 Julie
Sylva
Meet
17-year-old Julie Sylva, driver of the #3
NCI-4 Mini Mod from Lakeport, California.
Julie has been around racing her entire life,
following in the tire tracks of her
grandfather, uncle, and father. "I always
go to the track; there was hardly a summer
Saturday I wasn't there."
Julie expressed
an interest in racing, expecting to start in a
go-cart. Julie's grandfather "got a
deal" on the NCI-4 mini mod that he could
not pass up. Everyone expected her to run a
race or two and decide it was not for her; she
was only 15. Julie changed their minds on her
fourth night out.
"I
corrected for a spin and plowed head-on into
the wall ... I have not corrected for a spin
since." Julie's crew of family and
friends got the car to her grandfather's body
shop and made it back to the track just after
qualifying. "We started in the back of
the main with no sway bar, three blown shocks,
a bent car and a VERY sore driver. It was the
first main event I ever finished on the lead
lap. That's when my dad knew I was a
racer."
In her rookie
year, Julie finished 4th in the points, also
winning the open race at the end of the year.
The first night out in her second season,
Julie set a track record. Julie reset the
record by 3/10 of a second later that year.
She finished third in the points in her second
season. Her track record at Lakeport Speedway
is still standing, and she has seven main
event wins overall.
 Julie
has not attended an "official"
driving school, learning lessons on the track.
"There was one guy who didn't much like
being beat by a girl. He took me to the wall
more than once." At a later event, Julie
beat this competitor to the finish by only six
inches, one of her most rewarding moments.
"It was really exciting. It was a clean
race, and I won just by racing my heart
out."
Julie states
she has "earned a lot of respect. I have
quite the fan following. Everyone likes the
little girl that beats the guys. It's a lot of
fun." Julie's mother, sister, and brother
lead the cheering squad in the stands. Julie
also notes, "My boyfriend loves it. He
races also a little bit but he likes helping
me."
Julie is a
self-described "huge Dale Earnhardt
fan," as evidenced by her car's paint
scheme and number. For luck, she started
carrying a small #3 Earnhardt sticker in her
car. A friend gave her a small Earnhardt car,
which she glued to her dash, but she needed
another "charm" to complete the
lucky 3.
Then a friend
gave her a lug nut from Earnhardt's car. Julie
zip-tied the lug nut to her steering wheel.
Julie declares, "The first night I did
this was the night I won my first main event.
Those three things have been in my car ever
since."
Julie's hopes
for the future include a 2001 Championship
then a move to a higher level. With the
support of family and friends, Julie hopes go
a long way with her talent and drive.
Perceived as "a quiet nice little
girl," Julie notes, "I am really
short, very few people can picture me behind
the wheel of a race car. My dad started
calling me 'Sweetpea' and I used to hate
it." Julie had wanted an
"Intimidating" nickname but now gets
a kick out of the fact that "people are
losing to some little girl called Sweetpea!"
.
Julie Silva is the
May 2001 Driver of the Month in
Distant Thunder the online newsletter of
Thunder Valley Racing. Thunder Valley
Racing is an automobile racing management and
marketing company created to develop women
race car drivers. They believe there is an
untapped market and innovative marketing
strategies that are available to sponsors who
support women race car drivers.
This article is re-printed with permission.
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