Our contributors have various level of experience but all are passionate about the topic at hand. Click through the bios below to learn more about the women bringing you the latest news around the garage each and every weekend.
Administrative Staff
Katy Lindamood - Creator and Administrator
Based on her first experience watching a race, Katy became a die-hard Rusty Wallace fan. How could someone go on a ride like that and walk away? She was the only teenager she knew who decorated her room with pictures of drivers rather than the latest teen idol and there are pictures of her crying while opening her NASCAR-related Christmas gifts. Katy dreamed of one day getting to meet the man who had peaked her interest in the sport though when she got the opportunity in 2008 she panicked. Yes, there are pictures of that as well. (Just ask Jenn)
These days Katy cheers for Kurt and Kyle Busch along with a few underdogs like David Ragan. Katy currently co-authors The Biff Files with her best friend Jenn and would move into the infield of Charlotte Motor Speedway (AKA Lowe's) if they would allow her. In addition, Katy contributes to several blogs, including The Final Lap and 4wide. Katy also maintains the Penske Racing Examiner page for Examiner.com and enjoys writing about some of the most talented drivers in the sport today.
Skirts and Scuffs is the brainchild of Katy, who recently realized that women who covered racing or were looking for a career in a motorsports-related field weren't getting the publicity they deserved. Katy acts as the administrator and managing editor of Skirts and Scuffs as well as a contributing author. While it was Katy's idea to begin the site, it's not just her site. It's the site of every women who puts their words on the page. She is excited to see what happens next and welcomes any woman who wants their voice heard to join the team.
Katy resides in Ashland, Kentucky, with her husband Ryan, their dogs, and one really annoying cat. Katy can be contacted via e-mail or through twitter (@NASCARKaty).
Interested in what Katy has to say? Check out her ramblings here.
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Rebecca Kivak - Lead Editor and Contributing Columnist
Rebecca Kivak is a NASCAR enthusiast from Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (about an hour away from Pocono Raceway). Though living nearby one of the sport’s most unique tracks, Rebecca didn’t think much about NASCAR until one fateful day in May 2006, when her boyfriend changed channels to watch the Nextel Cup race in Richmond, Va. From that day on, Rebecca was hooked. She has tried to make up for lost time by learning as much as she can about the sport and its personalities. Rebecca’s favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt Jr. She likes Earnhardt Jr.’s style of racing, personality and passion for the sport. She is also an ardent fan of Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. Rebecca also likes Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Landon Cassill, to name a few! She follows the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series intently while keeping up with the Camping World Truck Series.
Rebecca stands behind her drivers, but is always open to others’ opinions. She enjoys talking with other NASCAR fans about their drivers and various issues in the sport. Rebecca attended her first race at Pocono Raceway in June 2007.
She graduated from Penn State University in 2004 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Economics. Rebecca works as a copy editor and page designer at a local newspaper.
Rebecca can be found on Twitter (becbeat555), Facebook (Rebecca Kivak) or e-mail (rkivak@yahoo.com).
Rebecca covers a little bit of everything for Skirts and Scuffs. Check out her latest contributions today!
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Columnists and Contributors
Jennifer Eblin - Associate Editor and Contributor
Jenn credits an ex-boyfriend with introducing her to the world of NASCAR and in particular Kevin Harvick. Forced to watch the races with a screaming fan, she had no idea that one day she would be a screaming fan. Lovingly referred to as the “unofficial stalker of NASCAR,” her friends and family tease her that drivers are starting to recognize her and even David Ragan commented that she was beginning to look familiar!
Kevin Harvick remains as her favorite driver, but she also supports Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, David Ragan and David Stremme.
She’s had the chance to meet nearly 20 drivers and has a story about each one, though chatting with Stremme about her adopted hometown of South Bend ranks high as one of her favorites.
When not shouting at the television or annoying fans with her love of Kyle Busch, Jenn works as a full-time freelance writer. In the NASCAR world she contributes to The Biff Files, runs NASCAR Stalker and serves as the Kevin Harvick Examiner. She’s also proud that an article about Dale Earnhardt Junior’s bar Whisky River was picked up by the bar and published on their website.
Jenn lives in Southwestern Ohio with her Kasey Kahneloving boyfriend, two indoor cats and several stray cats that randomly show up, looking for food from “momma”. You can follow her on Twitter (@racingcupcake), but be warned, she really doesn’t like Jimmie Johnson.
Jenn's got a lot to say and you can read it here.
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Janelle Jalbert - Contributor
Janelle Jalbert is a native of Southern California who began following NASCAR in the 80s. Though she enjoys a variety of racing formats, her favorite racing is in NASCAR’s top three tiers. Her favorite drivers through the years have included Bill Elliot, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Tony Stewart and others. Janelle’s interests include NASCAR/racing history as well as current events. She currently serves as both the Southern California Motorsports Examiner and the NASCAR Truck Series Examiner for examiner.com.
Outside of the racing scene, Janelle is an educator with more than a decade of experience in 5th grade through university settings. She is currently serving as an online instructor for 5 different universities. Janelle holds dual B.A. degrees (linguistics and liberal studies), a M.Ed. in cross-cultural teaching, and a M.A. in English. She is currently working on a PhD in education. She is also in the process of creating a racing-themed program to help students transition to college. Janelle’s publications include books (such as Success Skills for Middle and High School Students, 2001), chapter contributions (as in Conscious Entrepreneurs, 2008), and various articles through journals and alike. In addition to racing, Janelle enjoys traveling and has lived, studied, and traveled in more than 15 countries.
