Natalie Fenaroli, 13 years old, Raymore, MO, go kart racer. Natalie is one of the dominant go kart racers in the Midwest. Her first experience in a go kart was at 4 yrs old and she has excelled ever since then. She has competed in 82 races since 2000. Her first race was when she was 5 years and 6 days old.

Brandie Jass, 15, Bryan, TX, mini sprint racer. Brandie is from Bryan Texas, and has been racing for several years at different levels. She can really handle a car. She is an up and comer in the sport, look for her to move up quickly.

Kristy Knoll, 13, Amherst, NY, go kart racer.

Megan Reitenour, 17, Miamisburg, OH, stock car racer. Megan is a 16-year-old, third-generation racer.

Racing first grabbed her interest at the age of two when she used to “race” in her pink Barbie Corvette.  Her Dad placed pillows behind and underneath Megan, so she could reach the pedals of the car. At age four, she advanced to a Quad Runner, and eventually to a Quarter Midget at age five.

She stayed in the Quarter Midget Series for seven years, and was able to obtain three consecutive track championships and over 150 top-three feature finishes. She spent two years in the Bandolero Series, where she won the 2004/2005 Bandolero State Championship, the Great Lakes Nationals in Flint, Michigan, and the Buckeye Nationals in Xenia , Ohio .

In 2006, she graduated to the Legend Series, where Megan finished in the top-ten in 24 out of the 26 races that she raced. In addition, she won the 2006 Young Lions State of Ohio Championship, ranking in the top 20% in the nation of the Semi-Pro Division.

Megan stepped into the Super Cup Stock Car Series and the ARCA Lincoln Welder Truck Series in 2007. 2008 will mark the first year that she will participate as a development driver for Nesbitt Racing Enterprises, Inc. Also in 2008, Megan will participate in the ARCA Lincoln Welder Truck Series.

“I have quite a few racing heroes, but I will list just a few,” said Megan in an interview with AskPatty.com earlier this year.  “I would have to say my top three racing heroes are Lyn St. James, for what she accomplished in racing and for what she does for women and racers in general. I think sometimes it is hard to find people that are working in the best interest of racers.

“Lyn is definitely an exception to the rule. She truly cares about females and makes great strides in trying to help us.”

Miranda Throckmorton, 16, Coatesville, Indiana, sprint car racer. Miranda  is a high school student but she is not your typical teenager. The Indiana native has been racing since she was 4-1/2 years old when she began running ¼ midgets.

In addition to her studies at Avalon High School just outside of Indianapolis, Miranda works out four times a week with PitFit Training as well as being responsible for all the maintenance and upkeep for her racecars; which includes how to including changing oil and filters, cleaning nozels, mounting tires, setting the valves and other routine maintenance to keep the car in top racing shape.

She has worked at Snyder Enterprise, a local company, tearing down motors, tearing down and rebuilding heads, putting motors on and off both Dynos and cars, and building race engines and Dynos. She has also fabricated the chassis for ¼ midgets and 600 micro-midgets. She was also the inspiration behind a new video game developed by 321 Development, featuring Miranda's car, Red Number 22. The new Bandit Sprint Cars game is available at R Factor Central.

Each driver was required to submit an application that includes her driving qualifications, race resume, sponsor information, a written essay on her goals and plans, and what the funding will be used for. Project Podium is a matching funds program focused on young women drivers who have demonstrated talent, hard work and perseverance, and who have generated sponsorship dollars to be matched by Project Podium.

In addition to St. James, the grant review committee consisted of: Vicki O'Connor, managing director of the Atlantic Championship; Linda Conti, financial advisor at David A. Noyes & Co.; Amy Rosewater, sports writer; and Erin Crocker, NASCAR driver & Women in the Winner's Circle Driver Academy graduate.

Current Project Podium partners are:  Newman's Own, Grand-Am, NASCAR Foundation, NHRA, Indy Racing League/Firestone Indy Lights, Atlantic Championship, Mazda USA, Toyota, VW, Rolex, and Mike Helton. 

About Project Podium:
Project Podium is the newest program of Women in the Winners Circle Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports and helps develop up-and-coming women drivers. Project Podium is a matching-funds grant program designed to empower promising young female race car drivers and help them further their early professional careers. Companies and individuals interested in becoming a Project Podium partner, and women drivers interested in applying for the 2009 grant cycle can obtain information by logging on to www.lynstjames.com.

About Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation:
A strong advocate for women in the motorsports industry, particularly women who aspire to the professional level in racing, Lyn St. James established the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation in 1994, is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to professional development for talented, up-and-coming young women race car drivers.

The Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation currently conducts two primary programs: Project Podium and the Women in the Winner's Circle Academy: The Complete Driver, established in 1994. The Academy has become the most comprehensive educational and training program of its kind for talented and gifted women motorsports drivers. Since its inception, more than 230 women drivers, including Danica Patrick, Erin Crocker, Melanie Troxel and Sarah Fisher, have participated in this invitation-only Academy. More information about the Women's in the Winner's Circle Foundation and the Driver Development Academy can be found at www.lynstjames.com.



by Linda Przygodski
Contributing Editor
AskPatty.com