As spring approaches , the warmer nights signal it ’ s time for racing ! The sound of the roaring engines being revved up , is an alluring mix of power , speed and adrenaline for the crowd . On the track below , everyday tradesmen , retail salesclerks , entrepreneurs , delivery drivers and the like , have shed their ordinary , day-job clothes , to don flashy racing gear and drive as fast as they dare .
Karlee Kovacs is one of those racers . By day , she ’ s a daycare worker , full-time college student and part-time bartender . But every weekend she becomes a savage on the speedway . She races at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway ( PPMS ) located in Imperial . One unique thing about PPMS , is the large number of girls who race there . This may be partially due to the rise of racing superstars such as Danica Patrick . Many of the girls who race at PPMS come from racing families and are second and third generation drivers , whose fathers raced or built cars .
Karlee did not come from a racing family , however . But her parents have been incredibly supportive of her dream of racing from a young age . She remembers going to the track to watch the races when she was two years old . She always told her parents that she wanted to race . When she was just 13 years old , her father bought her first car .
She had some early mentors and help from racing enthusiasts . Christian Schneider , Ian Tomei , Robbie Torrens , and father and son , Joe Polalinski , Sr . and Joe Jr . They helped her with her driving technique and building her first car to get it race ready .
She raced in the “ Young Guns ” division , a beginner ’ s class for 13- to 19-year-olds . She quickly became a standout in this division and was the only driver to win four races in a row , completing this feat twice in 2014 !
Since 2015 , she has been competing in “ Hobby Stocks ” and is now in her ninth season in this class . She ’ s been a trailblazer in the sport for girls and women at PPMS , but it hasn ’ t always been smooth sailing . On August 13 , 2022 , she rolled her car , and had
to have a new one built . She took less than a month off before returning to racing with her new car , and decided to take it slow as she eased back into racing .
“ When I got to the exact place in the track where I had started rolling before , I went into a full-blown panic attack . I said that I was done with racing . But I had about 10 people who came up to me and said , ‘ This is not who you are . Stay with it .’ So , I went back out there , and started running fast again .”
Though she overcame her nerves to run full speed again , she highly recommends using a HANS or some other device which protects your head and neck from cervical spine injuries . Karlee uses a Simpson Hybrid which works best for her because of her height .
She ’ s also had her share of mechanical setbacks to deal with . Last season in 2023 , she was running third in points , when she blew her second engine . But she is back this year and ready to run in 2024 .
“ Honestly , I ’ ve kept at it for the kids . My mom and I buy little gifts for the kids , like cozys , glow sticks , or candy ,” explains Karlee . She and her mom buy these gifts with their own money . She ’ s one of the fan favorites at PPMS and the children , especially young girls , really look up to her as a role model . “ It ’ s so important for us to go above and beyond for these kids .”
She also has the ongoing support of a good mechanic . “ Danny Rich works on my car all week , so I can finish my schoolwork , and he ’ s been so great ,” says Karlee .
She ’ s on track to graduate in May with a degree in science and technology with an emphasis in electrical engineering . Although she ’ s open to a lot of different pathways at this point , she could possibly even wind-up designing race cars , like the ones she drives .
“ My dad is my number 1 sponsor ,” says Karlee . “ Honestly , he ’ s my right-hand man , and I wouldn ’ t be able to do all this without him .” n
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