Race Car Driver Heads for Gulf Coast to Volunteer with Oil Spill Clean Up 
 

May 1, 2010
 
Hello everyone,
 
I am headed to New Orleans in the morning to volunteer to help clean up the oil spill. Likely I will end up working with the wildlife since I have a background in wildlife rescue from college.
 
This spill is on track to become the largest man made environmental disaster in history. The oil is gushing out at 200,000 gallons per day, nearly 10 times what they had originally estimated and it’s seems to be increasing in flow. It is a mile below the surface and they don’t know how to stop it, it could be leaking for months.
 
It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Pelicans, shrimp, alligators and dolphins in the coastal gulf are giving birth or preparing to. There are four species of endangered sea turtles in the area that will likely never recover now. Shrimp are in grave danger which is devastating not only for the shrimp, but also to all the larger species of fish like red snapper and yellowfin tuna which feed on the shrimp. And while some fish may have the ability to flee from the oil, it is a much more difficult proposition for dolphins who have to surface to breath air and will be inhaling the toxic fumes. This is truly a colossal tragedy of epic proportions.
 
I will be there with Larry Schweiger (President and CEO) and Jeremy Symons (Senior Vice President, Conservation and Education) from the National Wildlife Federation. Right now my plane ticket flies me home next Friday morning (May 7) because I have to come home to go to Dallas for a speech I have scheduled at the International Stadium Managers Conference. I don’t know what my cell service or internet connection will be like. The area I am going – Venice, Louisiana – is on the coast and about 100 miles from New Orleans. I will try to post updates to my facebook and twitter if I have a connection. I will be documenting this trip with video and photographs that I will post on Carbon Free Girl from the gulf coast if I can and if not, when I get home.
 
Wish us luck. If anyone wants to join me as a volunteer, please contact the Deep Water Horizon response team at 1-866-448-5816. We need all the help we can get.
 
Keep it green… and blue… (and free of oil)
 

Fast female Molly Taylor made it a second Swift Sport Cup win in a row on the Carlisle-based Pirelli International Rally at the weekend.

Australian Molly and Cumbrian co-driver Jemma Bellingham battled stages in the notorious ‘Killer Kielder’ and Kershope Forests in their Monster Sport Europe and Motorsport Insurance Services backed Suzuki Swift Sport.

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IndyCar Series driver and owner of Sarah Fisher Racing, Sarah Fisher, was awarded the Spirit of Leadership award today by the Women’s Automotive Association International (WAAI).  The award was presented in conjunction with the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“To follow in the footsteps of the many women who have received this award before me, I’m honored to have been thought of for this prestigious award,” said Fisher, who announced on January 13th that she would return to the IndyCar Series in 2009 with backing from Dollar General. “For me, being an active part of my community and lending a helping hand has been a dedication for me in my life thus far. I’m very happy I was able to accept this award in person today thanks to AAA Auto Insurance and to also meet this group of female influencers in the automotive industry. Thank you very much.”

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Local racing driver Amanda Whitaker played a starring role at Croft this week as she was featured on ITV Tyne Tees evening news Monday night together with partner Anthony Dunn. She gained support from local company Roman for the event.

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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

Her right ankle bones are held together with a bunch of bolts and screws. She needs a new left knee. And the arthritis in her fingers gives her fits.

But her brain apparently doesn’t care, because pretty much every day it bleats the same mantra: Mo-to cross! Mo-to cross!

You go, gramma.

Back in the ’80s, Gale Webb made headlines as America’s Motocross Mom. Now that she’s 64 years old and has a grandson, motocross gramma is more like it.

But she could just as easily be skateboard gramma. Or snowboard gramma. Or kamikaze mountain bike gramma. Read More

About a week ago, Erica Ortiz e-mailed me to let me know that she picked me as one of her top 5 favorite blogs for Blog Day 2008. I was honored and thanked her for reading my blog.

Danica Patrick would be ecstatic with another strong run at the Detroit Indy Grand Prix.

After starting 11th last year at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, Patrick worked her way up to fifth late in the race when the cars running second, third and fourth were involved in an incident with two laps to go. Patrick sped past the wreckage and held on for a second-place finish behind Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Patrick, fifth-fastest in practice on Friday with a lap at 100.100 mph (161 kph). “I’m very fortunate that I didn’t get caught up in it. It was great to stand next to Tony Kanaan on the podium, first and second. Hopefully we can do something similar again.”

Despite winning her first IndyCar race this season in Japan, nothing has come easy this year for Patrick. She has finished in the top 10 in nine of 15 races this year, but only three times in the top five, including a fifth-place showing last weekend in Sonoma, California.

“It’s been a year of ups and downs, and drama,” Patrick said. “It’s either been something on the track drawing attention or something off the track. It’s just been like that this year.

“(Winning) hasn’t lessened the pressure to win again. We’re shooting for No. 1 every week. It’s the other drivers who are making it hard on me. The competition is very deep out there, especially on the road courses. It’s tough every single weekend.”

