Sporty Saturday Spotlight 2-27-10

This Saturday the sporty spotlight shines bright on seventeen-year-old Weekly Short Track Racer, Amber Abram. Check out Amber’s fun interview below where she dishes about her favorite driver, pink trophies, and much, much more.

Name: Amber Abram

Age: 17

Sport(s): Weekly Short Track Racer

Hometown: Stafford,Virginia

High School/Middle School/College: North Stafford High

Number: 57

Position: Driver

What’s your fave sport? Racing

How many years have you been playing your fave sport? 3

What was your fave sporty moment or memory?

My favorite moment would have to be my rookie year when I was presented a pink trophy for the first girl to complete the U-CAR series at Old Dominion Speedway. They made a big deal out of it by keeping it hidden all night and made a long speech but afterwards that was the talk of the banquet because the trophy was pink since my racecar is hot pink.

What was the biggest lesson you’ve learned from playing your sport?

Men don’t take women beating them very easily in this sport but whatever happens you have to get right back out there the next week and pretend like nothing ever happen.

What lessons have you learned about work ethic from your sport?

You have to put in a lot of time and effort and meet the right people to go to the top!

What have you learned about teamwork?

Well currently I am a one girl team but communication is a big thing when you’re on a two car team.

How do you balance school and sports?

Since my races are on the weekends it usually does not interfere but when a big project is due or something that I have to finish over the weekend I usually do what I can Friday night if I’m not practicing otherwise I just cram it all in Sunday after church.

List some awards or accolades you’ve received.

*First girl to complete the U-CAR series at Old Dominion Speedway
*Top ten in points rookie season

Who’s your fave athlete, both male and female?

My favorite hometown athlete would be my brother Adam, he has been racing just one more year than I have but he is a great driver. He has over come many bumps along the way in his racing career yet still has many wins under his belt to prove he is a force to be reckoned with. My NASCAR fave would be Jeff Gordon, ever since I was a kid I have always loved Jeff’s paint schemes but other the years I have realized he is a very talented driver as well.

What’s the girliest thing you like to do? (Pretty Tough signature question)

I think the girliest thing I like to do is be Miss Old Dominion Speedway. I am the official track trophy girl / promoter I guess you can say. I dress up in a really cute or fancy dress (depending on the occasion) and tell people about the track.

Thanks, Amber! Wow! Miss Old Dominion Speedway and the first girl to compete at the track – impressive and fun!

Do you or someone you know want to be spotlighted? Send an email to Keri Mikulski at kerimikulski(at)gmail(dot)com.

Happy Saturday!

Danica Patrick designs new Hot Wheels car

Patrick unveiled a sketch of her “Danicar” February 6th, 2010 at the Daytona International Speedway while announcing Hot Wheels return to NASCAR through a partnership with JR Motorsports .

The custom die-cast vehicle was co-designed with the Hot Wheels team at the Mattel Design Center in El Segundo, California. Patrick’s “Danicar” is the first celebrity-designed Hot Wheels vehicle and will be made in the traditional 1:64 scale.

“My life is all about high velocity cars, and the only car company I could imagine being able to create my vision of the ultimate fantasy car is Hot Wheels,” Patrick said.

Mattel calls the “Danicar” an “awesome machine.” It features an open cockpit, chartreuse “Spectraflame” paint, three sets of different-sized wheels and adjustable wings on the front and back.

The car will be available in stores this fall.

Despite Hot Wheels sponsorship of Danica, her NASCAR debut ended in disappointment after she was involved in a 12-car pile up at Daytona.  She races again this weekend at the Auto Club Speedway in Southern California.

Sporty Saturday Spotlight

This Saturday the sporty spotlight shines bright on 2006 Queen of the Track, Cyndee Schwartz.  Check out Cyndee’s sensational interview below where she shares how she stays balanced, her thoughts on winning, and much, much more.

Name: Cyndee Schwartz

Sport(s): Drag Racing

Age: 50 (yikes – how did THAT happen!)

Hometown: Colfax, CA

College:

Strayer University alumni (BS Computer Info Systems – 2006 )

Currently attending Sierra College – Administration of Justice

Number: G759/7759 SST

What’s your fave sport? Drag Racing

How many years have you been playing your fave sport? 6 Years

What was your fave sporty moment or memory?

