Diane Teel

Diane Teel  raced in the NASCAR Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series in 1982 and 1983 and was one of its most successful female drivers. 

In 1982, she scored her first top ten finish, an eighth place at Hampton in a Pontiac. This was one of four races she entered that year, with three of them leading to finishes. She was 26th at Martinsville and 15th at Richmond, but did not finish at South Boston, her last Nationwide race of the year.

She followed this up with a tenth place at Martinsville in 1983. Martinsville was her home track, and it was here that she made her Busch Series debut in 1984, the first woman to race in the series. Unfortunately, it was a one-off, and her Pontiac overheated fairly early. 

She had one more try at the Busch Series, as NASCAR’s second-tier championship had become known, in 1986. She finished one race at Hampton, in 21st place. 

She had begun racing in 1976, when her NASCAR crew chief husband Donald Teel and Langley Park promoter Joe Carver entered her into a local race as a publicity stunt to promote a local car parts business. She spun off near the end of the race, her car dumping water on the track. 

In 1977, she moved into the Limited Sportsman division and was on the pace very quickly. Her best finish was second, one of three podium finishes. Her first-ever race in her Chevrolet Chevelle stock car gave her an eighth place; she had run as high as fifth but spun on sand and water at the edge of the track going for fourth. At the end of the season, she was runner-up in the Langley Limited Sportsman rookie standings, with 16 top-ten finishes from 19 races, half of them top-fives.

As a competitive female driver, Diane gained considerable media attention. In July that year, she won a match race with Langley’s other regular woman driver, Bonnie West, who raced in a different division. Diane finished several laps in front and picked up a $100 prize. A series of profile interviews syndicated in local papers took pains to point out her commitment to her role as a wife and mother and disassociate her from any feminist activity.

She won the championship the following year and became the first woman to win an official NASCAR-sanctioned event in the process. Her first win was at Langley Park, the scene of her less-than-successful debut. As well as winning her local title, she took the next step up the NASCAR ladder to the Grand National series. Naturally, she found higher-level competition hard-going and was not always able to qualify. She was one of ten drivers who did not make the cut for the 1978 Dixie 500 and she did not start for the Martinsville Grand National race in 1979 either, finishing one place below the required eighth place in the qualification race. 

She continued to be a force to be reckoned with at Langley Speedway, winning races in its Limited Sportsman category in 1980 and 1981. In 1981, she tried again at Martinsville in a Late Model Sportsman car. Daily Press journalist Bob Mings was scathing about her efforts, pointing out that she was running 18th out of 19 cars when she had to stop near the end. Several of the paper’s readers wrote in to criticise his treatment of Diane, whose car had suffered a clutch problem requiring a lengthy pit stop and dropped her down the order.

By the time of her 1982 Nationwide debut, she had mostly silenced her doubters. Her name appears on entry lists, not in opinion columns. She and Donnie spoke directly to their local paper, the Virginia Daily Press, in 1983, explaining how the rising costs of competing at the next level, coupled by Nationwide races promised at local circuits which never happened, had affected her career. Later, in 1986, the Newport News reported that she had raised some funds for her racing through hosting a series of seafood suppers, which she cooked herself.

Following her retirement in 1986, she continued her work as a school bus driver, a career she had followed alongside her racing activities. A couple of months before her on-track debut, she had won her class in a School Bus Rodeo.

(Image copyright South Boston Speedway)

The Women of NASCAR: the 21st century

Natalie, Paige and Claire Decker

Below are profiles of some of the female NASCAR drivers who have tried to make their mark on the ovals, and began their careers after 2000. Earlier drivers can be found here. Leilani Munter, Toni Breidinger, Amber Balcaen and Bridget Burgess now have their own posts.

Mariah Boudrieau - stock car racer who entered her first Menards ARCA Series races in 2021. She was competing in the West series. Her first race was at Colorado and she was thirteenth overall, having started in eleventh. A start from 17th then gave her another thirteenth place at Irwindale, but her next race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ended in a crash. Before moving up to the ARCA championship, she raced Late Models and was eighth in her local championship at Colorado National Speedway in 2021. In 2023, she did the Las Vegas round of the ARCA West series, finishing 15th in a Toyota. After a break in 2024, she did two more West Series races in 2025, finishing eleventh and twelfth at Tucson and Colorado. She has raced since the age of eleven, beginning in midget cars.

Lanie Buice - races in the ARCA series and in Late Models. She scored a top-ten finish in her first ARCA event, coming in eighth at Kansas in 2025. This was one of two top-tens from three races that year. In 2026, she went top-five in her first race, finishing fifth at Kansas again, her lucky track. She first raced in Late Models in 2023, aged 17. Previously, she competed in karts from the age of 10, but she moved into cars after an accident; her mother thought it was safer due to the roll cages and seatbelts.

