Female Race Car Drivers On Board With Race4Girls

LEES SUMMIT, MO, July 10, 2011 (Press-News.org) Continued frustration with lack of funding has prompted several female race car drivers to register with the recently formed organization, Race4Girls, in an effort to gain much needed financial support. Race4Girls has a goal of raising $5,000,000 to distribute to these drivers to pay for better equipment.

Drivers involved with the organization must be racing in 2011 or have serious intent to race in 2012. Current participants are: Jennifer Jo Cobb, NASCAR Nationwide Series; Sunny Hobbs, NASA and Whelen All- American Series; Shea Holbrook, Pirelli World Challenge; Lara Tallman, Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge Series; and Megan Reitenour, ARCA (2012). Race4Girls intends to have 15 qualified drivers registered with the organization by August 31, 2011.

"The formula is simple," states Tracey Passantino, founder of Race4Girls. "If one half of one percent of the race fans in the U.S. makes a five dollar contribution, we will be able to provide funding for better equipment for 150 races or more." One-hundred percent of the money contributed by fans will go directly to the drivers who are registered with Race4Girls in the form of grants. Each time a grant is awarded, @Race4Girls will Tweet about it and the same information will be posted to the Race4Girls Facebook fan page so fans can see how they are making a difference.

Contributions can be made at http://www.race4girls.com. The organization requests a minimum five dollar donation. The contributions go in to a general fund from which drivers can request a grant. Registered drivers are required to earn points and "qualify" for a grant and can receive multiple grants during the racing season.

Before the end of the year, Race4Girls will launch a fan club, offer opportunities for fans to meet drivers and possibly even win trips to various racing events around the country. "Fans are the fuel for this organization and we are committed to rewarding them for their generous support of our registered drivers," said Passantino. "We've had a lot of positive feedback from men and women alike supporting more equality in racing between the top teams and women trying to come up in the sport."

Race4Girls.com is the first website which offers speed enthusiasts a common place to show their financial support for women racecar drivers. Many drivers have offered fans an opportunity to help support a "fan car" but no organization has attempted to raise funds from fans to support a larger group of female drivers. More details about Race4Girls and registered drivers can be found at http://www.race4girls.com.