The world of drag racing all started for NMRA driver, Nikki Frost, in the summer of June 2012. Nikki was given a great opportunity from Vortech Superchargers to use her 2013 Ford Mustang GT for their V-3Si kit and SEMA 2012 booth car. Nikki’s new ride would serve as both a race car and her daily driver.
There is no way you can pass an opportunity like that up! I drove my new Mustang with less than 500 miles on it from Philadelphia, PA to Oxnard, CA in July 2012 and I have never looked back.”
With her new Vortech equipped Stang, Nikki worked on establishing herself in the community to honor her commitments to her sponsors.
I focused heavily on showing the car at car shows in 2013 where it was well received. In June 2014, I ran my first sanctioned race at the NMRA All-Female Shootout in Norwalk, OH and was lucky enough to secure the Runner-up spot! This was followed in June 2015 with another NMRA All Female Shootout Runner-up placement. Hopefully my winning streak continues in 2016, but just having the opportunity to race with my husband and our good friends is enough for me.”
Her Mustang has been a SEMA booth car twice, featured in numerous publications, and is the perfect street-strip car for Nikki. She feels beyond blessed for the opportunities that have been presented to her and the experiences are worth everything to her.
Nikki Frost at Frank Hawley School
This February, I had the honor of attend Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School in Gainesville, FL. It was hands down the best choice I’ve made so far with drag racing. He teaches the fundamentals as well as advanced techniques that are essential to being a good drag racer. Huge thanks to Frank Hawley, Jimmy and the crew for providing us with the essentials that we need to be successful, educated drag racers! The experience was invaluable – I would highly recommend this school to any drag racer.”
Q&A with Nikki Frost:
When did you know, that racing was what you wanted to do?
Photo: Ford Racing Nation.com
Racing has always been my heart. It wasn’t until I met my husband that I was introduced to the wonderful world of drag racing. The love affair with the track started and the speeding tickets and street racing stopped! Well, mostly. There is nothing better than the thrill of competition and the adrenaline of lining up at the light and letting it fly.”
When it comes to being a Women in Motorsports, do you feel you’ve made an impact?
The way that I feel that I have made an impact on other women in the Motorsports industry is by being able to succeed with only a dream and my car. I have worked hard for everything that I have and will continue to work hard. Nothing will be handed to you, you have to go out and get it yourself, and I would like to think I have empowered other women to follow their dreams as remote as they may seem at the time. Females in the Motorsports industry are surprisingly supportive of one another. You will have your “haters” which happens no matter what you do but not everyone has to like you. Some of my best friends in the industry have come from my first race which proves that women can build each other up and have a great support system even when in a competitive environment. Every woman that I have met in the Motorsports industry has impacted me in some way and I hope that I have positively impacted others as well.”
Who are your biggest supporters?
My biggest supporter is my husband! He is perfectly content sitting back and helping me race even though he is a racer himself. Without him none of this would be possible. My sponsors are amazing to work with and I am fortunate to not just have business relationships with them but friendships as well. My firm is undeniably supportive and allows me the opportunity to pursue my dreams while still advancing my career. The friends that I have in the car community are second to none, car people are the best people! A huge thanks to everyone that has helped me get to where I am today and continues to support me in my future ventures, I couldn’t do it without you!”
Accomplishments for Nikki Frost
Runner-up finishes in the NMRA All Female Shootout in 2014 and 2015.
Formula 1 recently released the unfortunate news that Maria Teresa de Filippis had passed away on January 8th, at 89 years of age. The Italian driver was the first woman to start a Formula 1 race which happened in the late 1950’s.
This got me thinking about how little we acknowledge the early generation of female, auto racing pioneers. We are always taking about the girls currently in the news making headlines about what a great season they’re having or what a great year it was for women in the sport which is great, but what about the ladies that made it possible for those articles to be written? Let’s talk about them!
Maria Filippis | The First Lady of F1
Maria Filippis is only one of two women to ever have the opportunity to race in Formula 1 and it’s been over 40 years since Lella Lombardi, the second female to start an F1 race, last start in 1976. When asked about being the minority in the sport by Red Bulletin Filippis had a typical answer for the time.
Of course there was prejudice, along the lines of what’s that woman doing here?”
