Article by Jeff Hood, RacinToday.com

It was another day at the office for Tammy Jo Kirk at her motorcycle shop in Dalton, Ga. earlier this week when word arrived that 18-year-old Johanna Long had won last Sunday’s Snowball Derby Super Late Model race in Pensacola, Fla.

It was welcome news to the 48-year-old Kirk, the 1994 winner of the Derby. But Long’s win means Kirk is no longer the only female winner of the Derby.

“That is so cool,” said Kirk, when told about Long’s victory. “I had heard that girl was the track champion down there last year. Congratulations to her.”

Kirk’s racing career was hatched on motorcycles. She competed in the AMA National Dirt Track Series during much of the 1980s in an era when men had a difficult time accepting women as competitors.

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Post tags: circle track, racer, Stock Car, tammy jo kirk, truck

Shhhhhh!

There is a woman driving in the Aaron’s 312 Nationwide Series race that is scheduled for Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. But her name is not Danica Patrick.

It’s Chrissy Wallace, who will make her second Nationwide start of the season during her young career. The daughter of veteran driver Mike Wallace is hoping it goes better than her first, which lasted only one lap before she got wrecked out of the series’ season opener in Daytona.

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Post tags: chrissy wallace, circle track, Danica Patrick, Stock Car, Talladega Superspeedway

Denver, NC (September 22, 2008) – Although the cars will be much heavier and have more horsepower, Gabi DiCarlo driver of the Stringer Motorsports number 90 Great Clips Racing Toyota Camry is ready for the challenges of a road course. The ARCA RE/MAX series in which DiCarlo competes will make a stop at the brand new Thunderbolt Raceway 2.3 mile paved road course in New Jersey Motorsports Park. Gabi started her career in motorsports on road courses throughout the southwest and has proven to be very skilled in the techniques associated with the challenging circuits. (...)
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Post tags: acra re/max series, Gabi DiCarlo, great clips racing, Stock Car, toyota camry

The Chicagoland ARCA 200 marks Alli Owens’ first visit to the 1.5 mile Chicagoland Speedway. Piloting one of her favorite racecars, the No. 12 ElectrifyingCareers.com Chevrolet nicknamed ‘Mudpuppy’, Owens is
optimistic.
“Mudpuppy is my second favorite car mostly because it’s very comfortable to drive,”
said Owens. “We ran it in Kentucky where I scored my career best finish. We also ran it in
Kansas and Michigan but mechanical problems kept us from finishing well. This weekend,
we put in our strongest motor and have a totally killer package.”
DGM Racing, which fields the No. 12 entry for Owens, competed at Chicagoland
Speedway from 2004-2006 with team owner Mario Gosselin behind the wheel. Each time, it
proved to be a contender.
“Our team has always been strong here and we expect that to continue this year,”
said Owens. “We didn’t have the opportunity to test, but Mario recently tested a Truck here
and the data from that is very helpful for our ARCA car.”

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Post tags: alli owens, chevrolet, chicagoland, electrifying careers, Stock Car

SAMSULA – May 23, 2007 – Mandi Tonchuk doesn’t mind getting a little dirty. Working on – and driving – race cars has turned into a passion for the Late Model rookie driver at New Smyrna Speedway. As the female half of D.A.D. Motorsports (Dad and Daughter), Tonchuk is hoping to parlay the family business into a full-blown racing career.

“I want to take this as far as I can,” Tonchuk said. “I love it. “The biggest thing right now is to continue to gain experience and to get my name out there. I would love to get in one of the driver development programs and continue to move up the ladder.”
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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

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Post tags: Stock Car, tiffany daniels

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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HOUSTON, TX (APRIL 20, 2008) Kristin Bumbera and her #40 TXI-MAXIMIZER CONCRETE Chevrolet made their NASCAR Grand National Division debut in the Allstate Texas Thunder 150 in Kyle, TX as the only female driver in the race and the only driver from the Lone Star state. Bumbera, the “Texas Girl” as she has become known, was one of the most popular drivers of the night as many of the Texas fans have watched her race since she was eight years old.

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SALEM, IN. (April 13, 2008) – The old adage that everything that can go wrong will seemed to come true for Gabi DiCarlo and the Great Clips Race Team during the ARCA/REMAX series stop at Salem Speedway in Salem, IN. What looked to be a promising start quickly turned into a long weekend as the Great Clips Team unloaded what was a very fast race car only to have it back into the wall during practice. (...)
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Completion of Phase Two in Driver Development Program Puts Daniels on Fast Track to Success

SMITHFIELD, VA (March 17th, 2008) – Driving a race car in the current motorsports industry takes more than just skill behind the wheel and good equipment under the driver’s seat. It also takes confidence and mental preparation to handle the pressures of the industry. That is why former IndyCar racer Lyn St. James, known as the American Woman Racing Icon of the Century, founded the Women in the Winners Circle Foundation.

To continue her climb up the racing ladder, Tiffany Daniels participated in and completed Phase Two of the foundation’s 2007-2008 Driver Development Program and along the way was presented with a prestigious honor, the Kara Hendrick Memorial Award.

The first phase of the four-phase program was held in November 2007, which focused on fitness and mental preparation.The second phase continued the learning process by training drivers on how to work with the media as well as other business aspects of the sport.

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Post tags: ARCA Series, Stock Car, tiffany daniels