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LATEST SNIPPET
Natalie Sather, 27, experienced sprint car
driver and up-and-coming stock car racer, will be
joining MAKE Motorsports as a development driver
for the 2012 season.
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Contact: eMail | www.nataliesather.com/
Profile
Birth Date: March 12, 1985
Hometown: Fargo, ND
Series: Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck and
Nationwide Series
Sponsors: K&N, Lady Eagle Safetywear/Design
500, Bell Helmets, Butler Built Seats
Chassis: Hedgecock Motor: Chevrolet Built Motor
Hobbies: Hunting, Scrapbooking, Working Out,
Baking, Shopping, Volunteering
Height: 5'2''
Eye Color: Green/Hazel
Hair Color: Black
Favorite Movie: The Proposal
Favorite Book: The Art of Racing in the Rain by
Garth Stein & Twilight Series Books
Favorite TV Show: Friday Night Lights
Favorite Music: Country
Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese w/Pickles
Favorite Color: Blue & Green (its a tie)
Favorite Vehicle: Chevy Truck
Other Hobbies: Baking, Hunting, Fishing, Jet
skiing, Working Out, Shopping, Scrapbooking,
Volunteering, and Speaking at Schools about
racing&car safety
Natalie Sather is a 25-year old race car driver
from Fargo, ND. Her father is in the automobile
business so she developed a natural affinity for
cars and racing at an early age. She began her
career racing go-karts when she was nine years old
and became the first female driver to win the Duffy
Trophy for the Grand National Championship on
pavement.
In 2002 she made the jump to sprint car on dirt
and was involved in a serious accident after only
her fifth race that required several surgeries.
Amazingly, she came back later that season to post
two top-ten finishes. In the following off-season
she went on to compete in the Miss Teen North
Dakota pageant where she was voted Miss
Congeniality! She has since competed in the Miss
North Dakota pageant and was 2nd runner up. In 2007
she became the first woman to win a major ASCS
trophy when she won the Midwest Points
Championship. The 2008 season was very successful
she finished Top Ten in the Knoxville Raceway Point
Standings, and also became the first women to
receive the Knoxville Raceway 360 Rookie of the
Year Award.
Natalie aspires to become a professional race
car driver and for the past 16 years, she has been
working hard to achieve her ultimate goal - that of
racing a stock car at the NASCAR Sprint Cup
level.
Natalie has discovered it takes hard work,
specialized training, determination, and support
from her family and friends to become a
professional race car driver. Over the years, she
gained knowledge racing 360 and 410 Sprint Cars on
dirt tracks and Go-karts on dirt and asphalt
tracks. She attended racing schools and racing
programs, some of which include:
- Skip Barber Racing School
- Finish Line Racing School
- Lyn Saint James Women in Racing Program
The experiences received from this training
helped her grow into the confident and well-rounded
driver she is today. The skills honed through
working on race cars, presenting speeches to
children and young adults, training in the gym, and
reading books related to her endeavors have played
vital roles in preparing her for a career in the
racing world. The 2009 year witnesses Natalie
transitioning from a dirt track and Sprint Car into
a Super Late Model race car on asphalt. From a
field of 125 candidates, Natalie was one of twelve
selected to participate in the NASCAR Drive for
Diversity program. Having very little asphalt
experience didn’t play a factor in her
selection. She impressed many team owners with her
self-assuredness and raw driving talent. Receiving
a couple of offers, she made the superlative
decision to sign on with Total Velocity Motorsports
from Monroe, Washington.
With the completion of the 2009 racing season at
Evergreen Speedway, Natalie wrapped up the year by
placing fourth in the point standings and earned
the title of Washington State and Evergreen
Speedway Rookie of the Year.
