CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 19) - It was a matchup NASCAR could only dream of: Melanie Troxel and Ashley Force going head-to-head in the first all-female Funny Car elimination round.
Troxel won the round, made it to the finals and ultimately claimed the title Sunday at Thunder Valley Nationals - making her the first woman in NHRA history to win in both its nitro classes. Troxel downplayed the significance of her matchup with Force, trying hard to remove gender from the historic moment.
Melanie Troxel becomes the first female driver to qualify No. 1 in NHRA Funny Car history during an incredible final qualifying session. Troxel topped 325 mph in her ProCare Rx Dodge Charger to accomplish the feat.
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Troxel, pictured here at an ESPN event in 2006, isn't the only talented female driver making her presence felt in the racing world. Click through to see some of the other women known for their prowess on the track.
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Chrissy Wallace is well known for being a member of the Wallace Racing Family, but the 20-year-old also made her own mark with a promising debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last March.
Mark Humphrey, AP
Ashley Force, another driver who has made NHRA history before, follows in the great drag racing legacy of her father, 14-time NHRA Funny Car division champion John Force.
Jose Carlos Fajardo, Contra Costa Times/MCT
Former IndyCar Rookie of the Year winner Danica Patrick has made a big impact on her circuit, winning the Indy Japan 300 in her 50th career start.
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Indy Racing League's Milka Duno holds the record of highest finish for a female driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona (a second-place finish in 2007), despite not beginning her racing career until the age of 24.
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Sarah Fisher competes in the IndyCar Series and is best known for being the youngest women to ever compete in the Indianapolis 500. She also became the first woman to win a pole for a major-league open-wheel race at Kentucky Speedway in 2002.
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Hillary Will is an accomplished racer in the Top Fuel Dragster category. In a qualifying run last February, the 27-year-old became the fastest female driver in the history of NHRA drag racing with a lap of 334.65 mph down the
quarter-mile.
Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire
Angelle Sampey is an American Pro Stock Motorcycle racer who has won the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship three times (2000-2002). Since her debut in 1996, she has earned over 40 event victories.
Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire
Erin Crocker ran a select number of ARCA Series events in 2007, and clinched the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Championship last October, becoming the first female driver in the 55-year history of the ARCA RE/MAX Series to earn the prestigious award.
Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire
“Everybody wants to make a big story about Ashley and I running against each other,” she said. “For me, it’s not about the other female out here. I think it’s pretty sad if we have to just compare ourselves against each other.”
She’s right, of course. Female competitors are no longer a sideshow in most forms of racing, and Troxel’s championship proved women are succeeding at a consistent pace.
Except in NASCAR, that is.
As the most celebrated day in motorsports approaches this week, the differences in gender equality have never been more profound. Danica Patrick headlines a trio of three women who will compete Sunday in the Indianapolis 500, but NASCAR won’t have a single woman in its showcase Coca-Cola 600 later that day or in any of the NASCAR-sanctioned events spanning 10 days of racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Three decades after Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in the 600, NASCAR still boasts all-male fields at its premier Sprint Cup level. In fact, no woman has raced in the 600 since Guthrie, and the Cup series has not had a female racer since Shawna Robinson ran seven events in 2002.
“I don’t think it’s something NASCAR is really concerned about. A female driver is not something they really need,” said veteran racer Mike Wallace. “For a while, a lot of people thought it was a novelty. And I’ve had people close to me say ‘Girls can’t drive.’
“Well, maybe they can’t. But maybe there are one or two who can, and we just need to give them a chance.”
