Speed Freak, Cassie Gannis
Track Star Cassie Sets Her Sights On Racing Glory.No cracks about women drivers, please. Cassie Gannis has heard it all before, and she’s got better things to do than get drawn into silly arguments about the battle of the sexes.
“I want to be the first woman to win NASCAR,” says the 16-year-old Desert Vista junior. “That’s what I’m shooting for.”
She just might do it, too. Inspired by her father’s racing experiences, Cassie began racing at the age of 10. She was the 2005 Arizona state champion in the Bandolero Series and 2005 Legend Series Rookie of the Year, and she currently races in NASCAR Super Late Model Series.
Cassie has attended the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program, where she took instruction from female racing legend and 1991 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Lyn St. James, and was selected to be the guest speaker at the fifth annual Women in the Winner’s Circle Celebration Luncheon Honoring Women in Motorsports.
At the luncheon, Cassie met professional women drivers such as Sarah Fischer, Janet Gunthrie and Scottsdale resident Danica Patrick, all of whom gave her the same advice: “Don’t let a guy say you can’t do something.”
It’s not just sexism that Cassie has had to overcome. In 2006 she took eight months off from racing to get surgery to correct scoliosis in her spine, but now feels like she is completely healed and doing better than ever. When she’s not racing, Cassie maintains a 3.5 GPA and enjoys hanging out with friends and doing decidedly girly things such as getting pedicures.
Then it’s back to the track and all that goes along with it --- changing her oil, keeping the engine running well enough to dominate her opponents and seeking out sponsors. Currently, her backers include Hooters of Arizona, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, American Home Loans, Gat Racing, C and M Racing, BOSS Racing and Flash Automotive Repair. She also works with Racing for The Missing, in which a driver features a missing person on the hood of his or her car.
Cassie’s next goals include racing tours on both the East and West Coasts.
“I want to break into NASCAR at 19,” she says. “That’s where I need to be.”
Credits:
Photo: Ryan J. Cook
Hair: Gregory Patterson from Atmosphere Salon
Make-up: JMJ Cook
Stylist: JMJ Cook
Editor's Note:
Article originally appeared in the
January/February 2008 Issue of azTeen Magazine.
This article has been viewed 1777 times.