Maria Filippis wasn’t a stranger to auto racing or competition, especially in Italy. Having driven sports cars previously, with many class wins, and participating in prestigious races such as the Mille Miglia, an endurance road race, dating back to 1927.
Maria took the green flag in three Grand Prix races, driving a Maserati 250F, a very popular car at the time. She managed to place 10th in her first race in Belgium, but in Portugal and Monza she had to pull the car in early due to engine failure.
Unfortunately, after having an awful accident herself, colliding with a light pole, and seeing her Porsche team boss, and friend, Jean Behra, lose his life in a fatal on-course crash Maria decided the risks of racing were too high. She retired in 1959 and never looked back. She was very emotional about the experience in her interview with the Observer in 2006.
That, for me, was the most tragic because it was in a race that I should have been taking part in.”
After many years of marriage and raising children, Maria Fillipis became secretary general of the Club International des Anciens Pilotes de Grand Prix in 1984. In 1997 she became Vice President for retired drivers and most recently, honorary president in 2011.
In the U.S. we had Janet Guthrie and Lynn St. James. In Italy, they had Maria Teresa de Fillipis. Think of the possibilities and how the sport could have changed for women if she would have continued her racing career. Still, we wouldn’t be where we are without her.
Horsepower & Heels founder, Erica Ortiz is a guest on sports radio show, “The Balance” to talk with host Tom Marquis about women in racing and their impact on the sport and what Horsepower & Heels is doing to help support that cause.
Listen to Erica explain her take on what are some difficulties women have in racing, the place for traditional gender expectations of women and family and how it plays for racing women, and what roles women are now assuming in the business side of the sport. [Segment begins at the 1:00.00 mark]
The 5th Annual Search for a Champion 2016 Finalists have been announced. The contest, held by Champion Auto, gives racers a chance to compete in two divisions: Amateur for a $10,000 grand prize and Advanced for a $50,000 grand prize. The first round of voting determined the racers in each division that are now competing for the grand prize.
Female Racers | Search for A Champion
An impressive 45 women entered the 5th Annual Search for a Champion Competition. These ladies worked hard in the polls for a chance to be a finalist. Round 1 voting closed February 2nd, and the Finalists have now been announced. 5 ladies were chosen in the Amateur class out of 25 finalists and 2 ladies made the cut as part of the 15 Advanced finalists. These ladies are now in the running for the Grand Prize, and need your votes when the polls open February 23rd.
To help support women in motorsports, vote for any of the ladies below:
Search for a Champion Amateur | Female Finalists
Audrie Ruark
Macy Dowell
Riley Gonzalez
Amanda Hagerl
Reanna Walton
Search for a Champion Advanced | Female Finalists
Faith Schuch
Tammy Wolf
Last year, Carly Jo Ellingson represented the women all the way to the Grand Prize. Let’s see if we can help another young lady get the chance of a lifetime that she needs to be successful! Best of luck to these ladies!
Enjoyed this article? You can keep up with hundreds of other women in racing by subscribing to receive free weekly Horsepower & Heels news updates.
As the new season approaches for 27 year-old drag racer Capri Wesley, she is feeling pretty confident for 2016. Continuing to get race ready and take on her 1998 Z28 Ttop Chevy Camaro to run in the footbrake bracket class, as well as the 5.70 heads up racing, Capri hopes to do a little more with the car to try and run Ultimate Street in some radial races this season.
Capri’s love for Racing
Beginning a love for cars at just a young age, Capri fell for the ’98 Z28 T-top Chevy Camaro. Over time, she found herself drawn into the world of Imports. At the age of 16, she bought a 2000 Honda Prelude. At first, Capri only wanted to use it for show, but she gained friends in the car scene and started to learn more about them. “That’s when I knew I wanted to be fast instead of look good. I started taking my car to the local drag strip, Emerald Coast Dragway at only 16. That poor car was so slow,” she stated. But after while, she began adding some modifications to the car in her quest for speed.
Some things I like the most about drag racing would be the feeling I get being on the track and the family that most of the racers have. I love being one of the only females out there trying to battle in a “man’s world.” Of course that can be a hard part about it but overcoming the odds is a huge accomplishment to me.”
She made good friends with other fellow racers at her home track, who she see’s as family. They have taken her under their wings as well. Over time, Capri earned the accomplishment of becoming one of the fastest women in a Honda Prelude in the nation. She had a new found appreciation for all types of drag cars, allowing her to venture into the domestic car world.
