Full Throttle

Last week in Indianapolis, four young women race-car drivers were evaluated over two days as part of Ford Racing’s new initiative to identify a young female driver with the potential to develop into a race-winning NASCAR driver.

Although a number of qualified candidates were considered, Erin Crocker (Age 23; Buffalo, NY), Alison MacLeod (Age 14; Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), Michelle Theriault (Age 18; Atlanta, GA) and Lynsey Tilton (Age 17; San Diego, CA), were selected based on their racing accomplishments, background and recommendations from renowned USAC Midget team owner Bob East and female racing legend Lyn St. James, and subjected to a comprehensive program that evaluated their skills both on and off the track.

DAN DAVIS, DIRECTOR OF FORD RACING TECHNOLOGY

Did you get out of this program what you hoped? “First off, it needs to be known that identifying a woman driver capable of competing and winning in NASCAR Nextel Cup will be an ongoing initiative for Ford. As far as last week’s program goes, yes, I was extremely pleased with the results of the program. We offered four very talented drivers an opportunity to showcase their talents and abilities, and hopefully the experience and knowledge they gained from this will continue to benefit them in their racing careers.

“Now, as far as having found a driver for Nextel Cup, obviously it’s way too early to say. I can say that all four drivers impressed us, and all would represent us well. However, this program is a long-term proposition and we are willing to be patient with not only the drivers, but in making the decision on how we proceed. We are in the process of reviewing the reports and assessments and speaking with those involved in the program prior to making a determination on our next steps. Again, one thing is for sure, based on what I saw and the feedback I’ve received thus far, all four of the women involved in the program are incredibly talented.”

Source: Race 2 Race

The first part of the evaluation included an on-track session at Anderson Speedway (Anderson, IN) in a Ford-powered midget car owned by East, who has discovered and developed several current NASCAR stars. East’s son, Bobby, who currently leads the USAC National Midget Car standings, shook the car down before each session to establish a baseline around the quarter-mile circuit, and all four drivers spent time in the car being observed and receiving instructions and advice from East.

The second part of the evaluation took place at the National Institute of Fitness and Sport (NIFS), located on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where the drivers were put through a physical and mental readiness assessment administered by Human Performance International designed to evaluate their physical and mental fitness. After undergoing a battery of physical tests that measured muscular strength and endurance, each candidate underwent a number of mental tests designed to evaluate their concentration, information processing and visual tracking skills.

As a third part of the test, the drivers also underwent a media training and evaluation session where they were introduced to some basic concepts and recommendations on how to best interact with the media.