Raising a Household on a Harley
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop. I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! This week our Stewart Saga continues with Dody Mariscotti. Dody is a passionate, die-hard racer. She is married to the crew chief for Tony Stewart Racing's Levi Jones and she stays busy raising four children and adjusting to life after her recent relocation from California to Indiana. She enjoys writing the occasional press release for a driver or helping with a sponsorship proposal, but Dody is more than a wife who tags along at the races. She has come full circle in the motorsports industry.
Her need for speed started out in California. In 1998, Dody lost the two most important people in her life, her parents. This devastating loss sparked a passion inside of her to simply get on her Harley and find the adventure in riding. From there, Dody ventured into the off-road-racing world and eventually she found herself helping with a supermodified in Bakersfield, California. She engulfed herself in the industry learning everything in the shop. She describes herself as, "A kid in a candy store." Then, in 2003, her hard work was paying off when she received the opportunity to work with the Indy Racing League's, Davey Hamilton, as he competed in the west coast supermodified series. That is where she met her husband and brings us to her life today.
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Sep 16, 2009
She's got Style, She's got Grace...She's got grease on her face? Ms. Eldora Explains it All
A look behind the scenes with Rossburg, Ohio's Ms. Eldora Speedway
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop. I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! Last week we had an exclusive interview with Pam Boas, Tony Stewart's mother. This week, after Tony conquered his competitors again at the Prelude to the Dream, we have another GirlRacer that is essential to Eldora Speedway - Abby Hoffert. She is an outgoing, gracious girl who just so happens to be the admired beauty queen of the legendary speedway. Abby Hoffert is Ms. Eldora. She is only 19-years-old, a college student and a racing enthusiast. However, she is not the stereotypical pageant winner. Abby began her love of racing when she was in the fourth grade and she has been in the fast lane ever since. While her duties to Eldora Speedway have her in victory lane, fans and competitors will often see Abby in the pit areas changing tires and helping her friends succeed on the track. She is an all around GirlRacer.
NASCAR's Heroes are Hungry for Glory at the Prelude to the Dream
Pam Boas talks about the event her son, Tony Stewart, created and what raising a NASCAR icon has been like.
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop. I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! As GirlRacers, we are all chasing our dreams one checkered flag at a time. We often look up to esteemed drivers who have "made it" and picture ourselves in their positions - living the dream. However, before Tony Stewart became Smoke, Kyle Busch became Rowdy or Joey Logano became Sliced Bread they were all simply, "little boys with big toys" as Pam Boas, Tony Stewart's mother, would say. This is why she looks forward to visiting Eldora Speedway for The Prelude to the Dream each year. She gets to see the kid in each of these drivers come out to battle for the glory and bragging rights against 25 of their closest competitors. The atmosphere of watching each driver fight to dominate in the dirt is what makes the event entertaining for Boas.
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop. I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! This week we have a special interview with a spontaneous, fun loving woman in the motorsports industry. Amanda Speed describes herself as an average, laid-back girl who can be a bit of a firecracker. She's a newlywed, and her daily life revolves around raising her 8-year old son Rex and of course her need for speed. Amanda has always had a passion for motorsports. It could be drag racing with her father or NASCAR races with her husband. No matter what she's always at a track!
Amanda was born and raised in King, North Carolina. She grew up in a drag 
racing family watching her father, Rickie Smith, and brother, Matt Smith, compete. Always having had the passion for motorsports in her blood she began doing public relations for her family in college and fell in love with that aspect of the sport. Amanda went on to make a name for herself in the stock car world managing the entire Jim Beam account for NASCAR and eventually handling public relations for Bill Davis Racing. Having excelled in the field of public relations and marketing, Amanda now controls the master schedule of a Sprint Cup Series driver who happens to be her husband - Scott Speed. "I went from handling lots of events with different companies and different media members, now I just handle Scott, which in itself is a challenge!" Amanda laughed.
Amanda was gracious enough to lend some of her rare spare time to answer a few questions for all of our GirlRacer followers. Let's take a speedy look into the life of Amanda Speed...
CAITLIN: How has your role changed from handling public relations to now managing a driver in addition to raising a family and being a wife in the garage area?
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop. I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! This week I'm going to take a trip to I-25 Speedway to meet two women that bring immense character to the Pueblo, Colorado track. Spotter, Shelby Wilson, and driver, Rachelle Lewis, compete at the track alongside their teams each week. Local competitors like Shelby and Rachelle make up a large majority of the motorsports industry. Females are impacting the industry one checkered flag at a time and hometown tracks are continuing to breed the future of our professional series.
I-25 Speedway is located in southern Colorado. It is on the front range of the famous Rocky Mountains. The track facility would receive five stars for it's lighting, concessions and grandstands. It is a fast lpaced 1/4 mile track with high banking and fast straight-aways. Now, let's get to the GirlRacers!
Rachelle has been competing as a driver at I-25 Speedway this year in the Grand American Modified series. She not only drives the car on race day she is also the owner, spotter and a mechanic. She works 30-hour weeks in addition to her racing schedule. Rachelle claims at times it is tough to balance everything out in her life especially because she is the general contractor on her new home, but in the end it is worth it to strap into the driver's seat.
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Aug 19, 2009
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop! I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! Last week I took a Pit Stop with motorsport moms to hear their perspectives on their children competing in the racing industry. This week I'm taking a look at a younger generation. I interviewed several GirlRacer competitors ranging in age from six to 16. Cassie, Kaylee, Kaitlynn, Kaley, Leah, Courtney, Emma and Amber are quarter midget racers.
