January 9, 2005

TIMBERLAKE, NC – Timberlake-based Late Model Stock Car driver, Tracey Chambers, was one of 21 elite female racecar drivers from across the USA, Canada and England selected to attend the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program held in Phoenix, Arizona December 8 through 12. The annual program is designed to provide promising drivers with the necessary tools to prepare them for a successful career in motorsports. Former racecar driver Lyn St. James spearheads the invitation only program. 

Chambers has raced stock cars for six years at Orange County Speedway, and recently at Ace Speedway and Southern National Speedway where she competed as a rookie in NASCAR’s premier weekly racing series in 2004. She also had the honor of receiving a personal invitation to compete in the 2004 Funkmaster Flex Super Series, which was an invitational Late Model Stock Car race televised by Spike TV. Unfortunately, the team was unable to make the trip to Connecticut due to a lack of funding. Chambers plans to eventually move into a touring series with her sites set on racing in the upper echelons of NASCAR.

Lyn St. James, 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, was just the second woman in history to race in the Indy 500 and competed in the event seven times. Fueled by inspiration and limitless motivation, St. James managed to rise through the ranks and eventually became known as the American Woman Racing Icon of the Century. St. James, a testament to the power of determination and positive thinking, created the Lyn St. James Foundation in 1993 with the mission to provide leadership, vision, resources and financial support in order to create an open environment for women’s growth in automotive fields.

The LSJ Driver Development Program is the most comprehensive educational and training program of its kind and is one of the primary activities for the Lyn St. James Foundation. It provides aspiring racecar drivers classroom sessions covering media, sponsor and public relations; physical assessment and recommendations on conditioning; and proven techniques for enhancing mental skills such as focus, concentration and fending off negative thoughts. The program also provided the women try-outs in various racing equipment which included karts, a race-prepared Mustang GT, and a formula type racecar on the Phoenix International Raceway road course. The drivers also had the opportunity to drive a Nextel Cup car on the one-mile Phoenix oval. Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Tim Moser served as the crew chiefs for Chambers, providing her with instruction and feedback on the road course portion of the program.

The 2004 DDP served as the 10-year anniversary since the inception of the program. This year the Foundation received over 50 applications and from those only 21 women were selected. 2004 also marked the program’s inaugural visit to Phoenix International Raceway. Past graduates of the program include Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick and Erin Crocker.

Chambers races for her family owned team, Tech Racing, of Timberlake, NC. In 2005 the team plans to race at Ace Speedway located in Burlington, NC. More information on the Tech Racing can be found at www.techracing.com. Information on the Lyn St. James Foundation and its Driver Development Program is at www.lynstjames.com