“(CNN) — In real life, her first car was a Volkswagen bug when she was 16. In her racing life, Stephanie Mockler was driving Quarter Midgets, open-wheel race cars that children can drive, at the age of 6. Now at 20, she’s a record-setting driver.

Mockler became the first female to win a United States Auto Club Ford Focus Midget Series when she finished at the Indianapolis Speedrome. She’s also the eighth woman in history to win a USAC feature race. And she’s the youngest female to ever win a USAC main event.

“There are points where you do have to earn more respect from your competitors just because you are a female,” admitted Mockler. “It’s just all in proving yourself.”

She gets the whole “Danica Patrick” thing a lot. Patrick is a 25-year-old Indy Racing League driver who also has a modeling career. Mockler said she appreciates the comparison, but adds that she wants to focus solely on her racing career.

“I just want the image of a race car driver. I’m not here to model. I’m here to race. And I want to be compared to the guys as a race car driver.”

She’s also quick to point out that not all racing is the same and that she hopes to take to the NASCAR track. But one thing about them is the same: “When you put on the helmet, you’re just another racer.”

For Mockler, neither age nor gender stops her when it comes to following her dreams. With help from the Clorox/Ford Racing Female Driver Development Program, she hopes to become the first winning female in the NASCAR Sprint Series.

“It’s a really great sport, and the people you race with are like family,” she said. “It’s just like none other. I love it.”

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