Monday, 13 March 2017

Mette Kruuse



Mette Kruuse was a Danish driver, active in the 1960s and 1970s. She is most associated with the MkI Ford Escort.


Her career began when she attended a racing drivers’ school, some time in the late 1960s. She first appears in major competition in a Volvo P544, in 1968. That year, she competed in most of the Danish Touring Car Championship, the Roskilde rounds mainly. Using either the PV544, or a 122, she managed a couple of good places in the over-1300cc class. The best of these was a fifth, in the Roskilde Castrol Cup. As well as her home series, she also raced in Sweden, and was ninth in the Anderstorp Mixed-Race, in the P544, which was run by the Ellemann-Jakobsen team.  


In 1969, she carried on racing a Volvo, and had much the same schedule as her debut DTCC year. Her first appearance was in the fifth round at Jyllandsring, and she was driving a PV544. The next race, the Ceat Cup, also at Jyllandsring, gave her a further fifth place.


Again, she raced in Sweden as well as Denmark. She was ninth in the “PR for Men” race held at Anderstorp in June. Her car was a PV544 run by the Aarhus car club.


In 1970, she also made sporadic appearances in the DTCC, driving a Simca 1000 at Djursland, and the Volvo at the second Djursland meeting, later in the season. She was sixth in both races. The DTCC rules changed that year from Group 5 to Group 2 regulations, and the series was less popular. Once more, she represented the Aarhus club in Sweden, finishing seventh in the non-championship race at Anderstorp, in the PV544. She may also have been part of an Anderstorp round of the Swedish Touring Car Championship, in the same car, but she may not have started.


In 1971, she had her first outing in a 1600cc Escort, as part of the Castrol-funded works team with Aage Buch-Larsen. The Escort had proved to be one of the most competitive of cars, under the new rules. She held her own in the <1000cc 2="" and="" at="" class.="" class="" djursland.="" end="" fourth="" group="" had="" in="" of="" one="" place="" second="" she="" span="" the="" was="" year="">


At the beginning of the season, she also made a guest appearance in the British Saloon championship at Brands Hatch, driving a British Vita-run Escort. It was the one of the support events for the Race of Champions. Mette was sixteenth overall on aggregate, having finished twelfth and twentieth in her two races.


In a 1971 interview, Mette stated that she wanted to move into single-seater racing next. She seems to have tried this in 1972. She is listed as an entry in that year’s Danish Grand Prix, a Formula 3 race, driving a Brabham BT28, but she did not start. Driving for the Ellemann-Jakobsen team who had supported her in the Volvo, she was eighteenth in the first round of the Swedish F3 championship, driving a Brabham BT21. Further details of her single-seater activities are not forthcoming.


For 1973, details are also vague, although she was part of a Swedish-run Ford team, sponsored by STP. She is listed as a non-starter for two Grand Prix support races in Sweden, but does not appear on the entry lists for any other races, in Sweden or Denmark. STP certainly sponsored several other drivers in touring cars in Sweden that year, but the deal with Mette must have broken down. Her career seems to end here.


Despite the somewhat sketchy details of her actual racing career, there are quite a lot of pictures of Mette available; she was quite photogenic, and seems to be remembered fondly. After her retirement, she may have been involved with breeding pedigree dogs.

(Image from http://nostalgimacken.blogspot.co.uk/2010_09_01_archive.html)

Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Juliette Slaughter


Juliette with the Kelly Girl Lola

Juliette Slaughter (née Scott-Gunn; also Brindley) was most famous for her Le Mans entry in 1978.

Her racing career began in 1970, as Juliette Scott-Gunn, after she inherited some money. There was some history of motorsport in her family; her father had the distinction of being a racing vicar at Brooklands. In 1971, she won the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club’s Helen Spence Trophy, for the best newcomer. She competed in Class C of the Castrol Production Saloon Championship in 1972, in a Ford Escort, scoring one class win at Brands Hatch. In August, she raced in the BWRDC’s “Fast Girls Ford Consul Challenge” at Brands, and was twelfth, out of seventeen drivers, after a spin. The winner of this event, Gillian Fortescue Thomas, was presented with a fur coat by Graham Hill.

She met her first husband, Andy Slaughter, on-track, when he drove into her car! They were both racing in Production Saloons at the time. Between 1972 and 1974, she concentrated on her career in personnel. At one point, she was part of Mark Thatcher’s management team.

When she returned in 1975 as Juliette Slaughter, she was involved in the sport both on and off the track. Her day job was in the press office at Brands Hatch, under the management of John and Angela Webb. The Webbs were skilled promoters, and Juliette gained a reputation is a marketing expert.

One of John Webb’s favourite marketing ploys was using female drivers to create media interest. He had trained up a “stable” of women racers, some from the world of celebrity, or other sports, who raced under his Shellsport banner. They became known as “the Charm School”, and were not always taken seriously. Although John Webb always had one eye on the promotional value of his drivers, he also believed in them as racers, and helped to launch the careers of Divina Galica and Desiré Wilson.

Shellsport acted as the sponsor for the BWRDC’s invitation Ford Escort one-make challenge. It began in 1974, and Juliette took part in two of the three races, with a best finish of second. This was achieved at her home track, Brands Hatch. The series ran as a championship proper in 1975, and she entered three of the four rounds. She was sixth twice, this time at Mallory Park and Snetterton. She managed another two second places at Brands in 1976, behind Divina Galica, but had the consolation of a joint fastest lap and class record in the second race. She set another lap record at Snetterton in 1977, in the same car, and was second in the race itself.

