Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/744525
10 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • November 2016 You could say racing has always been in Macy Causey's roots. Causey is a third generation race car driver beginning with her grandmother, Diane Teel, who was the first ever female to win a NASCAR sanctioned race at Langley Speedway and in America and the first to win a Nationwide Series event. Her parents both raced and even met at the track. Selected for WRITTEN BY KELLY MARDEROSIAN Selected Selected COMBINE You could say racing has always been in Macy Causey's roots. Causey is a third generation race car driver beginning with her grandmother, Diane Teel, who was the first ever female to win a NASCAR sanctioned race at Langley Speedway and in America and the first to win a Nationwide Series event. Her parents both raced and even COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE COMBINE RAISED ON THE TRACK "My father, Rette Causey, start- ed racing young and I always fol- lowed his league," Causey says. "I always loved it and decided I wanted to race." Causey showed an interest in racing when she was just 7 years old. By age 8, her parents had purchased her a Bandolero car, a miniature stock car, as a Christmas gift in 2008. This would be the first car she would race and the very beginning of her career in a sport she had grown to love. Causey built her racing career through arena racing at the Richmond and Hampton Coliseums, dirt racing at the Virginia Motor Speedway in Saluda and more recently, using Dominion Motor Speedway in Spotsylvania as her home track for the 2016 season. " That's a really nice track they have up there," Causey says. "I did very well at Dominion Speedway. I got a few top tens and a top five. I even outran the National Champion for 2016, Matt Bowling." ANOTHER SHOT AT A DREAM Today Causey is living life in the fast lane and setting her own records, being the youngest female driver to ever race at Langley Speedway at the young age of 14 when she competed in the Late Model Division in the Pomoco Auto Group 100. It was no surprise that Causey was selected as one of 17 drivers out of several hun- dred applicants selected to attend the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine. In partnership with Rev Racing, the program invited ethnically diverse and female driv- ers from across North and South America to test their skills over a three-day period as NASCAR evaluates talent for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Class of 2017. The event was held at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida, October 17-19. This was Causey's second year participating. In 2015, she was the youngest combine participant, at the age of 14, in NASCAR Drive for Diversity history. "Last year was my first year and I didn't know what to expect but I learned a lot, so this year going in, I've practiced everything I knew I needed to work on because I fig- ured it would be somewhat similar," says Causey. "This year has allowed me to refine my skills and build my confidence on the track. I've done really well at Dominion this year and I hope they've noticed that." LOOKING AHEAD Should Causey be chosen, she along with four other drivers will receive racing opportunities in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for one full season. She will be provided with equipment, mentoring and competition experience. "Being selected would be a great opportunity for me because Rev Racing is incorpo- rated with NASCAR, so people who go through the Rev Racing program get noticed more because they know how good the program is and how they handle themselves," Causey says. Should Causey be chosen, she along with four other drivers will receive racing opportunities in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for one full season. She will be provided with equipment, mentoring and competition experience.