For the 2010 racing season Natalie will be
competing in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series
at South Boston Speedway with an accomplished
NASCAR series team by her side. Natalie and Sellers
Racing Inc. have teamed up and are looking forward
to a great season. Natalie has high goals for
herself in this upcoming season, and has the right
team behind her to achieve those goals. Every week,
she will continue to learn more about the asphalt
track, strategize with her crew, improve her
driving skills, and nurture her dreams. Competing
in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series is helping
to pave her way toward competing in the Camping
World, the Camping World Truck, and Nationwide
Series and bringing her closer to attaining her
ultimate goal of racing in the Sprint Cup
Series.
Outlaws. 23 (Fargo, NC) from the14th class
(2007-08) of the Women in the Winner’s Circle
(WWC) Foundation Complete Driver Academy
Snippets
Camping World Truck Series for 2012
* * *
Natalie Sather of Fargo, N.D., will race for
Total Velocity Motorsports in the Whelen
All-American Series at Evergreen Speedway in
Monroe, Wash. Sather became the first woman to win
a major ASCS trophy in 2007 when she won the
Midwest points championship.
* * *
Natalie Sather (Fargo, N.D.) competes in 360
Sprint cars at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. This
season she has one top-five and six top-10s.
Results
2011:
Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award
25th in NASCAR Whelen All American Series National
Points
5th in Virginia State Points
2nd at South Boston Speedway Track Points
2010:
First women to sit on front row in the 54 year
history of South Boston Speedway
2009:
Washington State Rookie of the Year in the
NASCAR Whelen All American Series
4th place points at Evergreen Speedway in the
NASCAR Whelen All American Series
NASCAR Drive for Diversity Participant
2008:
360 Rookie of the year at Knoxville Raceway
Top 10 points in the 360 Knoxville Raceway Point
Standings
4x Hard Charger Award at Knoxville Raceway
Highest finish by a female in Knoxville Raceway
history with 3rd place in a 360
Graduate of the Lyn St. James Women in the Winners
Circle program
Graduate of the Finish Line Racing School
2007:
ASCS Midwest Points Champion
Highest finish by a female in Knoxville Raceway
history with 5th place in a 360
Qualified for preliminary A Main at 410 Knoxville
Nationals
Invited to race with the World of Outlaws in
Australia at Parametta Raceway
2006:
Participated in the Skip Barber School of
Racing, for a TV pilot on women in racing with
MTV
2005:
ASCS Hard Charger Award
2004:
ASCS Young Lion Award
11th Place in ASCS National Points
Attended The Jimmy Sills Racing School
2001:
IKF Grand National Champion on Pavement
2000:
2nd Place Tulsa Shootout/ Go-Karts
1999-2000:
Regional Champion/ Go-Karts
1998-2023:
Track Champion/ Go-Karts
1998-2000:
Sportsman of the year/ Go-Karts
Articles in Speed Sports News, K&N.com,
Sprint Car Annual, Flat Out, Sprint Car &
Midget
Appeared on NASCAR Sirius Satellite Radio, Fox
Charlotte, Knoxville Raceway TV Show, and many
local stations
News
Sather's feminine side shines through on
'Tyra'
There's something about a TV talk show queen asking
a probing question that turns even the toughest
person into pudding.
That's what happened to Natalie Sather, who
races for Sellers Racing in the Whelen All-American
Series, when Tyra Banks asked about a particular
scar shooting down Sather's shin.
Seven years ago, when Natalie was 17 and running
sprint cars at her home track, Red River Valley
Speedway in Fargo, N.D., she was T-boned in a
violent wreck. Her leg was busted ugly in three
places. Her foot was actually pointing backwards,
the kind of trick you'd see from Harpo Marx to get
a laugh. In reality, it made grown men sick.
Sather had been racing since she was 9, starting
in go-karts, and after seven surgeries on the leg,
doctors were saying she'd likely never wheel a race
car again. She had a foot-long metal pin inserted
into her leg from knee to ankle to hold together
her fibula. Four months after the scary wreck, she
was competing.
Usually, Sather will show off the battered leg
with a sly smile and quick story about the
golf-ball sized in infection she fought, and how
she defied doctors' orders by constructing a
special leg brace allowing her to return to
competition -- before medical permission was
granted.
