Annabeth Barnes has yet to win a Late Model Stock Car race but she hopes that will change this year. The 19-year-old from Hiddenite, North Carolina has confidence in herself and the KHM Racing team and she expects to win races this year.
Barnes has been racing in Late Model Stock Cars for two years. While she’s had some strong runs, she has not been able to put together a race winning performance yet. Barnes says a lot of that is luck – bad luck she hopes is behind her.
“We’re coming out stronger than we have been this year,” Barnes said. “We have both of our cars ready for this season. That’s the first time in the past three years that we’ve had two cars prepared at one time so we’re excited about that. We’re excited to have Kim and Scott McCorkle back with us. They’ve been amazing and proactive in what we’re doing so we’re really excited.
“Really, I think that we’re going to have a great year. We’ll be racing a lot at Hickory and we’re going to try to run for points in the big 10 races. We’re going for wins. We’re going all out this year, all or nothing. We say that every year but this year it’s taken on a new meaning. There’s so many awesome drivers out there that, I have to make a name for myself and this year is the year that’s going to happen.”
Barnes plans to race predominantly at Hickory Motor Speedway and Caraway Speedway while also making appearances at Langley Speedway, Motor Mile Speedway and in the Championship Auto Racing Association (CARS) Late Model Stock Tour. Barnes scored victories in a Limited Late Model at both Caraway and Hickory. Now, she thinks she can score multiple Late Model Stock Car wins as well.
“I think we’ll have multiple wins this year, I really believe that,” Barnes stated. “We really have it together. Kevin Harvick said something really awesome that I read about how the offseason is a time where you have to get your life together because all those things have to be in perfect order to win races and I think right now, in my life, things are in order to make that happen. This will be a winning year for us.”
Last season, Barnes once again barely missed the field for the Valley Star Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway. It’s very much in the back of Barnes’ mind and she plans to return there once again this season with the intent of making the field and having a strong performance in the feature race.
“Martinsville is a race that, it’s been a thorn in our side the past two years,” Barnes explained. “We had an awesome car last year. We were in a good position, in position to be in the race and we actually got into it with Jake Crum and it threw off the steering and the car was unmanageable after that. It was a big disappointment. This year, like I said, we have a whole different attitude about how things are going to be and we’ll be at Martinsville again and hopefully luck will be on our side this year.”
Barnes is often under the microscope because of her gender and her popularity. While a lot of the attention Barnes gets is positive, a lot of it is negative as well. She says she definitely think about the feedback, positive and negative, she gets. During RACE22.com’s live coverage of the Martinsville test session last fall, she addressed her critics with a tweet quoting lyrics from Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”. That said, she also feels that the feedback gives her extra motivation to run well and win races.
“I mean, I think about it. If people are saying positive or negative things, whether online or on Facebook or Twitter, especially when they tag you in it, you see those things and it’s not always positive. At first, it’s always a disappointment to me because I always try to set a good example and try to be a little bit of a trailblazer for others and to see people being disrespectful to that and putting down what I try to do is disappointing but it is motivating. You just want to prove those people wrong. You kind of want to win so you can be like, ‘Hey look what I’m doing, you want to say I can’t do this but I can do this,’ and I can’t give up.
“A lot of times, people bring up the physical part and say there’s no way women can be successful because it’s physically demanding and it is. Last year, I didn’t run a race under 100 laps. I didn’t have a problem with it.”
Barnes says she’s looking forward to the Rusty Harpe Memorial and the Hampton Heat 200 the most this year.
“I look forward to running the Fourth of July race at Caraway. That’s one that’s a really fun time. That will be good. I look forward to that. Caraway’s one of my favorite tracks so I love going there. It’s fun. I really want to get back to Langley. That was one of my favorite races, the Hampton Heat. We were going to go there this year and didn’t make it so hopefully we’ll make it there this year.”
Barnes’ main focus, aside from winning races, will be on winning Hickory Motor Speedway’s “Big 10 Challenge” – a 10 race championship series with a points system that’s separate from the track’s regular season championship.
“We thought about running for the championship at Hickory but it’s a 21 race season. I like to travel to other tracks so a 21 race season would hinder us from going anywhere else. I think we’ll just run the big 10 races and use the off weekends to go to other places. Hickory is my home track even though we kind of have a love-hate relationship.”
Barnes’ first race will be on Saturday, March 7th at Hickory Motor Speedway and Barnes hopes to get off to a fast start.
“I think we’ll come out strong. I feel it coming in my heart. We’re really due for one. It’s been too long so I think it’s time, especially a Late Model win. It’s time.”