It seems like every year I get more memories to add into my fave list… so this is a tough question. One of my favorites was a race two years ago where my friends, Katherine, Nancy, and I decided to compete in a small trophy class race.  There were about 30 cars in the class, and we three girls did our best to not have to race each other.  One by one we took out the guys we raced, and in the quarter finals, we were still in. We each again took out the guys, and then met each other in the semi final round. Katherine and I ended up in the final round. She cut a better light, so I ended up taking runner-up that day. We shared so many laughs that it was really impossible to get stressed over the race – which is probably why we did so well. That was the most fun I have ever had during a race day.

What was the biggest lesson you’ve learned from playing your sport?

Winning is a combination of attitude, skill, and luck. All you can control is the attitude you have, and your prep for the race. If Bad Luck gets in the way of a win, don’t let it get you down. Just continue to do your best no matter what.

What lessons have you learned about work ethic from your sport?

Show up, prepared to work, and with a good attitude, no matter what else is going on in your life – and you will succeed.

What have you learned about teamwork?

The hardest thing is that it ISN’T all about you – it is about the team – and many  times the spotlight will be on other team members. Love it and celebrate it when your teammates do well and you don’t. Be there for your teammates always, for the good and the bad. They are your family.

How do you balance school and sports?

I have a five way balance thing going – God, family, work, school, and drag racing. That is the order of priority that I have to keep them in. I tell you it can be tough! Drag racing is part of my life and who I am, but without the other parts – drag racing can’t exist.

List some awards or accolades you’ve received.

My absolute favorite accolade was King (ahem… Queen) of the Track in 2006 during an all-truck race.  I was unbeatable that day!

Final Round Wins: 5

Final Rounds: 9

Semi-Finalist: 1

Who’s your fave athlete, both male and female?

For male – John Force. He’s an NHRA pro driver that’s had some pretty tough spots over the past few years. He cares about everyone on his team (even the one’s that AREN’T related), he has a winning attitude, and he is just an inspiration to watch.

For female – Peggy Llewellyn. Another NHRA pro in the Pro Stock Motorcycles class. She is a treasure. She has a great personality on and off track, and tough competitive spirit. I have never seen her lose her cool – no matter what the circumstances. She is a great role model.

What’s the girliest thing you like to do? (Pretty Tough signature question)

I get together with my daughter-in-law, and some friends, and we either scrapbook, or make some crafty creations with stamps. To me that is WAY girlie… especially after being in the garage tearing an engine down the day before.

Thanks, Cyndee! Great advice on winning and the importance of balance and best of luck with your Drag Racing career.

Do you or someone you know want to be spotlighted? Send an email to Keri Mikulski at kerimikulski(at)gmail(dot)com.

Happy Saturday!

Sporty Saturday Spotlight 11-07-09

This Saturday the sporty spotlight shines bright on twenty-two-year old Fabienne Lanz. Fabienne hails from South Africa and is a history making Motorsport Racer. Check out Fabienne’s interview below where she shares a must read tip for athletes, how she handles competing in a male-dominated sport, her strong faith, and much much more. And don’t miss some great Fabienne pics.

Name: Fabienne Lanz

Age: 22

Sport(s): Motorsport – Karting

Hometown: Kyalami, South Africa

Number: 96

Position for 2009: 3^rd in the South African National Vortex Super Rok category.

What was your fave sporty moment or memory?

I am blessed and grateful to say that I have a few very fave moments in Motorsport. I think the most fave moment would be the one in 2007 at the Vortex Super Rok Grand Final in Lonato, Italy, because I as an athlete performed my best and the team was top notch, from the engine engineer to the chassis engineer and the support was phenomenal. I had to learn the track really fast, as I never even laid eyes on that track before. I adapted to the grip level quite quickly as well, which I am very grateful for as many people struggled with it. I had a lot of confidence, I was solid as a rock, and no one could intimidate me. Everything came together in the end, we finished 5^th in the world and we made history as I became the first female to finish on the podium. I was over the moon! I thank god for everything as his hand was over me.

List some of your best achievements to date:

2003 – Raced in 3 of the Florida, USA Rotax Max Junior Championship, won 2 rounds and finished 2nd in the third. Finished 4th in the South African Rotax Max Junior Championship.

2004 – Finished Runner Up (2nd) in the South African Rotax Max Challenge Championship, won the Rotax Max Challenge NRKC Championship in a South African designed and built Kart (Apex) & qualified to participate at the Rotax Max RM1 International Final at Lanzarote, Spain in 2005.