I was lucky enough to have someone allow me to race his 66 Chevy 2 for a few months. After getting to drive a 1000 horsepower Cadillac of a racecar, I finally decided to build my own domestic car that was actually fast. My import was fast for a 4 cylinder, but was never going to do what I wanted to do.”
At the age of 18, Capri found her ultimate dream car: the only one that stole her heart, the 1998 Z28 T-top Chevy Camaro. She is now planning to run the car in the footbrake brackets and some possible heads-up racing, confident that this is her year to receive that first a win for the season. As she puts her Honda Prelude to the side, Capri will eventually make some modifications for next year.
Goals | Capri Wesley
Capri has plenty of goals when it comes to racing. She hopes to become just like the NHRA Pro Stock back to back champion, Erica Enders-Stevens. Capri says she looks up to Erica Enders, feeling that if she could be known as half the racer that Erica is, her career would be a success. Capri stated that one day, she would like to be known for her racing. Eventually she is planning to build a car to run in some Radial classes such as the X275, Outlaw Drag Radial and as well as the Pro Radial classes.
Another goal is to have an article in Drag Illustrated about my racing career and my car. With my new car I hope to be successful in a local class we have called 5.70 real street association.A wonderful man by the name of Tom Clausen has put so much heart into his class and the people who race in it are all a big family. They do some amazing things with their cars and my goal is to be top 3 in the points this year in that class. “
Being a Women in Motorsports
Taking on a man’s sport may have the guys intimidated by women. As for Capri, there have been times that the guys brought her down. Capri stated, “Racing an import, no matter who you are, you are typically labeled a ricer. Most people don’t respect you racing an import even it being a 600whp 4 cylinder. I have been told I can’t drive.” Eventually, she would tell herself to never give up.
I didn’t have the parents who were in to racing or who really had anything to do with it so I’ve done all of this on my own. I think that earns a little bit more respect than the people who were just handed racecars. I try just as hard as the men to learn and to work on my cars and to be able to fit in with all of them. It has definitely made me stronger as a racer and as a person knowing that at times I have to try harder and prove myself more than some of the guys. One day they will see how all my hard work has paid off.”
Do you feel you’ve made an impact?
I’ve always felt like I have an impact on other women in and out of racing. The greatest thing ever is when a girl comes up to you and says, “can I have a picture with you and your racecar?” I always hear, “you’re like the only girl out here racing!” That’s a great feeling. I feel like it gives them hope and promise that they can do the same thing. I know a lot of my closest friends have become way more into cars and racing than they ever would have been if I didn’t race. I hope that as my racing career becomes more successful and known that I can make a bigger impact on women in the community. It’s almost like you can be someone to look up to even if it isn’t just in racing but for women trying to do what they love anywhere. If I can do it, they know they can too.”
After a slow start for Erica Enders in Pomona, the two-time Pro Stock World Champion didn’t love her 2016 Valentine’s Day so much. Enders lost in the first round of the 56th Annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season opener. The champ shook the tires at the hit and almost immediately had to abort the run in her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart.
Enders could only watch as Elite teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. sailed on to the victory, but she is far from distraught. Class-revolutionizing changes in the off-season by the NHRA including a manufacturer switch to Dodge and an NHRA-mandated change to fuel-injected engines limited to 10,500 rpm — completely changed the Pro Stock program for 2016. The Elite team is starting from scratch on their program, and Enders knows this is just the beginning for the World Championship team.
We’ve got to keep a positive attitude and keep the mindset that this is only a beginning for us,” Enders said. “We just finished putting our motors together on Wednesday in Phoenix. We can only go up from here, and I know that with all my heart. It is a very tough pill to swallow. I hate losing, I hate losing first round. If there’s any consolation to it, at least it was to my teammate.”
Enders qualified No. 9 in Pomona, the first time since the Sonoma, Calif., event last August that she qualified outside of the top half of the field.
We’ve got to do some work with these race cars,” Enders said. “That run marks run No. 15 under our belts, and that’s nothing, considering I had over 300 runs on my other car. We’ll learn it, we’ll get it, and we’ll be back to the top — you bet your butt.”
Enders had tempered her expectations for Pomona, knowing the new Dart and Mopar engine is early in its development by Elite Performance, but she didn’t expect such tire shake against Coughlin.
