Pocono the Perfect Prescription for Gabi DiCarlo

Long Pond, PA (June 7, 2008) – Gabi DiCarlo and the Great Clips Racing Team were hoping for a change of fortune as they headed to the 2.5 mile Pocono International Raceway. It seems that the Pocono 200 was just what the doctor ordered for the besieged race team. After coming off a grueling six week schedule that had been filled with enough bad luck to last the whole season, DiCarlo masterfully guided the team’s Toyota Camry to a well needed 10th place finish. [Read more]

Gabi DiCarlo Races Way to First Top Ten Finish

KANSAS CITY, MO. (April 25, 2008) – Gabi DiCarlo picked the right time to show everyone why she has been picked to drive the Great Clips Racing Toyota Camry for Stringer Motorsports. With the team struggling with some bad luck this season Gabi drove the Toyota powered rocket from the 23 starting position to as high as 3rd and contended with the leaders late in the race. It was an impressive run, as the ARCA/REMAX series regular finished the very fast Kansas Speedway’s Kansas Lottery 150 Grand in the 9th position and garnered her first series top ten.
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Tiffany Daniels Ready For Busy 2008 Racing Season

Female Racer Juggles Multiple Jobs In Motorsports To Help With Career AdvancementSMITHFIELD, VA (February 29, 2008) – Over the last 10 years, Tiffany Daniels has been involved in the racing industry in various forms. Starting off as a crew member working on chassis setup, timing and repair in the Bandolero series in 1998, Daniels honed her skills outside the driver’s seat before jumping behind the wheel of a Legends Car a few years later. During the 10-year time span, Daniels moved up to Limited Late Models as a driver and working at Ganassi Racing as a Support Engineer.

Now, in 2008, 23-year old Daniels will continue her climb up the ladder in motorsports by eating, breathing and sleeping racing.

“Basically this year is going to be about developing me as a driver, developing our marketing skills and getting prepared for opportunities that we are trying to work on for 2009,” said Daniels. “It is going to be about seat time and being ready for any new opportunities that we will be presented with.”

Mid-season in 2007, Daniels switched from Limited Late Models to Late Model Stock racing. In 2008, Daniels will make another switch as she will compete in a limited schedule in the UARA-Stars series.

“We are running a limited UARA schedule due to traveling and our budget,” explained Daniels. “We are not going to run every single race and we feel we do not need to. The competition is going to be extremely tough in UARA this year and they are going to be sending cars home every week, so we figured for our first full year of Late Model racing we will start our goals off with solid top 10’s, building our momentum and work towards solid top fives and even some wins by the end of the season.”

When Tiffany is not driving her UARA car, she will still be at the track, but as a crew member helping her Charlie Daniels Racing teammate and brother Cliff as he moves up the ranks of racing as well.

“It is a whole lot easier going to the track and focusing on one car at a time, whether it is mine or Cliff’s,” explained Daniels. “Right now it has worked out easier schedule-wise with my car for me to skip Concord (Concord Motorsport Park in North Carolina) and run Motor Mile (VA). It will let us focus on one car at a time as well as getting the best performance out of that car and we will learn different things in the process. It will be a good learning experience for us.”

Another opportunity that presented itself to Daniels this season is helping out a fellow former competitor from the Legends Car realm. Craig Goess is moving up this year to the NASCAR Camping World East Series in 2008 with Eddie Sharp Racing. In a deal that will get him some seat time before his season starts, Daniels will also get seat time in an ARCA car.

“One of Eddie Sharp’s development drivers will be racing in the this year and wanted a little more seat time before his season starts,” said Daniels. “He will run my car at Kenly (NC) on March 15th for the twin 50-lap races. Then they will try to work me into a few ARCA tests at possibly Caraway Speedway (NC) or some smaller, closer tracks so I can get some seat time in an ARCA car and prepare me for next year to possibly move up to ARCA or the Camping World East Series.”

Away from the track in March, Daniels will participate in Phase Two of the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation’s 2007-2008 Driver Development Program, which was established by accomplished female racer Lyn St. James to provide information and training for female racecar drivers who have demonstrated success on track and have a desire to pursue a career in professional motorsports. Daniels completed Phase One in November.

Outside of her own driving and personal development, Daniels will continue working her day job at Ganassi Racing, something she feels will help progress her career, personally and professionally.

“It is kind of like having two careers, but they are intertwined,” explained Daniels. “I have been able make contacts at Ganassi that have helped me with the Late Model and pick up some things at work to help me become a better racer. Then the experience in my Late Model helps me contribute more and be more confident at Ganassi. It really goes hand in hand.”

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Daytona Gives DiCarlo No Brakes

DAYTONA BEACH FL (2-12-08) – Gabi DiCarlo was doing a masterful job avoiding everything that the competition was throwing at her during the first 35 laps of the ARCA 200 at Daytona International Speedway. The Great Clips Race Team that DiCarlo drives for had her in a position that was bound to reward the talented driver with a fantastic finish. She had already avoided two huge crashes that had decimated the 43 car field and was running in the 12^th position. Everything was in place for a challenging run to the end of the 80 lap season opening race, when Gabi was forced to radio to the crew that she had just lost the brakes on the Great Clips Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Crew Chief Barry Dodson and his young crew thrashed on the racer and did a great job in returning some of the cars stopping ability but the team found themselves 7 laps down to field.