Mandy Chick - races in the ARCA Menards Series, beginning in 2022. She entered the Indianapolis Raceway Park and Milwaukee rounds, finishing 16th at Milwaukee after a DNF at Indianapolis. Her car was a Toyota run by her family team; she is the third generation to compete. She and the team did four more ARCA races together in 2023. Her best race was the season opener at Daytona, where she was fifth. She was also ninth at Kansas. In 2024, she did three more ARCA races, with Kansas being her best track again. She was eleventh. The following year, she raced again, at Berlin this time, finishing 18th after mechanical problems. Previously she raced Late Models and had an extensive career in midgets on dirt, beginning when she was six alongside karting.

Amber Cope - occasional racer in NASCAR and other stock-car series, always alongside her twin sister, Angela Cope. Between 2006 and 2008, she competed in three ARCA races in a Chevrolet. Since then, she has raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide series, averaging one race per season. In 2012, she finished 26th at Loudon, and got involved in a row with Kevin Harvick after he accused her of pushing him off the track. Prior to her NASCAR activities, she raced Late Model stock cars from the age of 15, and before that, karts, with some degree of success. She and Angela are also models, and use their profile to promote themselves as drivers.

Sarah Cornett-Ching – Canadian driver who races in both ARCA and NASCAR junior series events. In 2015, she achieved five top-ten finishes in the ARCA Series, the best of these being two eighth places, at Talladega and Chicagoland. She was seventh in the championship. Driving the same Chevrolet, she has had less success in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, with two DNFs from three races. In 2011, she raced in the Canadian NASCAR series, and before that, in Sportsman events in Canada. In 2015, she was selected for the Race 101 team on a multi-year contract. Her 2016 season was partly spent in ARCA, where she earned a ninth place at Pocono, plus six other finishes from eight races. Again, she did not perform quite as well in the K&N Pro Series, with an eleventh at Mobile the best result from her five races. She had to sit out the last part of the season due to suffering a concussion in September, picked up in a crash at Kentucky. In 2017, she returned in March and did some local-level Late Model racing. She did one major Late Model race in 2018, the CARS Super Late Model Tour event at Carteret County Speedway. Her final classification was tenth, although she crashed 25 laps from the end. In 2019, she entered the Hickory and Rougemont races, with a best finish of 15th in the latter.

Erin Crocker - took part in ARCA and Craftsman Truck races between 2005 and 2007. She was quite successful in ARCA in 2005, with a best finish of second and five top tens from six starts. After a couple of Busch Series outings, she moved full-time to Trucks in 2006. Unfortunately, she did not do as well, and was only 25th at the end of the year. She returned to ARCA and achieved one pole position, but could not convert it into a race result. Her NASCAR career ended badly after a series of allegations made against her team manager, who later became her husband. Prior to her stock car career, she was a multiple race winner in World of Outlaws sprintcar racing, and she made a low-key return to it in mid-2010.

Kadence Davenport - began racing in ARCA in 2025, after karting since the age of six and some senior racing in the Modified divisions. She signed a three-race deal with the CCM team and made three appearances in the main ARCA division, driving a Chevrolet. The first of these races was at Elko, where she dropped out with a mechanical issue. Her next race was at Indianapolis, where she was 23rd, then she was 17th at Iowa.

Claire Decker - sister of Paige Decker, who also races in Craftsman Trucks. She took part in two races in 2016, driving for Jennifer Jo Cobb’s team, and finished one, at Martinsville. She was 27th. In June, she also attempted to qualify for the Iowa Xfinity race, but did not make the final cut. Paige was in action too, making them the second sister pairing to race against one another, after Amber and Angela Cope. Claire began, like her sister, by racing snowmobiles, and on short tracks.

Paige Decker - raced in Craftsman Trucks in 2015 and 2016. Both times, she entered the Martinsville rounds. Her best finish came in 2016, when she was 25th. That year, she also did two Xfinity Series races, at Iowa and Road America, finishing 31st both times. Previously, she raced in the Whelen All-American Series, and in short-track stock cars in 2010 and 2011. Her earliest motorsport experiences were racing snowmobiles, from the age of three. She is from a motorsport family, and has a sister, Claire, and a cousin, Natalie, who also race.