The track was way different today than it was the whole weekend,” Enders said. “We run behind the fuel cars, and they did zero track prep, which is pretty detrimental to our class. Of course, being first out doesn’t help, but that was our own fault. All things considered, coming here we figured we’d be a middle-of-the-pack car, and that’s exactly what we were. We’re going to go home and go to work on this stuff. We’ve got a couple weeks until Phoenix, and in between Phoenix and Gainesville there’s another couple of weeks. I fully expect by the Gatornationals to be a lot more competitive. We’ll keep moving in the right direction.”
The sport of truck and tractor pulling is just about as “grass-roots” as motorsports gets. Its easy to imagine men taking their horses (and later tractors) out into their back field, and competing to see who had the strongest team. I can only imagine what the woman’s role was in the early years of this sport, probably preparing lunch for the men to have after a full morning of competition. Fast forward to 2016 and the role of women in truck and tractor pulling has dramatically changed. It is quickly growing into a more popular form of motorsports, and with that there has been a dramatic increase in female drivers. Women like Rodalyn Knox, the driver of the Sassy Massey, were the trailblazers in the sport, leading the way for the dozens of female drivers today. In fact, it is becoming so popular that last year at the National Tractor Pulling Championship in Bowling Green, Ohio, in the super modified two wheel drive class of 53 competitors, 11 were female drivers.
Morgan Bartley | Blade Gone Sweet Truck Pull
One of those drivers is seventeen year old Morgan Bartley from Saluda, South Carolina. Morgan is the driver of a super modified two wheel drive truck that she calls Blade Gone Sweet. Her truck features a 1923 Ford T-Bucket body and a 526 Keith Black Hemi. She competes at a Grand National level with the National Truck and Tractor Pullers Association throughout her summers. 2015-2016 may have been her rookie year driving, but she is no rookie to the sport of truck pulling. Morgan’s family have deep roots in the sport of truck and tractor pulling, with her dad being a 25 year veteran of the sport. It was only natural for Morgan to follow in the footsteps of her father and brother and become a driver when her time came.
My dad has been pulling 25 years, and I’ve been involved with the sport my entire life. Ever since I knew what pulling was I knew that I wanted to be in the drivers seat one day too!”
Morgan’s rookie year began with the development of a new truck for her to drive. Naturally, when a new combination is being tested out many gremlins show their nasty head. This resulted in Morgan having a more challenging rookie year than most, not only fighting her nerves that result as a new driver, but also being faced with mechanical failure. Despite the many challenges she has faced, Morgan has come out on top, proving to the community that she belongs in the drivers seat. Recently, Morgan has shown the sport of truck and tractor pulling that she has what it takes to be a champion. At the end of January at the C Bar C NTPA Winter Nationals, Morgan experienced the excitement of a second place finish when she piloted her truck to a pull off against one of the best drivers in truck and tractor pulling.
The sport of truck and tractor pulling has given Morgan many unique opportunities and experiences. Her team consists of two trucks, with her dad driving one and Morgan driving the other. This gives Morgan the unique opportunity to compete directly against her father. He is not only her crew chief, but he is also her competition. She has also experienced many summers spent in their hauler, travelling all across the United States. Truck and tractor pulling has given Morgan and her family the opportunity to meet many different people, and develop close relationships with them.
Getting to travel all over the U.S. competing with my family, and even more exciting getting to compete against my dad. Getting to travel and meet people who become like family is special also!”
Morgan has experienced a great amount of support throughout her rookie year as a female driver. However that does not mean she has not experienced her share of challenges during her short driving career. Being born and raised in the sport of truck and tractor pulling gave many people very high expectations for Morgan’s driving career. That can be incredibly intimidating and was something Morgan had to face.
Living up to my friends and families high expectations they had set for me. All of the “first time driving jitters” and the nervousness of having so much power sitting in front of me in an eight second ride.”
Despite her first year being challenging, Morgan is confident in her abilities and cannot wait to continue her career as a driver. She has a firm belief in setting goals and she is driven to complete those she has set for herself. Her rookie year has shown a great deal of resilience, which is inspiring to many female drivers.
Don’t give up. Set your mind to your goals you have made and go out and get them!”