Drivers for The 92nd running of The Indianapolis 500 pose during a photo opportunity in New York May 19, 2008. Front row (from left) wearing red are Helio Castroneves of Brazil, Scott Dixon of New Zealand, Dan Wheldon of England and Ryan Briscoe of Australia. Danica Patrick is shown between Dixon and Wheldon. Tony Kanaan, of Brazil, is shown between Wheldon and Briscoe. The Indianapolis 500 is set to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 25. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES)
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NEW YORK - MAY 19: Indy 500 driver Danica Patrick speaks during a media availability at the Sports Museum of America May 19, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Jonathan Fickies/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MAY 19: Indy 500 driver Danica Patrick speaks during a media availability at the Sports Museum of America May 19, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Jonathan Fickies/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MAY 19: (L-R) Indy 500 drivers Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon (pole position), Danica Patrick, Dan Wheldon, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Briscoe pose with the rest of the field at the "Charging Bull" statue in Bowling Green Park during a media availability May 19, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Jonathan Fickies/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MAY 19: Indy 500 driver Danica Patrick prepares to pose with the rest of the field at the "Charging Bull" statue in Bowling Green Park during a media availability May 19, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Jonathan Fickies/Getty Images)
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Indy Racing League drivers for Sunday's Indianapolis 500 pose near the "Charging Bull" statue near Wall St. in New York, Monday May 19, 2008. Front row from left wearing red are Helio Castroneves of Brazil, Scott Dixon of New Zealand, Dan Wheldon of England and Ryan Briscoe of Australia. Danica Patrick is shown between Dixon and Wheldon. and Tony Kanaan, of Brazil, is shown between Wheldon and Briscoe. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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This combo of May 2008 photos shows the starting field for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race to be run Sunday, May 25, 2008 in Indianapolis. Row 1: Scott Dixon, of New Zealand; Dan Wheldon, of England; Ryan Briscoe, of Australia. Row 2: Helio Castroneves, of Brazil; Danica Patrick; Tony Kanaan, of Brazil. Row 3: Marco Andretti; Vitor Meira, of Brazil; Hideki Mutoh, of Japan. Row 4: Ed Carpenter; Tomas Scheckter; Townsend Bell. (AP Photo/Dave Parker)
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The first four rows of the provisional starting field for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race to be run Sunday, May 25, 2008, are seen in May 2008 photos. Row 1: Scott Dixon, of New Zealand; Dan Wheldon, of England; Ryan Briscoe, of Australia. Row 2: Helio Castroneves, of Brazil; Danica Patrick; Tony Kanaan, of Brazil. Row 3: Marco Andretti; Vitor Meira, of Brazil; Hideki Mutoh, of Japan. Row 4: Ed Carpenter; Tomas Scheckter, of South Africa; Townsend Bell. Qualifications are scheduled to conclude Sunday, May 18. (AP Photo/Dave Parker)
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Race driver Danica Patrick smiles as she prepares to practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)
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Driver Danica Patrick (R) smiles while preparing for practice time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis May 16, 2008. Patrick has qualified for the May 25 Indianapolis 500. REUTERS/Brent Smith (UNITED STATES)
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Wallace speaks not as a driver with 605 career starts spanning NASCAR’s top three series, but as the father of a 20-year-old female racer who dreams of someday making it to the Cup Series. Although she has just one career start in the Truck Series, Chrissy Wallace has taken over the role as NASCAR’s best bet to make it to the big time.
She’s doing it on her own, piecing together a schedule of seven planned truck races this year for Germain Racing. She was a respectable 18th in her debut at tricky Martinsville Speedway and hopes improvement over her next several races will lead to the funding she needs to run a full schedule next season.
“You have to have decent finishes and win races to attract a sponsor,” Chrissy Wallace said. “If we don’t get one, we’re probably only going to be able to do a limited schedule next season. It’s all based on performance.”
It’s all part of the vicious cycle in racing, where success is as much dependent on financing as talent.
It takes an extraordinary financial commitment to help a child grow from go-karts to bandaleros to late models and maybe someday into stock cars. Not every family has the resources - Denny Hamlin’s parents mortgaged everything and nearly went broke helping him.
Drivers vying for the top level are getting younger and younger in NASCAR, where team owners constantly are scouring short tracks for the next big thing. Just look at Joe Gibbs Racing, which is counting the days until protege Joey Logano’s 18th birthday next month, when he can make his Nationwide Series debut.
“The issue we have to confront is one of preparation,” said Marcus Jadotte, who oversees NASCAR’s diversity issues. “We need to get more young women involved at a young age and hold that interest so their developmental path is that of a normal young male driver.”
NASCAR recently began a financial partnership with World Karting Association to help fund opportunities for young female and minority drivers through its Drive for Diversity program. The sanctioning body recognizes capturing the interest of a young driver and holding it until they reach NASCAR’s minimum participation age of 16 can be difficult, and providing opportunities for development at the karting level is a start.
Ashley Force pulled off something no other female driver had ever done in history last month. The NHRA driver topped her father John in the Southern Nationals to become the first woman to win a national Funny Car event.
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Force ran the quarter mile in 4.837 seconds at 320.36 mph in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to deny her dad his 1,000th career round win. "It's great for her that she gets that win and gets that out of the way," said John Force.
