Sarah McCune is an American single-seater racer. She was one of a group of US women who seemed to be climbing the Indycar ladder, but her career faltered due to finances.
Her background was in sprintcars and midgets, which she had raced from a young age. Her career arc was quite like that of Cheryl Glass twenty years earlier, in that she showed promise on dirt and then tried to make it on asphalt. Her midget career began in 1990, when she was eleven. In 1996, she became the first female driver to win a feature race in the ARCA midget championship. As a senior, she raced in events organised by ARCA. NAMARS and USAC, winning races at Flat Rock and i-55 Speedway in 1999 and 2000. She competed in the USAC Midget Series until 2003.
At the same time as she was competing in midgets, she tested a number of cars on asphalt circuits. Apparently, she drove an Indycar twice in 2000.
She first stepped onto the Indy ladder in 2002, when she tested an Infiniti Pro Series car for Sam Schmidt Motorsport. Two years later, she drove one of Kathryn Nunn's cars for a female drivers' test.
It was three years until she made her actual debut in the car. She took pole position at Chicagoland in the Infiniti Pro Series in 2005, her first race at this level. Her starting pace was great and she led for five laps before an accident dropped her out of contention. Several drivers, including Sarah, retired that lap.
After her Infiniti experience, she set her sights on a NASCAR drive and did several tests, including a Craftsman Truck. Even before her Pro Series race, she was part of a reality TV show following aspiring stock car drivers as they tried to develop their careers. She impressed some onlookers with her speed and personality.
However, problems with funding have kept her out of the major series.
(Image copyright Redline Media)
