From cheerleader to race car driver
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

NEED FOR SPEED- Adolfo Camarillo High School student Michaela Stanton, 14, inset, says she loves "the rush you get while driving fast and drifting" when driving her midget sprint car, above.

When Jeff Stanton began taking his daughter Michaela to the Ventura Speedway a decade ago, he had no idea the effect it would have on her.

Michaela Stanton loved going to watch the races with her father so much that two years ago she decided to give up cheerleading to give sprint car racing a try.

"She told me at her final cheerleading team party two years ago that she was done with cheering and that she wanted to try something new," Jeff Stanton said. "It was a huge surprise when she told me she wanted to race sprint cars."

Michaela, 14, is now entering her third season at the Ventura Speedway racing junior midget sprint cars, which go about 40 mph on a dirt track. These days, the Adolfo Camarillo High School freshman couldn't think of a more fun way to spend her time.

"I love the rush you get while driving fast and drifting," Michaela Stanton said. "I also love the competitiveness the sport brings and the fact that I get to spend a lot of time with my dad."

Last year Michaela finished fourth in points for her age bracket at the Ventura Speedway. In the league's opening race last weekend, she came in third. Although she's had success, it didn't come overnight. According to her father, Michaela first drove the car like a golf cart- very cautiously.

"After she drove it slow for a while the instructor went over to her and gave her some advice," Jeff Stanton said. "The advice must have worked, because the next thing you knew she was stomping on the gas and pitching the car sideways on turns. I saw a big grin on her face when she came back, and I just knew she had found something she loved."

After feeling comfortable behind the wheel, Michaela decided to look for sponsors. She eventually wrote a letter to the Dirt Chicks Clothing Company, telling them she would make the perfect "Dirt Chick." The clothing company has sponsored her ever since.

"Doing the business and marketing for my racing has helped give me a lot of experience in writing letters and other things which I know will help me later in life," Michaela said.

She would like to eventually move up a level and drive the Ford Focus Midgets, but her real dream is to one day compete in NASCAR.

"This is something I want to do for the rest of my life," Michaela said. "It's so much fun, and I've made a ton of friends."