The post Getting to the race takes a walk in the woods for young driver appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>Just a few weeks before Sloan Henderson was set to qualify for last year’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway, she received news the financial backing from her sponsorships had fallen through.
Unable to come up with several thousand dollars on her own, she returned to her home in Dayton, Ohio, wondering if she would ever race again.
“It was a huge downer,” said the 19-year-old, who will practice today and attempt to qualify Friday for the 2012 Slick Mist 200. “We have constantly heard ‘no’ from companies and last year when it seemed like my dreams were coming true, it was taken away from me a few weeks before the race was suppose to happen.”
But this year, Henderson discovered money does grow on trees.
After hunting on her grandparent’s property in Ohio, Sloan’s sponsor Terry Wells suggested cutting down 55 walnut trees and selling them to a local lumber mill. For days Sloan, her father Steve Henderson and Wells cut down the 100-foot trees with a 30-pound chainsaw and moved them despite freezing temperatures and snow.
“The trees are 150 years old, so we aren’t going to have a chance like this in another 150 years,” Steve said.
The timber brought in $23,500 toward Sloan’s fundraising goal of $65,000. But if she was going to make it to the first ACRA race of the season and gain the attention of the media and potential sponsors, timber alone wouldn’t cut it.
To raise additional funds, Sloan called on the help of her fans with Sloan’s Crusaders. Through her website, sloanhenderson.com, fans can become sponsors for as little as $1 and have their name placed on her No. 29 Dodge Charger. So far, Sloan’s Crusaders has helped raised more than $30,000. “We are looking for grass-roots sponsors instead of corporations,” Steve said. “It’s a fan-funded sports car.”
Steve Henderson also sold six acres of his family’s 30-acre farm to pay for the car and crew for Saturday’s race — the engine alone costs $20,000, he said.
Sloan Henderson started racing at the age of 12 after an accident on her horse, Rocky, left her with a broken jaw. Her father said he was looking for a hobby for his daughter that didn’t involve an animal with a “mind of its own.”
A former tractor-trailer driver, he remembered how his daughter liked to spend hours turning doughnuts on a four-wheeler when she was a child, and thought racing would be a sport she could excel at. Sloan would eventually go on to break track records at the Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, Ohio, and win the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rookie of the Year Award for Ohio in 2009.
Despite her love for racing, the financial setback in 2011 had Sloan beginning to picture her life without the sport.
“We were literally done racing until three months ago,” said Steve. “We were starting to plan our lives outside racing, when she spent a semester in college and then came back and we decided to give it another shot.”
About that time, Sloan reached out to Sprint Cup Series driver Brian Keselowski, who was billed as an underdog when he qualified for the Daytona 500 in 2011. He also owns the newly formed Brian Keselowski Motorsports team and was looking for a driver for this year’s ARCA series. In December, Sloan tested with Keselowski’s team at Daytona International Speedway and finished eighth out of 53 drivers, with an average speed of 181mph. Her results showed promise, as Sloan has never competed in a race with speeds more than 90 mph.
“She jumped in and drove like she had been doing it for 100 years,” Keselowski said.
Sloan’s fundraising efforts have brought her to Daytona, but without additional sponsorships it’s unlikely that she will compete in other ARCA-series races this year.
Like many other drivers before, her performance in the Slick Mist 200 could make or break her career.
“It’s Cinderella’s shot at the ball,” Steve said.
Sloan is one of three female drivers who will attempt to qualify and compete in Saturday’s race. And though her long blonde hair will likely help her marketability, Sloan said she hopes her Christian faith and racing talent will set her apart from other drivers.
“I don’t want to push Christianity on anyone, I just want to stand up for the things that I believe in,” she said. “I believe that this is where God wants me to be and he wants me to be an example for others,” she said.
Steve Henderson acknowledged that it will be tough for his daughter to beat seven-time Slick Mist 200 winner Bobby Gerhart, but he has faith that Sloan will succeed. He pointed to NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, who placed sixth in the same race in 2010 and has become one of the most high-profile women in auto racing.
“Sloan doesn’t have to win,” he said. “If she can do one spot better than what Danica did, I think that’s going to be press worthy.”
