SAN ANTONIO, TX :: Racing is in Kate Dallenbach’s blood. Her grandfather nearly won an Indianapolis 500. Her father has won in-class at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Her brothers raced in sports cars and open wheels. Now, Kate, 17, is taking up Late Model Stock Car racing.
Dallenbach, who is the daughter of former NASCAR driver and current NBCSN and TNT personality Wally Dallenbach Jr, will be competing in a Late Model Stock Car at Hickory Motor Speedway and in a Dirt Late Model at Boyd’s Speedway located just off I-95 on the Tennessee-Georgia border. She had been competing in a Straight-Rail Pro Late Model at New Smyrna Speedway before this season.
Dallenbach has tested in the Late Model several times at Hickory so far and says she feels more comfortable in the Perimeter Late Model than she did in a Straight-Rail car. She feels confident about the cars she is in and the crew around her.
“The cars are really good to be in,” Dallenbach said. “I trust them. The cars are really good equipment so it boosts my confidence a lot being in those cars that are stable. For this weekend, my expectations are just to get used to everything. The racing up here is different than it was in Florida. I want to do well but not trying to do anything crazy first race. My goal is to get some wins and top-five finishes. I’ll just do my best pretty much. I want to win. It’s also my first season here in these cars.”
Kate says she got in to racing watching her brothers, Wyatt and Jake, racing in sports cars and open wheel racing.
“I don’t really remember watching my dad race,” she stated. “I have two older brothers and they ran Jetta TDI and Legends and Summer Shootout a couple years ago and then I started racing quarter-midgets with Wyatt wanting to beat him and that’s how I got in to it.”
While the Dallenbach name is synonymous with road course racing and open wheel racing, Kate says she prefers oval racing. Kate hopes she can make it to NASCAR racing’s elite leagues like her father before her.
“I guess my preference is oval racing,” Dallenbach remarked. “My brothers really like open wheel racing and that kind of stuff. I just always felt more comfortable and wanted to stay with stock cars and oval tracks. What I’m going for is to run Late Models this year and next year then I want to go in to Trucks and work up the NASCAR ranks.”
Kate says Wally often gives her advice on how to develop and improve as a driver.
“My dad goes to all my races,” she explained. “Sometimes he sits back and lets me work with the team but he helps me a lot away from the track. If he thinks I’m struggling with something, he gives me advice, tells me what to do and helps me work on things. It’s nice to have that experience, he helps a lot and he’s definitely an extra member of the team.”
The third generation driver will make her mark at Hickory Motor Speedway, a track where NASCAR legends of past and present generations have raced. She will race in a Lee Faulk Racing prepared car supported by Bass Pro Shops, SHE Outdoor Apparel and Skullstand.com. Bass Pro Shops and Skullstand.com are both partners of the Wally Dallenbach, Jr. Foundation providing outdoor adventures for children who have suffered a loss.
The first race in the “Paramount KIA Big 10 Race Challenge” at Hickory Motor Speedway will be run on Saturday, March 8th with the green flag waving at 7pm EST.