2005 – Made history and became the first female to make it through to the Final day out of 89 competitors of which only the top 34 qualify to the final round.

2007 – Finished 4th in the Final at Round 1 of the Rotax Euro DD2 Challenge in Salbris, France. Finished 8th in the South African Vortex Super Rok Championship, qualified for the Vortex Super Rok International Final in Lonato, Italy. Made history again as I became the first female to finish on the podium as I finished 5th out of 50 top class karters in the world. I got my National Colours for our outstanding performance.

2008 – Finished Runner Up (2) in the South African Vortex Super Rok Championship, won the Vortex Super Rok NRKC Championship and qualified to participate at the Vortex Super Rok International Final in Lonato, Italy. Finished 13th overall out of 66 competitors.

In a male dominated sport, how do you handle it and how do they handle it getting beaten by a girl?

I used to get pushed around when I first started racing until I was told to overtake left, right over or even underneath. The point was to get passed and not to take any nonsense from the anyone. Today other competitors know, if they push me, I push them back. They must not mess with me. Some boys/men can’t take it to get beaten by a girl, but some look at me as another competitor, which is cool.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from racing?

There are so many, which makes this sport a real life changing experience! I think the biggest one would be dedication. The preparation that goes into the engine and chassis before the race is so important as this is the starting ground to the weekend’s race. A lot of long hours are spent on getting this right. I try to train at least 4 days a week, mostly on core muscles. Studying of the Kart’s handling and engine performance never stops as every corner needs to be analyzed to get the best combination for a specific track.

What have you learned about teamwork?

Team work is what completes the racing driver I think. I think the most important people behind the driver are the Kart and Engine Engineer. The driver needs to work with the Kart and engine engineer in order to get the kart on pace. The people who help put the tent up and clean the kart and change tyres are also important as they make mine and my engineer’s work load a bit less and thus we can concentrate on out jobs. Team work is essential with the team mate as we follow each other to study who is quicker at what position on the track and we discuss the different set up we each have. The media person is one of the most important to work with as she/h

e markets me.

What drives you to compete?

I love the speed, the complexity of the set up, engine tuning and race strategy. I love competition and the more there is the more that is game on for me. Sometimes the butterflies get almost unbearable before some of the races as I get so exited to give it my all and try and win, but I would not change it for anything. It is living life to the full for me. To be able to stand on the podium at the end is the cherry on the cake.

What do you aspire to become?

My dream is to race a Formula 1 car. I love the speed; the technical complexity of setting up the car to the race strategy to doing what I do best and that is driving the car to its maximum potential and winning! It is the pinnacle of racing for me.

What tip would you like to give people out there?

Once you have found something that turns your tummy upside down, gives you the thrill of your life and you can’t stop thinking about it, hold on to it. Do not give up on your dream. There is a will, there is a way! God will have his hand over you. Trust and have faith in him. And remember, practice makes perfect. :)

Who’s your fave athlete, both male and female?

My favourite male athletes are Michael Schumacher and Lance Armstrong. My favourite female athletes are Danica Patrick, Venus and Serena Williams.

What’s the girliest thing you like to do? (Pretty Tough signature question)

I think the girliest thing I like to do would be getting all dressed up in a evening dress for an award dinner, looking glamorous.

Thanks, Fabienne for the fabulous and in-depth interview. I absolutely love your tip! So true. :)

If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed for a Sporty Saturday Spotlight, email Keri Mikulski at kerimikulski(at)gmail(dot)com.

Happy Saturday!

17-year-old Ashley Freiberg wins karting race, then teaches sports stars to drive fast

Our nom for Pretty Tough Girl of the week:

LAKEVILLE, October 6, 2009: Ashley Freiberg has been jet-setting with the best of them lately. The 17-year-old racer from Homer Glen, Ill., isn’t about slow down either.

Freiberg participated in four racing events a week ago in Atlanta and West Palm Beach including winning a charity karting race, setting the fast race lap in the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National open-wheel competition and teaching other women sports stars, (Olympic Medalists and XGame’s World Champions) how to drive fast in the AMG Mercedes Driving Experience.

Now, the Lockport High School senior prepares for her final Barber National race of the year this weekend (Oct. 9-10) at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut, currently ranked sixth in the national point standings in her rookie season.

