Kaley Engstrom Racing Blog

Kaley Engstrom Racing Blog
The Dirt Life with Kaley Engstrom

Thursday, July 18, 2013

$1,000.00 Grant Opportunity for Young Leaders


I wanted to pass along an email notification that I received about another YSA Grant opportunity that's going on right now!

 
It's the "ABC Summer of Service Awards" and you can go to this link to fill out the on-line application. >YSA Application
 
I applied for a Grant through YSA and Disney Friends For Change earlier in the year for my GYSD and anti-Bullying awareness cause and they invited me to apply for this Grant.  This is a great opportunity for young leaders (ages 5 to 18) who are working for a cause that helps people, the community and the planet.  There are a lot of young racers that "Race for A Cause" and this is open to everyone who meets the age requirements.
 
The winner(s) will also be featured on their local ABC station news program!! 
 
If you have cause or project that you feel makes a difference you should go and apply and tell your story - don't be afraid!  You never know, and every experience you take will only improve your skills and service potential for the next Grant or Scholarship opportunity.  Sponsors also look favorably on young racers who have a worthwhile cause that they are passionate about. 
 
For more information visit the YSA website.
 THe
 

The deadline is September 1, 2013. 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

2013 Media Tour Recap for Kaley Engstrom Racing

Here is a sampling of press interviews featuring Kaley this year.

 

Ross with XSAN caught up with Kaley on her debut at the Chili Bowl:

XSAN.tv The X.CELERATED SPORTS ACTION NETWORK 



Racing Addix new program and Kaley was one of first guests featured for pulling double duty by racing back to back in Tulsa Shootout and the Chili Bowl:


Listen to internet radio with Racing Addix Motorsports Radio on BlogTalkRadio

RacinwithNeal.com new On The Road Show The Drift featured Kaley guest on location from KSP.

"This Episode of The Drift Features Kaley Engstrom! Kaley is an up and coming racer that is really beginning to turn some heads in the World of Motorsports! Hear what she has to say about her career, her experiences and what 3 words she thinks best describes her as a racer and a person!"
nbsp;                                                           ~Neal Palmer



Let's Talk Racing Radio Interview





"Action Sports Everywhere" is a very very accurate tagline for XSAN.tv. Here they talked to her at the inaugural Micro Mayhem event in Kansas.



And here is the podcast of the interview Kaley did with Victory Lane Radio:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/victory-lane-radio-live-2/id375683106?i=160089778&mt=2

kaley engstrom ECS 2011 260 Outlaw Champion

A look back at Outlaw days.  Won 2011 National Championship.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

This is my driver...


The race weekend started and ended with a ton of excitement. One of my sponsors and good friends, Dave Jones, hooked me and my family up with hot passes to the NASCAR race. He gave my dad and I the full tour of the Fox television compound. Even introducing me to the head honchos as “This is my driver” – haha. (It’s kinda embarrassing but at the same time makes me feel so honored.)  Meeting Jeff Hammond was cool!  I must say I gained a lot of respect for what those guys do! I was amazed with all that went into producing and broadcasting a NASCAR race. Unfortunately the Sprint Cup race was on Saturday night, which is the night I race my 305 sprint car, so I had to make a choice……..  well I am a racer so it was Kennedale Speedway Park for us.

Here she is - not all the graphics are on yet.
It was only my fourth sprint car race and I was still pretty nervous, on top of that we were having some fuel problems. My heart was pumping with excitement when the grid steward was calling my heat race. When my dad pushed me up to the shoot, all I could think of was how many hot shot drivers were in my heat!!When the green flag flew it was a drag race down the front stretch between me and Scott and luckily I made it into the turn first! Once I led the first lap, Justin Melton battled with me and was able to make the pass for the lead. Jeb Sessums was also able to get by me to take second. After those to awesome drivers passed me I was sitting comfortably and was able to take the checkered in third.  I pulled in to my pit with a big smile on my face! My crew was just as excited and pleased with the finish as I was. We knew that we had a great setup, just had to keep up with the track.

 Before the rounds of features started, I went up and checked the lineup board. Guess what? I started outside front row!!! Right when I saw that butterflies began to take over my stomach. Everyone kept saying, “just step on the gas and you’ll be fine”. But honestly that is easier said than done! I climbed into my car, buckled up once again and got pushed up to staging. I said my pre-race prayer and took one last deep breath before firing the car up on the track. The flag man gave the signal one to go! As we rounded turn one it was green flag time!! I took off like a rocket got going in second place. By half way through the race I found myself in fourth place. During the caution all I could do was think “dang I am really in fourth place against all of these awesome guys”. The green flag came out once again, but this time I had Chase Brewer behind me trying to rattle my cage. HE hit me once going into turn 3 & 4, and then drove right into me in turn 1 &2. He ended up taking himself out and tearing up his car. After that wreck happened I looked up and saw that I was in fourth! HA! He wasn’t able to rattle or get me scared; I continued to hold my own. There was only three laps left, and by the time we got the checkered I ended up in fifth place. I was more than happy and everyone could see that! But then I had to go to the scales to weigh, found out I was 20 pounds lite. Even after finding out I was DQ’ed, I was still so happy with how hard I drove. And it was an awesome feeling when the other drivers came and told me how good I had done.