Skirts and Scuffs gives special thanks to Janelle for providing Skirts and Scuffs with its name. For more information on Janelle check out her NASCAR Truck Series and Southern California Motorsports pages on Examiner.com. Janelle can also be contacted through Facebook and Twitter.
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Amanda "Mandi" Ebersole – Contributor
Many may consider her a newbie to racing but that doesn't mean her knowledge is lacking. Amanda became interested in Nascar as something to talk about with her father. Originally she was not that interested but now her Dad comes to her to ask questions about someone's car or when qualfying is. Amanda's favorite driver is Carl Edwards, she considers him the total package as far as a driver, personality and sponsor advertiser. She admits she have even falling into the sponsor realm and bought products because he talks about them.
Amanda never thought she cared about sports but admits her devotion to Nascar runs deep, admitting that she left a family picnic so I could be home for a race.
Find Amanda on Twitter for more information.
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Amanda Vincent - Columnist
Amanda has been covering NASCAR for almost a decade now, beginning with the syndicatied racing newspaper column, "This Week in NASCAR," and the syndicated weekly racing newspaper page, "A Look at Racing," which she also does all the design work for. Over the years she has also added writing for SpeedWeekly, a weekly racing magazine, the NASCAR Nationwide Examiner beat for Examiner.com, and covering both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series for NASCARcomplete.com to her writing resume. She is now also working with Mahalo.com in getting a NASCAR section to their site off the ground and is working closely with AutoRacingDaily.com to expand their growing website.
Over the years, she has also written for Speedway Illustrated magazine, ElementOfSpeed.com, and written NASCAR-related articles for Kentucky Living and Kentucky Monthly magazines on Kentucky Speedway and a former Kentucky-based Nationwide Series team.
Amanda also dabbles in race photography, providing accompanying photography to some of her written work, in addition to picking up photography-specific assignments, including work for Alabama Motorsports Park (when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was associated with them) to help document Brad Keselowski's first Nationwide Series win at Nashville Superspeedway in 2008 and JamieMcMurray.com back when he was running in the Nationwide Series full-time for Brewco Motorsports (now Baker Curb Racing).
Amanda can be contacted via email or Twitter for more information.
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Michelle Hauser - Contributor
Michelle is not new to the NASCAR world. She got into the sport in 1997 at the age of 7 liking drivers such as Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte. In 1998 her first favorite driver end up being Matt Kenseth and she has stuck with him ever since. She also goes for Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, and Kyle Busch. She has a big heart for her drivers and she never backs down when it comes down to people wanting to point out the flaws in her favorite drivers. Michelle will not hold anything back and she will always speak her mind about anything dealing with NASCAR. When it deals with writing, she’s has a little experience during her junior year of high school writing for the school’s newspaper. It’s obvious she knows more NASCAR than any school and teenager related issues. Michelle is currently working a part-time job and is pursuing a Child Development Associate (CDA) certification in plans to work with young children in the near future.
Michelle can be contacted through Twitter. You can also find her hanging out on Facebook and MySpace when she's not working or tuned into the race.
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Melissa Bleier - Contributor
Melissa Bleier is a native Californian who attended her first race on a whim and had no idea that it would lead to a lifetime love of stock car racing. Ten years ago, someone asked her if she wanted to come hang out for the afternoon, drink a few beers, and watch a NASCAR race…and her whole life changed when the cars came roaring by. Growing up, her folks owned a mom and pop grocery store and she would kill for a time machine to go back and get all the NASCAR promotional merchandise that came through.
For the last three years, she has worked as a research historian in San Francisco. Even though she’s 33 now, when she grows up, she wants to work as a NASCAR race track historian. Melissa wrote her Master’s Thesis on historic race tracks and the significance of stock car history. She called it “Don’t They Just Turn Left? NASCAR’s Heritage Race Tracks and Preserving Stock Car Culture.”
Her favorite driver is Fireball Roberts and she wishes that she could have met Smokey Yunick. At the races today, she yells her crazy head off for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Stewart; she can even be seen in a NASCAR commercial, doing just that.
If it isn’t stock car racing, it’s SciFi. A funny combination, but it works out perfect for her. You can find her on Twitter - @TheTrackGirl (also @Uwila) or check out her historic race track blog at HistoricRaceTracks.Wordpress.com
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Jen Preston - Columnist
Jen Preston is a lifelong and diehard NASCAR fan who was born and raised outside Kansas City, Missouri, where she lives with her mom and her younger brother, Davey (yes, as is Allison). She's currently attending a local community college and hopes to transfer to a larger, four year university to major in journalism.
An Earnhardt fan to start, Jen now puts her support behind several drivers in all three of NASCAR's top series: Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Reed Sorenson, and Brian Scott. She originally became a fan of the sport after learning "The Intimidator" had once driven a pink car. She's been absolutely hooked ever since.
Aside from racing she is also a fan of the Denver Broncos, New York Yankees and the WWE, and will also tune into an IndyCar race now and again. She's been to Kansas Speedway every year since it opened, and Daytona, Bristol, Richmond, Atlanta and Charlotte are atop the list of tracks to visit on her bucket list.
When not writing about NASCAR for Skirts and Skuffs, Jen also covers women's wrestling for Hit The Ropes radio show (http://www.hittheropes.com/wrestlingarticles/index.php/writers/94-jen-preston).
Jen can be contacted through Twitter (www.twitter.com/jpreston32), Facebook (www.facebook.com/legendkillerprincess) or e-mail (jennifer.r.preston@gmail.com).