“That was a pretty wild week with all of the racing and driving events,” said Freiberg, who spent much of last week working on her studies. “It was a blast winning the charity karting feature with Shannon McIntosh in the John Gorsline-sponsored charity race event. Then I ran well at Road Atlanta in the Skip Barber National events. And finally, it was a great experience to drive with these amazing sports stars in the AMG Mercedes experience. It was just a great week for a young woman like me to be involved.”

Freiberg, a former karting champion, defeated a very competitive field in Tuesday night’s Petit three-hour endurance charity race before concentrating on the Barber action.

In the two-race weekend at Road Atlanta, Ashley qualified fourth and was running competitive with the leaders in the opening race before being knocked out of contention by another driver. In the second contest, Freiberg charged from 11th to fourth including establishing the race’s fastest lap. The fourth place finish moved Freiberg to sixth in the current national standings entering this weekend’s season finale at Lime Rock.

“I felt pretty good about the second race at Road Atlanta,” explains Freiberg. “I wasn’t happy about getting taken out of the first race. At the green flag I knew I had to make up some time starting 11th. I patiently chose when and where to make my passes and not put my car in a position to risk not finishing the race. I was getting accustomed to the track. It was a great feeling to move up and race with the leaders again. It was similar to the Road America race where I finished on the podium. It was also great to set the fastest race lap, too.”

Freiberg wrapped up her busy week by participating in the prestigious two-day AMG Mercedes Driving Experience at the new Palm Beach International Raceway. She drove a variety of AMG Mercedes sedans with world class female athletes from different forms of competition such as XGame’s Champions in surfing and skiing, and Olympic Medalists from skiing and snowboarding.

“I flew to West Palm Beach where I met many female athletes at the reception dinner before the AMG Driving Academy weekend started,” said Ashley. “They were all great people. It was cool for me to relate to them with how they had to sacrifice everything to follow their dreams. I mentioned to them that tonight was my homecoming dance at school, they all laughed. They said they never made any of their dances at school or most anything else either. It was an awesome motivation for me to hear them tell me to never give up. It was weird, yet amazing, to be teaching some of these girls how to drive fast.

“They caught on so quickly to what I would tell them, and they were really fast! Shannon Bahrke, Olympic Silver Medalists of 2002 and World Champion in 2003 and I connected well. We were always in the car together. She would always say to me ‘you’re a little bad ass on the track.’ Shannon will be returning to the Winter Olympics in 2010. As for the AMG Mercedes, WOW, what can I say, they are incredible!

“And then it was time to go home. I arrived in Chicago at 1:00 a.m. from West Palm Beach, and I had to get up for school at 4:45 a.m. I was out of school at 1:00 p.m., worked on homework until 5:00 p.m. and then had to attend traffic school for a SPEEDING TICKET!”

(via press release)

Girl Scouts to meet women with non-traditional careers at NASCAR Weekend

Professional barrel racer Tana Poppino together with three women race car drivers will join 500 girl scouts at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, MO on October 1st during a unique event being planned as part of a NASCAR race weekend at the track.

Tana, plus drivers Alli Owens, Tiffany Daniels and Johanna Long will participate in this event which is intended to provide the girl scouts with an opportunity to meet women who are successful in non-traditional careers. They will interact with the womennd ask questions and then they will watch the ARCA/ Remax Kansas Lottery 150  race in which Ms. Owens will be driving for the DeHondt racing tream. Many of the Girl Scouts will be watching a stock car race for the very first time.

Tana Poppino After 20 years of combining careers as a part time professional rodeo barrel racer and a full time corporate marketing position, Tana Poppino, decided to devote her full attention to barrel racing. It paid off handsomely when she qualified for the 2006 and 2007 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. During the past two years she has won the barrel racing event at major rodeos such as the Calgary Stampede, The National Western Stock Show Rodeo, Cody (WY) 4^th of July Rodeo, Oklahoma State Fair, Louisiana State Fair and the Sand Hills Stock Show Rodeo (Odessa TX). She has been a finalist at dozens of others. Learn more at www.tanapoppino.com.

Alli Owens drives for D’Hondt Motorsports piloting the #19 ElectrifyingCareers.com Toyota. This is Alli’s second year in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. She began her racing career at eight years old racing in a BMX bicycle race. Learn more at www.alliowens.com.

Johanna Long will be seated with Girl Scouts sharing her racing background beginning at five years old. She has several wins in the Florida Kart scene, experienced Legends Cars and then the tough Pro Late Model Series. Last year at age 15, Johanna became the youngest and first female track champion at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. Learn more at www.johannalong.com.