She was an enthusiastic member of the BWRDC. Their 40th anniversary book, Mary’s Girls, tells of her participation in a women’s Demolition Derby in 1975, and a humorous imaginary film called “The Bird Life of a Northamptonshire Village”, in which she was going to discuss “fashion on the grid”.

In 1977, Juliette mainly raced a Shellsport Renault 5 in the Production Saloon championship. She scored at least one fourth place, at a Christmas meeting, and won her class at Thruxton, leading to another BWRDC accolade, the Embassy Club Championship. That year, she was also announced as the second driver in Divina Galica’s Sports 2000 Lola T290. Reports suggest that she took part in at least one event in the car, which was sponsored by the Kelly Girl employment agency. This may have been down to Juliette’s own negotiation, as she had previous experience in the field, and was now a marketing manager at Brands Hatch.
The Lola was one of several cars she raced in 1978. The Renault was kept on for use in Production Saloons, and she also had the use of a Triumph TR7 for production sportscars.

Her biggest race of 1978 was undoubtedly Le Mans. She was driving a Kelly Girl-sponsored Lola T294S, with Ian Harrower and Brian Joscelyne. They suffered engine trouble and did not finish, only managing 61 laps. That said, all drivers had put in some respectable times, particularly considering the age of their car, and their lack of big-race experience.

The following year, Juliette drove a Porsche 924 in the Brands Hatch 6 Hours with Win Percy, and they won their class, finishing 22nd overall. Again, this was a strong performance in an underpowered car, which had proved hard to qualify.

At the same event in 1980, she was ninth with John Sheldon and John Brindley, in a Lola T492. They won the Sports 2000 class.

Away from the major races, and after her Le Mans outing, she accepted a drive from Gerry Marshall Racing in Production Saloons, driving a Triumph Dolomite, in 1979. Unfortunately, no results are forthcoming for this car/driver combination.

Later, she drove a VW Scirocco in the same championship. She finished on the Production Saloon podium six times during 1980, with a best finish of second. This included a drive in the Willhire 24 Hours, as part of a team that included Stirling Moss and Desiré Wilson, and was sponsored by the “mens’ magazine”, Mayfair. She continued with the Scirocco in 1981, when she teamed up with Tony Lanfranchi.

She retired in 1982 to pursue her business career, and other interests. For many years, she put her promotional and organising expertise to good use on the committees for various horse trials, having taken up riding.

Sadly, she died in 2012, at the age of 67, after an eleven-year battle with cancer.

(Image copyright Getty Images)

Friday, 3 March 2017

Women in NASCAR: the results


The 1977 Firecracker 400: l-r, Janet Guthrie, Lella Lombardi, Lee Petty, Christine Beckers, Louise Smith

Below is a list of all of the female drivers who have competed in NASCAR’s top-level competition of its time, currently known as the Sprint Cup. Read more about women in NASCAR here and here.

1949 (Strictly Stock, 8 races)

Sara Christian (Ford/Oldsmobile) - 13th (6 races)
Ethel Flock Mobley (Cadillac) - 52nd (2 races)
Louise Smith (Ford) - 63rd (3 races)

1950 (Grand National, 19 races)

Sara Christian (Ford) - 107th (1 race)
Louise Smith (Ford/Nash) - 109th (3 races)
Ann Bunselmeyer (Packard) - 126th (1 race)
Ann Chester (Plymouth) - unplaced (2 races)
Ann Slaasted (Lincoln) - unplaced (1 race)

1954 (Grand National, 37 races)

Marian “Mopsy” Pagan (Plymouth) - unplaced (1 race)

1965 (Grand National, 55 races)

Goldie Parsons (Oldsmobile) - unplaced (1 race)

1976 (Winston Cup, 30 races)

Janet Guthrie (Chevrolet) - unplaced (5 races)

1977 (Winston Cup, 30 races)

Janet Guthrie (Chevrolet) - 23rd (19 races)
Lella Lombardi (Chevrolet) - unplaced (1 race)
Christine Beckers (Ford) - unplaced (1 race)

1978 (Winston Cup, 30 races)

Janet Guthrie (Chevrolet/Buick) - 41st (7 races)

1980 (Winston Cup, 31 races)

Janet Guthrie (Chevrolet/Ford) - 69th (2 races)

1982 (Winston Cup, 30 races)

Robin McCall (Buick) - 74th (2 races)

1987 (Winston Cup, 29 races)

Patty Moise (Chevrolet) - 96th (1 race)

1988 (Winston Cup, 29 races)

Patty Moise (Buick) - 59th (2 races)

1989 (Winston Cup, 29 races)

Patty Moise (Buick) - 69th (2 races)

2001 (Winston Cup, 36 races)

Shawna Robinson (Ford) - 66th (1 race)

2002 (Winston Cup, 36 races)

Shawna Robinson (Dodge) - 52nd (7 races)

2012 (Sprint Cup, 36 races)

Danica Patrick (Chevrolet) - unplaced (10 races)

2013 (Sprint Cup, 36 races)

Danica Patrick (Chevrolet) - 27th (36 races)

2014 (Sprint Cup, 36 races)

Danica Patrick (Chevrolet) - 28th (36 races)

2015 (Sprint Cup, 36 races)

Danica Patrick (Chevrolet) - 24th (36 races)

2016 (Sprint Cup, 36 races)

Danica Patrick (Chevrolet) - 24th (36 races)

2017 (Monster Energy Cup, 35 races)

Danica Patrick (Ford) - 28th (35 races)

2018

Danica Patrick (Ford) - 1 race

(Image source unknown)

Sunday, 19 February 2017

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.



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