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Contact: www.sarahmccune.com
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Bio
Sarah McCune refuses to
drive a pink car. She doesn’t need to -- she
stands out anyway. This Ohio native has already
broken track records held by NASCAR superstars Jeff
Gordon and Tony Stewart. A natural behind the
wheel, she has amassed more than 50 wins and earned
several titles, including that of National Champion
in Quarter Midgets. After retiring from Quarter
Midgets, McCune made a name for herself in the
United States Auto Club (USAC) consistently
finishing in the Top 10. Despite making great
strides towards a career in IRL/CART, she has
decided to turn her sights on stock cars, and her
focus is unyielding. In addition to her successes
on the track, McCune graduated with honors from
Indiana University in 1999 with a degree in
marketing and public relations. Her ambition is to
enter the ranks of NASCAR’s elite and is
adamant about not wanting to be the best female
driver, but the best driver -- period.
"You just can't control
your destiny. You don't know when your time is up."
-- Sarah McCune
Sarah McCune Fun
Facts:
To stay in shape: Pilates,
yoga
Favorite music, group: U2,
Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies
Favorite TV channels: MTV
Favorite TV show: Friends
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movies: Breakfast
at Tiffany's, It's a Wonderful Life, For Love of
the Game
Favorite vacation spot:
Aruba
Favorite cities on the
race schedule: Chicago, Indianapolis, Phoenix
Favorite restaurant on the
race schedule: Bandera
What I admire most in
others: Determination, perseverance, honesty
First job: YAAW (Young
Artist at Work) for the City of Toledo
First street car: Toyota
Four Runner
What made you fall in love
with racing: The challenge and competition
How did you get into
racing: My grandfather was a very successful
racecar driver in the 1960s. So, racing has always
been a part of my family. My father took me to see
a race when I was a child, and I have been racing
ever since.
Siblings: Sister
Favorite charity:
SAVE-A-PET
Favorite song: "True
Companion"
Racecar driver you'd love
to meet: If I could meet with any driver, I would
give anything to spend a few more minutes with my
friend Kenny Irwin.
Pets: Scottish terrier,
Madison
Childhood dream: Win the
Indy 500
Favorite superhero:
Wonderwoman ... of course!
Favorite non-racing sport:
I like to watch college basketball, but I love to
ski.
Speeding tickets in the
last year: One
Last concert attended:
Dave Matthews Band
Favorite quote: "The
challenge is to be yourself in a world that is
trying to make you like everyone else."
Ohio native Sarah McCune
has spent more than half of her 25 years behind the
wheel of a racecar. Sarah found success in every
series she has competed in, from the Quarter
Midgets of her youth to her more recent entries in
United States Auto Club events. Sarah excelled off
the track as well, graduating with honors from
Indiana University with a degree in Marketing and
Public Affairs.
Sarah is a natural behind
the wheel, as was evidenced by her incredible run
in Quarter Midgets that began when she was eleven
years old. In just a few seasons, Sarah amassed
more than 50 wins and earned several titles,
including that of National Champion in
1991.
Following her retirement
from Quarter Midgets in 1992, Sarah dabbled in a
few series and found success in all. She won five
Modified Midget races, earned a number of top-five
finishes in the Sprint Car Series, and became the
first woman to win an ARCA feature.
In 1996, Sarah ran her
first full season in the Midgets. When the final
checkers flew, Sarah had scored twelve top-ten
finishes in fifteen races, winning three. She was
invited to attend the Lyn St. James Driving School
that November.
Sarah had another first
one year later, becoming the first woman to win a
race in the North American Midget Auto Racing
Series. That win, paired with another victory and
eight top fives, helped her finish second in NAMARS
Championship points in 1997. She also earned the
Ohio State Nationals Midget Champion title and set
two track qualifying records.
As if that were not
enough, Sarah was one of only two Americans
extended an invitation to participate in the
"Australian Down Under Tour," in which she broke a
track record held by Tony Stewart on the way to a
feature win. She also participated in the "Thunder
in the Dome" midget race, one of only two women
invited, and became the only woman ever to qualify
for the event.