Tiffany Daniels will be seated with Girl Scouts sharing her racing and engineering background. Tiffany drives in the UARA-Stars Series and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. In addition to her racing career, Tiffany also hold a full-time job as an engineer with a NASCAR Sprint Series team. Learn more at www.tiffdaniels.com.

D’Hondt Motorsports headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina is home to the #19 Toyota Camry ARCA RE/MAX Series team and the #92 Toyota NASCAR Nationwide Series team. With over 75 years of collective NASCAR and motorsports experience from general management to crew, D’Hondt is poised to skyrocket into NASCAR’s next generation. Learn more at www.dhondtmotorsports.com.

Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri is an organization that, in partnership with committed adults, helps girls grow courageous and strong through a variety of enriching experiences.  Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri supports about 35,000 registered Girl Scouts, grades Kindergarten – 12^th from all populations, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds in 47 counties across Kansas and Missouri. Learn more at www.girlscoutsksmo.org.

A Need for Speed: For Women Only

Do you like to drive fast? Are you a woman? If you answered yes, then the following event may be perfect for you.  Real open wheel Indy style race cars, high performance  Corvettes and guess what? We’re offering a discount on registration!!

Auto racing legend Lyn St. James is hosting the first-ever “Lyn St. James Need for Speed Experience,” combining classes in high-performance race car driving with physical, mental, and life skills coaching by leading national experts.

Lyn is the first woman to be named Indy 500 Rookie of the Year and she has logged seven Indy 500 starts. This amazing woman has held 31 international and national closed circuit speed records over a 20-year period! Her “Need for Speed Experience” is scheduled  from September 24 – 27, 2009 in Chandler, Arizona.

Lyn says, “There are many quality opportunities in the market for women’s adventure experiences, but there is nothing available that combines a high-performance, world-class race car driving experience aligned with the mental and physical skills that relate to performance in life.”

The authentic driving experience will be conducted at the well-known Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, and participants will have the opportunity to learn not only racing skills from St. James and other female professional drivers, but also mental skills with world-renowned performance expert Dr. Jacques Dallaire, and full-body fitness skills with fitness legend Kathy Smith, plus other surprise VIP guests.

At the end of the day, Experience participants will enjoy the hospitality of the four-star Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, Arizona’s premier Native American-owned luxury resort. Located on the Gila River Indian Community, this unique property offers a recreational and inspirational experience for all, so bring your family and let them play while you indulge your own need for speed at Lyn’s special for-women-only experience!

The Experience weekend is limited to 40 women and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation, which supports programs for women in motorsports.

September isn’t that far off so register now and receive a $200 discount (promo code WTS200) from the regular registration cost of $3,195 per person. (Unfortunately, hotel and air travel are not included in the registration price but it’s sure to be one of those weekends you remember for a lifetime – priceless)

For more information about the event and to register for the “Lyn St. James Need for Speed Experience, for Women Only,” log on to www.lynstjames.com.

Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards is an awards show presented annually by Fox to honor the year’s biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, and fashion as voted on by teens aged 13-19.  The winners are awarded with authentic life size surfboards, fit to the summertime theme.

This year, the show will be hosted by the Jonas Bros. who snagged nine   nominations.

So who’s up for awards? Well many of the usual suspects including Miley Cyrus, along with the casts of High School Musical, Gossip Girls and Twilight.

Under ‘Other Stuff’ comes the following categories:

Best Female Athlete:

Danica Patrick – Car Racer
Nastia Liukin – Gymnast
Misty May/Kerri Walsh – Beach Volleyball
Shawn Johnson – Gymnast
Serena Williams – Tennis

Best Female Action Sports Athlete:

Lyn Z Adams Hawkins- Skateboarder
Gretchen Bleiler- Snowboarder
Torah Bright- Snowboarder
Carissa Moore- Surfer
Stephanie Gilmore- Surfer

Shawn John is also up for Best Reality Star for her turn on “Dancing with the Stars.”  Many of the nominees have official and unofficial Twitter campaigns.  Shawn’s fans are even creating voting posters and posting them via Twitter.

It’s your votes that  pick the winners of TC09 so log on to Teen Choice Awards and  tune in Monday, Aug. 10 (8 PM) to  see how your favorites did.

Life in the Fast Lane: Indy starts for Danica, Milka & Sarah

Memorial Day weekend is known for a lot of things. Family, friends, barbecue, apple pie and maybe best of all – auto racing. The racing part starts at noon on Sunday, May 24th with the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher along with Venezuela’s Milka Duno are all hopefuls for the 93nd Indianapolis 500. Who has the horsepower and team to deliver?