With her rookie year coming to a close, Morgan is looking forward to the future of her driving career. She plans on coming out strong next year in the race for a Grand National points championship with her truck Blade Gone Sweet.
I plan to be a top contender for my upcoming 2016 season and stand a chance at winning a Grand National title.”
Morgan’s natural affinity for driving and her passion for the sport has already taken her so far! We wish her all the best and cannot wait to see what the 2016 season has in store for Morgan Bartley!
Good luck Morgan and congratulations on all of your achievements this year!
The off season was incredibly long and Courtney Force is ready to start fresh, putting a tough 2015 season behind her. After wrapping up her toughest season since her 2012 Funny Car debut, her Traxxas team weathered a win-less season, with 15 first-round losses that left her outside the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship. Though they struggled, Force did qualify on the pole at two events (Pomona and Charlotte) and had a runner-up finish in Norwalk, Ohio. She posted a new career-best ET of 3.933 seconds in qualifying at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the end of the year. She was able to maintain a firm hold on the record for most Funny Car wins in a season by a female (four) and most Funny Car wins overall for a female Funny Car driver with seven career tour victories.
I think I’ve become mentally stronger as a driver going into my 5th year of racing and have learned through all the ups and downs. I think any mistake you make as a driver is only for the better and you can take some much away from that if you choose to look at it with a positive attitude, and that’s what I’m doing this season,” said Force.
Force is ready to start fresh with her Traxxas team for the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series tour, and already is showing optimistic improvements. During the Nitro Spring Training pre-season test sessions at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, the team worked through some issues on the car in the first few days, leading Courtney to impressive full pulls which led to a career-best 3.890 seconds at 323.89 mph.
This season we are pushing hard to get our car back in that top 10 since we missed that opportunity last year. We are going to fight hard at every race with that as our primary focus. Obviously we have high hopes of having a race car to chase that championship, but we are going to take this one race at a time. We have a couple new guys on my team and have Dan Hood and Ronnie Thompson as co-crew Chiefs this year so I am eager to get started!”
The season opener will be the first event for new Traxxas Chevy Camaro SS Funny Car co-crew chiefs Dan Hood and Ronnie Thompson at the Force Family’s home track in Pomona. Both Hood and Thompson were assistant Crew Chiefs until this year.
I think our team made some huge progress this past week during testing in Phoenix. I think we have a better handle on this car than we did last year going into Pomona so that is giving us some confidence. When we ran my career best during testing and the car showed some consistency on the runs, it made me really excited for the upcoming season,” said Force.
Courtney Force and the Traxxas team hope to defend their 2015 pole with a strong start at the 56th Annual Circle K Winternationals in front of their home crowd and fans at Auto Club Raceway. This year also marks the 50th Anniversary for the Funny Car class. Qualifying will begin Thursday, February 11th, with sessions on Friday and Saturday. Eliminations will begin Sunday, February 14th.
Event Information:
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
2780 Fairplex Drive
Pomona, CA 91768
NHRA.com
Elevation: 1,100 feet
Tickets: nhra.com/tickets; 800-884-NHRA (6472)
Radio Frequency: 105.3 FM
Ambitious is an understatement when describing sprint Car racer Harli White’s 2016 season schedule. She has opted not to focus on racing for points in any specific series, but instead has packed her schedule with more than 40 winged sprint car races and more than a half-dozen non-wing sprint car races for her tentative 2016 season schedule.
I hate points racing,” she said. “I picked my schedule racing wherever, whenever. I’m really excited about it. I looked and saw where the big races were and picked those.”
In addition to the opening doubleheader of the season next month, White will embark upon her first Indiana Midget Week with the Honda USAC National Midget SeriesMay 31 through June 5
I’m really excited about racing the midget,” she said. “We’ll have a couple of shows at some tracks I’ve run a sprint car at so that will be fun.”
White’s first winged sprint car event will be the rescheduled Short Track Nationals at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark.,March 10-12 with the GoMuddy.com National Sprint League 360 Sprint Car Series.
She plans to compete in all but one of the GoMuddy.com NSL 360 events and will tackle Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour races in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Washington and Iowa.
“We have a lot of multi-day shows on the schedule so it’ll be a really exciting year,” she said. “Also in April I have my wedding week so we’ll take that weekend off.”