Gabi DiCarlo – began her stock car career in ARCA in 2007, driving a Ford. She did well in her first year of major competition, finishing eleventh in the championship. In 2008, she gained sponsorship from Great Clips, a hair salon chain, and raced a Chevrolet in the ARCA Series. She scored three top ten finishes, at Pocono and Kansas, the best of these being a ninth at Kansas. She was fourteenth overall. In 2009, she was approved to race in NASCAR-sanctioned events, and Stringer Motorsports contracted her for a seven-race deal in the Camping World Truck series. Unfortunately, her programme was cut to three races, early in the year. Her best finish was 19th, at California. For the rest of the year, the team ran her in selected ARCA races. Her best finish was eleventh, at Salem. After a part-season, she was 31st overall. She does not appear to have raced at all since then.

Maryeve Dufault - Canadian driver who switched to stock car racing full-time in 2011. She drove a Dodge Charger in the ARCA series, supported by Mad Croc and Dodge Motorsports. After seven top-twenty finishes, she was sixteenth overall, with a best finish of tenth at Chicagoland. She also secured entry into one NASCAR Nationwide race, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In 2012, she put together a budget for three ARCA races, driving a Dodge for Carter 2 Motorsports. She finished two of them, with a best result of 19th, at Kansas. In 2013, she drove in one NASCAR Nationwide Series race, finishing 31st, at Chicagoland. Previously, in 2010, she competed in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Much earlier, she raced karts and snowmobiles, and motocross bikes. She is currently better-known as a model. In 2014, she did three Nationwide Series races for Team Stange, in a Ford. Her best finish was 17th, at Mobile. She did not race in 2015 or 2016.

Allison Duncan (Bormann) - has been working her way through the NASCAR ranks since 2003. Although she has shown considerable pace, and achieved top-five finishes, her big break has yet to come. Her early racing experiences were in sportscars, where she won SCCA championships in a Mazda RX7 and drove in the WGGTS. She was Daytona’s youngest female driver at the 2000 24-Hour race, aged eighteen, and she and her Chamberlain team-mates were sixth overall in their Dodge Viper. After that, she was co-opted into a NASCAR driver development programme, and subsequently, she has driven Craftsman Trucks and Late Model stock cars. Her best result in NASCAR is probably her fifth place in the NASCAR Late Model Division cahmpionship, which came in 2004. In 2005, she recorded two wins in this championship. She has not raced since 2006, and now works as a precision driving instructor.

Cassie Gannis – active in NASCAR-sanctioned events in the USA. Her first NASCAR outings were in the ACDelco Super Late Models series; at sixteen, she was the youngest driver to hold a full NASCAR competition license. After a break, she moved up to the K&N Pro Series in 2011, for three races. The best of these were at Colorado and Spokane, where she was sixteenth. In 2012, she did five races in her Ford, and was fifteenth in one, at Havasu. Although she was not able to mount any championship challenge, she was voted the “Most Popular Driver” in the series. Prior to this, she had been part of NASCAR’s much-vaunted “Drive For Diversity” programme. Another break from competition followed. Cassie entered the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, attempting to win a race seat with Michael Waltrip’s team. She was a finalist, but did not win. In 2015, she tried to get her career going again, signing up for the Camping World Truck series with Mike Harmon Racing. Sadly, her one race with the team led to a non-qualification, at Phoenix. She picked up another ride in ARCA, with the Carter 2 team, but the same thing happened, at Daytona. She was linked to another Truck drive for 2016, but this appears to have fallen through. In 2018, she made a small comeback, entering three K&N Pro Series races and finishing one at Tucson. She was 16th. At the start of 2019, she tried out for the all-female W Series but was eliminated after the first driver selection.

Holley Hollan - former junior sprintcar racer who began her senior stock car career in 2020. She combined midget racing with entries in both the East and West divisions of the ARCA Menards Series. She was fifteenth in the first round of the Eastern series at New Smyrna. She did slightly better at Las Vegas in the Western division, picking up a twelfth place in her Toyota Camry. Her career was stalled by the coronavirus pandemic, but she was able to continue in the West series and only missed one race. Her best finishes were a pair of sixth places at Roseville and Evergreen.

Johanna Long - drove in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series in 2011. Her best finish was eleventh, at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition to this, she was raced in other Truck races at her home tracks of Five Flags and Mobile, with five top-ten finishes to her name: two fifths and three ninths. She made her NASCAR Truck debut in 2010 and earned three top-twenty positions, alongside a string of excellent results in regional series, in a truck and in a Late Model car. Previously, she raced Late Models, since the age of fifteen, and is the only woman to have won a Late Model race in her local series. She also won the 2010 Snowflake Derby off-season race. In 2012, she raced a Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. She managed a large proportion of the championship - 21 races - and had a best finish of twelfth. She was 20th in the championship. She continued with the ML Chevrolet in 2013, with another best finish of twelfth, plus a few more top-twenty positions. She was 23rd overall. At the end of the season, the team folded, and Johanna did not have enough sponsorship to continue in top-level stock car competition, despite a win in the Snowball Derby. She returned to Late Model competition locally, and was the points leader of her championship for much of the year. In 2015, she made a small comeback, taking part in one NASCAR Xfinity Series race, at Iowa. She was 27th. She also entered the Richmond race, but did not qualify.

