Meet Tara, a 16-year-old aspiring NASCAR Engineer from Rockwell, NC. This amazing young woman stands out for her kind spirit and wicked sharp mind. Tara’s love for NASCAR began when she was just two years old, as her family would go watch races at their grandma’s every Sunday. Her admiration for the sport runs deep and has been a source of strength in her darkest days.
At the start of high school, Tara started to experience high levels of anxiety, which grew so severe that she ended up in the hospital due to heart complications. After working with her doctors, and with the support of her family, Tara started learning new coping skills.
She said she learned a lot about life and how to live with her anxiety, through her passion for NASCAR. She watches how teams and drivers adjust to adversity and the obstacles are thrown their way. It has taught her that she can have control in how she responds to her own obstacles, and how to find her power living with anxiety.
NASCAR is more than a passion for Tara, it’s her biggest source of inspiration, AND it’s her future.
Tara has always had a high standard for everything she does. That’s a big reason why her favorite driver is Ryan Blaney. She admires his humble character, his dedicated work ethic, and his team-first priorities. However, Tara’s admiration doesn’t stop there. One of her favorite things about racing is the fact that it takes a village to make it on that track. From the pit crew to the mechanics, to the engineers.
Tara’s ultimate sports dream is to not only meet her hero, Ryan Blaney, but to go behind the scenes of pit road, and learn from those she looks up to the most.