Additionally, White is pleased to announce several sponsors are on board for the 2016 season. The Mower Shop and The Body Works are Chili Bowl partners that extended sponsorships and White is also excited to welcome Sea Foam to the team.
“I’m so grateful for all of our partners for their support,” she said. “We are pushing ourselves hard this year and are able to do so thanks to the amazing fans and sponsors.”
White’s apparel is currently being finalized. She plans on having a variety of t-shirt designs with sizes ranging from youth small to adult 4XL in many colors for sale at her race trailer throughout the season.
Harli White 2016 Season Schedule
Mar 4-5
Red River Roundup
Red River Speedway – Wichita Falls, TX
Mar 10-12
28th Annual Short Track Nationals
I-30 Speedway – Little Rock, AR
Mar 17
Lucas Oil ASCS National Sprint Car Tour
Heart O’ Texas Speedway – Waco, TX
Mar 18-19
43rd Annual Spring Nationals
Lucas Oil ASCS National Sprint Car Tour
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, TX
Mar 25-26
Park City Cup / Air Capital Shootout
81 Speedway – Park City, KS
Apr 2
NSL National 360 Sprint Cars
Randolph County Raceway – Moberly, MO
Apr 30
ASCS Rock N Roll 50
Riverside International Speedway – West Memphis, AR
May 6
POWRi West Midget Series
Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, MO
May 7
5th Annual Open Wheel Showdown
Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO
May 13-14
Texas World Dirt Track Championship
Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, TX
May 20
POWRi West Midget Series
Boyd Raceway – Boyd, TX
May 21
POWRi West Midget Series
Abilene Speedway – Abilene, TX
May 31
Midget Week – USAC National Midgets
Montpelier Motor Speedway – Montpelier, IN
Jun 1
Midget Week – USAC National Midgets
Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, IN
Jun 2
Midget Week – USAC National Midgets
Lincoln Park Speedway – Putnamville, IN
Jun 3
Midget Week – USAC National Midgets
Bloomington Speedway – Bloomington, IN
Jun 4
Midget Week – USAC National Midgets
Lawrenceburg Speedway – Lawrenceburg, IN
Jun 5
Midget Week – USAC National Midgets
Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, IN
Jun 11
Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
Route 66 Motor Speedway – Amarillo, TX
Jun 14
SPEED WEEK 43rd Annual Summer Nationals
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, TX
Jun 15
ASCS Sizzlin Summer Speedweek Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Lawton Speedway – Lawton, OK
Jun 16
ASCS Sizzlin Summer Speedweek Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Creek County Speedway – Sapulpa, OK
Jun 17
ASCS Sizzlin Summer Speedweek Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Missouri State Fair Speedway – Sedalia, MO
Jun 18
ASCS Bob Westphal Memorial Cup Sizzlin’ Speedweek Finale
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO
Jun 23-25
45th Annual Jim Rapier Memorial Dirt Cup
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Skagit Speedway – Alger, WA
Jul 1-2
Fred Brownfield Classic
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Grays Harbor Raceway – Elma, WA
Jul 23
NSL National 360 Sprint Cars Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA
Aug 4-6
26th Annual Arnold Motor Supply 360 Knoxville Nationals
Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA
Aug 17
POWRi West Midget Series
Lawton Speedway – Lawton, OK
Aug 18
POWRi West Midget Series
Creek County Speedway – Sapulpa, OK
Aug 19
POWRi West Midget Series
81 Speedway – Park City, KS
Aug 20
POWRi West Midget Series
Dodge City Raceway Park – Dodge City, KS
Sep 2-4
Jackson Sprint Car Nationals
Jackson Motorplex – Jackson, MN
Sep 9-10
NSL National 360 Sprint Cars
Billings Motorsports Park – Billings, MT
Sep 22-24
6th Annual ASCS Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO
Oct 14-15
43rd Annual Winter Nationals
Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint National Tour
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, TX
Nov 2-5, 2016
29th Annual Short Track Nationals
I-30 Speedway – Little Rock, AR
Nov 11-12
NSL National 360 Sprint Cars
Cocopah Speedway – Somerton, AZ
We can’t wait to see how Harli White fairs on this tough 2016 season schedule! Best of luck!
Enjoyed this article? You can keep up with Harli’s career and hundreds of other women in racing by subscribing to receive free Horsepower & Heels news updates.