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Kiara Boal - Contributor
Kiara Boal is not one of the typical NASCAR Fangirls that just like a driver because of their looks. NASCAR has been a part of her life since she was a little girl. She never really had a favorite driver until Kyle Busch came along. Then she was hooked :) She would just root for anybody. NASCAR means so much to her because it's one place where she knows she belongs. Kyle Busch is her favorite not because he wins all of the time it's because of his style of racing. He reminds Kiara so much of herself in so many ways. She had the chance to meet Kyle on July 22, 2009. It was one of the best days of her life! She is also a fan of Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, & Clint Bowyer.
Kiara is very opinionated and sometimes her opinions cause fights with other NASCAR fans or most recently Jr Nation. She never backs down to any challenge when it comes to NASCAR. Kiara has gotten in many fights about defending NASCAR or Kyle Busch at school, on Myspace, or even at the track.
You can contact her on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, or on NASCAR.com's Community.
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Whitney Richards - Columnist
Whitney Richards is a native of Northeast Tennessee and has been a fan of NASCAR since late 2000. Whitney attended her first NASCAR race, a Nationwide event, March 2003 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Since then she has attended several other races at Bristol including one Camping World Truck Series race, two Nationwide races, and one Sprint Cup event.
In June 2003 Whitney became a fan of Matt Kenseth and has been an avid supporter of him since then. Whitney also follows the rest of the Roush-Fenway organization and cheers on David Ragan as well. In addition you may find Whitney rooting for Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch.
Whitney is a fan who doesn't hesitate for a second to defend her drivers if someone starts talking bad about them. She stands 100% behind her drivers and does not give up on them no matter what happens. She has been told countless times that she cares to much about her drivers, but she doesn't let that bother her.
Whitney's writing experience comes from personal blogs such as those appearing on MySpace and Livejournal. She did write an essay about the COT and how it is affecting NASCAR during her freshman year of college. Whitney is currently enrolled at East Tennessee State University where she is planning on a degree in business and technology. She hopes to one day get a job working with a race team or at one of the tracks in her home state of Tennessee.
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Allison Coombs - Contributor
Allison Coombs is a true “track brat,” raised around the sound of engines and smell of rubber. She has been involved in auto racing since she was born and has traveled from New Brunswick, Canada to Charlotte, NC with her family's race team, Coombs Motorsports.
Though she has never driven a stock car her “racing career” began in Legend Cars. Even at the age of 5 Allison could always be found out in the garage turning wrenches and getting the car ready for the race weekend. As Allison grew so didn't her involvement in racing when the Legend Series was incorporated in 1999 she helped her family transition the tour into a business.
In 2003, Coombs Motorsports left Legend Cars and moved into the American-Canadian Tour for late models. Today the team is racing a late model at its home track, Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME. Allison can still be found working as a tire specialist and media contact for the team. Being able to understand both the performance and business side of stock car racing is a unique attribute that Allison tries to incorporate into her writing.
Allison's first attempt at writing about racing was as a media intern for the Pro All Star Series (PASS) North Division in the summer of 2008. Her duties included writing race previews and post-race releases. She made a few media contacts in New England and was glad to find a position where she could combine her love of racing and writing. In 2009, Allison launched pitroadpressbox.com a Web site and blog that covers racing news from New England and NASCAR. Aside from writing for Skirts and Scuffs she also updates the Pit Road Press Box blog and is a contributor at Bleacher Report.
As a life-long NASCAR fan, Allison's all-time favorite driver is Bill Elliott. Though there are many drivers that she supports today, every race day you will see her proudly donning her Reed Sorenson gear. She has been a Sorenson fan since he raced Legend Cars and has followed his career into the Cup series.
Allison is currently a Senior at Bentley University majoring in Communications with concentrations in Web design, public relations, and sports management. She enjoys infusing her love of racing into her assignments and is working on a thesis exploring the use of social media in sports public relations. After graduating Allison plans to move to North Carolina to pursue a career in the motorsports industry. She cites her career idol as Delana Harvick.
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Gina Kelshaw - Contributor
Gina Kelshaw is relatively new to the sport of NASCAR became a fan mid-2007, and the Pepsi 400 was the first race she ever watched. That night she became Tony Stewart's biggest fan because of his fire and attitude, and to this day is still Tony's biggest fan. She sees a lot of herself in Tony- they both are not afraid to speak their minds on anything, have a sass and sarcastic attitude, but really deep down inside are sweet and have a soft side. :) Don't underestimate Gina's knowledge about NASCAR knows more than you would think and maybe even more than people who have been around the sport their whole lives. Gina attended her first race in Pocono in August 2009, and she loved it there. She wonders why people think it's so boring because it really isn't. She also roots for Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, and Hendrick Motorsports. :)
Gina is very opinionated but also very respectful of others points of view. She never backs down when someone talks smack about her drivers. She has been told numerous times that she is truly passionate about the sport. Besides NASCAR she goes to college full time and works part time. She eventually wants to become a Meteorologist, maybe even for NASCAR. Gina loves writing about NASCAR, in blogs on her Livejournal, and even in school essays. NASCAR has become a true passion of hers and she is so glad she's gotten so into it!
You can find Gina online in numerous places including, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Livejournal, and the NASCAR.com community.
