Horsepower & Heels

Female Crewmember of the Year 2015

December 30, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

The Female Crewmember of the Year category received 64 nominations and 439 votes for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards. There were several lead changes throughout the 10 day voting period, but a late nominee entered the race and quickly rose to the top of the chart in just the last 2 days of voting. The battle came down to the wire, and only 7 votes decided your 2015 winner.

2015 Female Crewmember of the Year – Tinzy Aronson

Horsepower & Heels is proud to announce the winner of the 2015 Women of the Year Female Crewmember category – IHRA Pro Stock Crew, Tinzy Aronson!

A quick trip to the Pro Stock pits will usually find Tinzy Aronson buried in the transmission tunnel of Cale Aronson’s Pro Stock Mustang, covered in clutch dust. Nicknamed “ClutchGirl” by her friends and fans, Tinzy has risen through the ranks over the years along side now husband, Cale, serving as his main crew support.

This season, Tinzy has had to serve an even bigger role for Cale, after a tragic accident in West Palm Beach in May left Cale seriously injured and confined to a wheel chair. Never leaving his side, Tinzy has been there making difficult decisions in the early stages of his care and helping his recovery and rehabilitation process.

Runner Up – Jamie Elrod

Ohio based Team Elrod drag racing crewmember, Jamie Elrod was your Crewmember of the Year Runner-Up for the 2015 Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.

Female Crewmember of the Year Nominees

Cassie Simonton
Marla O’Guin
Janette Thornley
Paige Sanchez
Courtney Enders
Melissa Urist
Shannon Glidden
Nicole Lemen
Heather Carter
Haley James
Amy Tate
Julie Pierce
Julie Meehan
Jessica Mace
Courtney Force
Martee Burke
Leeza Diehl
Kathy Drummond
Amber Malloy
Megan Meehan
Tracy Pearson
Tammie Gubler
Annette Bauer
Christmas Abbott
Amanda Hayes
Hannah Newhouse
Tracie Paulin
Angie Smith
Madelyn Marconi
Leilani Tindall
Ashley Parlett
Jenna Haddock
Rachel Meyer
Kim Neiman
Andrea Mueller
Kelli Ulrey
Jean Price
Yvonne Potter
Shelly Elrod
Kayli Barker
Terri Stamps
Karen Deakins
Amanda Hoover
Robin Stambaugh
Brittany Eyres
Alex Taylor
Audrey Worm
Bridgett Jefferies
Annette Hall
Samira Rached
Ashley Fye
Rhonda Taff
Madi Furr
Destiny Tindall
Leena Gade
Jennifer Rahaim
Christel Andy
Corey Weigand
Shari French
Amanda Koehler
Rebecca Smith

Female Motorsport Team of the Year 2015

December 30, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

The Female Motorsport Team of the Year category received 45 nominations and 263 votes for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards. Votes were counted twice and three times in this category, in what ended up the closest race of the awards program. Only TWO votes decided the winner.

2015 Female Motorsport Team of the Year – Larsen Motorsports

Horsepower & Heels is proud to announce the winner of the 2015 Women of the Year Female Motorsport Team category – Jet Dragster Super Team, Larsen Motorsports!

They are known as the ‘Fastest Girls in Town’ for a good reason. Larsen Motorsports is home to 2015 IHRA Jet Dragster Champion, Elaine Larsen; her crew chief Paige Sanchez, and regular Jet drivers Kat Moller, Allison West, Marisha Falk, and Shea Holbrook. Larsen Motorsport recently opened their own Jet Development center, and is known for mentoring new jet drivers and crew members, especially young ladies, through their educational programs.

Their commitment to helping women excel in the sport is unsurpassed.

Runner Up – Elite Motorsports

The two-time reigning Pro Stock World Championship team behind Erica Enders, Elite Motorsports is your Team of the Year Runner-Up for the 2015 Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.

