Sep 11, 2006

Ford Pushes Female Drivers

At 18 many women are considering where they're going to college and what career they might choose.  But 18-year-old Stephanie Mockler is on a faster track -- quite literally.  Mockler holds the record for most USAC career wins by a female. The Westfield, Indiana, native started driving when she was six, but her passion for the sport didn't really begin until she learned how to win. Now that passion has created a strong opinion of women in racing.

"My theory is a woman shouldn't be in this sport if they do it just to be different," Mockler said. "They need to be in it because they really like it."

For young women like Mockler and 17-year-old Alison MacLeod, Ford Racing Women's Driver Development Program, a multiyear commitment by Ford Racing and Clorox, has been a ticket to ride. The program is designed to develop a driver in the USAC series and graduate her to a NASCAR Busch Series team campaigned by the Wood Brothers and JTG Racing. That's a career path many would kill for.

This year, Mockler started off with a bang, winning back-to-back victories at Mansfield (Ohio) and Anderson (Indiana) speedways. Working with legendary car builder Bob East and Ford Racing are part of growing up and moving up in racing, she says. Her next moves are to the full USAC national series and to college. She is attending Ohio Northern University this fall to study mechanical engineering.

MacLeod is in her second year with Ford Racing. The Mississauga, Ontario, native started out in a go-kart when she was seven and now competes in USAC midget races. Racing also spills over into other aspects of her life.

"I involve racing in everything," MacLeod said. "I can be walking down the street, and I'll turn it into a race."

Her participation in racing and will to win have brought her and her dad closer.

"It was the only sport he and I could be involved in together," she said. "He was the mechanic, and I was the driver."

Now, father and daughter travel cross-country in their Ford Excursion to compete in USAC midget races. MacLeod won her first event this year on July 12 at Mount Lawn Speedway in Indiana.

The USAC series, sponsored by the U.S. Automobile Club, is made up of national and regional midget/sprint car races. The series is a feeder into the NASCAR Busch series, which is the proving ground for stock car drivers on their way to the Nextel Cup.