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Lauren Shaw - Contributor
Lauren has been an avid NASCAR fan since 2001. Her favorite drivers include Elliott Sadler, Martin Truex Jr, Brad Keselowski, and Landon Cassill. She also likes other drivers like Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Scott Speed. Lauren got into racing because of her dad and Elliott Sadler helped keep her enthusiasm going. She’s incredibly protective of her drivers and opinionated about all things NASCAR. The racetracks she’s been to are Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway. And her favorite racetracks are Phoenix International Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Auto Club Speedway.Lauren is a 19 year old college sophomore, currently enrolled in the Veterinary Technology Program at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio. NASCAR is her hobby where animals have been her passion since a young age.
Lauren can be contacted via Facebook or Twitter or through her personal blog.
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Jenna Marie - Contributor
Jenna spent the majority of her life with no knowledge of the NASCAR world. She was one of those typical girls who said she didn't want to watch people drive in a circle. It stayed that way until a fateful day in February 2008 when she was forced to watch the Daytona 500. She wasn't looking forward to "wasting" a day in front of the TV, little did she know, it would change her life forever. It was during the 2008 Daytona 500 that Kyle Busch caught her eye. His passion for racing showed through his driving and he sparked an interest in her that she never knew she had. She quickly developed a passion for racing and has been a fan ever since. Normally you'll find her cheering for her favorite drivers, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Brian Vickers. However, she has a handful of other drivers that she cheers for as well. She loves her favorite drivers for a reason and doesn't care if you like them or not.
Even though she has only been a fan for two years, she's learned a lot in a short amount of time. From watching the experts on TV, attending races, and talking to race fans, she's become very knowledgeable about the sport. She respects every driver, crew chief, team member, and employee at track.
Jenna is in her early 20's and currently works in the business world at an international company. On weekends, you can find her watching racing on TV or at the racetrack.
Jenna can be contacted via Twitter.
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Summer Dreyer - Columnist
Summer Dreyer is a young NASCAR enthusiast from Topeka, KS who enjoys writing everything NASCAR. Though she grew up in a family of stick-and-ball sports, NASCAR has become her passion and obsession and she hopes to one day become a NASCAR journalist. Summer first became interested in NASCAR after playing the EA Sports video game her brother received in his Easter basket that spring. Quickly learning the names of all the drivers and racetracks, she tuned into her first race in late spring/early fall and has been watching weekly ever since.
Summer also writes for Element of Speed and has her own NASCAR blog called “Next Time By” where she surveys NASCAR fans about recent events in racing. In addition Summer hosts a weekly radio show on Blog Talk Radio where she discusses recent events and fan reactions. Summer can also be found sharing news on Joe Gibbs Racing with her duties as the JGR team examiner for Examiner.com.
If you would like to contact Summer, you may do so on her Twitter page, Facebook, or e-mail.
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Indira Newell – Contributor
Indira Newell is a writer, historian, and long time NASCAR and motor racing addict. In addition to writing as the Marcos Ambrose Examiner, Indira is a freelance writer who created and maintains the Marcos Ambrose Fan Crew and writes grants for non-profit organizations and universities. She is an active volunteer within her church and community. A native of Washington State, Indira and her family recently relocated to Australia.
Indira can be contacted via email, the NASCAR.com community, Infield Parking, Facebook, and Twitter.
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Lindi Bess - Columnist
Lindi Bess is a somewhat new fan to NASCAR. She became interested in Auto Racing while dating her now husband, Darryl, in the late 1980’s. They would often catch the ¼ mile drag strip racing held at their local track, Infineon Raceway (Sears Point Raceway) and the nearby Sacramento Raceway. The speed, the sounds and the smells of the track really fueled her interest in racing. Something she could sink her teeth into as well as enjoy with her now husband Darryl and their close friends and family.
As far as having a favorite driver goes, it wasn’t until she attended her first NASCAR Cup Race that she became really involved in the Cup Series as a whole. That was back in 1990 at Infineon Raceway (Sears Point Raceway). This was their first experience at a NASCAR event. At that point, Lindi went with the hometown boy, Jeff Gordon and Mark “The Kid” Martin.
They brought their 2-1/2 yr old daughter Chrissy along with them. It made for a most memorable experience and from then on, a family tradition. It was at this race that her family came face to face with the beloved Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Chrissy was losing the war against a green Ninja Turtle ice cream bar. Mr. Earnhardt was walking by us and said “That’s what it’s all about”. Smiling as he walked past. A moment etched in our memories.
But then, a couple of yrs. later a handsome young driver who really caught her eye and she was hooked. Jimmie Johnson was the whole package. He seemed to have a passion for racing that was very admirable not to mention stats to boot. Everyone, family and friends alike, are aware of Lindi’s loyalty to Jimmie Johnson. She supports him as well as the whole Hendrick Motor Sports Team; which happen to include all of her favorites. It makes for an interesting rivalry in the Bess household. We’ll leave it at that.
Lindi and her husband live in the Napa Valley, about 45 mins from Infineon Raceway. She has works as a CNA, specializing in elder care. Her husband, Darryl, is Commercial Truck Driver for Biagi Brothers Trucking. They are both supporters of the MS Society, as Darryl is living with RRMS. They have a daughter, Christine 22yrs, who works for an up valley winery. Christine is currently expecting, adding a whole new dimension to their household.
Lindi can be contacted on facebook (Lindi Bess) eblogger and twitter (@LindiBess_48fan)
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Amanda Bradeen - Contributor
She became obsessed with Dale Earnhardt Jr and NASCAR at age 11 and hasn't given up hope on her favorite driver. She eventually wants to move to North Carolina and work with NASCAR. She always enjoys writing a truly unique and awesome NASCAR stories!!!!!!! She is newly amazed with how the cars are built! Though she does have her favorite, she enjoys watching NASCAR in general. New Hampshire is her home track and she tries not to miss a race. She has also been to Richmond which was amazing she said, and next on her list is Bristol. Amanda can be contacted on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace by looking for Mander88racer.