These young girls live in various states across the country and compete against each other and other competitors in their age and class divisions. There are around 4,000 quarter midget competitors across the United States and in parts of Canada. Quarter midget racers can begin competing at age five and continue until they are 16-years old. There are 50 clubs nationwide with each track sized at about 1/20 of a mile.
I still enjoy heading out to my local Quarter Midget track in New Mexico with the Roadrunner Quarter Midgets of America Club. My family along with the four other families all spent countless hours working to start New Mexico's first quarter midget club. This story is similar to many clubs across the country. Quarter Midget racing is a great experience that brings families together. It's exciting to see clubs across the country growing each year and families becoming closer because of motorsports.
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop! I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! This week I'm exploring a group of women who often get lost in the fast pace of the racing industry. Motorsport moms are there for each crew member, official and driver every step of the way. They are a driving force behind the success of most racing professionals. Over the past week, I talked with a few different mothers in the racing community including my own mother. Sit back, strap yourself in and be prepared to meet some of these miraculous moms.
The dictionary describes a mother as, "someone that gives rise to or exercises protecting care over something else". However, motorsport moms realize their children are in a rapid-paced, potentially dangerous sport, and their maternal instinct to protect is much harder to do at high-speeds! Some moms get nervous and some don't, but each one realizes the risks, sacrifices and work it takes to have their child succeed at the track.
My mom is someone who despite many hardships in her life has risen to each occasion with determination and a smile. When I began to pursue motorsports as a career my dad and I left frequently throughout the school year and all summer long to race across the United States. My mom was the force behind us. She lived at least six months at a time away from my dad and me for the past five years. This year he left five months ago to help me run in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series and this week is his first time home. However, she takes everything in stride and while she has never been racing fan, she is a fan of our family and supports me in my dreams like motorsport moms across the globe support their children.
I received the opportunity to talk with multiple motorsport mother's this past week and I chose the following short interviews from just four of these inspirational women. The first interview is with my GirlRacer mom - Leslie Shaw.
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Mar 1, 2009
After two long days of competition in the North East of England, 21 year old student, Joey Powis was named as the winner of Race Star 2009. Joey drives away with the top prize of a full season of racing in the Mini Challenge Championship, racing the Double Six Racing prepared number 6 car. First up will be the need to pass the MSA Race Licence before taking part in the Official Mini Challenge test at Rockingham on 25th March. It will then be on to the first race meeting of the season at Rockingham on 18th April. You can follow Joey's progress on Race Star TV with Video blogs, in-car footage as well as racing action will be broadcast on the Race Star TV web site.
24 competitors turned up at Total Fitness, Teesside, and were put through there paces with a series of fitness tests. First up was the bleep test which was used as a warm-up for the rest of the tests. The second test was a 2000m rowing test which troubled some of the competitors more than others and was a true test of grit and determination. After a brief rest it was then onto a 400m run immediately followed by a multiple-choice quesionnaire, all under the pressure of the clock. Finally all the competitors were put through a test which monitored everyone's reaction speed.
After a break for lunch the competition moved onto Teesside Autodrome, for the karting competition. After a qualifying session all 24 drivers lined up on the grid for the pre-final. This race provided some real close and exciting racing and the finishing positions gave the grid for the final race. The final was another closely fought and tense battle. With the top two drivers initially breaking away before being drawn back into a four way battle for the lead. With just a few laps left a coming together between the 3rd and 4th placed drivers, gave some breahing space for the top two. The action continued all the way through the field with some fantastic battles taking place throughout the 15 lap race.
After the karting had finished the Race Star team had the unenviable task of selecing the top 10 drivers who were to progress to the final the following day. 50% of the marks were gained from Round Two (Timed Laps, Autotest and Theory Test), with 25% of the marks gained from the fitness and karting activities. After calculating the points 10th, 11th and 12th placed drivers all had the same number of points, giving the Race Star team a bit of a headache. It was decided that the only fair way to handle this situation was to put all 12 through to the final, a decision most welcome by the competitors. So the announcements were made and the final 12 had progressed to the last stage of the 2009 Race Star competition.
And so, onto the final of Race Star, held at Croft International Race Circuit were the finalists were put through there paces with a series of tests. First up was a slalom test with a difference. To get a guage on how smooth a driver they were, a ball and chain were placed on the bonnet of the car and if the ball came off the drvier would need to stop and put the ball back on the bonnet. It was then time to take to the track with Phil House, ex Double VW Cup champion, and BTCC racer Micky Doyle. Each of the competitors got to drive with each of the instructors receiving some more instruction and then being timed on 3 laps. Afer each of the sessions the drivers were then put through an interview with the Team Manager and Chief Instructor, and then had to put a video blog together.
After all the activities had been completed it was down to the panel of judges to decide who the winner would be. The Panel of Judges included, Colin Elstrop (Chief Instructor) Phil House (Instructor), Micky Doyle (Instructor), Lisa Nelson (Race Star Co-ordinator) and Marc Nelson (Team Manager). Nearly 1 hour later and the decisions were made.
In third place, was Girlracers own Abbie Eaton. Abbie was the only girl to enter the competition this year but proved that girls can be just as successful as boys. For you change to compete for next years Race Star prize please visit the Race Star web site.
In second place, was Manvydas Sileika.
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Feb 28, 2009
Ready for launch?
We are currently working on putting the in finishing touches to the Race Star Final for next week. The new Mini Cooper Challenge race car is being prepared with new decals and the Race Star Training cars are being worked on ready for the top 10 finalists to use at the final.
