Ask Patty Blog - Women in Motorsports Blog Carnival

Meet professional NASCAR driver Deborah Renshaw heading up the advisory panel of automotive expert women for Ask Patty. The Ask Patty advisory panel of automotive women experts will respond to questions on car purchases, service and other automotive related topics. Ask Patty is what women have been waiting for, a safe place to get advice before they visit their local car dealership.

June 12, 2008

Women in Motorsports Blog Carnival - June 12

Michelle Wilson will be doing her part to make sure that the Year of the Woman continues in drag racing.

Wilson will take to the course at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin. The American Drag Racing League has rolled into Martin for today's second and final day of the Pizza Hut Summer Drags, and Wilson, of Fort Worth, Texas, will be one to watch.

"If I can be as successful as Melanie and now Hillary, who just got her first win, that would tickle me to death," Wilson said. "It's definitely exciting to see more and more girls out here doing this."

Mackena Bell and her parents will be racing from her Carson City High School graduation ceremony to Roseville, Calif., where Bell will compete in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race.

"We'll be speeding, literally, but safely," Bell said of the two-hour-plus drive to All American Speedway outside Sacramento.

Graduation is at 10 a.m. and practice for the race begins at 3 p.m. Qualifying is at 5 p.m., with the race shortly afterward.

"I'm going to miss Safe Grad Night with my friends, so I better make it worth it," the 17-year-old said.

While Danica Patrick's Indy Car Series victory in Japan sparked a media frenzy, the concept of females winning is simply a thread in the fabric of drag racing. Will became the 11th woman to claim an NHRA "Wally" statue and the eighth in the Top Fuel class. Troxel's victory at Bristol, Tenn., last month made her the first woman to win event titles in Top Fuel and Funny Car, NHRA's 8,000-horsepower, nitro-fueled classes.

Gender is not an issue in drag racing. Nearly 40 years ago, Shirley Muldowney asked nobody's permission and received almost nobody's approval when, as a notorious novelty from the unsupervised streets of Schenectady, N.Y., she blasted onto the NHRA scene. She proved that dragsters run on nitromethane and not testosterone. As for her lasting effect on the sport, the three-time series champion said, "We went from token to smokin.' "

For the past 16 years Samantha and Josephine Grace have been racing cars and go-karts around Western Canadian tracks in the hopes of one day taking their need for speed to the next level by hitting the national circuit and joining the Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (CASCAR).

At 24 years of age, the identical twins have been tearing up the tracks since they were eight years old and got behind the wheel of their first go-karts.

Their love affair with race cars started a year earlier when their father took them to see their first go-kart race, the Star Phoenix Grand Prix, in Saskatoon. Originally from England, their father raced before the twins were born.

Track Chic introduces their first monthly online photo competition. Ladies start your engines to upload photos and vote for your favorite Lug Nuts at www.TrackChic.com.

Ladies it’s your turn to have some fun. In response to Track Chic members’ suggestions, Track Chic has established an online male photo competition for female motorsports enthusiasts. Women can submit photos of their favorite Lug Nuts and vote on them. The Lug Nuts that receive the most votes will be the Lug Nuts of the Month. All twelve winners will be included in the Lug Nuts of the Year competition.

Track Chic’s Lug Nuts are a fun, lighthearted response to all the barely clad female hostesses that men have enjoyed trackside for years. Track Chic separates itself from the usual male oriented race websites and offers female race fans a place of their very own. The Lug Nuts concept introduces the Fun that female race fans have been waiting for.

Girl Scouts-Western Oklahoma will offer a unique opportunity to campers this month – a program not usually associated with Girl Scouts summer camp. As part of the council’s day camp program in June, a session called “Spice Up My Ride” will be offered and will feature the first female, African-American race car driver – Candyce Marsh.

“We are very excited about offering this program for girls, and that Ms. Marsh will be visiting our day camp to talk about her racing experiences,” said Megan Stanek, director of outdoor education for GS-West. “The session will not only teach girls how to maintain a car, but also the opportunities that are available to women in motor sports. This session is definitely for any girl who likes to be around cars and racing. Plus, we have scholarships for this camp session available.”