Fast Facts: NASCAR Next driver Nicole Behar

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NASCAR recently announced a new class of NASCAR Next drivers – drivers seen as the future of the sport. Of the 12 drivers named, only one was a woman – 17-year-old Nicole Behar, a Washington native whose love of the “fast track” extends to education. The soon-to-be high school graduate has already started freshman courses at Eastern Washington University. Learn more about this talented up-and-coming driver in this week’s Fast Facts.

• Nicole Danielle Behar was born Nov. 15, 1997 in Spokane, WA. According to a recent interview, Behar’s parents met while they were racing go-karts as kids. For her eighth birthday, instead of the horse that she wanted, she got a different kind of horsepower – her first go-kart.
• In her early years of racing, Behar has racked up six go-karting championships, including the International Karting Federation (IKF) Region 6 Gold Cup Series, and two straight titles in the Baby Grand Racing division. 
• Behar moved up to Fever Four/Pony Stocks, and in 2012 moved into Late Models. She was named Rookie of the Year in the HyDrive Late Model division and finished second in points as a rookie, then captured the division championship in her sophomore season. In 2013, Behar ran in Northwest Modifieds and Super Late Models, and she participated in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine at Langley Speedway in Virginia.
• Behar competed in three K&N Pro Series West races in 2014 for her family’s team, picking up two top 10 finishes. In 2015, she’s competing full-time in the series, and has already raced into the record books in just a few starts: she finished second at Irwindale Speedway in April, becoming the highest-finishing female competitor in K&N Pro Series West history. She’s also tied with Kenzie Ruston for the highest-finish by a female in either K&N Pro Series, East or West.
• Learn more about Nicole Behar at www.nicolebehar.com.