During the off-season, it was announced that both Amara Parker and Maddy Herrick, two accomplished weekly champions at the neighboring Oxford Plains Speedway, would be joining the pack at Wiscasset Speedway this season. These talented women join a growing list of females that have tried their hand at Maine’s biggest and fastest speedway.

It all starts from the top, as track owner Vanessa Jordan has been a visionary in leading the speedway to further growth and success for over a decade. It’s not easy for a woman to “make it” in a male-dominated industry, but Vanessa is one of the select few that have helped pave the way for others.

Long before having female competitors in the sport was normalized, drivers like Elaine Grover (Wiscasset Speedway Hall of Fame Inaugural Class) and Marje Albert (Class of 2024) were tearing it up at Wiscasset Speedway. Elaine and Marje, who were well-accomplished and remembered in their respective divisions, were sure to have some influence on girls in the stands with aspirations to be behind the wheel one day.

Taylor Lane, a current driver in the 4-Cylinder Pro division, grew up at Wiscasset Speedway and is now following in the footsteps of her father Shane Lane, who has competed in the Pro Stocks for decades. She started out her racing career at The Pit Stop in Kingfield, which the Jordan family previously owned as well.

In her own words, “To be honest, I have never really thought of little girls in the stands looking up to me, but I’ve met a few girls who have made comments like that and it fills my heart and makes me proud that I am doing something to inspire others.”

Nicole Benincasa, who races in the Super Streets, had a similar upbringing to Taylor Lane as she also got her start in go-karts and took after her father Steve, who formerly raced at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Maddy Herrick will be joining Nicole Benincasa in the Super Streets this season while Amara Parker will be a great addition to the highly competitive Strictly Streets in a Naughty 40 ride. We will also see Chassidy Shorty, Karigan Glasier and Faith Cleaves back at the track this season in the 4-Cylinder Pros, Roadrunners and Modifieds.

The Ladies Acceleration Tour, founded by longtime racer Betty Nelson, will also be returning to Wiscasset Speedway this season twice: July 19 and Oct. 4. The ladies-only touring series offers two competitive classes, 4-Cylinder and 8-Cylinders. In Betty’s own words, “I’ve never been so excited in all my years of racing to watch these amazing women take on different tracks. I’m just beside myself to think this is just our second season and we are still rapidly growing.” She’s excited to take the tour back to Wiscasset Speedway and get up-close and personal with the fans in Victory Lane.

Wiscasset Speedway is proud to welcome a diverse group of drivers and hopes that this will continue to flourish in the future. You can catch some of these talented women at the track on Group 1 Opening Day on Saturday, April 19. The green flag flies at 2 p.m.

For the full track schedule, division rosters and more, please visit http://www.wiscassetspeedway.com.