Sarah’s next stop was
on the USAC National Midget Series, which helped
launch the careers of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart,
John Andretti, Ryan Newman and others. Her rookie
year featured a number of top-tens that helped her
land a twelfth-place finish in championship points.
She became the first woman to earn a top-five
finish in a USAC National Points event, crossing
the line second in Birch Run, Michigan.
Putting her racing career
on the back burner, Sarah set out to accomplish her
goal of graduating from college in four years.
While she did race on a limited basis after
entering Indiana University, her focus was
education. She graduated with honors in 1999 after
completing her degrees in Marketing and Public
Affairs.
While in college, Sarah
earned six top-ten finishes in ten USAC National
Events. She also finished first and second in the
two ARCA midget series races she
entered.
In 2000, Sarah found a
ride in the Indy Racing League and began testing at
Walt Disney World Speedway and Phoenix
International Raceway. Though testing was
promising, the team encountered financial
difficulty and was forced to withdraw from
competition. Sarah instead focused on the remaining
fifteen races in the USAC season, finishing in the
top ten eleven times. She also won both NAMARS
races she entered that year.
The 2001 and 2002 seasons
found Sarah continuing her successful participation
in the USAC National Midget Series but continuing
to search for the opportunity to display her skills
at higher levels of the sport. The desire to move
up the racing ladder caused Sarah to begin
exploring opportunities in stock car racing. The
first team to offer an opportunity was Roush
Racing. Sarah completed two successful test
sessions in Roush Racing NASCAR Craftsman Trucks
and also was able to attend the Finish Line Driving
School.
The conclusion of the
current 2003 racing season finds Sarah still
searching for her “big break”. During
this season she tested in the Infiniti Pro Series
and continued to gain stock car experience by
returning to the Finish Line Racing School for
advanced courses. Sarah’s drive to succeed in
racing was recognized when she was invited to
attend the “Women In The Winner’s
Circle” program and was named the first
recipient of the Kara Hendrick Spirit Award:
“In recognition of extraordinary dedication
and perseverance in the sport of auto racing and in
memory of the late USAC race car driver who
excelled in the sport and endeared herself to the
entire racing fraternity”. With her track
record and past success, Sarah is a proven talent
ready to move up in the sport of auto racing.
In eight 2003 National
Midget Car starts, Sarah found the
“top-10” twice, with a fifth at Granite
City, Ill. and a 10th at Belleville, Kans. She also
was the second-fastest qualifier for a race at
Lincoln, Neb. and finished 24th in the series
standings. In only five starts in 2001 and 2002 she
set fast qualifying time at Granite City, Ill. in
2002 and finished seventh in that night’s
feature. She finished 14th in the 2000 National
Midget Car points, posting impressive back-to-back
third-place finishes on the high-banked 1/2-mile
paved ovals at Salem and Winchester, IN. She also
had a fifth at Salem. The fastest qualifier in a
field of more than 50 participants for the 1999
National Midget Car event at Anderson (IN) Speedway
in June, Sarah started 10 feature events in 1999 on
her way to a "top-20" point ranking. Her best
outing was a second-place at the Winchester (IN)
Speedway late in the season, but she had five other
"top-10s." She was a serious contender for the 1998
MCI WorldCom National Midget Car “Rookie of
the Year” honors and wound up 12th in the
seasonal point rankings. The cousin of USAC driver
Jimmy McCune, she made 10 feature starts and
finished sixth in a race at the Louisville (Ky.)
Motor Speedway and seventh at Odessa, Mo. In 1997
she scored a pair of “top-10” finishes in
only three starts.
Results
Car No C/E/T S F Qual Speed Laps XL LL Status
Pts
Sun, 11 Sep 2005 - Chicagoland Speedway Sam Schmidt
Motorsports 8 D/I/F 1 9 187.795 5 1 5 Accident 23
Schedule
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