Yet when she was alone on stage of The Tyra
Banks Show at its Manhattan studio for a pre-taped
show airing Thursday, with pictures of her leg
eliciting audience gasps and cameras bearing in and
Tyra wondering how such a scar affects you as a
woman, an old wound was opened, and the accident
took on a new context.
Her breakdown was quick and complete, and
Natalie recovered like a steely veteran driver
going wicked loose off a turn and transferring that
bobble into greater speed. "It's a beauty flaw,"
she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm embracing it. It's
who I am."
In the audience, Jeff Knight, Natalie's 2009 car
owner with Total Velocity Motorsports, was clearly
moved. He knew about Natalie's accident but never
considered how it could impact a young lady away
from the race track.
"At the shop, she's a regular driver," said
Knight, who is also a pastor in a ministry outside
Seattle. "I've only seen her in a fire suit.
Watching her on the show, talking to Tyra about the
accident and her scar, I've learned about a new
side of Natalie."
Banks, whose show is seen by millions of young
people -- contributing to her Forbes ranking as the
fifth most-influential woman in America -- had
invited Sather on the program to undergo a beauty
"makeover." The former
supermodel-turned-entrepreneur and Emmy
Award-winning host was looking for a young,
successful woman working in a profession that puts
grease under her nails.
Sather, once a cheerleader and runner up as Miss
Teen North Dakota, was an easy choice for the show.
Heck, she could double for Danica when Lifetime
does the movie of the week.
But don't get fooled by Natalie's smoky looks;
she's tough as nails. She's had her share of
concussions. She's jousted on the track with men
old enough to be her father in taking the American
Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Midwest points
championship in 2007 and in winning 2008 rookie of
the year honors at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
The attractive young driver is a self-proclaimed
tomboy, who last season won a race as a member of
the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program in the
Whelen All-American Series and also bakes a mean
chocolate chip cookie. She lists hunting and
shopping as her hobbies. She calls herself "my
father's son" and would rather be no place else
than at the race shop, wearing jeans and T-shirts
during the week and a fire suit on weekends.
After discussing Natalie's accident, Tyra began
styling the driver's jet black hair, which runs
thick and down the length of her back. Would she
turn it into Dynasty-meets-disco? A Farrah Fawcett
flip? Tyra chose for Natalie an old-style pompadour
-- a 50's look brought into 2009.
The talk-show diva sprayed and pulled and combed
and teased the thick mane, singing loudly the whole
time. Racing stock cars, Natalie hadn't lost her
hearing, but Tyra's singing may now have done the
trick.
To finish the job -- on the hair, not her ears
-- Natalie went backstage for the full makeover,
including makeup and a new outfit: lime green
shorts a young lady aiming to cause a stir might
wear to the Kentucky Derby on a warm Saturday in
May, along with an abbreviated fancy bolo-style
jacket to be worn if bull fighting on Rodeo
Drive.
She rose above the garish costume and looked
absolutely gorgeous, albeit teetering ever so
slightly on four-inch stilettos. Natalie had broken
a bone in her foot while racing. Training for the
Miss North Dakota pageant she trained herself to
walk in heels despite the pain.
As a member of the NASCAR PR team based in New
York, I was (gladly) serving as Natalie's PR man
the day of the shooting. She flashed me a look
saying, "If they really want me to wear this loud
outfit right now, is it possible to flash backward
in time, and when NASCAR gets a call from Tyra
looking for a race-car driver to do a makeover on
national TV, maybe just send them over to the
open-wheel people?"
I responded with my best telepathically
confident "game on" nod, as if to say, "You look
simply gorgeous, girl, and when out there revealing
this makeover, America will be yours."
(I normally don't interject "girl" in the middle
of unsaid thoughts, but this was The Tyra Banks
Show. When in Rome ...)
As an African drum brigade set down a pounding
beat, Natalie strutted onto Tyra's stage. She
effortlessly pivoted on those perilous heels like
Edyta on Dancing with the Stars. She vogued with
the attitude of an MTV dancer. The crowd went
wild.