Logan Misuraca - races stock cars in America. She did her first ARCA race in 2022, finishing seventh at New Smyrna Speedway. This was a Menards Series East event and followed a couple of cancelled entries for Lira Motorsport in ARCA and the NASCAR Truck series. In 2023, she moved into the national ARCA series and did three races in a Chevrolet. Her best finish was 18th at Daytona in the opening round of the season. Another ARCA race at Bristol followed in 2024, but she crashed out. She only had one race in 2025, the Bristol round of the Menards ARCA series. She was 25th. Previously, she raced in sprintcars, karts and Legends, having begun competing at the age of four.

Becca Monopoli - began competing in the ARCA Menards series in 2024, driving Stuart Weiss's Ford. She crashed out of her first race at Indianapolis, but was eleventh at Toledo later in the season. Her 2025 season started at Daytona in Alex Clubb's Ford, but she crashed there, and then did not start at Talladega. Going back to the Weiss car, Out of four more races, she finished two, coming eleventh at Berlin and tenth at Toledo. In the same car, she did three ARCA Menards Series East races, finishing two. The best of these was an eighth place at Nashville, having already come in fourteenth at Pensacola.

Stephanie Moyer - races in the ARCA Menards Series in the USA. She moved up to the championship after winning a local Factory Stock championship in 2020. In 2021, she did six of the eight Menards Series East rounds, finishing in the top ten twice. She was eighth at Pensacola and tenth at Nashville. Her four main series outings gave her two finishes, the best being a 15th place at Pocono at the start of the season. Reliability has been a problem for her in 2022, with only one finish from five races in the East series, a ninth spot at New Smyrna. Pocono has been her best circuit again in the main championship, giving her a 19th place. She did a few more races in 2023, scoring one tenth place at Toledo in the Menards series from three finishes.

Molly Rhoads - raced in a number of US series on and off in the 2000s and 2010s. She began competing seriously at Raceway Park in Minnesota in 2004 and was Late Model Rookie of the Year. Two years later, she was fourth in the Raceway Late Model points and ninth in the Minnesota Late Model Challenge, leading to a spot in NASCAR’s Drive For Diversity programme. In 2007, she raced on the ASA Midwest Tour, alongside her brother. She competed on and off in this category until 2011. As well as driving, Molly has worked as a crew chief for Bryan Roach, who raced on the ASA Midwest Tour. She now devotes most of her time to animal care.

Kenzie Ruston - raced in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East between 2013 and 2015. During this time, she did three full seasons, and scored top-five finishes on seven occasions. The best of these was a third at Greenville, in 2013. It was one of four top-five places, and Kenzie was sixth in the championship, in her Chevrolet. In 2014, she was ninth, and she did not do quite as well in 2015, in a Toyota. She did get into the top ten four times, the best of these being a sixth place at Smithton. In 2016, she returned to short-oval competition.

Kristi Schmitt - raced in NASCAR’s regional and entry-level series between 2001 and 2005. She raced in both the Southwest and Northwest series in 2001, starting three races overall, with a best finish of 18th, at Irwindale. She was fourteenth at Evergreen in 2002, driving a Chevrolet, but it was the only race she qualified for. 2004 was the last time she qualified, in the K&N West Series this time. She was fourteenth again, at Mesa Marin. She attempted to qualify for the same race in 2005, but did not make it.

Amber Slagle - made her ARCA debut in 2021 after some time racing in Late Models. Her first race in the ARCA Menards West Series at Irwindale. She qualified fourth and finished fourteenth. A non-finish at Las Vegas followed due to a broken radiator, but she was then tenth at Roseville, her best finish of the season. She is also a NASCAR mechanic for the Cook Racing Technologies team. 

Dystany Spurlock - switched from motorcycle drag racing to stock cars in 2026. She had her first race in the ARCA East series, finishing seventh at Hickory. Her second race, at Rockingham, ended in twelfth place. Moving into the main ARCA championship, she raced at Kansas and was tenth. Her performances were enough to get herself a Trucks series drive for later in the year. Dystany is the first black woman to race at this level of stock car competition.

