Racing Diversity At Its Finest

Driven By Estrogen

At Kansas Speedway this weekend, female race car drivers will make history with seven of them competing on the same track.

IRL's Got Milka

Behind the open wheel of an Indy car for only the second time, Venezuelan Milka Duno passed the IRL rookie test on Thursday to receive her series license.

The former sports car racer's start in Sunday's Kansas Lottery Indy 300 makes her the first Latina to compete in the series and part of the first three-female IRL event in history along with Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick.

Pretty sure Duno's still the only Naval Engineer with four Master's Degrees from any country--male or female--driving in any racing league.

Impressive resume. Easy on the eyes, too, huh guys?

NASCAR Return

Saturday, Kelly Sutton returns to the Craftsman Truck Series for the running of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250.

Sutton:

"It's a great feeling to be a part of a milestone in racing. The sport is moving to the level of acceptance and admiration of females in auto racing and I think it is an honor to be a part of that."

Sutton's start in Kansas will mark the sixth consecutive season a female driver has participated in a NASCAR series race.

ARCA Threesome

Erin Crocker, Leilani Münter and Gabi DiCarlo kick off the weekend's events in the Kansas Lottery 150 Grand ARCA RE/MAX Series race on Friday.

Update: Bad reporting by NASCAR.com (ya know... some sites you assume you can trust). They reposted an incorrect press release listing Münter as a competitor in the ARCA race, but the third female racer is really Jennifer Jo Cobb.

These women's passion for racing makes me wish I'd explored my own love for speed a little more and taken my lead foot and boyfriends' hot rods to the track rather than limiting myself to the county roads of Iowa. Of course, doing 160mph on a blacktop straightaway doesn't guarantee I'd be able to hold it in the corner, but I'd certainly be willing to give it a shot. I really gotta get myself behind the wheel of Richard Petty Driving Experience ride, rather than just in front of one for a picture.

It's great to see all these women on the track! But how long will it be before one of them drives to victory lane in a major series race?