“We had a great opportunity for a top ten finish, the car was good and Gabi was driving her heart out,” said Dodson. “We did a lot of testing with this car and never had a bit of trouble, I hate it that this one got away.”

Even with the adversity of the brakes, Gabi was still able to make the best of her first Daytona start with a fine 20^th place finish. The season looks as promising as ever as the Great Clips Team heads to 2^nd race of the year at Salem Speedway on April 13^th

Jennifer Jo Cobb is ready to race

Jennifer Jo Cobb began racing in 1991, and despite some up-and-downs in her career she has proven to be a tough competitor in the world of auto racing. She has numerous victories, and finished in the top ten championship standings for every season she competed full-time in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. In June 2002, Jennifer debuted in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at the Kansas Speedway, finishing 16th position. In just her second national race, she finished ninth on the lead lap.

She continued to do well in ARCA and other series, but in 2006 decided to divest her interests and start a clothing line specifically for female race fans called Driver Boutique.

Jennifer continues to hone her driving skills by testing at many tracks and working at the Richard Petty Driving Experience where she logs over 1,000 laps per weekend at many NASCAR-sanctioned racetracks, such as Daytona Int’l Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, California Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and many others.

Off of the track, Jennifer is a business professional and has a decade of marketing and advertising experience. She holds an Associate’s degree in Pre-Journalism is currently working on her broadcasting degree. She has been a co-host for a television program on Time Warner Cable’s Metro Sports TV Channel called Inside Motorsports. In addition to appearing on the cover of the national racing magazine, Stock Car Spectacular, she has been featured on local and national radio programs and has headlined in newspapers across the country.

Jennifer’s love of auto racing began with her father, Joe Cobb’s, racing career. He has hundreds of victories and awards, including a track championship and most popular driver award.

Jennifer’s future ambitions include competing full time in the NASCAR Busch Series, and eventually racing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

How did you get into auto racing?
I attended my first race when I was two weeks old. My dad was a crew member for my cousin. My dad started racing when I was three so I grew up in the sport. For the most part, I was a girly girl, but I loved being in the garage and would often fall asleep in my dad’s racing seat. I changed my first tire when I was 11 and I enjoyed learning to work on the cars at a young age.

What has been the biggest highlight of your career?
The biggest highlight of my career is the fact that I do not come from money, my dad is not a big national name and I am figuring out how to race in the big leagues the hard way! I raced for 10 years in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series where the best highlight was almost winning the points championship at I-70 Speedway in 2000. My first ARCA race at the Kansas Speedway feels like a milestone in my career, where I finished 16th and of course, qualifying 28th out of 55 cars for my first NASCAR Busch race felt pretty cool. Right now, I just can’t wait to go out and reach another milestone (like a good Busch, er, Nationwide Series win!)

Racing plans for 2008?
Find sponsors, go racing… it’s hard to solidify a schedule without funding, but I believe I will be able to run some ARCA, Nationwide and maybe even some NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. There is more momentum and sponsor interest this year than maybe any other year so I am hopeful! Providence Medical Center and Saint John Hospitals will sponsor me for the Kansas races and we will continue to try to solidify Major Primary sponsors for those and other events in 2008.

Tell AskPatty about your public speaking career?
When word got out on the street that I was a racecar driver, a lot of Kansas City companies, groups and schools asked me to come speak to them about my racing career. I would find myself racing Friday and Saturday nights and sharing the story with people throughout the week and they really got a kick out of what I was saying (at least they told me they did!) So, I had a friend tell me that I was going to have to start charging for these speaking appearances because I was getting so many requests. I visited with a speaking bureau, Five Star Speakers, who helped me put a value to my speeches and a new, parallel career was born! I have been speaking professionally for about seven years and I have had the pleasure of gaining new clients, nationwide, every year.

You’ve attempted to make several NASCAR Busch Series races — is it hard to compete at that NASCAR level? What are the biggest disadvantages you face in racing in NASCAR?
My biggest disadvantage in NASCAR is that I do not have the national sponsors and resources of the teams I compete against. It is extremely competitive and very difficult… however, every time I attempt a NASCAR Busch Series race I get better, learn more and become more determined to break into the series as a top contender. I think a lot of people get up to that level, try it, find out how hard it really is and decide it may be smartest to drop down a level or two. That makes sense, but I am so determined to find a national sponsor and make it into this series that I will keep trying. I would race anything, anywhere, so I will continue to go where opportunities present themselves.

Was there added pressure trying to race Busch cars last season, because there were no other female drivers in either top series?
It actually made it a little easier sponsor sell – after Kansas we went into The Annexus Group and www.VisitMyrtleBeach.com and said, look, this sport is so tough but we want to have an opportunity to try in Phoenix and Miami. Other female drivers (myself included) have had opportunities and lost them and we just want to stay out there and give it a chance. There is no additional pressure being a woman, just additional criticism, which I can handle and I prepare my sponsors to expect.

Have you ever raced against your Dad, Joe Cobb? Who won?
I haven’t! That would be fun… my dad has raced both asphalt and dirt but is mainly a dirt racer. I have never raced dirt, so if we were to compete on dirt, I’m sure he’d win. If we were to compete on asphalt, I’d win but I’m sure he’d do his best to try to prevent that!

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