Rita (Ritamarie) Thomason (Goulet) - races in the ARCA Menards Series. After not growing up in a motorsport family and enduring financial hardship, she first competed in autocross in 2018, driving a Mazda Miata. She used this car in SCCA events the following year. Using an Alex Clubb-run Chevrolet, she made her ARCA debut in 2022. She was classified 12th, although she did not finish. Neither the Chevrolet or a different Ford got to the end of any of her four races. In 2023, she did four more Menards Series events, finishing all four wiht a best finish of fourteenth at Elko and Toledo. This was combined most of the Eastern series, in a Chevrolet again. She only finished three races. In 2024, she managed to finish twice in ARCA, including a thirteenth place at Salem. She had more luck in the East division, scoring four to-twenty finishes from seven starts. The best of these were two more thirteenths at Nashville and Pensacola. In 2025, she did three more East Series races, but did not finish any of them. Away from the track, she is a serving police officer in Alabama.

Gracie Trotter - began racing as a senior in the Menards ARCA Series in 2020. Her first race in the main ARCA championship was at Phoenix, and she was thirteenth overall. She has also competed in both the East and West divisions, finishing 16th at New Smyrna (East) and a promising fourth at Las Vegas (West). She was one of three female drivers at Vegas and there were 17 entrants. Her career in 2020 curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic, but she ran a full season in the West series and impressed greatly. She scored her first win at Las Vegas, having already come third at Irwindale and second at Douglas County. Her final championship position was third. She did nine rounds in 2021, with some guest appearances in both the East and West series as well. Driving a Toyota, she usually qualified well, in the top ten, although she was not always able to convert that to good results. Her best one was a third at Elko, and she was later fifth at Salem. She is a former junior karter and has also raced Legends and Late Models.

Chrissy Wallace - raced in the second-tier Nationwide NASCAR series in 2010. She competed in the Daytona 500 and Talladega Superspeedway rounds, with a best finish of 24th at Talladega. This followed part-seasons in Craftsman Trucks in 2008 and 2009. She was usually driving for the Germain Racing team in a Toyota and managed three top-twenty finishes in 2008 at Martinsville, Milwaukee and Gateway. The following year, she improved this record with a thirteenth place at Talladega, driving a Rick Ware-run Chevrolet. She also made occasional ARCA appearances in 2008 and 2011, earning a ninth place at Talladega in 2008, driving a Germain Toyota. Early in her career, she raced at her local Hickory Speedway in North Carolina and won her first race in 2007. She is a member of the noted Wallace NASCAR clan.

Dominique van Wieringen - Canadian driver who has mostly competed in Late Model stock cars. In 2012 and 2013, she won both races and championships in Late Models. In 2014, she set her sights on NASCAR. In preparation, she did some ARCA races, achieving one second place at the Lucas Oil I10 Speedway, and another fifth, in 2015. In 2016, she took part in the NASCAR K&N Series East, for Rette Jones Racing. Towards the end of the season, she recorded two third places, at Greenville and Dover, and was ninth in the championship. She also made a guest appearance in the Camping World Truck series at Phoenix, but she did not finish. She raced in Trucks again in 2017, but only made one major appearance. She was third at Langley.

Jolynn Wilkinson - began racing in ARCA in 2021, aged 17. Her best finish was her first one, at Colorado, where she started and finished in eighth place. She was then 17th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and fifteenth at Roseville. Previously, she raced in Late Models from the age of 13, with a year in Super Late Models in 2020. She was the youngest female driver to do so. In 2019 she had to take a break due to concussion and other injuries sustained in a crash. As well as cars, she also raced karts. She is from a racing family and her father John Boy Wilkinson competed extensively in Late Models.

(Image copyright espn.com)

Mara Reyes

Mara in 2016

Mara Reyes was the first Mexican woman to race in NASCAR in the States. In recent years, she has been one of Mexico’s leading saloon racers.

She comes from Pachuca, and like many other speedqueens, as well as NASCAR drivers, she got into motorsport through her father. In 1987, when she was ten, she navigated for him in rallies. She had to wait until she was fourteen before she could get on the circuits.

1991 was her first season of circuit racing. She drove a spaceframe VW Beetle in a junior series. She was the only female driver in the championship, and was fifth overall, as well as Rookie of the Year.

The next four seasons were mostly spent in the Mexican endurance championship. Despite still only being fifteen, Mara was tackling 12- and 24-hour races in the GT II class in 1992. She was eleventh in the championship, with a best finish of sixth, earned in a twelve-hour race. Unfortunately, it is unclear which car she drove. In 1993, she moved up to the GT III class. She continued to improve, and was ninth in the championship.

1995 saw her try a wider range of racing disciplines. Her main focus was still the GT III championship, in which she was now a serious contender, with podium finishes. Later in the season, she joined the new one-make Chrysler Neon Challenge, in which she was eleventh. This was only a part-season, as she was sharing the car with her father, Miguel.