Female Motorsport Team of the Year Nominees

Miss Behaving Racing
Dream Chaser Racin’
Hellion B Team
Team Elrod
Dote Racing
John Force Racing
Dina Parise Racing
Team Patron
Melanie Salemi Motorsports
Performance by Fisher Racing
Meyer Sisters Racing
Amy Tate
GRR Racing
Team Haddock Racing
Kayli Barker
Meehan Motorsports
Jami Weimer
Ashley Sanford Racing
Emily Shapiro
Heidi Steele
Stewart-Haas Racing/GoDaddy
Tina Pierce Racing
Grace Autosports
Kendra Adams Motorsports
Martha Lee Motorsports
Mia Tedesco Racing
Teryx Girls
Madelyn Marconi
Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing
Bayde Motorsports
Terry Chandler
Ruman Racing
Haase Racing
Jessi Combs
Bunny and the Boys
CFH Racing
Alex Taylor
Cassie Gannis
Samira Rached
Audrey Worm
Volvo Ocean Race Team
Musi Racing
Sauber F1 Team

Female Motorsport Professional of the Year 2015

December 30, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

The Female Motorsport Professional of the Year category received 64 nominations and 356 votes for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards. An early front-runner took the polls, and held on for a decisive victory.

2015 Motorsport Professional of the Year – Erica Enders

Horsepower & Heels is proud to announce the winner of the 2015 Women of the Year Female Motorsport Professional category – Elite Motorsports driver Erica Enders!

When it comes to taking care of business in NHRA’s Pro Stock class, none got it done as well as Erica Enders. But Enders also gained the vote of her peers and fans as a motorsport business professional as well. She’s as comfortable in a boardroom as she is behind the wheel of her Pro Stock Camaro.

Enders overcame funding issues by being a strong and valuable business partner to her sponsors and team. She handled the pressure and remained professional, earning her back-to-back Pro Stock World Championship title.

Runner Up – Janette Thornley

Dream Chaser Racin’ and Harley Pro Fuel World Champion, Janette Thornley is your Motorsport Professional of the Year Runner-Up for the 2015 Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.

Female Motorsport Professional of the Year Nominees

Kim Kussy
Leah Pritchett
Haley James
Heather Carter
Jamie Elrod
Elaine Larsen
Jean Price
Courtney Force
Kayli Barker
Alexis DeJoria
Kathy Fisher
Amy Tate
Michele Abbate
Dina Parise
Jenna Haddock
Angela Neely
Audrey Worm
Emily Shapiro
Lizzy Musi
Johanna Long
Kendra Adams
Megan Schumacher
Shannon Glidden
Angelle Sampey
Julie Meehan
Hannah Newhouse
Cassie Simonton
Terry Chandler
Kelli Willmore
Beth Parreta
Martee Burke
Clair B Lang
Courtney McRae
Ashley Force-Hood
Bre Bradley
Jamie Howe
Sara Price
Danica Patrick
Madelyn Marconi
Jennifer Jo Cobb
Ellen Eschenbacher
Tiana Berkeley
Alex Rogeo
Ashley Freas
Amy Ruman
Annamarie Strawhand
Alex Taylor
Alba Colon
Jessi Combs
Jamie Little
Cassie Gannis
Samira Rached
Karen Stoffer
Becki Belcher
Bunny Burkett
Christa Voda
Monisha Kalterborn
Debra Ousley
Beth Hyatt
Brooke DeBonis
Jenny Tinmouth

Girls N Garages Magazine

December 29, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Looking for an automotive magazine written especially for women? That’s what Karen Vielkind set out to find in August 2014.

After her search left her coming up empty handed, and her other lady gear head friends had no ideas either, Karen decided to take matters into her own hands, mixing her passion for cars, writing and creativity to form a new vision: Girls N Garages: a women’s automotive magazine.

One of the reasons I was looking for a magazine like what I’ve created was because I wanted to see other ladies who were interested in working on cars too, merchandise that was geared towards ladies who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and lifestyle type articles that were relatable for ladies in the industry and enthusiasts. I was also looking for some informational/informative articles that were fun to read that gave you basic information on vehicles but could delve into more complicated things.”

Girls N Garages Magazine

Girls N Garages started to take form in October of 2014. Karen, who works full time, poured all of her spare time into the creation of the magazine, which debuted its first issue in June 2015. The magazine features women in automotive, female project builds, technical how-to articles, and other professionals working in the industry.

Right now, the magazine is a quarterly publication, the second issue came out September 2015, and the third is due in January 2016. Readers can subscribe to receive the digital edition or have the printed edition sent to them.

Karen hopes that the Girls N Garages magazine and online community continue to grow, working its way towards making it a self-sustained monthly or bi-monthly publication. She has plans to partner with sponsors on magazine-hosted project builds and ultimately be able to provide scholarships for women seeking to enter the automotive industry.