While she prefers to walk on pit road in racing
shoes rather than on the catwalk in stilettos,
Natalie said the experience was unforgettable and,
ultimately, fun.
"Getting all 'dolled up' is something I don't do
very often, let alone on national television,"
Natalie said. "I was asked to appear on the show
since I am a female in a male-dominated sport, and
most of the time I find myself wearing jeans and a
T-shirt, hair in a pony, with no makeup. I have
been known to say, 'I am the girliest tomboy you
will ever meet.'
"But, on the same note, as much as I like to be
girly, I do struggle with it. Going on the Tyra
show gave me some great tips on makeup, and
fashion. I would have preferred to discuss racing,
how Peyton Sellers and H.C. Sellers, my crew chief,
are helping me, working on the cars, and competing
against guys. But let's be honest: What girl
doesn't like to get a makeover!"
Here's what you need to know about Natalie
Sather. An appearance like this is monumentally
important in a young driver's career. Agreeing to
do it as an out-of-the-comfort-zone TV stunt, can
go sideways and stick with you a long time. When
Natalie got off stage, she didn't want to know how
she looked or sounded. She asked, "Did I represent
NASCAR well?"
Natalie Sather came from Fargo, N.D., to the big
city, and during the course of a few fast minutes,
she laughed, she cried, she strutted her stuff, and
she invited America to get to know a tough,
hard-core racer with real emotions, who is a
genuine young lady easy to root for.
If portraying grace and style while showing real
human emotion are good for the sport, then yes,
Natalie, you did well, very well.
Source: www.nascar.com/2010/news/features/04/08/nsather.on.tyra/index.html
In The Driver's Seat With
Natalie Sather, NASCAR Whelen Series Racer
Gritty. Tough as nails. Driven to succeed, no
matter the pain in the game.
Those are some of the characteristics that
describe 25-year-old Natalie Sather, an upcoming
NASCAR racer who cut her teeth in some of the
finest dirt tracks of the Midwest as well as
asphalt short-oval arenas of the Southeast.
On the surface, she’s congenial, very apt
to discuss racing as well as her family life that
has inspired her through the years.
Certainly, she values the support given to those
around her, and it shows with her ambition to
succeed in this competitive field of
motorsports.
When it comes to her mindset just as the green
flag’s about to unfurl, all that’s on her
mind is how she’s going to make the most out
of it.
Ask for 100 percent, she’ll give you 110,
making her way to the front with the precision and
cunning of some of sport's most clutch drivers like
the Labonte brothers or Jeff Gordon, the latter who
has inspired her in her career.
Stumbling upon her when reading about this
year’s Drive for Diversity class, I took
notice of her racing record, which at first seemed
to be filled with glowing highlights and statistics
that couldn’t be tangibly appreciated.
However, when I read how she’s triumphed in
her dreams despite setbacks, it showed me the kind
of hunger and willpower she has to make it in this
sport.
While others out there are all talk and just
appear at the track for television time, Sather
embodies that old Wrangler jeans motto of being
“one tough customer.”
In a highly competitive game that involves high
risk with one’s health and psyche, it seems as
if nothing can derail the young gun from realizing
her goal of becoming a full-time winner on the
Sprint Cup circuit.
I interviewed Natalie Sather recently, getting
her thoughts on her career, as well as her
observations about her experiences in auto racing.
You’ll see what I mean by her giving 110
percent in all she does, trying hard but not too
much in making the most of her opportunity.
Without a doubt, she wants to make it badly in
NASCAR, knowing she has to give it her all in a
sport that requires sacrifices here and there to
make it to the top.
Strap in, put on your driving gloves, and get
ready for some short-track racing, when I put you
in “The Driver’s Seat with Natalie
Sather, NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Racer!”
Rob Tiongson : Some people get a thrill
out of their need for speed, be it in their street
cars, video games, or taking up auto racing in some
shape or form as a means of recreation. What
compelled you to embark on a career in motorsports,
particularly with stock cars?