Another achievement was being invited to take part in the Shell Grand Prix, in El Salvador. This was a race for Super Touring cars, giving Mara a taste of more power. She was fifth overall, and  third in class. Again, the make of her car is not recorded. That season, she also raced trucks, and a Nissan prototype.

After a good 1995, she was offered support by Daimler-Chrysler of Mexico for 1996, and her single-seater career began. The company arranged for her to attend the Skip Barber racing school. Saloons had definitely not been forgotten, however; her second season in the Neon Challenge included a win and a third place, plus three pole positions. Again, she was part of the Chrysler team. She was eleventh in the championship. Some more Truck racing netted her more good results, and she was eighth in the Mexican championship.

She continued to be competitive in the Neon Challenge in 1997, winning a race and coming second in another. She was tenth overall. Her Truck results kept improving, too, and she was fourth in the championship. This year’s big challenge was meant to be a one-make series for the Ford Mustang, but Mara’s sponsorship only stretched to one race, in which she was fifth.

In 1998, she put together a deal for a full season in the Mustang, and was ninth in the championship. By now, she was showing some real speed in a race truck, and she was that year’s championship runner-up. This earned her attention from the Scuderia Rodriguez team. After learning to drive a single-seater in 1996, she drove one competitively in 1998, coming seventh in Formula Mexico, a series for Skip Barber Formula cars.

Mara continued to race in multiple series in 1999, but it was truck racing in which she really excelled. She was second in the Mexican championship again, and would win the title outright in 2000. This was the first of two truck championships, as she defended her title in 2001.

During this period, she not only raced HGVs, but Pickups as well. She took to Pickup trucks immediately, and was second in 2001. In 2002, she raced in a Dodge Pickup championship, finishing third.

She continued to race the Mustang, and improved steadily, finishing eighth in 1999 and moving up to fifth in 2000 and 2001. She was tenth in 2002.

2003 was a season when a lot went wrong for Mara. She struggled for sponsorship, and did only a few races in the Mustang, and in Pickups, at the start of the season. She had established herself in third place in the Pickup series, but slipped down the rankings due to her enforced absence.

Things improved dramatically for her in 2004. She was signed by the Telmex team to contest the Corona Mexican Stock Car Championship. This was a new championship, and Mara claimed the first pole position. She was sixth overall, with one podiium finish. The series was very popular and had large grids, and the final points table was very close towards the top.

Her Mexican stock car adventures inspired her to try for a seat in NASCAR, and her team and sponsors agreed. Driving for the Telmex team, she was classified 18th in a K&N Pro Series race at Irwindale, in 2004. She had been running as high as twelfth, but was black-flagged and just sneaked a qualification instead. This did not deter her, and she took a step up to the Busch Series in 2005, one below the Sprint Cup. She was signed to drive Jay Robinson’s Ford for the Mexico City round. This ended in a disappointing 35th place finish, although she was only five laps down. She had secured her place in the annals of motorsport, however, as the first Mexican woman to race in a NASCAR-sanctioned event.

Another season in the Corona series in 2005 gave her eighth. She had worked her way up to second place when she had to drop out due to illness. This signalled the end of her time with Telmex, and the conclusion of the first part of her career. She retired for a long time, to spend more time with her family. This was partly down to problems with sponsorship, too.

After a long lay-off, she returned to the track in 2015, driving a Mercedes in the V8 Super Copa. She was ninth overall, despite being out of the cockpit for the best part of ten years.  

In 2016, she was third in the Mexican Super V8 Challenge, taking one win at Monterrey, and three second places. These were her first podium places since her comeback. She was supported by the Arris-Telmex team, and picked up plenty of favourable media attention.

That year, she also made a return to NASCAR, in the Mexican series. Her Arris-Telcel team got her guest spots on the grid for the first two rounds, in Mexico City. She was eighteenth and fourteenth.

She planned to race with the Telmex team again in 2017, but this does not seem to have happened.

(Image from http://www.arriseverywhere.com/)

The women of NASCAR

Tammy Jo Kirk and crew

Female drivers have been a feature of NASCAR and its associated series since 1949. A few pioneering drivers achieved success early on, but the NASCAR route has proved a challenging one for most of the women who have tried it. Below are short profiles of some of the ladies of NASCAR. Sara Christian, Louise Smith, Shawna Robinson, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Kat Teasdale, Diane Teel, Deborah Renshaw, Robin McCall, Hila Paulson Sweet and Patty Moise have their own profiles. Drivers who started their careers after 2000 can be found here. Although it is not part of the NASCAR family, the ARCA stock car series is included here, due to its similarity of machinery and venues.