My biggest thing is for young women and older ladies to see that working on cars/knowing some things about cars is not a bad thing and can actually can be fun. If I can get at least one more lady into the industry then I’ve done some good is my thinking. Plus, it’s about time the ladies who are into automotive get the recognition they deserve. “

Sports Minded | Female Racers

December 27, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Competitiveness is a wonderful thing harnessed by strong, capable ladies in the sports world. Many women in motorsports were also athletes in other sports before they began their racing careers.

These sports minded female racers drew on the experiences they gained in other sports to help them in the racing world.

Sports Minded Female Racers : What sports do/did you play? How did it help you in Motorsports?

Leave us a comment below with your sport and experiences!

Courtney Force and Graham Rahal Wedding [VIDEO]

December 20, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

John Force Racing shared a beautiful new video of the Courtney Force and Graham Rahal Wedding that took place beachfront at Rancho Dos Pueblos in Santa Barbara, CA.

Courtney Force and Graham Rahal Wedding

Wedding for Bia Figueiredo

December 20, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Special news for Brazilian Stock Car/ Former Indycar racer Ana Beatriz “Bia” Figueiredo, who walked down the aisle amidst family and friends on Saturday, December 19, 2015.

Wedding for Bia Figueiredo

Bia Figueiredo, a São Paulo native, married Fabio Casaram in a beautiful ceremony. She posted a special message to her new husband, family, friends and fans on Facebook:

Ontem foi um dia muito especial. Rever a família completa e celebrar uma relação de muito amor e respeito. Se sou o que…

Posted by Bia Figueiredo on Sunday, December 20, 2015

Larsen Motorsports 2015 [VIDEO]

December 19, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Check out this cool 2015 Jetlife video for Larsen Motorsports! Watch Elaine Larsen, Marisha Falk, Kat Moller, and Shea Holbrook tear up the track in their Jet Dragsters!

Larsen Motorsports | JETLIFE 2015

Video footage by Les Mayhew

Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards 2015

December 18, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

We are so excited to announce our first-ever Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards! The aim is to allow our readers and fans to nominate and recognize their favorite choices for woman of the year in motorsports based on their performances on and off the track.

Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards Categories

For the first annual awards, we’ve selected seven award categories:

Female Racer of the Year
Female Crewmember of the Year
Female Motorsports Professional of the Year
Female Rookie of the Year
Female Team of the Year
Most Improved
Most Influential Woman of Motorsports

Each category allows fans to select one woman for nomination. Once the ballots have been counted, the woman with the most votes in each category will be declared the winner.

Voting is open now through December 29, 2015 11:59PM EST. Votes will be collected into a database and winners will be calculated by tally of votes. Only one nominee per category, and one ballot per person/email accepted.

Winners will be announced on December 31, 2015 and posted on this website.

Vote NOW | Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards

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Trouble viewing? Click here to submit your vote.

Chix Gear Fast 15 team announced

December 16, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Chix Gear Racewear just announced their Chix Gear Fast 15 team for the 2016 season. The annual contest selects 15 female racers onto the Chix Gear backed Fast 15 team A total of 242 applications were received for the 2016 contest.

It was a very hard decision and there were SO many great applicants. There is an amazing amount of professionalism and talent in this group of 15.” – Chix Gear Racewear

Follow the success of the Chix Gear Fast 15 team all season long on the new Chix Gear Fast 15 team Facebook page, so make sure to “LIKE” that page!

Chix Gear Fast 15 team

Jenna Johnson – Dirt Late Model, Iowa
McKenna Haase – Sprint Car, Iowa
Tara Longnecker – Bmod, Iowa
Megan Manshack – ATV, Ohio
Lexy VanZandt – BMod, Missouri
Kayli Barker – Asphalt Late Model, Nevada
Shayle Bade – Sprint Car, Nebraska
Brianna Mahon – Monster Truck, Illinois
Savannah Trantham – Sprint Car, Texas
Mandy Chick – Asphalt Late Model – Kansas
Ashley Strickland – Drag Racer, North Carolina
Ashley Capetta – Sprint Car, Pennsylvania
Bri Bandimere – Drag Racer, Colorado
Sarah Burgess – Off Road Truck, California
Skyler Allen – Micro Sprint Car, Kansas