Twenty-eight year old Sarah Fisher will break the record of seven Indianapolis 500 starts by a woman this Sunday, when she makes her eighth.

In her effort to drive through the glass ceiling, Fisher’s story is one of persistence, dedication, and living a dream the developed on the dirt tracks of her native Ohio.

Fisher made her return to open-wheel racing last year after a brief hiatus. She still has the best finish of any female in the IndyCar Series and will look for victory circle in 2009.

In 2005, midwest native Danica Patrick, captured the hearts of America by nearly winning the Indy 500 and making it clear that a female can race with the boys and battle them wheel to wheel to the very last lap. As the laps wound down, the huge crowd was on its feet cheering wildly for Danica to win. Dan Wheldon may have gotten the trophy that year but it was Danica who got all the attention.

This will be Danica’s fifth start in the 500  The 27-year-old will be driving the No. 7 Motorola entry for Andretti Green Racing.  She’ll start 10th, and, while it’s not at the front, the inside of Row 4 is a pretty good starting position.  Danica’s race was ruined last year when she and Ryan Briscoe collided trying to exit the pits so let’s hope things go smoother this year.

She does have a new orange and black paint scheme on the car (Boost Mobile is on the car instead of her traditional sponsor Motorola), and she was just featured in a new milk advertisement so the new juice might help.

Going into the weekend some of Danica’s career highlights include:

· Opened the 2009 season with two top-five finishes in the first three races, one of only four drivers to do so

· Has made 67 career starts, recording 13 top-five finishes, 38 top-10s and winning three poles

· Became the first woman to win a major closed-course auto race in April 2008 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan

· Has made four starts in the Indianapolis 500, qualifying in the top 10 in each one

· Has three top-10 finishes in the Indianapolis 500

· Won Chase Rookie of the Year honors at Indianapolis in 2005, leading 19 laps en route to a fourth-place finish

The third female entrant is Milka Duno, the first woman from Venezuela to start a career in professional Motorsports at an international level. In her short career, the naval engineer has become one of the most popular drivers on racetracks all over the world, garnering considerable attention from the national and international motorsports and mainstream media. The CITGO racer passed her official “Rookie Test” in  2007,  started her debut at the back of the pack and advanced seven positions through the field to finish 14th at Kansas Speedway.

This year, Duno qualified with a 221.106 mph average and in her third Indy 500, will start 31st, on the inside of row 11.

In all, 33 drivers have been named to the starting spots in the world’s most prestigious auto race this weekend. And once again, Danica, Sarah and Milka are vying to become the first woman to win the 200-lap “Brickyard” classic. Could this be the year a female wins the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Keep your eyes on car 67 (Fisher in the Dollar General/Sarah Fisher racing car), car 23 (Duno in a CITGO/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car) and car 7 (Patrick in a Boost Mobile/Motorola car) as they hit breakneck speeds in an attempt to be the first to make the final pass over that original Indiana brick.

No matter how competitive an IndyCar driver is or how fast his/her race car runs, luck plays a major role for any Indy 500 winner. Let’s hope Lady Luck is at the track this weekend.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

Links & Resources
IRL Indy Racing League
NASCAR National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
Milka Duno
Sarah Fisher
Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick’s Got Milk

Got Milk? Fan-favorite IRL driver Danica Patrick was captured this month promoting healthy, strong bones as the latest celeb to join the popular Body By Milk campaign.

Danica has proven herself in IRL by being the first woman to win an Indy Car race and with the Indianapolis 500 approaching quickly on May 24th, maybe she’ll get to follow tradition. Every year Indycar drivers aspire to have a taste of milk on the podium. She told the media that her choice for Victory Circle at the Indy 500 is chocolate milk – a combo of protein and fast carbs.

“Milk is a tradition in the Indy 500. It started way back, I think it might have been back in the 40s or something and one of the drivers had wanted milk after the race and so ever since then it’s been a tradition and something that every driver does after they win the Indy 500.”

Danica, 27, says the milk ad is something “I’ve always seen, always noticed, always thought it was so cool and that maybe one day I’d get to do it.”

Not only is Danica the first female race car driver to participate in the Got Milk? campaign; she’s the first Indy car driver as well. Here’s hoping she gets to celebrate by drinking some this weekend.

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