Most high school graduates are just venturing out to explore the possibilities of what the future can hold for them, but eighteen year-old Rachel Kullman has just shifted gears to a high-speed life on the fast- track of SCCA racing.
Rachel Kullman – the early years
Growing up, Rachel Kullman was no stranger to a track surface. Her father, Paul Kullman, owner of No Mo’ Money Race Engineering, began a career in sports car racing over 15 years ago. Rachel, her mom and sister would all accompany him to his racing events, cheering him on from the sidelines. When Rachel turned 11, her father treated her to a trip to DeSoto Speedway, a go-karting track in Bradenton, FL – an hour south of their Seminole, Florida home. Rachel was immediately hooked, and the family brought home her first kart that very same day.
Rachel was an active young lady, participating in soccer, karate, and dance throughout her elementary and middle school years. She balanced 7 years of karate, 4 years of soccer, 3 years of karting, and a year of dance with a busy academic workload. In high school, Rachel was dual-enrolled in both her regular curriculum and college coursework, getting a jump start on her college education. She now is enrolled at St. Petersburg Community College and plans to transfer to the University of Florida to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian. She also works at Vernon Photography during her time away from classes.
But despite her busy schedule, one thing has never left Rachel – a deep love for racing that fuels her passion to follow in her father’s footsteps. She competed in karts from 2009-2011, and says of the experience; “From there on, I was hooked on this addicting sport and have loved it ever since.”
Moving up: Rachel Kullman in SCCA
While racing in karts sparked her love for the sport, it was the time she spent in the team’s No Mo Money Racing shop that she began to learn more about the world of SCCA racing. Spending time at her father’s side, she was gaining valuable experience and knowledge about what it takes to compete in sports car racing. This hands-on experience would help her when it was time to get behind the wheel herself.
When we are at the track, my job is to grab whatever tool,equipment, etc. that he may need and run any errands that he may need to do like get fuel or go to the store to get more water or parts for the car. If we are doing an enduro race my duty is to be the fire bottle girl on pit stops. I also hand him any tools he needs on pit lane and help out with anything that I can. When we are not at the track, I try to come whenever I can to the shop and help him work on the cars.”
At 16 years-old, when many are just getting their driver’s license to drive for the first time, Rachel was attending her first SCCA driver schools: at Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Speedway. These schools assign a teacher through SCCA to monitor students’ driving line and observe safety of new drivers. They test knowledge and reaction to flags (yellow, red, mechanical or “meatball”, black) and judge students’ understanding and response. Graduates of the school earn certificates, giving them the green light to compete in regional races. Once students complete two regional race weekends successfully, they are granted an official SCCA license. Rachel attended the schools in May and June 2014. She learned to improve her lines and cornering,and entered her first SCCA Majors race at Homestead Miami Speedway in January 2015 in her very own 1990 Mazda Miata prepped for the track. She moved on that month to the second race at Sebring, and the third event in February at NOLA Speedway in New Orleans.
In May 2015, she returned to the Daytona driver’s school to test a new transmission in her STU prepped Miata. All of the experience she had been gaining and her testing earned her a second place finish in a 90-minute enduro race at Daytona International Speedway that month, her first-ever enduro attempt. She would move on to compete at the 2015 SCCA Runoffs at Daytona International Speedway in September 2015, finishing 14th overall. Rachel would finish out the 2015 season with a third place finish in the SCCA regional race, second place in the SCCA Regional Championship October race, and landing in the No. 3 position overall for the championship points trophy in the SCCA Regional Series.
Shifting gears – Rachel Kullman overcomes
In just her short year and a half in sports car racing, Rachel Kullman has exceeded all expectations, growing as a promising young driver in the STU ranks. She has been surprised at the attention and support she has received from her peers.
Being a girl doing a “guy sport”, people are actually very interested in what I do. I race with SCCA, and the people there are just absolutely amazing. They are always cheering for me and helping us with anything we may need, were just one big giant family.”
One memorable experience for Rachel came while at the Daytona school testing her new transmission.