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Tara Crittenden - Contributor
Born and raised as a Dale Sr. fan, she happily watched NASCAR till her grandfather passed on in '94. From there to early 2001, her grandmother used it to share a bond. An avid Dale Sr. and at the time Adam Petty fan, she gave up the sport from Feburary of 2001 till the end of 2004 after the untimely death of both her drivers. In early 2005, a geeky looking kid from Chesterfield, Virginia caught her attention in what is now known as the Nationwide series and her love of the sport has been engulfed into an endless flame, burning with passion. Known as 'Denny Hamlins Biggest Fan', she admits the deal wasn't sealed to he scored his first career Sprint Cup pole at Phoenix Int'l Raceway on what was her 17th birthday, 11-11-2005.
Tara is a freshman at Mesa Community College (studying Public Relations and Marketing) and currently resides in Tempe, Arizona, with her sister, niece, and nephew who she has turned into future fans of the sport, (they're Denny Hamlin fans.) and a bunch of ROWDY frat boys. Other than her diehard love of Denny Hamlin (which has got her far, scoring lunch with him and PIR, and winning Phoenix 1 of 'Dennys Seats') she roots her heart out for Brian Scott in the Camping World Truck Series and for Michael McDowell (a hometown boy) and Justin Allgaier in the Nationwide Series. She also has a love for J.J. Yeley (another hometown boy) and Landon Cassill and wishes they both still raced in NASCAR.
You can find Tara on Twitter at @dhamsbiggestfan ranting about her drivers' up and down rollercoaster of a season, and how much she dislikes Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr (really Jr Nation more than him) and her on and off love/hate affair with Kyle Busch. She's not one to go down without a fight and has been frequently unfollowed/blocked by many because they can't handle the truth. Tara admits that she's a proud fan, (and does not take anyone's BS towards her drivers and will put them in their spot, seeing as she's gotten into many fights with men 3 times her age cuz they can't handle that Denny Hamlin's the real deal.)
Tara is a well seen figure every race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, the one in a head to toe DH gear, running around, meeting as many drivers as she can (54+ and counting) and working on getting her degree from Mesa Community College and Arizona State University to work for NASCAR/ISC after graduation. Other than living the life of a racefan, Tara looks up to Kim Wallace (Kenny Wallace's wife) as her role model for being a racing wife and a wife in general and to Mary Lou and Dennis Hamlin for their admiration to never give up on their sons' dream.
You can reach her:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dhamsbiggestfan
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bigtaara
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dhamsbiggestfan
her personal LJ at http://www.dhamsbiggesfan.livejournal.com
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Katelyn Kinnett - Contributor
In 2005 she began to network with fans, team members, & drivers hoping that these connections would one day pay off. In 2006, she applied early to Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, NC--10 miles South West of Charlotte, NC. She was accepted & entered into the Motorsports Management program in the Fall of 2007. In the Spring of 2008, she worked for Lowes Motor Speedway and also worked at the inaugural ARCA race at Rockingham Speedway that May, hoping to network with people that would be valuable to her future. She was also hoping to become more rounded in the general sense of racing in both a business aspect & a social aspect.
She is currently living back home in Cincinnati, OH but visits Charlotte frequently and plans on moving back to North Carolina within the next year or so to fulfill her dream of working for Hendrick Motorsports.
Before contacting her on any outside sites, please note that she is very opinionated and passionate about the things she enjoys in life, so although she keeps her opinions on this site toned down, her personal websites are full of opinionative statuses and/or tweets.
If interested in contacting Katelyn:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kkinnett
Myspace: www.myspace.com/katiek99
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Katelyn.Kinnett
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Jenny Sigelko - Contributor
My name is Jenny Sigelko and I was born & raised in the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan. I am an only child, which brought the best of both worlds. I learned how to cook and sew and knit from my mother, and also learned to change the oil and do woodworking and repair things from my father. Motorsports has been part of my life from the very beginning, spending many Saturday nights at the local race track {before it closed} and many Sunday afternoons watching the races on TV.
It seemed very natural to go to college to become a Mechanical Engineer. I was given an opportunity at the company my father worked for, Chrysler, to work there and get a masters in ME. He retired after 40.5 years about 6 months before I started. I have now worked there almost 12 years. We say that in the 80 year history of Chrysler, we have nearly 53 years covered. The last 18 months has been nearly pure torture for us in Detroit. I look forward to hearing your impressions of the US auto industry, as well as helping you glimpse 'life on the inside'.
During my Senior year in High School, my hero, Alan Kulwicki died in a plane crash. Then followed Davey Allison's helicopter crash.
One of my assignments at Chrysler was to work on the Craftsman Truck Series Dodge test team. People discouraged me from taking the assignment, telling me it would probably hurt my overall career. I am forever glad that I listened to my intuition that this would be a life changing experience. I was never so happy to get up to go to work, nor have I had a tougher job. After a year, I reluctantly left for greener pastures. I have kept up my friendships that I made during that time.
I enjoy seeing my friends on TV during practices and races, and I do wish I could rejoin them. I volunteered with KAutomotive Nationwide team this summer and fall as shop help. I am hoping to continue that next year. I hope to bring a different perspective to your forum, one that may focus on the 'off the track' work that is done week in and week out to prepare for the track. I also hope to motivate my girlfriends here to go to your workshops and get into those tools! Armed with a bit of knowledge and confidence, you'll be playing 'armchair car chief' during the races.
