Women in Motorsports Blog Carnival October 11th

It's that time again! Time for AskPatty.com to take a trot through the blogosphere and see which of our favorite females in motorsports are making news. From NASCAR to Off-Track Road Racing, we've got you covered.

USAC driver and daughter of racing veteran Warren Mockler, Stephanie Mockler was presented with the 2007 Kara Hendrick Award in “Women in the Winner’s Circle” celebration. It was presented to her by USAC president and CEO Rollie Helmling. Ms. Mockler was only one of several women from various branches of motorsports who were honored, and her award commemorates the memory of one of USAC’s most accomplished female drivers, Kara Hendrick.



SPEED reporter Wendy Venturini followed her family tradition in the most untraditional way. Although racing is the Venturini family business, Wendy serves as a pit reporter for Speed TV instead of racing cars. Her older brother, Billy Venturini, drives the No. 15 Venturini Motorsports ride in the ARCA/ReMax series. Wendy was especially pleased last weekend to be able to pit report for the ARCA race at Talladega as well as the NASCAR events.


“I love covering the ARCA Series because it is a homecoming for me,” Venturini said. “It’s where I started as a kid watching my Dad race and it’s still the same people running the series today, so it’s great to catch up with everyone. I’m fortunate to have my entire family involved in this sport. We get to see each other a lot at the companion tracks and that makes it easier to deal with the grind of the schedule.”



Twenty-four drivers from different forms of racing all over the country will showcase their skills in front of NASCAR team owners at the fifth annual Drive for Diversity Testing & Evaluation Combine Oct. 15-16 at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Va. Among them will be Kristen Bumbera, Tiffany Daniels, Jill George, Katie Hagar, Jessica Helberg, Lindsey King, Alli Owens, Marisa Niederauer, Allison Quick, Molly Rhoads, Trista Stevenson, and Michelle Theriault.

"The number of minority and female drivers interested in participating in the Drive for Diversity program continues to grow each year in both quantity and quality," said Malcolm Calhoun, vice president of Access Marketing & Communications, which runs the Drive for Diversity Program.

"Our partnership with NASCAR allows us to provide these up-and-coming drivers the opportunity to showcase their talent and dedication to motorsports."


Ashley Force has been nominated for the 2007 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award.

“The Road to the Future Award has come to symbolize these same attributes in the sport of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing," said Thomas V. McKernan, president and CEO of the Automobile Club of Southern California. "To be nominated recognizes not only that a rookie driver had a noteworthy first season, but also that they demonstrated exceptional potential for the future. We congratulate all five of the nominees for this year's award and look forward to enjoying their achievements both on and off the race track for many years to come."

Force did not race in Virginia last weekend, when NHRA failed to make safety adjustments to her Funny Car after her father’s crash. She opted to stay at Baylor, where her father, John, is recovering.

The Long Beach Lady Racers have assembled to compete in the M.O.R.E Powder Puff race to benefit breast cancer. The race will be held on October 13, 2007 at 9am in Barstow, Ca. Evelyn Morley, Carma Moncure, Cheryl Hood, Liz Johnson, Amy Miller and Alise Ambrose will all race in the event. The team is looking to raise as much money as possible to donate to the Cedar Sinai Breast Cancer Center.

Erin Crocker, who finished 18th at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend in the ARCA/ReMax 250, made history of her own by earning the 2007 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Championship, becoming the first female driver to win the award.

"It's a really big deal for me," said Crocker. "It's a really prestigious award and it's a huge honor to win it. When you look back at some of the drivers who have won ARCA's superspeedway title, from Davey Allison to Frank Kimmel, it makes it even more special.

"I also think it could really help my career. It means something to be the ARCA RE/MAX Series Superspeedway champion. I'm truly honored to hold the title."



NASCAR Super Late Model Driver Cassie Gannis has joined SADD (Student Against Destructive Decisions) a program to promote teen safety. “Believe driving is a privilege and we should all use common sense. Cars can be 2-tons weapons and should be handled with respect,” said Gannis.

“I will also be speaking about SADD issues at Scottsdale Community College on Wednesday October 17th. Everyone is welcome to attend the presentation. The presentation will be in the cafeteria on the west side of campus from 10:30 AM until 1 PM. There will be several speakers. For further information just give me a quick e-mail back.”

Check back next week to see what's up in the great big fabulous world of women in motorsports!

AskPatty.com is a 2007 proud sponsor of the NASCAR No. 112 AskPatty.com Chevrolet driven by the highest ranked professional female race car driver Deborah Renshaw. Check out Deborah’s website at www.deborahrenshaw.com.

by Linda Przygodski
Contributing Editor
AskPatty.com