Meet Erin Crocker, Race Car Driver

	NAME: Erin Crocker BIRTHDAY: March 23, 1981 BORN: Wilbraham, Mass. RESIDES: Huntersville, N.C. SIBLINGS: Youngest of five children of Susan and William Crocker HIGH SCHOOL: Member of varsity soccer, tennis, and lacrosse teams Ski team member Vice President of her class National Honor Society affiliate COLLEGE: Received a bachelor's degree in Industrial and Management Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2003 Played varsity lacrosse Member of Pi Beta Phi sorority FIRSTS: First female and youngest driver to win a feature at Whip City Speedway First woman to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals driving a 410 sprint car (she was later named 2003 Nationals Rookie of the Year) First (and only) woman to win a World of Outlaws (WoO) race First female to join Evernham Motorsports' driver development program

By Susan Brody

Erin Crocker first got behind the wheel of a car at the age of six. Even though it was a go-cart, it was still a motorized vehicle! The following year, she started racing quarter-midgets—cars scaled down to one-quarter the size of midget race cars—and she hasn't taken her foot off the accelerator since.

Erin, 27, became only the 11th female driver to compete in the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) Busch Series, considered the "minor leagues" to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the highest level of professional competition and home to the Daytona 500. The Wilbraham, Mass. native also races in the NASCAR Truck Series, which features pickup trucks. Currently, Erin is one of two women racing in NASCAR where speeds can reach 190 M.P.H. and races are won by milliseconds. But being a pioneer isn't new to Erin; she has been competing in the male-dominated sport of racing since she was seven. "My father was into cars and had my older brothers involved in racing," she said. "I loved sports and always wanted to be outside, so I just sort of got involved too."

Get involved she did. After graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with an engineering degree in 2003, Erin became the first woman to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals (driving a 410 sprint car) and was named the 2003 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year. Most recently, she has become the first woman to join the Evernham Motorsports driver development program which positions her to ascend to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. "I'm living my dream right now," Erin said. "I worked really hard to get here, but this opportunity (with Evernham) is the greatest."

While Erin was growing up, cars weren't the only things that kept her busy. Between races, she found time to play on her high school soccer, tennis and lacrosse varsity teams as well as be a member of the ski team.

For girls interested in racing, Erin only offers words of encouragement. "There are a lot of opportunities for women in the sport right now. Many companies are hoping they can be on board when the first woman wins a race." (In NASCAR, racers need the help of corporate sponsors to pay for their cars, equipment, crew, etc.)

While Erin's got her eye on the future, she's also focused on the here and now. "I want to get to the next level, which is obviously the Sprint Cup Series, but as of now, I am definitely living my dream and there really aren't too many people who can say that."