From Dick Jordan
It’s been 32 years since a female driver competed in USAC’s TRAXXAS Silver Crown Series at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. That could change on Thursday night, May 23 when the Hoosier Hundred unfolds at the one-mile dirt Indianapolis oval on its new date.
This year two female drivers are expected to compete in the 100-mile race which switches from its traditional Friday date to Thursday prior to the Indianapolis 500.
Taylor Ferns of Shelby Township, Mich. and Miranda Throckmorton of Avon, Ind. are targeting the Hoosier Hundred for their series dirt-track debuts. The race would be Throckmorton’s first Silver Crown race ever while Ferns competed in three pavement Silver Crown events last year.
Ferns’ eight USAC feature wins top the 24 females who have visited USAC victory lanes through the years and in 2011 she scored a rare USAC driving championship in the D1 Midget Series. The 17-year-old will pilot a car fielded by her father Jim.
Throckmorton is entered in a car fielded by Eddie Sachs Racing and in 2007 she became the first female to post a Sprint race victory in Indiana in a non-USAC-sanctioned race at Paragon Speedway. An 11-year racing veteran, she finished fifth in USAC’s Kenyon Midget Series in 2005.
“I’m looking forward to teaming up with Six-R for this race,” says Ferns, who has done a fair amount of dirt racing. “The Silver Crown car will provide a new challenge for me but with the car and team I have we should have a great shot at a top finish. The race has a fantastic tradition and it’ll be an honor to now be a part of it”
“I’m excited to get my first laps in a Silver Crown car and it’ll be my first trip on a mile race track,” says Throckmorton, who got a taste of the track Wednesday when she rode in the two-seat car piloted by Jack Hewitt. “I picked up a few pointers from Jack,” she admits. “I’ve always looked up to him, ever since he actually provided my first baby bed. It’ll certainly be a learning experience and I just hope to give Eddie (Sachs) and the team a respectable showing.”
The only previous female driver in series history at the Indiana State Fairgrounds was Washington state sprint car driver Cheryl Glass, who participated in the 1982 Hulman Hundred but lasted just nine laps before mechanical woes sent her to the sideline.