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The 24-year-old Force accomplished the feat less than a year after she was the overwhelming choice of AOL Sports readers in our Hottest Athlete Tournament. She credited her dedicated fans for driving her to the title.
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According to Force Racing Web site, Ashley is the 10th woman in NHRA history to earn a license to compete in the Funny Car division. In Top Alcohol, she won five NHRA national events.
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Ashley and John Force made NHRA history in 2007 when they became the first father and daughter to race against each other. Ashley won then too, with a top speed of 317.05 mph.
Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire
Her signature victory came at the 2004 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, where she took the title in the Top Alcohol division.
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Force placed in the top 10 in national points in each of her three seasons in Top Alcohol Dragster, according to johnforceracing.com.
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The Force family is legendary in the world of drag racing: From left, mother Laurie, sister Courtney, father John, Ashley and sister Brittany.
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Force grew up in California and lists her hobbies as movies, video production, shopping, kickboxing and spending time with family and friends.
John Sciulli, WireImage.com
The current nine-member D4D program has three women in it, but Kristin Bumbera, Katie Hagar and Lindsey King all are competing on much lower levels of NASCAR-sanctioned racing.
“It is impossible for me or anyone at NASCAR to predict how fast a professional athlete is going to develop,” Jadotte said. “Our job is to create as many opportunities for them to develop and improve their skill level, then demonstrate that skill level to the industry to attract team and sponsorship support that will help them move up the ladder.”
Chrissy Wallace didn’t consider racing a possible career until three years ago, and she’s been playing catch-up ever since.
Although she’s won at every level, the sponsorship needed to continue her career isn’t pouring in. It has helped that she has a famous last name and connections - two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has provided both financial support and advice of late - but there’s still a stigma that exists among major corporations with money to spend on sponsorship.
Companies might shy away from sponsoring a woman because there’s no proven record of success among female racers in NASCAR. Others might simply be gun shy after Erin Crocker became involved with Ray Evernham, her car owner.
Crocker acknowledged the relationship stalled the sponsorship she needed to continue her career at the top level, and Wallace said she believes other women are feeling the affects.
“People question if that’s going to be the same thing that happens with me, but we’re two totally different people,” said Wallace, who considers herself friendly with Crocker. “It’s kind of unfair that all female drivers are often based on her experiences.
“There’s a lot of female drivers out there who are talented and work hard.”
** FILE ** In this July 11, 2008 file photo, Brad Keselowski drives during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 auto race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The 24-year-old Nationwide Series driver is second in the season standings heading into this weekend's race at St. Louis. Off the track, Keselowski is learning about the things he didn't really worry about while making his way through the ranks. (AP Photo/Tim Stewart, File)
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** FILE ** In this July 10, 2008 file photo, NASCAR driver Ryan Newman smiles as he looks at his crew member in his garage before the Sprint Cup Practice at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The Penske team announced Monday, July 14, 2008 that Newman, projected as a possible teammate for Tony Stewart on the two-time NASCAR champion's new team, will leave Penske Racing at the end of the 2008 season. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
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** FILE ** In this July 12, 2008 file photo, Ryan Newman (12), Jimmie Johnson (48) and Carl Edwards, right, drive during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 auto race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The Penske team announced Monday, July 14, 2008 that Newman, projected as a possible teammate for Tony Stewart on the two-time NASCAR champion's new team, will leave Penske Racing at the end of the 2008 season. (AP Photo/Tim Stewart, File)
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JOLIET, IL - JULY 12: Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge drives during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 on July 12, 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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JOLIET, IL - JULY 12: A.J. Allmendinger, driver of the #84 Red Bull Toyota leads Elliott Sadler, driver of the #19 Best Buy Chevrolet during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 on July 12, 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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JOLIET, IL - JULY 12: Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli watches his drivers from the #2 Miller Lite Dodge pit during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 on July 12, 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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JOLIET, IL - JULY 12: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #17 USG Ford pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 on July 12, 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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JOLIET, IL - JULY 12: NASCAR legend Richard Petty receives an award celebrating his 50th anniversary in NASCAR during pre-race festivities prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 on July 12, 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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Joe Gibbs M&Ms Toyota team members push their driver Kyle Busch out of the infield after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Life Lock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, July 12, 2008. REUTERS/Robert LeSieur (UNITED STATES)
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JOLIET, IL - JULY 12: Samantha Sarcinella and Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&Ms Toyota prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 on July 12, 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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