-year-old, she moved up to the USAC Ford Focus Midget Racing Series, then onto the USAC National Series as a K&N Development Driver.

This has already been a busy year for Shaw. In addition to beginning college, she’s also attended driver’s school with Brad Noffsinger at Lowe’s Motor Speedway; was a Mazda Miata road course instructor at the Sandia track; attended the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program and tested trucks at the Pocono Raceway in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Now she’s studying in a renowned program for developing students in all aspects of the racing world.

She’ll have to miss two days of classes next week to be in the program, but Shaw isn’t too concerned.

“The professors are all pretty willing to work with you,” she said. “Particularly since I’m pursuing my professional career.”

Milka Duno inspires students

BENTONVILLE - One look at Milka Duno and one wouldn’t be surprised to learn she is a model. One might be a little surprised however, at her primary career - race-car driver.

Duno is also an inspirational speaker who wrote her autobiography in a book geared toward elementary-school children. She shared her book and her story Wednesday morning at Central Park Elementary School at Morning Star. Duno, from Venezuela, spoke about the importance of education.

“Education is the number one thing you can do,” she said. “You can race cars for a little while, but your education is forever.”

Duno spoke about how she “competes to win”when she races, but that virtue started when she was in school. She tried to be the top student at her school, she said.

“I feel a responsibility to tell (students ) to prepare for the future,” she said.

The students were impressed with meeting the celebrity.

“It’s cool that she’s a (racecar driver ),” said Connor Krapf. “She can win trophies.”

Classmate Emma Wood was impressed with Duno’s other career.

“She’s also a model, and she gets to go to a lot of shows,” the second-grader said.

Both the students said they agree with Duno’s message regarding the importance of education. They agreed that staying in school is a good idea.

“It’s so you can learn more so when you grow up you can get the job you want,” Krapf said.

Duno was at the school as part of Central Park’s first Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. The school’s International Committee works to celebrate various cultures that are found within the school, assistant principal Inger Kent said. The school has 22 cultures represented within its walls, she said.

“Our children are from all over,” she said.

The lessons learned during Duno’s presentation will not stop there. Many teachers planned to discuss the presentation in their classrooms. For example, teacher Elizabeth Hampton said she was going to talk to the students about several aspects, including how Duno chose a profession that is not traditional for women. The class will also discuss more about Duno’s Hispanic heritage, as well as hard work that leads to success, Hampton said.

“We’ll talk about putting your mind to doing whatever it is you want to do, then doing it,” she said.

Women and minorities chase NASCAR dreams

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. - The long blonde hair hanging over the back of a racing suit covered with sponsor logos makes it apparent that Kristin Bumbera is not your average racer.

Her record confirms it; the 21-year-old Late Models whiz from Sealy, Texas, not only looks like a sponsor’s dream, but she drives like one, too, having claimed two victories and 11 top-five finishes in 2008 in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Roseville, Calif.

Bumbera is one of 25 drivers vying this week in individual testing and evaluation sessions at South Boston Speedway for one of 14 spots in NASCAR’s sixth Drive for Diversity class.

The candidates include 16 women and nine men, ranging in age from 17 to 29 and all hoping to earn a fully funded ride for 2009. The diversity program will support 10 teams in the Whelen Series, and four more in the Camping World Series, the next step up for drivers.

Bumbera, bidding for her second year in the program, also knows that no female driver has ever made a mark in NASCAR beyond some status as a pioneer, and as she looks around at the ever-expanding numbers of women getting behind the wheel, she knows that will change.

“It’s definitely coming,” she said.

In its sixth year, the Drive for Diversity program has yet to produce a household name, and only this year can claim a champion. Paul Harraka, in his second D4D season, won 11 races at All-American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., and took the championship on the final day.

Harraka, a freshman at Duke with a double major in mechanical engineering and public policy, is back seeking a third season, and said he’s getting from the program what he needs.

It “has definitely meant a lot to my career,” Harraka said, noting that it lifted him from a Legends car racer into late models, a significant jump in class, and helped him get a full-time ride with Bill McAnally Racing. “That’s what the program does, it opens doors.”

Harraka, 19, auditioned again Monday in case one of the team owners or scouts who watched the first 13 candidates take laps liked what he saw. Each driver makes 30 laps, then gets a coaching session, followed by a 10-lap run that shows, among other things, coachability.

They finish with a two-lap mock qualifying run.

The other 12 driver candidates spent part of Monday in seminars that teach them about dealing with sponsors and the media, and the two groups trade places on the second day.

Max Siegel, president of global operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., was among the team reps on hand Monday, and said he’s looking for “tomorrow’s future stars,” drivers who have already invested in their careers and who demonstrate they can run consistent, smooth laps.