Natalie Sather : Growing up, my dad
sponsored his best friend’s race car. No one
in my family actually raced, so I didn't
necessarily grow up around it. However, I loved
going to watch (races) much more than anyone in my
family.
After years of watching the local sprint cars at
the dirt track, the friend my dad sponsored saw a
flyer for a local go-kart race and told my parents
they needed to take me and that they should get me
a go-kart.
After the race, we were all hooked, and so began
my racing career starting in karts.
I grew up racing go-karts and eventually made
the jump in to a sprint car on dirt. Growing up
around the Mid-West, there are only dirt tracks in
the area, so asphalt racing wasn't an option. So
the asphalt dream seemed pretty far-fetched when I
first started.
RT : Did you have any particular hero
growing up in Fargo, N.D., at least, when it came
to racing, or in particular, with your life?
NS : Growing up in Fargo, N.D., I looked
up to a sprint car great named Donny Schatz. I
would go to the World of Outlaw races sporting his
t-shirt and a homemade sign, saying “I’m
going to race against him someday.”
Well, that day did eventually come, and more to
follow (oh and P.S., I have beaten him), and I will
never forget it.
Another racer that I looked up to was Jeff
Gordon...so much that my whole room as a teen-age
girl was Gordon, and I even did my senior English
project on him.
He grew up racing go-karts, and then moved up to
Sprints and pursued his dream and made the
transition to asphalt and has proved many wrong.
His path is one I would like to follow myself.
I say one day I will race against Jeff, as well.
One down (Donny Schatz), one to go (Jeff
Gordon)!
RT : Now, like so many of NASCAR's
hottest stars in Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and
Kasey Kahne, you cut your teeth in sprint cars on
some of the finest dirt tracks in America.
How much of an asset is it for you to know that
particular brand of vehicle, as well as go-kart
cars, in terms of driving the heavier stock cars on
various asphalt arenas?
NS : Competing around the country at
countless dirt tracks has played a huge role in my
asphalt career. A great racer once told me dirt
keeps you sharp, you have to be quick, always on
your toes, and it’s 30 laps of wheel-to-wheel
action.
I have been able to take a lot of what I have
learned on the dirt and relate it to the asphalt.
For example, when my car (late model) is loose, it
is like driving on a dry slick dirt track, and it
takes a lot of finesse.
I can't tell you how many times I have been
watching the NASCAR greats like Tony Stewart, Kasey
Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, and Clint Bowyer,
and see them get loose and they catch their car and
the announcer will say, “Oh, look at that
save, that’s their dirt background coming into
play!”
So many of them go back and race on the dirt and
I truly think that it helps with their asphalt
driving.
RT : You've been a part of some excellent
programs in racing, from the Skip Barber Racing
School to your current team, Sellers Brothers
Racing.
How much have those contingencies helped Natalie
Sather, the racer and person? It's had to help you
get your name out there to places across the States
that's given you some great opportunities.
NS : Throughout the last few years, I
have had some great opportunities to attend some
amazing programs. Finish Line Racing School in
Florida is one that has played a huge role in my
asphalt career. Mike and Krystal Loescher, who own,
run, and operate the school, have an amazing
program.
They have taught me so much about the asphalt
side of racing. Mike, who I call "my driving
coach," is always there for me if I need any advice
and has even come to a few races to help me along
in my career.
Another great program that I have had the
privilege of being a part of is the Lyn St. James,
Women in Racing Program. Through Lyn's program, I
had the opportunity to learn the "behind the
scenes" aspect of racing.
From Media Training, Money/Sponsor Management,
Physical and Mental Training…and also
attending Finish Line Racing School (through
Lyn’s program for a second time), these
programs have given me a great establishment into
my asphalt career.
RT : Having accessibility to your fans is
paramount in establishing your popularity in the
grandstands, not only in the tracks you've competed
at, but at places where you just might be at when
you advance in your career.
Would you say that having a presence online, via
Facebook, your website, etc., has helped draw in
some new fans with your racing, as well as help you
attract potential sponsors/teams in joining your
efforts?