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]]>The post Maryeve Dufault Returns To ARCA Competition Vowing To Prove appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>KANSAS CITY, Kansas (October 5, 2011) – - Maryeve Dufault, driver of the No. 12 Race Engines Plus / Dodge Motorsports / Tony Marks Racing Dodge Charger will make her first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards start in nearly two months when the green flag waives for Friday night’s Kansas Lottery 98.9 at Kansas Speedway.
Dufault, the Sorel, Quebec Canada native last competed at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 where she bolted from her 27th place starting position to finish a commendable 13th earning her the Hard Charger Award. Dufault returns to the cockpit for the final two races at Kansas Speedway and Toledo Speedway respectively where she intends to provide her team with another finish inside the top-10.
And if there is a track that offers the most probable circumstance for that goal to become a reality, Kansas Speedway might just be the place. Carrying a similar outline to Chicagoland Speedway, the site of Dufault’s 10th place finish in June, the Tony Marks Racing (TMR) skips to the “Land of Oz” hoping to deliver their second straight top-10 finish on Friday night.
“I’m ready for Kansas,” said Dufault, who has since made her NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. “We had a good thing going at Pocono and despite the break in-between, I am really excited about climbing back behind the wheel of our No. 12 Race Engines Plus / Dodge Motorsports / Tony Marks Racing Dodge Charger and fight towards another top-10 finish.”
“We’re bringing fast racecars to the track,” Dufault said. “As a team, we skipped the dirt races all together and Jared did a great job at Madison and Salem. Both of us tested this past weekend at Toledo Speedway to prepare for the season finale and I feel like we’re both are going to have really strong racecars. We’re all looking forward to the remaining two races and beyond.”
As far as Kansas Speedway is concerned, it will be business as usual when she puts on her helmet and takes to the mile-and-a-half-track for the first time in her ARCA career.
Dufault, in her off time has also packed her belongings and made the long trek from California to North Carolina where she now calls “home” in an effort to be closer to her team and marketing partners.
“I’m enjoying living in North Carolina,” Dufault sounded. “It’s a lot different than California, but I like the change. I’m able to spend a lot of time at the shop and hang with my team and racing friends even more now that I’m here near them. It’s been another step in the right direction.”
“Ryan (Chism, crew chief) and the entire team have been working hard on the car for the past couple of weeks. It looks sweet. It’s a one-day show at a big track and a quick turn-around between qualifying and the race, so keeping ourselves on our agenda will be critical to having a good night. For me, I have to use patience, not get anxious and stay focused. Hopefully when it’s all said and done, we can find ourselves in the same scenario as we did at Chicagoland.”
Tony Marks, a former racer and Ohio entrepreneur offered his thoughts on Friday night’s stakes. “Everyone at TMR is looking forward to having Maryeve back in her seat again this week,” Marks offered. “We have our cars ready to go and the team is still riding high from our finish at Salem Speedway. There isn’t a question in my mind that with a little bit of luck and some patience too, Maryeve can keep the team headed in the right direction on Friday night.”
In addition to Race Engines Plus and Dodge Motorsports, Dufault will carry the signage of Cool Off Icy Towelettes, Terry Henricks Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep / Ram and the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) as associate marketing partners for the team’s inaugural debut at Kansas Speedway.
TMR development driver Jared Marks after finishing a career-best fifth at Salem (Ind.) Speedway last month will be on-hand at Kansas Speedway but due to ARCA’s age restrictions will be unable to participate in Friday night’s shootout. Instead, Marks will return to form in a second TMR entry at Toledo Speedway on Sunday, October 16.
The Kansas Lottery 98.9 (99 laps / 148.5 miles) is the 18th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 11th ARCA event held at Kansas Speedway is a one-day show.Practice begins Friday, October 7 with a two hour and 15 minute practice session planned from 9:00 a.m. -11:15 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin later in the day at 5:35 p.m. The field will take the green flag approximately two hours later at 7:30 p.m. The event will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,330th race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.
To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com.
For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com.
For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.
PHOTO CAPTION: Maryeve Dufault, driver of the No. 12 Race Engines Plus / Dodge Motorsports / Tony Marks Racing Dodge Charger in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for Tony Marks Racing (TMR).
CONTACT INFORMATION:
NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.com
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]]>The post Maryeve Dufault’s Commendable Run Ends Early At Winchester Speedway appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>WINCHESTER, Indiana (June 27, 2011) – - Maryeve Dufault in the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / Mad Croc Dodge Charger showed speed and comfort in her Winchester (Ind.) Speedway debut on Saturday night in the Winchester ARCA 200 but a shove from behind less than 50 laps in the event turned what looked to be a promising night into frustration.