Sherry Blakley - attempted to qualify for the Charlotte 250 round of the NASCAR Busch Series in 1994, but did not make the grid. Prior to this, she started 29 Goody’s Dash series races between 1991 and 1994, with a best championship finish of eighth in 1993, with two top-five finishes. She had been racing Late Models since at least 1988. During her career she was always adept at finding sponsorship, including Ramses condoms in 1994. Their publicity campaign involved promoting safe sex and giving out condoms at races and it was banned by NASCAR. Sherry retired a couple of years later and worked in a car dealership. She died in 2011, aged 48.

Ann Chester - one of NASCAR’s early female drivers, who took part in two Grand National races in 1950. She drove a Plymouth at the Vernon and Hamburg rounds, but did not finish either of them. The Plymouth’s engine failed at Vernon, and she crashed out of the Hamburg race. The Hamburg event was special, in that it was one of a handful of times that three women have raced in a top-level NASCAR event.

Tammy Jo Kirk - took part in NASCAR Craftsman Truck and regional events in the 1990s. She first came to prominence when she won the 1994 Snowball Derby in Florida, a NASCAR All Pro Series race. By 1996, she had moved up to the Busch Series, and won two pole positions. She was seventh overall. In 1997 and 1998, she drove in Craftsman Trucks, with a best finish of eleventh at Portland in 1997. Her sponsorship ended at the end of 1998, and she did not race again in NASCAR until 2003, when she returned to the Busch Series for Jay Robinson Racing. Her best finish was 21st, and she was not retained for the 2004 season. As well as NASCAR, she took part in some sportscar races, most notably the 1994 Daytona 24 Hours. She was 34th in a Porsche 911 with David Murry, Angelo Cilli and Anthony Lazzaro. Initially, she raced motorcycles on short tracks.

Teri MacDonald (Cadieux) - raced in a number of NASCAR and associated series between 1998 and 2005. During this time, she had part-seasons in ARCA and Craftsman Trucks, plus a single full season in CASCAR in 2001. Her best year in Trucks was 2002, with four races. Her CASCAR season yielded two top-ten finishes. In between, she drove in various ASA events, with rather a lot of non-finishes, but one top-twenty finish. Previously, she was involved in long-circuit racing in the USA and Canada, achieving some success at National level and earning awards as the highest-ranked woman driver in Canada. She retired in 2006 after the birth of her son, and now works in various motorsport-related fields.

Ethel Flock Mobley - early NASCAR racer and contemporary of Sara Christian. She began racing cars in “Powderpuff Derby” events for women drivers in the late 1940s. Her career began in earnest in 1949, when she entered and finished two NASCAR races, with a best finish of eleventh. In the other race, at Langhorn, she could only manage 44th. In addition to this, she took part in approximately 100 other races in the early 1950s, usually in the NASCAR Modified category. Her local track was the Atlanta Speedway, built by her brother, Bob Flock, and she normally competed there. She died in 1984.

Christi Passmore - has raced on and off in the ARCA series since 2002. In 2003 and 2004, she undertook major campaigns in this series, finishing eighth both times, driving a Ford. In 2004, she scored her only podium finish. In 2005, she only did thirteen races, which was not enough to mount any sort of challenge, and this dropped to one guest appearance in 2006. After that, she returned to ASCS events. This was how she began her career in 1998, based around the Knoxville track and its 410 Sprint series. She does not appear to have raced since 2010.

Arlene Pittman - started racing stock cars in 1985, aged fifteen. She worked her way up the local racing ladder, winning a championship in 1999. She started taking her racing more seriously after that, and began racing trucks in 2000. In 2002, she competed in both Truck races and the car-based NASCAR Goody’s Dash series. She was fifteenth in Goody’s Dash, out of 68 drivers. She retired from racing in 2003 after a serious accident during a Goody’s Dash event, although she did attempt to return, entering one more race after her crash. Now, she manages her own track and works extensively in motorsport PR.

FiFi Scott - took part in two Winston Cup races in 1955, at Phoenix and Tucson. She went out with a puncture before half-distance in the first race, but was classified in thirteenth place in the second. Her car was a Hudson, which she had previously used in Late Model races in 1954 and 1955, on the East Coast. Her best finish was twelfth, in the 1955 Walnut Creek race, driving a self-entered car.