NS : Fans in my eyes are a huge part of
this sport. I have always had amazing fans, and
always take the time to talk to all my fans.
With the social network sites on the rise,
Facebook, Twitter, and other websites, I have tried
to have as many ways as possible for the fans,
potential sponsors, etc., follow my career.
It’s hard to keep up with everything and I
try my best - I do all the networking side myself
from designing my race cards to creating and
updating my website.
Since creating a Facebook and Twitter, I have
been amazed at the response in friends and support.
I even have hit my limit on Facebook, so I had to
create a fan page, and group page called Natalie
"Speed" Sather! It’s been overwhelming to see
all the support.
RT : Competing in any sport means the
possibility of getting hurt out there in the
playing field, be it a premier soccer stadium or a
hometown short track.
Having dealt with some injuries during various
times in your career, how have you dealt with it
and is it truly mind over matter in dealing with
pain, both physically and emotionally?
NS : Throughout my career, I have
sustained some pretty serious injuries that could
have ended my career.
When I was 17, I was racing at my local dirt
track in a sprint car when I was involved in a
incident where I was t-boned at over 110 mph and it
broke my leg in three places, requiring seven
surgeries and sitting out the season.
It was a time in my life where I was just
starting out in my sprint car career and where I
really had to take a step back and ask myself if
this is something I really wanted to do. “Am I
willing to risk getting hurt, even my life for this
sport?”
It was a challenging time in my life but I knew
that this is what I wanted to do. From then on, I
dedicated my entire life to racing. Over the years,
I have had some severe concussions, neck, and
shoulder injuries, but nothing has stopped me.
This year, I sustained an injury that I thought
for sure would end my career. April 17 was an
ultimate high and low for me in my career.
It was a double-header and I scored my first top
ten at South Boston with a ninth-place finish. The
second race, the Sellers Brothers team and I were
fired up.
On lap eight, I was tagged from behind, sending
me spinning down the front straightaway. Once I
came to a stop, I realized I was hurt pretty bad,
thinking I broke my wrist.
After the initial shock, the adrenaline was
still pumping and I ignored the pain and continued
on with the race till lap 68, when another accident
hurt my car, ending my night.
My wrist was super swollen and I found out the
next day that indeed I had broken my wrist. How do
you drive with one arm? It was a hard time for me
and I wasn’t sure what my future held.
I was determined not to let this affect, let
alone end my career. I flew back home to Fargo, ND
to have surgery on my wrist where they placed a
fairly large screw in my wrist.
The doctor in town was very supportive in
helping me get back in the seat as soon as
possible. After a special brace was made, I headed
back to Virginia to get back in the seat.
It was pretty difficult getting used to racing
with a big bulky brace on. I really had to relearn
how to drive, it was hard, but it didn’t stop
me. I needed to have the strength, courage, and
motivation to keep on pursuing my dream. My team
and family also motivated me.
It’s really hard sustaining any injury and
being able to bounce back, but I have always told
myself, “Never, ever give up.” And I
don’t plan on it anytime soon!
RT : When you're at the track, strapped
up and geared up to go, do you have a particular
pre-race ritual or superstition that you follow? Or
are you more like, "OK Natalie, this is our race to
win?"
Ok, well, I do have a few rituals that I do,
have to wear, etc. Some are more personal than
others, but I will let you in on the secret.
I have a racing angel pin that must be on my
suit. I also do have a lucky pair of undergarments
that I do wear most of the time (laughter). Also,
once I’m strapped into my car, I always say a
lil’ prayer and then tell myself that I can do
this, and also ask my Grandma, who was one of my
biggest fans, to cheer me on and give me the
strength and courage I need to finish the race.
RT : Alright, so it's down time, race
isn't for a few days. What's a typical week in the
life for you, during a race week? How about during
a true off-week?
NS : A typical race week for me, well
honestly, it’s been a lot different this
season due to the fact that I broke my wrist at the
beginning of this season so it has limited how much
I can do. But normally, I would help out in the
shop.