The Sorel, Quebec native in just her third career short track start immediately showed strength by maneuvering the 16th fastest practice time on Saturday afternoon. With some changes made to the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / Mad Croc Dodge Charger, the team was hopeful for a strong qualifying run. Drawing one of the last spots for qualifying, Dufault attempted to leave pit road but her Dodge Charger would not fire.
A relentless effort by members of the Tony Marks Racing (TMR) and other teams in the ARCA garage tried to push-start Dufault’s automobile but to no avail. After the team’s five minute grace period was over, it was determined that there was a malfunction in the starter. Thankfully, the team was able to correct the problem before the start of the race but Dufault was marred deep in the pack with a 29th place starting position.
From the drop of the green flag, Dufault, the former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series patiently began working her way through the challenging field. When the first yellow flag waived on lap 10, Dufault was able to catch a breath and close the gap on her competition. Back to racing, Dufault found herself up mixing it up with the lead pack. As the laps ticked away, Dufault continued to inch her way forward utilizing the bottom line of the ultra-fast Winchester Speedway.
When the caution flag waived on lap 30, Dufault had skillfully bolted into the top-15 and prepared to restart the race in the 11th position. Just two laps back under green, Dufault was racing against a wad of race cars when a tap from the No. 58 sent the No. 12 hard into the outside wall in turn one.
With no place to go, cars would continue to pile-into the incident which ended with five mangled race cars. The red flag was drawn to clean up the massive debris with Dufault sitting at the apron of turn four in her wounded No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / Mad Croc Dodge Charger.
Once the field was returned to yellow conditions, Dufault brought her bruised Dodge Charger to her pit crew where the damage was too massive to repair thus forcing Dufault to retire from the event and settle for a heartbreaking and upsetting 20th place finish.
“It’s frustrating not only for me, but for Tony Marks Racing, VR-12, Dodge, Mad Croc and everyone involved with this team,” said Dufault who maintains 11th in the championship standings. “I’m trying to earn the respect of the competitors out there but they just flat ran over me and it’s getting old. I think we were going to have a good night, the car was good but we’ll never know. I’m upset and I feel I have every right to be, it just isn’t fair.”
Tony Marks, owner of TMR offered his thoughts on Saturday night’s brawl. “No one likes getting taken out. Maryeve was doing a good job and biding her time and just flat out got run over. Hopefully, everyone learned from it and we can move forward and bounce back in the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / Mad Croc Dodge Charger at Berlin.”
Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is their final stop in the Great Lakes state with a stop at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway for the running of the Hantz Group 200 set for Saturday, July 9th. Dufault will make her track debut at the extremely flat .4-mile oval.
For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.
For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com.
To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com.
See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com.
About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):
Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks. Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies.
Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from
drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars. Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old). Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.
TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’ “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway.
For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice. Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest.
As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.com
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]]>The post Leilani Munter carries environmental messages while bringing green business to racing appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>ARCA driver and environmental activist Leilani Munter, 34, expects to do at least five more ARCA races this year, pending sponsorhip. She was hoping to be back on the track at Pocono Raceway on June 5th, but sponsorship didn’t materialize. According to Munter, it is looking good that she will return to her Mark Gibson Racing Dodge later this year. She says, “I have good race cars waiting for me, just need some corporate support.”
“Tim Cindric of Penske Racing connected Leilani and Mark Gibson Racing
last year; to see if they could put something together with Munter. They were not able to get sponsorship in time to work together in 2009. After keeping in touch throughout the year, Mark Gibson says, “Leilani was able to secure sponsorship from NextEra Energy for the Daytona test in December andGREENandSAVE for the race in February.”
Gibson said having Leilani drive for his team has opened doors that would not be accessible with other drivers. “The fact that she is a female in a male dominated sport definitely helps. But more important is the role she has taken with the green energy cause. There are a lot of companies out there who are trying to make their products and services more eco friendly. Leilani is at the forefront in helping these companies move in that direction.”
Munter developed the Eco Dream Team in 2006 when she realized that she wanted to use her race car to carry environmental messages. Munter said, “It finally came to life at Daytona when I had a collaboration of six different eco friendly, forward thinking companies come together to get my race car on the track.”