Recently, I went back to school for a degree in Psychology. I love to cook and run and bike, {which I ride to work}. I seem to be constantly fixing my car, or playing with my cats. Two years ago I married a man who is not into racing as I am, but is not jealous by my relationship with motorsports.
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Genesis (Genna) Short - Columnist
Genesis Short (better known as Genna to her fans) is a 25 year old NASCAR fan, amateur photographer, and semi-professional writer who hopes to make her living writing for popular NASCAR magazines or websites. By day, she works for Sprint as a universal Care and Finance agent. By night, she is a belly dancer, singer, and budding journalist. She can be reached on Twitter (@GennaGirl), e-mail (gen_short@live.com), or on her website (www.One4theWin.com).
Genna and recently started a podcast entitled Hour of Horsepower. Skirts and Scuffs has partnered with HoH for the 2010 season and we wish her the best of luck!
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Patti Rodisch - Columnist
Patti Rodisch is a freelance writer. She currently writes for BleacherReport.com, where she is an analyst. Also she writes for FanHuddle.com, foxsports.com community, NASCAR.com community and FanZone Sports. As you can tell she loves to write and write about NASCAR.
She got her first opportunity to cover a NASCAR Sprint Cup series and NASCAR Nationwide series weekend in July 2009 at Chicagoland Speedway. She has been a NASCAR fan since 1997, the first race she watched was the CMT 300 at New Hampshire and Jeff Gordon won.
She is from the Midwest but has big plans to move to North Carolina to pursue her goals of writing for the sport she loves.
You can contact her at prodnascar@gmail.com. Patti is also on twitter @Patti_Rodisch.
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Lacy Keyser - Contributor
I am Lacy, I love to act, sing and write! I love NASCAR! Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Tony Stewart are my favorite drivers. Junior is my Smexy 88! Amp that 88! I also love Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin.
I have been a NASCAR fan since I was a kid. I tend to have really strong opinions and I don't back down from a fight.
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Farrah Kaye – Columnist
I got into racing in 2007 when I was sick and spending every week at my best friend's house. Every Sunday we'd have "race dates," and buy pizza and wings and watch the race. I got addicted right away and then in 2008 I was given free tickets to a NNS race by my job and the addiction became super real. As I left the track, I was called with a free garage pass to the next day's Cup race and it was unlike anything I've experienced before. The first driver I ever saw in person was Juan Pablo and it was like I was a teeny bopper at an N*SYNC concert back in the 90s. Since then, I've watched every race, gone to several more, hung out in Victory Lane and began writing again (I have a degree in Journalism), with hopes to have some type of job in the media field in the NASCAR family someday.
Right now, I write for bleacherreport.com and just became the Las Vegas NASCAR examiner (examiner.com). I tried (unsuccessfully) to run my own NASCAR blog, so I just work harder in my other outlets. I'm looking forward to the 2010 and finally having Brad Keselowski run full time. I've been following him since I watched Mark Martin crash him at LVMS 08 and can't wait to see what he brings to the table!
Farrah can be contacted via twitter @FerrahWrites
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Roaslie Thompson – Columnist
Rosalie is a graduate of West Virginia University where she majored in Journalism. She is a freelance writer who lives in the South and enjoys following NASCAR both by attending races or watching them on TV.Rosalie maintains several personal sites and writes for Examiner.com as the Stewart-Haas Racing Examiner.
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Paula Thompson – Contributor
Paula was born into auto racing - her father has been on pit crews at Dunn Tire Raceway Park (formerly Lancaster (NY) Speedway) since the 1960s. Her racing highlights include seeing the family favorite, Bill Elliott, win the pole and the race at her first NASCAR race (Pocono #2 in 2002), and watching Dave Blaney, Steve Kinser, and Sammy Swindell pop wheelies on the front stretch at Ransomville (NY) Speedway during a World of Outlaw race in the 1990s. Her favorite drivers are Bill Elliott, Dave Blaney, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Casey Mears, and the late Alan Kulwicki. She also follows NHRA drag racing (the Forces and Ron Capps) and IndyCar (Sarah Fisher, Helio Castroneves, and Dario Franchitti).Paula is the Buffalo Events and Buffalo Sports Travel Examiner, and a featured sports writer on Xomba.com; you can also find her work on Associated Content and Bleacher Report. Paula can be contacted on Facebook or through her Buffalo Sports Travel email: buffsporttravexaminer@gmail.com.
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Monica Alvarez – Contributor
Monica Alvarez spent her early childhood Sunday mornings in the sofa next to her dad, watching Formula 1 races. As a little girl, the sound of engines and tires screeching on the pavement excited her and was her favorite sound. Soon she stopped watching F1, losing her attention for racing and it diminished fast. Spending the rest of her childhood and early teen years not discovering the world of NASCAR until February 2008 when her NASCAR obsessed teacher was talking about this majorly exciting thing called the Daytona 500. Curious, Monica waited and when the engines roared to life, the green flag waving and DW's signature "Boogity, boogity, boogity!" she was hooked. She had yet to pick a driver to cheer for until she found the homeboy. Monica, a New York native, but adopted Southerner at age 5 when her family moved to Chesterfield County, Virginia; discovered at the spring Martinsville race in 2008 that Denny Hamlin was from Chesterfield, Virginia. Not only did they were they both from Chesterfield, but that Denny attended the same middle school and high school she was at. She saw his driving and win at Martinsville, and fell in love with the Virginia native.
