The Most Influential Woman of the Year category received 58 nominations and 417 votes for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards. There were so many worthy nominees, but only one stood tall above the rest.
2015 Most Influential Woman of the Year – Jean Price
Horsepower & Heels is proud to announce the winner of the 2015 Women of the Year Most Influential category – Ray Price Harley Davidson’s Jean Price!
The matriarch of the motorcycle drag racing scene for nearly half a century, Jean Price has been the calm, resilient, guiding force behind legendary drag racer Ray Price and one of the largest Harley-Davidson dealerships in the Southeast.
There by his side from the time they met over 53 years ago, Jean stood by him through his tour in the Air Force, the start of his professional drag racing career in the late 1960’s and onto 46 national event wins and 51 records set before retiring in 2003 at the age of 66.
Jean remembers fondly the years they traveled straight through the night to tracks across the US, with Ray tucked in the back of the van wrenching away. While other women were receiving chocolates and flowers on Valentine’s Day, Jean was signing for and receiving barrels of nitro fuel and oil for the Top Fuel bike.
“Ms. Jean” as she is affectionately known around the Harley-Davidson community, played an instrumental role in all of the accomplishments of Ray – the “Father of the Funnybike” and the stable of riders and mechanics who support the Ray Price Motorsports team in Raleigh, NC. Without Ms. Jean, the innovation of the 1st wheelie bars for motorcycles and two-speed transmissions would not have been possible for Ray.
Her stable presence and career as co-owner of Ray Price Harley-Davidson makes her a cherished matriarch of the drag racing community.
Our thoughts and condolences also go out to Ms. Jean and the entire H-D community, in memory of Ray, who passed away on December 16, 2015.
Runner Up – Erica Enders
2x NHRA Pro Stock World Champion, Erica Enders was your Most Influential Woman of the Year Runner-Up for the 2015 Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.
Most Influential Woman of the Year Nominees
- Shirley Muldowney
- Kayli Barker
- Elaine Larsen
- Janette Thornley
- Heather Carter
- Danica Patrick
- Kim Kussy
- Haley James
Leah Pritchett- Courtney Force
- Terry Chandler
- Bunny Burkett
- Amy Tate
- Michele Abbate
- Cassie Simonton
- Jenna Haddock
- Alexis DeJoria
- Audrey Worm
- Ashley Sanford
- Brittany Force
- Kathy Fisher
- Julie Pierce
- Emily Shapiro
- Julie Meehan
- Susie Wolff
- McKenna Haase
- Lyn St. James
- Kelly Earnhardt Miller
- Kenzie Ruston
- Sarah Fisher
- Emme Hall
- Heidi Steele
- Angelle Sampey
- Sara Price
- Hannah Newhouse
- Cammy Edelbrock
- Marla O’Guin
- Denise McClugge
- Madelyn Marconi
- Annamarie Strawhand
- Ellen Eschenbacher
- Tabitha Sizemore
- Ashley Force-Hood
- Claire Williams
- Melanie Salemi
- Sandra Carter Beal
- Alex Taylor
- Linda Vaughn
- Becca Monopoli
- Lisa France Kennedy
- Nicole Erickson
- Christel Andy
- Katherine Legge
- Jenny Tinmouth