The way young drivers present and comport themselves also is a big consideration for employers, Siegel said, but in the end, “you’re only as good as you are on the track.”

DEI already employs Jesus Hernandez, who spent four years in the program.

Bobby Hamilton Jr., who owns teams in the developmental series, also sent a scout to the combine on Monday, as did several owners of teams in the various developmental series.

“There’s a lot of pressure” on the drivers, McAnally said. “They know they’ve got booths full of people up here watching every lap, watching every word they’re saying.”

For Kortney Kosiski, 18, that prospect made it all the more nerve-racking. A third generation racer who runs dirt late models in Nebraska, she had never raced on asphalt.

“I’m very nervous,” she said. “This is the chance of a lifetime.”

After four years racing Soap Box Derby cars, Kosinski moved up to Hornets in 2005, won her first dirt late model race in 2007 and had one victory and seven top-fives finishes this season.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to go race those cars,” she said of the ones used in NASCAR’s premier series. She said her family’s interest in auto racing of all kinds has continued to grow ever since her grandfather, Bob Kosiski, raced in the 1960 Daytona 500.

Given the chance to move up, she said, “then I’m living the dream.”

For many, the first step is just showing they belong.

Trista Stevenson learned that at the Music City Motorplex in Pocahontas, Ill., where she raced in the Whelen Series this year after not making it through the combine last year.

Guys she races against, she said, often flash “why are you here?” looks her way.

“They don’t think that girls can do it. Why? I don’t know,” she said. “We’re just like a guy except in a girl body. They’ll rough you up and try to take you out. If you let them take you out, they’re going to do it every week. You’ve just got to pound them back and show them that I’m not going to give up just because you’re a guy and I’m a 17 year-old girl.”

Or, in the case of Michael Cherry, a 19-year-old black driver trying to make his way.

Cherry is grateful for the program that gave him a steady ride last year, even if he had to commute from his home near Tampa, Fla., to Motor Mile Speedwway in southwest Virginia.

“It gives us hope that we do have a chance to make it somewhere and show what we’ve got,” Cherry said of the program. “If it wasn’t for this program, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

Going forward, NASCAR hopes, Cherry and others will keep improving that position, too.

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NASCAR and UTI Foundation Establish Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund

The NASCAR Foundation Auction Funds First Year of Program

PHOENIX, Ariz. (July 8, 2008) – Recognizing there are many women interested in pursuing careers in the automotive industry, NASCAR and the UTI Foundation established the Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund for women seeking an automotive technical education. Davis, a Universal Technical Institute (UTI) graduate and NASCAR Sprint Cup official, died tragically earlier this year at age 28, and is honored by this scholarship created to encourage women to seek a career in the automotive industry. [Read more]

MCBRIDE BLOCKS OUT STARTING LINE GAMES

The boys weren’t paying nice with Angie McBride on Sunday.

McBride has been a strong player of late, most recently scoring a semi-final finish at the NHRA Fallnationals in Dallas, Texas.

Those kinds of performances will make the competition take notice.

In her first round match against Steve Johnson, the two-time 2008 winner rolled in and lit both bulbs. He sat and even stared over McBride. She never wavered in her routine. Neither did she stage.

Once he backed out of the second bulb, shortly thereafter McBride rolled in and lit her top bulb. Johnson fouled.

McBride let it be known from the start that she knew what Johnson was doing and wasn’t going to fall for it.

“Today, we are going to run my race,” McBride added.

She met up with Andrew Hines in the quarters and the two engaged in a lengthy staging battle. Hines eventually broke the :58 second battle of determination and staged first. He also red-lighted.

This marked the second time in as many races that she’s beaten Hines in the early rounds.

Her tactics of beating the competition at their game led Hines to utter the telltale phrase at the end of the track as he quipped, “You don’t give a damn about anybody.”

She responded, “I just do what I am told.”

McBride made her way into the semi-finals for the second consecutive week, but her raceday however would soon come to an end as Craig Treble, eventual race winner beat her in round three.

“The last few weeks have been amazing,” said McBride.  “I knew I had to just focus on the job at hand and whatever happens would just happen.  I was going to give it all I could and hopefully things would turn out in my favor, and they did.  We have taken out some big hitters the last few weeks and it is the greatest feeling ever.  To sit with Andrew in a staging battle that long and come out on top is just the greatest feeling ever.  I am so excited and I can’t wait for Vegas.”

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Formula Palmer Audi test for Charlotte Haegermark

The test took place at Bedford Autodrome about an hour drive north of London. The first hour was spent for seat fitting followed by two hours of track testing.

The actual driving technique resembles of driving a shifter kart but there were also some differences which made the driving difficult in many ways. The biggest difference was the gearbox which had and H-pattern shifting system rather than the sequential shifting that I´m used to in karting and also the amount of brake pedal force you had to apply, says Charlotte.

