Courtesy of RacingWest.com

RacingWest had a wonderful opportunity to do a brief Q&A with Cassie Gannis, driver of the No. 07 mancavesite.org Ford in the NASCAR West series. She had some great answers, but we here at RacingWest especially appreciate her adoption of rescue dogs!

RacingWest We always like to know where you got your start in racing, what have been your biggest accomplishments and who have been your biggest supporters.

“I would most definitely say that my biggest supporters have been my family, followed closely by friends and what I call my racing family.” — Cassie Gannis
Cassie Gannis: I have always been interested in racing for as long as I can remember. As a kid I would watch NASCAR on TV instead of all the cartoons the other kids were watching. I also was interested in racing because of my Dad. He use to race Dwarf cars and IMCA’s on dirt. I would most definitely say that my biggest supporters have been my family, followed closely by friends and what I call my racing family.

RW: You will likely be the only woman racing in the NASCAR West race at Spokane. Do you feel that puts extra pressure on you?
CG: No, I am just another driver out there racing that happens to be female. I think with more women entering the sport successfully and proving themselves with some great driving the only pressure we have is the one all drivers have, which is to have a great race.

RW: Do you ever feel the men don’t think you deserve to be there?
CG: Sometimes yes, but as soon as I prove myself to them I find that most of my fellow racers tend to be very encouraging. I’m just another driver working to win the race.

RW: How do you plan to save the equipment at this race?
CG: Race a clean race and stay out of trouble the best I can.

RW: What is your personal goal for the Spokane race?
CG: A top 10 finish

RW: When you aren’t racing do you have any other hobbies you enjoy?
CG: I enjoy speaking on my My Teen Driving Safety Program where I speak on safety issues affecting teen drivers, Go Karting, swimming for exercise and playing with my dogs.

RW: Any pets?
CG: 3 dogs- all rescue dogs! HOBO, Oreo and Coco. All great dogs with great personalities. They do make me laugh!

RW: Back to Spokane—how have you prepared yourself for this race?

CG: As always, being as familiar as possible with the equipment and the track is at the top of the list. I’ve never raced at Spokane so my practice runs will be very important. I have studied some video’s on You Tube of the track and that will at least give me some added perspective. Also, we sometimes forget that racing is very much an athletic sport. I eat right and make sure I’m appropriately rested for the physical aspects of the race. That also really helps my concentration and focus.

RW: Who can you thank for opportunity to race the West?
CG: My family first! My Mom, Dad, Sister and Margaret Guerra Rogers. My sponsor – mancavesite.org -Heather and Mike Yost. They are my biggest fans and usually travel with me. And Greg Rayl racing team, Monty Shaw and GJM Motorsports.

RW: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Hope you don’t mind if we ask you more in the very near future! Best of luck this weekend…and have fun!

Thanks,
Kathy Gannis