Nothing could stop her from learning about her new driver and about the sport she just discovered. People may think she doesn't know NASCAR, but in just one season, she's learned more than her brain could handle, from the science in the cars, to the tracks, to the drivers she went to like, dislike, and not care about, to just about anything in the NASCAR world and is learning more and more with each season. She is a fiercly loyal fan, defending her drivers from haters but respecting their opinions though she may not agree with them, friends, and random strangers that pick on her sport, saying that NASCAR isn't.
A young fan, still in her roller-coaster teenage years; she is currently a student at Manchester High School where she is lucky enough to see her hometown boy's firesuit in the trophy case everyday and plots on stealing it one day. She has a passion of many things, and is willing to fight to defend them. Monica is an a avid Denny Hamlin fan--no other driver can take his place in her heart-- along with her other main favorites Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano--whom she got to meet in September 2009, many other drivers and is a newly converted Kyle Busch fan after hating him with a burning passion, then going to a love/hate relationship with Rowdy. She still hasn't found it in herself to forgive Brad Keselowski for anything yet and probably won't, making Brad her worst enemy though she hasn't met him and hopefully won't. She is severely allergic to Hendrick Motorsports with the exception of a off-season Jimmie Johnson when he isn't winning and the young Landon Cassill who isn't really with Hendrick, or in NASCAR much anymore, tearing her heart a little. She has a love for IndyCar (Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti) but no longer watches F1 except very rarely, since NASCAR stole her heart.
You can find her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/11ovenpeace), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?ref=name&id=100000371003228), LiveJournal (http://11ovenpeace.livejournal.com/profile), or her email (livelifefast11@aol.com)
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Jessica Tow – Contributor
Jessica Tow, like Katy, is a self-proclaimed NASCAR addict. She's been following racing since she was born...literally. Her dad used to race enduro and street stock race cars at the local short tracks, but stopped soon after she was born. When Jessica was a toddler, her parents got divorced, and she went to live with her dad. He's the one who influenced her to get into NASCAR.Growing up, Jessica's favorite driver was the the Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt. She loved everything about that man. His walk, his talk, his style and flair. Him and his black #3 was everything she loved about NASCAR racing. Everything was going great, or so it seemed...until Dale's untimely death. When Dale died, Jessica was devastated. But not for too long; she followed her dad and became a fan of Tony Stewart. He quickly became her #1 driver and was the one she rooted for each and every week...until Joey Logano entered the picture in 2007.
Joey Logano, aka Sliced Bread, is now Jessica's new favorite driver. But not to worry, she's still a Smoke fan! She's met Joey in person multiple times through meet and greet opportunities and from walking around the race track. She's witnessed many of Joey's firsts in person at NHMS. She was in the stands when he won the 2007 Busch East Series Championship, when he ran his first ever Sprint Cup Series race and when he won his very first Cup Series win. Talk about being a #1 fan, her bedroom is all Joey Logano-ed out. Among many other things, she has pretty much his entire die-cast car collection, plus an exclusive cardboard cutout of him that he personally autographed to her. That cutout now has a special place above Jessica's bed post - she claims him to be her guardian angel :p
Jessica's been attending NASCAR events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway since 1999. She goes to both Sprint Cup Series races each year, and has the greatest time. She highly recommends that you go to a race in person if you haven't already. It's like a whole new world! Everybody gets along with each other and it's just like one big, happy family. You'll love it! Plus tailgating is simply amazing ;)
NASCAR has truly been a passion of Jessica's for quite a long time. It's pretty much a part of who she is and what she does. It's her lifestyle!
Jessica currently resides in New Hampshire. She'll be graduating from high school in 2011 and is hoping to attend college in North Carolina. You can find Jessica on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and/or the NASCAR.com Community.
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Carlie Nichols - Contributor
Carlie Nichols first started watching NASCAR with her Grandpa when she was about 6 years old. She wasn't really a big fan of the sport until the mid-2005, and the Brickyard 400 was the first race she ever watched and enjoyed. That race was also her home state race. That same exact race she became a big Kasey Kahnefan, and she said it was going to be her favorite driver forever and always! Kasey Kahne was her favorite driver until 2006 when rookie Denny Hamlin came into the sport. Ever since then that has been her favorite driver. She also cheers on Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, and AJ Allmendinger. Those drivers she says is her top favorites!
Carlie is a huge NASCAR fan but alot of people may not know that. People that don't know her that well may think she is shy but when she is around her friends she is the most sweetest kindest person you will ever meet. Carlie's knowledge about NASCAR is amazing. It only takes her a few races to rember all of the drivers numbers, sponcers, crew cheifs, etc. This girl loves NASCAR! Her favorite race track in the whole entire world is Pocono International Raceway. She fell in love with the track the day Denny Hamlin won his first ever sprint cup race there.
Besides High School she knows that NASCAR is her number one priority. Even if the race is cancelled and is postponed to Monday she will find out some way to watch the race. Even if it is setting it to record on the DVR at home. One time at school she wrote a essay about who do you want to bring to school and she wrote bout Kyle Busch. Carlie loves to write about NASCAR. For college she is planning on growing up and becoming a Journalist. This Carlie's Life! You can find her on Facebook, Myspace, or the NASCAR community!