The success has been accompanied by some distractions. The most notable one occurred during practice for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio when Patrick marched over to driver Milka Duno’s pit box to complain to her and Dreyer & Reinbold crew members that Duno was too slow on the course and blocking faster drivers. Duno responded by twice snapping a white towel at Patrick before telling her to leave.

Still, Patrick has been able to continue to focus on her driving. She’s sixth in the Indy Racing League driver standings, 45 points behind fifth-place Ryan Briscoe of Australia.

“Every year at the end you think if it wouldn’t have been for that one thing,” Patrick said. “That’s just the way it goes. But you can’t control it. Everybody has their bad races. Everybody has their throwaways. That’s what makes a season.

“Obviously Scott Dixon is kicking everybody’s butt and doing a good job this year.”

Patrick admitted that a repeat of her last performance at Detroit is going to be difficult on the 14-turn, 2-mile (3.3-kilometer) circuit.

“Passing is very difficult here,” she said. “It’s difficult to pass on any road course, really, but here it’s not like you drop a wheel off in the gravel and keep going or get pushed wide. You hit a wall.

“There’s just nowhere to go. I did a couple of them last year, but they weren’t pretty. A lot of crashes end up happening when you try. The only other spot you can make up spots outside of actually passing would be through strategy, through fuel saving, through pit stops. I think a lot of us tend to rely on strategy for the cleanest passing.”

Plus, Patrick noted that this year’s race field was expanded from 17 to 26 with IndyCar’s merger with the Champ Car World Series.

“We’ve got 10 or 11 new entries and that definitely gets into the mix. It fogs it up,” she said. “Last year there were a lot of top fives and running up front a lot. This year it’s just not been quite the same. There’s just too many drivers out there.”

On the day Danica Patrick claimed her historic victory at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan last month, Kristin Bumbera was half a world away. Bumbera was running at Thunder Hill Raceway in Kyle, Texas, just south of Austin. She finished 11th in the Allstate Texas Thunder 150 Race, part of the Camping World West series. She was the only woman running. She’s used to that.

Decades after Shirley Muldowney knocked down the gender barrier at the top levels of drag racing, success by women in motor sports is still largely hit or miss. But those who have followed the pioneers are now giving rise to more young drivers, and that next generation will one day be Patrick’s legacy and that of today’s other female racers.
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Michael Morisi

As the news continues to highlight the top female NASCAR drivers who are hoping to be the next one to make history, one in particular stands out from the rest. Tiffany Daniels has been racing for 8 years and has been a consistent top 5 finisher. She has several wins to her credit and was the 2003 Women’s National Legends Champion. Out of the car, she has accomplished a great deal as well. A 2007 magna cum laude graduate of UNC with a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Motorsports Concentration and a minor in Public Relations, she works full time for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates as a Support Engineer on the #40 Sprint Cup car.

Tiffany started the 2008 season splitting time with her brother who is also an accomplished Late Model driver and a sophomore at UNC in the Mechanical Engineering program. She has posted two solid runs at Southern National Speedway and South Boston this season. Her next race at South Boston will be in the Eddie Sharp #22 Camping World East car for her debut in that series on May 31.

Tiffany has been very busy off the track as well this season. Earlier this year, Tiffany participated in and completed Phase Two of the Women in the Winners Circle Foundation’s 2007-2008 Driver Development Program and along the way was presented with a prestigious honor, the Kara Hendrick Memorial Award by former Indy Car racer Lyn St. James, known as the American Woman Racing Icon of the Century, who is the founder of the Women in the Winners Circle Foundation.

“The Kara Hendrick Memorial award is given out by Lyn St. James in memory of the late Kara Hendrick, a USAC driver who was killed the day she set a track record at one of her local tracks,” explained Daniels. “Lyn gives out the award when she sees someone that has similar spirit and talent to Kara Hendrick. It is not something she gives out every year, so it is a prestigious award and I am honored that someone like Lyn thinks highly enough of me to give this award. It means a lot to know she realizes how hard I have been working and how determined I am to make it in racing, which is a tough sport. To have Lyn St. James recognize me is really special.”

“All the drivers who attend our program really want to succeed in racing, but not every driver grasps the concept of just how hard they have to work,” explained St. James. “And when they do sometimes it’s just overwhelming and often they have to take a step back and go to work. Then on occasion I see a driver who not only has the talent and potential, but takes the information and knowledge we share and runs with it. It actually motivates and empowers them to move forward. And they are able to keep their smile and spirit intact as well. Tiffany demonstrated all of that in my opinion. She has the potential to go far and carry Kara’s spirit with her.”

Tiffany is a very dynamic, educated, professional woman who has the total package. As she continues her climb toward NASCAR history, she is certain to make a lot of headlines. For more information on Tiffany, check out her web site at www.tiffdaniels.com or contact Mike@hmiteam.com or 757-822-3017

Photos courtesy of 51 Sports Photos