In the beginning of the session she took it pretty easy in order to acquaint herself with the car. In spite of that, she managed to do a few spins, slipping out into the grass and a 360 degree spin on the tarmac as well.

In the beginning it was easy to be keen with the throttle coming out of the corners and entering the straights due to the turbo lag. You had to be really soft on the throttle and be aware of the turbo boost that would appear just after a moment, explains Charlotte.

It was a bit difficult for Charlotte, being a kart driver, to achieve the necessary driving rhythm in the beginning. In karting you have an extremely good control of your vehicle, while you in FPA have other parameters such as springs and dampers, wings, turbo lag, limited visibility and of course a much heavier car which you have to get adapted to.

Towards the end of the session, Charlotte got a better pace and got used to the turbo lag. However, it quickly got dark in the evening, so after about 30 laps on the 1,8 miles long West Track it was time to head back to the garage and to call it a day.

Driving such a powerful racing car was really a fantastic experience for me, very much different from what I initially had expected. Much more physical and actually also much more mentally demanding than I had expected as well. But like all other challenges, the more you sweat in practice, the more you gain in battle and the better you get. I hope that I will be able to do some more testing before the end of the season, concludes Charlotte.

Facts about Formula Palmer Audi (FPA):
The series is run and promoted by the former Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer and the cars were specially designed and built by the well-known British formula car producer Van Diemen. The cars are constructed around a monocoque of aluminium honeycomb and carbon fibres. The power plant is an Audi 1,8 litre turbo engine coupled to a 5-speed Hewland gearbox. The power output is approx. 300 bhp with an additional power possibility by means of a booster button on the steering wheel, which you are allowed to use eight times during a race mainly for overtaking. The cars are slightly bigger then F3 and FR and have slightly wider tyres as well. The series started ten years ago and among those drivers that have started their careers in FPA Björn Wirdheim, Gary Paffett, Andy Priaulx and Giorgio Pantano can be mentioned. FPA has during the years served as a breeding class and a first step series for all categories of racing drivers resulting in you today can find ex-FPA drivers in F1, F 3000, GP2, F3, FR 3,5, FR 2,0, Touring Cars, Sports Racing Cars etc.

Gabi DiCarlo’s Impressive Road Race Return

Gabi DiCarlo and her Great Clips Race Team continue to impress the competition. Gabi returned to road course racing this past weekend at the brand new facility known as New Jersey Motorsports Park, where she quickly adapted to the challenging track.

During the ten minute qualifying session DiCarlo piloted the Great Clips Toyota Camry around the sweeping right and left hand turns to position herself in a very respectful 16th place starting spot. [Read more]

Halliday enjoys ALMS return despite Petit Le Mans retirement

Liz Halliday’s return to her native USA didn’t end as she would have hoped after an accident for co-driver Dean Stirling forced an early retirement at the Petit Le Mans race. However, despite that frustration, the California-born dual sportswoman enjoyed her outing with Creation AIM. [Read more]

Justine Jackson takes a DOUBLE-VICTORY at the Palisadoes International Raceway

The Jamaica Karting Association held their 9th racemeet of the year at the Palisadoes International Raceway in Kingston, Jamaica on Sunday, September 21, 2008. Justine Jackson, driver of Kart # 0, participated in the Rotax Senior Class only in an effort of focusing on her Championship hopes, being 2nd in the hunt and only 27 points out of the lead.

Her efforts proved to be worth it as she started off her day on a high capturing pole position in the 5 minute qualifying session. Starting from P1, Justine sped off to take 2 victories in race 1 and race 2 (12 laps each) along with the fastest lap in race 2 earning an extra point as she continued to reel in the championship lead.

Race 3 proved to be different as she started from 4th place and after getting a bad start, was pushed back to P6 after the first corner. But with a strong head on her shoulders, Justine quickly grabbed back her 4th position after passing 2 karts on lap 1 and another on lap 2- kart # 83 who proved to be her battling partner for the 15 lap race. Now in 3rd place and P1 and P2 still in close contact, Justine and kart # 83 dueled throughout the race, but her 3rd place finish was lost as she caught up on a bunch of lapped karters within the closing laps of the race. In exiting the last corner onto the main straight, Justine took to the outside line and kart # 83 took the inside to sandwich the lapped karter and in a photo-finish was just barely clipped on the finish line to take 4th place.

A job well done for the young Formula 1 aspirant, taking the overall Rotax Senior Class victory! She now trails by 24 points in the championship. With only 2 racemeets left, can she capture the 2008 Rotax Senior Championship? Only time will tell. She sure thinks so!

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