A Summerland racing driver is gearing up for the Daytona 200 stock car race next month.
“Racing has been my dream and my passion as long as I can remember,” said Sarah Cornett-Ching, 23.
The race will take place on Feb. 14 at the 3.2-kilometre Daytona track in Florida, a track with a long history in auto racing.
“There’s a whole energy to the place,” she said.
Cornett-Ching said she enjoys the competition of racing.
“I take my racing seriously and I am a proven winner on the track. I also have a lot of fun.”
She has been racing since she was 12 and would like to race in the top level of Nascar in the future.
She hopes to achieve this goal within the next four to five years
Nascar, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, is the largest sanctioning body for stock car racing in the U.S.
The organization sanctions more than 1,500 races at more than 100 tracks in the U.S. and Canada.
In 2011, Cornett-Ching raced in the Nascar Canadian Tire Series, representing A and W’s Cruise for a Cure in Vernon.
At that event, she was anticipating a top 10 finish until she had a blown tire with just 10 laps left. She finished in 14th place.
“My hopes were high to get another opportunity in the series, but the funding never materialized,” she said.
The race in February is the second time Cornett-Ching has had the chance to race at the Daytona track.
In 2013, she was given the opportunity to race at the track, but could not compete because she did not have the necessary funding.
To raise money for the event, she spent the past year working in Saskatchewan and now in Dawson Creek, B.C.
In addition, a donation page has been set up online at gofundme.com/SarahatDaytona.
The online fundraising goal is $16,200, of which $2,505 has been raised.