I had only been racing for a year at this point and at the very end of the school there is a “mini race”. Being that this was a school there was a small number of experienced drivers like myself there. I believe there was four of us, and at the start of the race, us four pulled the rest of the pack by at least three seconds or so. There was one faster car, then there was me and this other Miata. Since we both have the same car the battle between us was pretty great. I was leading for most of it then I messed up in a corner and he passed me, but on the very last lap in the first horseshoe at Daytona International Speedway, I late braked him and passed him on the inside in front of all the instructors, workers and fans. When I came off the track I had a parade of people coming up to my car and clapping for me and telling me how awesome of a move that was. I had instructors come up to me that had seen me just a year before at my first driver school and tell me how impressed they were with how much my driving had improved. It definitely is a day I will never forget.”
Even with great support and encouragement, the learning curve of racing isn’t without its difficulties. Rachel said an early mistake on track hurt her confidence and created a roadblock she works hard to overcome.
One of the biggest roadblocks that I have had to overcome and still am over coming is to trust my car will do what it is supposed to do. When I first began racing, I was learning how to take the corners and when to enter and exit them. Due to entering the corner wrong I spun out on exit and someone who didn’t see me hit me. Ever since then I’ve had doubts in the car, thinking that it won’t stick even though it will.”
Rachel works to overcome this fear by studying her corners using iRacing, an online simulator software, where she is able to familiarize herself with the tracks and practice before she straps into the car to go out and race them. She also leans on her best friend, another more experienced racer, who helps her to analyze the corners, correcting them when they are wrong and offering solid advice that Rachel relates well to. With his assistance, Rachel has seen much improvement on the track, a fantastic boost to her confidence.
Miata’s are known for how they handle in corners, they don’t have very much speed but they handle corners so well that I have passed BMW’s and Mustangs going through corners. I am slowly but surely over coming this fear, and one day soon I will drive the car to its full potential and have 100% faith that it will hold out.”
With such a strong support system behind her, Rachel hasn’t ever felt any different being one of the few women racing. In fact, the only time her gender has ever been addressed was from one astonished man at the SCCA races.
While I was away helping the crew pack somethings into the trailer, a guy who knew me thru SCCA walked up to some of our crew mates and asked them, “does she really drive that good or is it just her car”. Our crew members replied that it really is my driving and not the car, and just walked away from the situation. When I found out about it, at first I took it as an insult because I knew he was just saying that because I’m a girl, but then I re-thought about what the guy said and realized that it actually was a compliment! Him asking that question, basically stated that he thought I was a good driver, and that’s all that matters to me.”
Rachel Kullman’s Plans for the Future
Rachel and her team are currently preparing a new racecar for the 2016 season, a 1999 Mazda Miata that will allow Kullman to be more competitive in the STU class. While she continues her studies and works towards her goal of becoming a veterinarian, she remains very dedicated to her racing program. Rachel plans to race in the Southeastern conference of the SCCA Majorsthis season, with aim at the SCCA Runoffs at Indianapolis Speedway. She is confident her team has what it takes, but needs sponsor support to make it happen. When not racing herself, she often works the corners at races, staying involved with the sport by waving the flags and making calls on the radio, something she takes great joy in doing.
To other young ladies entering the sport, she offers this advice:
Somethings that I have learned are to never give up on yourself. I personally had a hard time at first learning stick shift, but I practiced every day and now it’s like second nature to me. There is going to be lots of bumps in the road when it comes to racing and achieving your dreams, but don’t ever give up and don’t let anyone tell you that you won’t be able to do it.”
One thing is certain: she’s just taken off in what promises to be an exciting journey in sports car racing. We can’t wait to see where Rachel Kullman will take her SCCA career to next.
Best of luck this season, Rachel Kullman!
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The world of drag racing all started for NMRA driver, Nikki Frost, in the summer of June 2012. Nikki was given a great opportunity from Vortech Superchargers to use her 2013 Ford Mustang GT for their V-3Si kit and SEMA 2012 booth car. Nikki’s new ride would serve as both a race car and her daily driver.I focused heavily on showing the car at car shows in 2013 where it was well received. In June 2014, I ran my first sanctioned race at the NMRA All-Female Shootout in Norwalk, OH and was lucky enough to secure the Runner-up spot! This was followed in June 2015 with another NMRA All Female Shootout Runner-up placement. Hopefully my winning streak continues in 2016, but just having the opportunity to race with my husband and our good friends is enough for me.”
ed the unfortunate news that Maria Teresa de Filippis had passed away on January 8th, at 89 years of age. The Italian driver was the first woman to start a Formula 1 race which happened in the late 1950’s.