Kelly Sutton – raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series between 2003 and 2007, following a long career in club stock car racing and the NASCAR Goody’s Dash series, which included overall race wins at junior and senior level. Her first Truck season only consisted of four races, with a best finish of 19^th, at Homestead. In 2004, she expanded her programme to 19 races, and broke into the top twenty once, at Mansfield. This season was marred by accidents and mechanical problems. 2005 was a better year, with three top-twenty finishes, including a fifteenth place at Charlotte. Despite a shorter season in 2006, with fewer good finishes, she still managed to lead her first lap, at Kansas, although she crashed out later. In her final year of Trucks, she only took part in three races, and was 20^th at Milwaukee. Since then, she has not raced. Throughout her career, she has raced for her family team, Sutton Racing. She is notable for being the only NASCAR driver who competed actively with MS.

Bonnie West - possibly the first woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned Late Model race in 1975. She won a feature race at Langley Speedway, Virginia in June. She was the biggest female rival to Diane Teel and the two squared up in a match race together at Langley in 1977. Both were regulars at Langley, although they often competed in different divisions. Bonnie’s career ended abruptly in 1977 when she was convicted of car theft, alongside her husband, and jailed for five years.

Martha Wideman - raced stock cars in the USA in the 1970s. She competed in one round of the USAC Stock Car Series in 1976, finishing 20th at Texas World Speedway in a 1974 Dodge Charger. She was meant to race at Mid-America Raceways the following month, but did not start. She had been driving in short-oval stock car races on her own account since 1972, having been active for some years previously racing her husband’s car under his license, as women were not allowed and the “powder puff derby” events for women no longer challenged her. IMCA allowed her to race and she did eventually earn a NASCAR license, although she never took part in a NASCAR race.   

(Image copyright Fox News)

Patty Moise

Patty with her Buick

One of the First Ladies of NASCAR, Patty has several "firsts" under her belt. At Road Atlanta, in her first NASCAR Busch Series attempt in 1986, she became the first woman to lead a Busch Series race. This came shortly after she won a qualifying race, another female first in NASCAR. She took part in 133 Busch Series races during her twelve years of NASCAR competition, 24 of which were in 1990.

Daughter of a racer, Patty started competing in 1981. First she raced sportscars like her father, and drove in IMSA. Her first entry was in 1981, when she was listed as a driver with her father in the Daytona 24 Hours. They did not get to drive. In 1983, she entered two races. She did not finish the Sebring 12 Hours in a Camaro, but was thirteenth in the Paul Revere event at Daytona. Her co-driver was Tommy Riggins, and the car was a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. In 1984, she drove a Chevrolet Camaro with Tom Ciccone at Watkins Glen. They were 27th. In 1985, she was ninth in the Sebring 12 Hours, using a Pontiac Firebird, with Les Delano and Andy Petery. She had been set to drive in the Daytona 24 Hours with Juan Manuel Fangio Jr and Robert Johnson in an Osella, but they were prevented from starting. In 1986, she and Delano were 12th at Sebring, driving a Chevrolet Camaro with Jeremy Nightingale.

Not long afterwards, she moved into the oval stock car scene. She quickly progressed through the junior series and actually made five Winston Cup starts between 1987 and 1989. However, it was in the second-ranking Busch Series that she really shone. Her results were mixed over the nine years she raced; her best finish was seventh at Talladega. This superspeedway was the scene of several of Patty's triumphs. In 1988 she qualified on pole for a Busch race, the first woman to do so. Two years later she broke the lap record there, with a brilliant 217.488 mph run. She also broke the qualifying record at Atlanta in 1995.

Her first Busch season was 1986. She qualified third for her first race at Road Atlanta, but could only manage 30th in the race itself. Her second race, at Carolina, panned out similarly. She led the race at one point, but dropped down to 34th by the end.

In 1987, her programme expanded to twelve events. She was driving a Buick. Half of her races ended in DNFs, but she also managed two top-ten finishes. Her first Winston Cup start at Watkins Glen gave her a 34th, after a crash.

1988 was not as positive. Out of eleven starts, she failed to make the top ten once. Her second and third Cup runs yielded a best of 34th. She did not really improve the following year, with a best Cup finish of 33rd and a best Busch finish of 16th.

In 1990, she made a decent attempt at the Busch championship, but could not convert the experience to hard results. She did not make the top ten once. After 1991 and her marriage to Elton Sawyer, she scaled down her racing commitments considerably. Mostly, her racing was confined to guest appearances, with a best finish of fourteenth, at Watkins Glen, in 1992.

In 1995, her career picked up again after a seventh place at Talladega. She and Elton ran their own team in 1996, and Patty entered 18 races. Sadly, she was only 37th in the final points tally. Another race in 1997 led to a heavy crash.

Patty last raced in 1998, at Bristol, where she finished in the top ten. She now concentrates on horse-riding. As well as her records on the racetrack, she is only the second Winston Cup driver to hold a university degree.

(Image from http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/group/pattymoisefans)