For more about my home track visit www.raceksp.com and to meet Jeff Hammond visit his website http://www.jeffhammond.com/.  Of course to follow my got to my website: www.kaleyengstrom.com  or tweet me @kaleymichelle61 and like me on my facebook fanpage at KaleyEngstromRacing

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Sasquatch Indoor Nationals

Cedar Lake Indoor Nationals aka "Sasquatch Indoor Nationals presented by Jack Link's Beef Jerky"


New Richmond, Wis., March 8-9, 2013 - It was 20 degree weather, wind blowing hard, ice and snow everywhere. This Texas girl was not ready for a Wisconsin blizzard. (Don't think my Texas teammate Payton Pierce was either.)  But let’s go back to the beginning.

I was so excited to get back I the seat of the McCreery #57K midget.  We were just coming off a win I the micro so I knew we were on the right track!  Richard Pierce finally came over to pick me up to leave, not going to lie I hated having to go without my Dad, but I had to! So we were off, headed North into unknown territory.  Not knowing what to expect I packed about 5 jackets.  Once we got to Kansas for our first stop I realized I should’ve brought a heavier coat!

With 4 foot of snow surrounding us we finally made it to the track.  The butterflies started to overcome my body.  It was only practice day but I was in a new car and just wanted to run good.  It came time to get my suit on and hop in the car.  I got all buckled up and was excited to see what this car could do!  They pushed me off, car fired and sounded great.  Green flag!  Green flag!  I step on the gas. The first turn went great, get in to the straight away and the car falls on its face, lap after lap.

I pull into the pits and tell the guys what’s going on.  They start running around changing batteries, wires checking injection and the whole nine yards. Tokay with all that being checked and good, it should run now, right? Well I get buckled in again, motor fired of perfectly. I get on the gas then boom….the motor falls on its face again.   When I get back to the pits the crew is dumbfounded – what could it be?!  To sum up the first day; it was full of motor problems.

We showed up for day number two, hopeful for a better day.  I went out for hot laps, the problem still not fixed.  The crew changed some more things thinking for sure that it’s fixed now!  But in the heat race it only got worse.  I knew if we could get it fixed that the car would be great.  After a asking a bunch of people and ripping our out hair, we found the problem.  It was the fuel system.  Unfortunately I had to go out for the “B” Main.  Not knowing how the car would be at full power we still went out with high hopes.  Right at the green I knew the problem was fixed, but my comfort and driving style for the car was not 100%.  So we ended up not making the show.  Everyone kept saying keep my head up, but if they were in my shoes they’d have been down too.

Finally the last day arrived.  I went in with a new found confidence since the car was running great!  But of course I get stuck in the most stacked heat race with all the big boys…..It was time to get up on the wheel.  As the four-wheeler pushed me around the track, I was trying to plan out my start.  I lined up behind Tracy Hines.  We had a great start. The car felt awesome out of turn 2, but as I try to make a pass I get slammed in the side, making me pull a huge wheel stand and a car gets by me.  I pull in line on a one lane track, lap after lap I get more and angrier with the guy that hit me.  Everyone in the pits knows we would have been in a good spot if he wouldn’t have done that…..but that’s racing.  Now we are stuck in the “B” Main again.  I tell myself, “I am going to make the “A” Main.  I am going to make the “A” Main.”….    I get a great start, driving hard and fast.  I found myself stuck behind someone who races midgets every weekend who is very good!  (This was only my 3rd time in a midget!!) We battle for a few laps; I knew it was time to make a move.  As I was trying to make a pass, I hear ….”YELLOW  YELLOW”…..  And I’m like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  Such bad timing.  With only a couple of laps to go I missed the “A” Main by ONE SPOT….

With all the downs of this weekend, I still wasn’t too sad because I knew I got valuable seat time and I got better as a driver.

For full race results see http://www.cedarlakespeedway.com/news_article/show/238088?referrer_id=700585

Special Thanks to my sponsors Common Sense Approach (Bob Petell), Truxton Productions (Dave Jones), PSI Soft (Frank Clark), Andy Hogan Racing (Toni Hogan) and McCreery Motorsports (http://www.facebook.com/#!/McCreeryMotorsports?fref=ts), and the Best Texas teammate I could ask for, Payton Pierce (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pierce-Racing/111833272163273) and to his Dad for driving us all the way to Wisconsin for this wonderful racing opportunity.

Please be sure to check out my website at www.kaleyengstrom.com and my Facebook Fan Page www.facebook.com/kaleyengstromracing, and follow me on Twitter @kaleymichelle61.



Friday, March 1, 2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Danica Patrick Candid interview with sponsor

2013 Kaley Engstrom Racing Schedule

My 2013 Race Schedule is posted on my website at www.kaleyengstrom.com. It has been a long time in the works as I have literally built my 305 from scratch, but it fired up today and I'm so excited to have Sprint races on my schedule!! I will also be back in a Midget with McCreery Motorsports in March for the Sasquach Indoor Nationals in Wi and again in August racing three shows, three days in a row at Lincoln Speedway, Macon Speedway and Angell Park Speedway as part of the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series.
Texas based Kaley Engstrom Racing will be on the road several more times starting June 12th - 15th headed to Garden City, Kx for the 1st Annual Micro Mayhem and then in July for the WoW w/ 600cc Micros in South Dakota on the 3rd.

There will be a total of 6 races at Mountain Creek Speedway in Grand Prairie in the 305 Sprint and the remainder dates are filled with Micro racing between Kennedale Speedway, I-44 and Port City Raceway.
If sponsor's willing, I may also attend the 8th Annual Outlaw Dirt Kart Nationals in Iowa and try to recapture my 500cc Outlaw Championship title.

I have a lot going on this year so keep up with my stats and updates on my website, or Twitter and of course Facebook.

www.kaleyengstrom.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaleyEngstromRacing
Twitter: @kaleymichelle61
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/KaleyEngstromRacing