I had started working on the shock dyno this
year and really enjoyed it. Otherwise, I work out
as much as I can and get prepared for the next
race, whether it’s washing my suit, cleaning
my car, etc.
On an off-week, I usually try to go home to
spend time with my family and friends. I go to the
lake, hang out with my puppies, and work on my
hunting cabin.
RT : What's been your favorite track that
you've competed at thus far in your career? Any
particular track that you're absolutely floored to
compete at some day?
NS : My all-time favorite place to race
would hands down be Knoxville, Iowa! It’s a
half-mile dirt track located in a small town
outside of Des Moines.
From the staff to the facility, to Dingus (a
lil’ bar across the street), everything about
that place, I just love.
My favorite part is the track, as it is where I
really found out what I could do in a race car.
From the high speed, the intense wheel-to-wheel
racing, to the slide jobs, there is never a dull
moment. I hope to one day go back and race a sprint
car there!
A track that I someday hope to compete at is
Daytona, the birthplace of NASCAR. This is where
the legends made a name for themselves. To be able
to race where the founding generation drove would
be such a privilege!
RT : Free Association time for you,
Natalie! No pain, no gain...this will be child's
play. Tell me the first thing that comes into your
mind with the following, all right? Here we go!
Green flag.
NS : "¡Andale! ¡Andale!
¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! ¡Yii-hah!" (Speedy
Gonzalez)
RT : Three wide.
NS : My favorite way to pass.
RT : Starting position.
NS : Outside pole.
RT : Family.
NS : Support.
RT : Confidence.
NS : Most of the time.
RT : A real racer's track.
NS : South Boston (asphalt) and
Knoxville, Iowa (dirt).
RT : Your ideal street car.
NS : Chevy Truck!
RT : If I could organize a music concert,
I'd have...
NS : Country music.
RT : Best motto ever given to you.
NS : “Save your fork - the best is
yet to come.” My Grandma told me that.
RT : Faith.
NS : Christian.
RT : Where you see yourself down the
road...
NS : Racing, or anything to do with
racing.
RT : When it comes to distinguishing
yourself amongst your peers, what are some
qualities or factors that make you such a special,
unique racer to fans out there who may be looking
for the next big star to follow?
NS : I am the “girliest” tomboy
you will meet. I can work in the race shop, hunt,
shingle a roof, and don’t even mind a
lil’ dirt under my nails. On the other hand, I
own about 30 pairs of high heels and love putting
on a fun dress and going shopping at the mall.
I carry a hand gun and lip gloss in my purse. I
am an energetic, outgoing person, passionate about
what I do and that comes out on the track.
I am always myself, and tend to show a lot of
emotion, but it’s who I am. If I didn’t
love this sport and put everything I had in to it,
I would have nothing to lose…but I do.
I am also passionate about the opportunities to
help out in my community that racing has presented.
I have had the chance to meet many strong kids at
the local hospitals that have opened my eyes, and
taught me how to be a stronger, better person.
This I hope to continue on throughout my career
and help these young kids work towards their dreams
for the future.
I have faced a lot of difficulties in my career
from breaking my leg (in ‘02) and my wrist
(just this season) to being scrutinized in my
career, giving many reasons for one to quit or give
up. All of these things have only made me stronger
and shaped me into the woman I am today.
RT : Say I'm your team owner...and we're
competing for the long haul of a season. How would
you impress me, as far as proving yourself out
there? Would you go all out for wins or go for
top-10s, gradually working your way to becoming a
race contender as a season goes on?
NS : I am a very competitive person, but
you have to be realistic. This is only my second
season racing asphalt, but I still tend to set my
goals very high.
Consistency is key…I would go for the top
fives, top 10’s, and of course I will take a
win.
In order to win championships, you have to use
your head and be consistent. In 2007, I won the
American Sprint Car Championship and didn’t
win a single race (although I came very close a few
times) but I was always in the hunt, finishing
every race, and making sure I made smart decisions
which paid off in the end.
I am always looking to improve every race,
learning something new every time I hit the
track.
Schedule
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