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Elise Lindsey - Contributor
Elise Lindsey is a Southern California native who grew up with racing around her. Her brother, Devin Lindsey, currently races go-karts at the national level and is hoping to move to Late models and run in the lower divisions of NASCAR within the next year. Her long time boyfriend, who is legally blind in one eye, also races go-karts (hence the love story) and hopes to one day make it into formula one. Her grandfather, uncle, and cousins have also been involved in different types of motorsports as well. It's no surprise that one weekends she is likely to be found at some sort of racetrack rooting on her brother, boyfriends, and close friends.
Her favorite NASCAR driver is Kyle Busch, thanks to her 7th grade History teacher, but she also roots on Joey Logano and Mark Martin. She has no problem standing up for her favorite drivers but also welcomes other opinions. Because her brother's racing lets her family travel to different places and race with the big guys she has met many famous race car drivers that come down to the go-kart level to compete, such as: Michael Schumacher, Dan Weldon, Buddy Rice, Jamie McMurray, and Phil Giebler/
In addition to being a motorsports enthusiast, Elise enjoys scrapbooking and making crafts which she shows off in her personal blog Love Lisy. (http://lovelisy.blogspot.com)
Elise is currently attending San Diego State University in San Diego, California and plans to graduate in 2013 with a degree in exercise and nutrition. She hopes to one day take her degree and work for some motorsports team.
Elise writes a craft column for Skirts and Scuffs that includes a wide array of crafts suitable for NASCAR fans of all ages.
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Unique Hiram - Contributor
Unique Hiram is a freelance writer and blogger who became a passionate, loyal NASCAR fan approximately in 1997. While serving as an active duty Navy sailor she began to seriously sit down and learn more about this phenomenal sport with some of her shipmates. Her favorite all-time driver was the late and legendary Dale "The Intimidator" Earnhardt, Sr. Due to his untimely death, his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has moved into the #1 spot of her favorite NASCAR drivers.
Some of the other drivers that she loves to watch include Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, and Martin Truex, Jr. Her favorite racetracks include Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, and Talladega Superspeedway.
Through her affiliation with Team South Carolina Midlands/Racer's Reunion she has been privilaged to help in the restoration efforts of Columbia Speedway in Cayce, South Carolina and continues to be an advocate for preserving as well as writing about the history of stock car racing.
Currently, Unique has been contributing her writing talents to the fan-based NASCAR News & Notes and Racer's Reunion. You can contact her via email at unekone88@gmail.com or on Twitter @Unekone_88.
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Molly Horn - Contributor
My name is Molly Horn; I’m 17 and started watching NASCAR during the Nationwide Vegas race in February of 2010. I do online high school andKyle Busch is my driver. I see a lot of myself in Kyle, I’m hard headed and when I do get competitive I hate to lose. I’m new to the sport, so I’m not that knowledgeable yet, but I’m learning fast.
I like other drivers such as Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon. I hope to go to a race one day, and have the chance to meet these amazing guys. I thank Lacy Keyser so much for getting me to watch my first race; thanks to her I now have something to be passionate, and opinionated about besides music no one knows about.
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Jennifer McDaniel - Contributor
Jennifer is a 3rd generation NASCAR fan and grew up hearing stories about racing on Daytona Beach, Labor Day Southern 500 at Darlington and drivers like David Pearson, Fireball Roberts and the Flock Brothers. It was an unspoken rule growing up that her family had to be home from church by 1:00 on Sundays in order to be able to watch the race on TV. She distinctly remembers watching the Daytona 500 in ’79 (even though she was only 9) and knows the difference between a cam shaft and a carburetor.
Jennifer McDaniel - Contributor
Jennifer is a 3rd generation NASCAR fan and grew up hearing stories about racing on Daytona Beach, Labor Day Southern 500 at Darlington and drivers like David Pearson, Fireball Roberts and the Flock Brothers. It was an unspoken rule growing up that her family had to be home from church by 1:00 on Sundays in order to be able to watch the race on TV. She distinctly remembers watching the Daytona 500 in ’79 (even though she was only 9) and knows the difference between a cam shaft and a carburetor.
It’s little wonder that she has
definite ideas about NASCAR and its history and future, but she is
always glad to make NASCAR friends and enjoys giving her rather vocal
opinions on occasions.
Jennifer is a music and art teacher of
15 years and is currently working on adding Secondary (6-12)
English/Language Arts to her repertoire. Living near Augusta,
Georgia, she is a wife and mother to two boys, who attended their
first live NASCAR race at Darlington this May (2010). She is doing
her part to carry on the tradition of NASCAR fans and supports her
children’s choice of drivers, Jeff Burton and Mark Martin.
While not generally cheering for a
specific driver, Jennifer is a devoted fan of the sound of 43 V-8s
charging at 190 miles an hour and occasionally finds herself rooting
for Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, and Marcos Ambrose. It also wouldn’t
hurt her feelings one bit to see Rockingham, “The Rock”, added
back to the racing schedule. She freely admits that Bristol is her
favorite track, and she and her husband have a long term plan to
eventually attend races at every track. She looks forward to the day
when she and her husband can travel to all the NASCAR races in an RV,
tailgate with the crowd, watch an amazing race and take a leisurely
ride back home.
Jennifer has contributed blog posts to
www.rowdy.com
and has her own blog site at www.jennipmcd.blogspot.com
where she posts about whatever is happening in her crazy world. She
is also something of a self-proclaimed NASCAR sociologist, as she
finds the stories about the people as entertaining as the racing
itself. Jennifer can also be found on twitter @jennipmcd.
If you are interested in becoming part of the Skirts and Scuffs team just let us know! You can contact Katy via email at skirtsandscuffs@ymail.com