Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 - Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Martinsville
This weekend, Martinsville Speedway buzzed with excitement as the Mazda MX-5 Cup kicked off the "Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300." The event was a 300-lap doubleheader with the Mazda MX-5 Cup taking to the track for 100 laps, directly followed by the 200-lap finale of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship.
This weekend was also my first ever oval race. Starting my racing career in karting, I’ve only ever watched oval races on TV. It was a very “learn everything as we go” type of weekend.
Everything was designed to happen in one day, NASCAR style, packed with excitement from start to finish. The schedule included practice, a two-lap qualifying session, followed by Stage 1 and Stage 2, culminating in the final race.
With my brand new Team Dakota and Coble Commercial Properties livery, I was excited to hit the track for practice and spread awareness for congenital heart disease.
“Team Dakota” honors an incredible young man born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. His passion for NASCAR and dirt track racing fueled his zest for life. Despite the challenges he faced, he found joy and connection within the racing community, allowing him to embrace a sense of normalcy.
Together with Rountree Towers and HeartWorks, we aimed to raise awareness about congenital heart defects, using racing as a powerful platform for advocacy. I’m proud to represent such an inspiring young man, whose spirit truly lit up every room.
Promotional materials: Team Dakota hero cards sharing his story, along with Team Dakota and Heart Works stickers and coozies. Plus, Heart Works flyers detailing their efforts to find a cure for heart disease.
In Practice 1, I worked hard to find speed, improving each lap and finishing P11. By Practice 2, I found my rhythm and moved up to P8, which boosted my confidence. With that momentum, it was time for qualifying. However, with my lack of experience with a two-lap layout, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
In Qualifying, we missed the tire pressure, making it difficult for the car to come in on new tires in just two laps. I struggled to put together a good lap, finishing P13.
After Qualifying, we had driver introductions and an autograph signing session on track, NASCAR style. My favorite part was connecting with fans about this important cause; many shared their personal stories of having a child or family member with congenital heart disease, which really touched my heart. Team Dakota made a lot of new fans that day!
After connecting with fans and sharing Dakota’s story, it was time to get in the car for my first-ever oval race. I felt a mix of nerves and excitement as I prepared to be part of the Mazda MX-5 Cup making history at Martinsville.
We got off to a solid start and settled in for the first 20 laps. After a couple of full-course cautions in the first 50 laps, we ended Stage 1 in P8. Feeling good about my pace and performance, we had a 5-minute break between stages to make any setup changes we wanted.
Spark Performance making adjustments to Sally’s car for Stage 2.
After the 5-minute break, it was time to tackle the next 50 laps and finish the race.
In Stage 2, we struggled to hold the outside line, causing us to lose a few positions. A poor decision on the "choose" line also dropped us from P8 to P13.
After dodging spinning cars and battling three-wide into the corners, we crossed the checkered flag side by side with another car, narrowly losing the battle for P10 by half a bumper. We finished P11, but I knew we had a lot more potential with a fast car and great pace. While luck didn’t play in our favor for my first oval race, I had an absolute blast!
I might like this roundy-round racing more than I anticipated! A huge thanks to everyone who made this possible. I’d like to give a special shoutout to Jonathan Applegate, Spark Performance, Rountree Towers, HeartWorks, and Coble Commercial Properties for bringing this cause and this race to life for Sally Mott Racing!
October 26, 2024