GREENandSAVE is her primary sponsor and LED Savings Solutions and Eco Academy are on board as associate sponsors. At this point, their commitment was for Daytona only. Munter has several green companies in discussions for future events in 2010 and 2011.
Munter’s immediate plans are for as many televised intermediate and speedway ARCA races that she can get. After that, Munter & Gibson would like to move to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, but it is really dependent on how many ARCA races sponsorship will allow her to run this year. The number of races is dependent on her LED lighting partnership with GREENandSAVE, and how their accounts progress.
NASCAR has been attempting to make some adjustments to become more eco friendly. One of the areas where they hope to make improvements in 2011 is fuel injection and ethanol.
“I think the move to fuel injection is great, because that is what today’s street cars are using and traditionally racing has been a test bed for new technology,” Munter says. “By having race cars that are fuel injected, I think that will lead to more innovation in that area, since fuel mileage is such an important part of strategy in winning races.”
“I am definitely supportive of biofuels, but not all biofuels are created equal. Corn based ethanol is a step in the right direction, but it would be much better if it was a cellulosic ethanol. It doesn’t use up a food source and can be made from anything with cellulose, like fast growing switch grass. While taking much less energy input to derive the end fuel. Anything that moves us away from foreign oil and helps bring attention to biofuels is great.”
Munter tells me that one of the quick changes she would like to see NASCAR make is, “having all the haulers running on biodiesel, made here in the USA. Algae based biodiesel is an amazing resource, because each algae particle is 50% oil and it can be grown very quickly. In a very small amount of space only using water and light.”
Oil has kept Munter in the headlines a lot more than driving race cars, as of late. Munter has recently returned from the Gulf of Mexico, where she had been keeping a video diary of how oil has affected the lives of the people who live and make their livelihoods in the region.
Munter has quoted Charles Darwin in saying, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives, it is the one that is most adaptable to change.” In the spirit of Darwin, Munter says, “It is time for us to utilize our intelligence to change, to adapt the way that we are living on this planet.”
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]]>The post Video of the Day: LEILANI MÜNTER appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>The post Video of the Day: LEILANI MÜNTER appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>The post Pocono the Perfect Prescription for Gabi DiCarlo appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>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.
. “I knew we had a great chance when we left the shop, as this is both my favorite chassis and also my favorite track said Gabi.” I really enjoy driving here it’s really fast and with three distinctly different corners it can really challenge you as a driver”
Gabi used the same chassis to get her first top ten earlier in the season when she finished 9th at Kansas Speedway.
“Gabi’s driving has improved so much this year, we just haven’t been able to give her the finishes she deserves,” said Doug Stringer owner of Stringer Motorsports.
The Great Clips Race Team will now try and build on their great showing and head to Michigan International Speedway for the running of the Racing For Wildlife 200 broadcast live on Speed Channel June 13th at 5:00pm.
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]]>The post Gabi DiCarlo Races Way to First Top Ten Finish appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>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.
“This was by far the best race car I have ever had in any series that I’ve competed in”, said DiCarlo. “I can’t thank Doug Stringer, (owner of Stringer Motorsports) Barry Dodson (Crew Chief) and the whole team enough.”
“I wish I could say I’m surprised how well she did but after working with her in the first couple of races I really expect her to run like this,” said Crew Chief Barry Dodson. “She’s a real talent.”
Team owner Doug Stringer would say, “ It’s was a bittersweet day for the team as we learned of the passing of Roy Gundrum, father of Mark Gundrum ARCA/REMAX Series VP of Marketing, and great friend of the team. Our prayers go out to Mark and his family.”
The Great Clips Team will take the momentum and head back to North Carolina for the running of what is expected to be the biggest race of the year, the Inaugural Carolina 500 which will be held at famous Rockingham Speedway, Sunday May 4th.
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]]>The post Tiffany Daniels Ready For Busy 2008 Racing Season appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>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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]]>The post Daytona Gives DiCarlo No Brakes appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>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 12th 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 20th place finish. The season looks as promising as ever as the Great Clips Team heads to 2nd race of the year at Salem Speedway on April 13th
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]]>The post Jennifer Jo Cobb is ready to race appeared first on Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports.
]]>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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