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SAMSULA -
May 23, 2007 - Mandi Tonchuk
doesn't mind getting a little dirty. Working on - and driving - race
cars has turned into a passion for the Late Model rookie driver
at New Smyrna Speedway.
As the female half of D.A.D. Motorsports (Dad and
Daughter), Tonchuk is hoping to parlay the family
business into a full-blown racing career.
"I want to take this as far as I can," Tonchuk
said. "I love it. "The biggest thing right now is to continue to
gain experience and to get my name out there. I would love to
get in one of the driver development programs and continue to
move up the ladder."
Tonchuk
really wasn't a racing fan until her father, Paul, turned her
onto the sport. Paul Tonchuk was a huge fan of the NFL's
Washington Redskins, and when then Redskins coach Joe Gibbs got
into racing as an owner, he became a fan as well.
Even today, father and daughter are big fans of
Bobby Labonte, one of the original drivers in the Joe Gibbs
Racing stable. Labonte drove for Gibbs for 11 seasons, posting
all 21 of his career victories in the No. 18 Interstate
Batteries Chevrolet.
Tonchuk
may have been happy just watching, except for what happened
while she was at a go-kart race in Orlando at the age of 9.
When the winner of the race took off her helmet,
Tonchuk realized it was a girl. "I knew right then I wanted to race," Tonchuk
said.
Tonchuk
got the racing bug right away, racing karts on the dirt in
Orlando. Racing at Ocala Raceway, Lakeland Raceway, Dirt Devils
Raceway and Port St. Lucie Speedway followed and she was crowned
East Orange County Raceway's 1999 Go Kart Jr. Restricted Track
Champion. In May 1999, Tonchuk started racing her
Ford Escort in the Junior Division 4-cylinder bombers at Orange
County Raceway. She moved up to mini stocks at Orlando
Speedworld in 2003 and stayed in that division for two-plus
seasons.
"I wanted to go faster," she said. She entered her first Late Model race in March at
New Smyrna Speedway, starting from the back of the pack. She had intended to only practice the car but
instead finished sixth overall in the seven-car field. "It was an awesome feeling," she said. "It was a lot faster than I had been driving.
That first night the main thing I wanted to accomplish was to
earn the respect of the other drivers."
Tonchuk
knew it wasn't going to be easy, not only being a rookie, but
also a female.
"I know it's a male-dominated sport," she said.
"That definitely doesn't make it easy. You know a lot of guys
have a hard time being beaten by a girl. After that first night,
I feel like I earned a lot of respect. I talked to several of
the other drivers and they told me I drove awesome and I drove a
clean race."
Tonchuk
surprised even herself when in only her third race in Late
Models, she picked up her first victory.
"I was pretty shocked," she said. "I don't know
if I've ever had a better feeling than I when I saw that
checkered flag."
Tonchuk
not only drives but also works on her own cars. She demonstrated
that ability as a student at Colonial High School. "Mandi overcame a lot," said Dominick Saffioti,
an instructor at Colonial's Automotive Academy.
"Being a girl in a primarily male class, she had
to gain the respect and admiration of all her classmates. If
they had troubles with a task, they got Mandi to help. "She showed me and my students that this is not
just a male industry. Females can do the job and do it quite
well."
Tonchuk's
first-year in Late Models has had a few bumps along the way. The
night of her first victory in the Late Model heat race, she came
back in the feature race and hit the wall in turn three. She
missed the next three weeks getting the car back in top shape.
She finished seventh out of nine cars in her
first night back - May 5 - then came back the following week
with a fifth-place finish in a strong 13-car field.
She finished the season 3rd in championship
points and was awarded "Rookie of the Year".
Tonchuk's
sponsors include Rob Goderis & Sons, Builders of Fine Custom
Homes, Jeepers Den and Jesse Solum from Amsoil.
"I don't know where this is going to take me,"
she said. "But I do know I want to make a career out of it. I
know I have the ability. I just need the experience.
"Who knows, maybe one day I'll be one of the few
females to ever race in the NEXTEL Cup Series."
BILL LUMPKIN
- CORRESPONDENT
DAYTONA BEACH NEWS JOURNAL
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D.A.D.
Motorsports
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June
12th - Unfortunately New Smyrna Speedway doesn't
have the size tires we need for the 50 lap race Saturday
and we have no other tires we can use so we are going to
have to sit this one out until the next race June 28th.
They should be getting a shippment of tires in next
week.