Shannon McIntosh – 2011 USF2000 National Championship
Despite being only 30, Shannon McIntosh debuted just a few years ago. McIntosh has already managed to acquire herself a few notable victories. Her two best finishes were both in the eighth place: one in the 2011 USF2000 National Championship and another one in the same series. She recently joined the popular Shark Tank billionaire, Mark Cuban, to help him with his new app, Cyber Dust.
Outside of racing, McIntosh regularly writes for eBay Motors Blog and was lately been named “Someone to Watch” and a racing Up and Comer by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. We’re surely looking to see more of what this gifted and dedicated driver does with her career, both in terms of racing and in her business endeavors.
Tina Gordon - NASCAR All-Prof Series Contender
It seems to be a reoccurring theme with female racing drivers leaving high-paying, respectable jobs in-order to become ferocious race car drivers. Tina Gordon (who is not related to legendary NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Robby Gordon), left her successful position as an insurance agency owner to pursue racing. She sold the business, made a lot of money and the rest is history.
Despite her past success, this was a completely different arena for the new racing driver, as she had to build her way up from scratch. Just one year after joining NASCAR, she managed to finish in 20th place in the NASCAR All-Prof Series. The racer has made 16 starts so far and even finished in the top ten once.
Diane Teel - NASCAR pioneer
Diane Teel began her career as a school bus driver before moving into the NASCAR racing scene. In 1977, after being the courier for another race car driver she decided to take the driver's seat. In her career, she raced eleven times in the series with two top-ten finishes. Teel is known as a female NASCAR pioneer and has helped make women feel a lot more accepted in the racing arena.
Diane Teel’s granddaughter, Macy Causey, is also an amateur female racing today. Teel's legacy is impressive, and in 2015 her racing equipment was put on display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina. Teel retired in 1986 after racing in the Hampton 200.
Tia Norfleet - Drag Race Queen
Shauntia Latrice "Tia" Norfleet is one of America's leading African-American race car drivers. As the daughter of former NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet, she had already revealed an interest in the racing profession from the age of seven. Tia has said that she began competing in kart racing events at age 14. Naturally, by 24 she was already racing in entry-level Bandolero competitions.
After that, Norfleet became the world's first African-American driver to obtain a NASCAR racing license. With all that said, there have been some questionable things throughout her career. According to a 2013 article in the New York Times, Norfleet has several discrepancies in her claims. First, Tia never actually raced in NASCAR.
Paige Decker - Rookie of The Year
Sister of Claire Decker, Paige, also joined NASCAR at about the same time. Decker was named as a NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver in 2014. Previously she became the first woman and rookie to win the TUNDRA Super Late Model Tour at the Golden Sands Speedway event. Although she did a bit better than her sister at the whole NASCAR experience, her time in the sport was also brief and ended in the same year as well.
The two sisters were joined by their cousin, Natalie Decker, who also succeeded to get into the NASCAR races through their Drive for Diversity program. unfortunately for Paige, Natalie was the strongest one of the three family members and is racing to this day.