Michelle Theriault, Driver No. 37 Glock Chevrolet    NASCAR Busch Series East

Time: Preseason 2007
Place: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.
Event: ARCA Testing

It doesn't take many answers from Michelle Theriault to realize that intelligence is one of attributes that accompanies her efforts to succeed on the racetrack dominated by male opponents. She'll need smarts to be competitive but her upbeat attitude boosts her skills bank as she tries to have an impact in motorsports. Having Glock firearms company as her sponsor supersedes another outdated female role as domestic and passive members of our society.

Theriault readily admits to not knowing much about firearms before Glock sponsored her car, but since she has been safely trained and become fully proficient with Glock products.

Track results and hurdled learning curves might predict the future for Theriault as she steadily pursues her goals.

"It's very exhilarating when there are about 30 cars on your tail and you've got to go into the turn and hope you come out."

Dwight asked Michelle Theriault:

You're moving up in 2007, right?
"Yeah. We're going to run a partial schedule in ARCA, probably 7 to 9 races and then we're going to run the full NASCAR Busch East Series as well. We decided the sponsor is ready to move to NASCAR and get me the bigger checks and of course ARCA will provide me with experience at a little cheaper price. We wanted to dedicate to one series and work for a championship and we wanted to get some experience at some bigger tracks."

What's the horizon look like for Michelle Theriault?
"For me to have a sponsor come onboard two years in a row it's a dream come true. We are really forward to this year and we'll take one race at a time, but I really think we have a good chance to get some top fives and top tens. I'm thrilled to be at Daytona. It's something I've always dreamed about. My hero. This is where he raced and won all those races. For me just to be at Daytona in a race car is amazing. For me to do better would be icing on the cake."

Focus is important. Did you bring that with you or did you? Is there a secret to focusing?
"I think you've got to learn to be focused, but everything is a learned experience. You get better and better and you learn to block out more things. Coming here I thought of my hero who had been killed here. I learned to block that out or you'll never be fast because that's all you think about. You just have to train your mind and the older you get the more mature you get. I think it's a little bit easier with time."

Not everybody can do what you do. Do you know why you can race?
"You know I started when I was five-years-old and I actually love it more and more as the years go on."

Not all fans can understand what it's like going into a high-speed turn. Can you describe it for them? "Basically it's a biggie. It's just an adrenaline rush. There is really nothing I can use to describe it and that's why I love racing. I can't describe how it feels. It's very exhilarating when there are about 30 cars on your tail and you've got to go into the turn and hope you come out."

We've discovered that good race car drivers are a lot smarter than the average fan might realize. Do you have a comment on that? "A lot of people think good-old-rednecks get to race cars. Twenty years ago, maybe it was like that. I was well educated and I've had a lot of corporate sponsors who are looking for are not only good on the racetrack but can support their business as well. I think a lot of people don't realize how intelligent most of the drivers are these days. It's a business. It's a corporate world now."

Are you planning on going to college?
"Actually I'm going to college and I got my real estate license in North Carolina."

You're articulate. Did you acquire that or bring that along with you? "Well, growing up it wasn't like I said I want to be a race car driver for my career so growing school was really important to my family and basically if I didn't keep a 4.0 in school I couldn't be racing. Needless to say I graduated with a National Honor Society student and got the grades and was still able to race."

You're 19, what's your advice to young people wanting to race in this series?
"I definitely think it's good to start at a young age, because obviously you retain a lot more if you're younger. Repetition is what makes a driver better. I think there is a point when you are too young when you just need more experience to get comfortable. Some of these kids are just young and don't understand. I was fortunate I was always the girl; I just shut up before the guys. Some of these guys are really young and they have a chance to get hurt. I think it's a fine line, but I think it's really good to start at a young age and keep moving up.

"It's persistence and consistency. You've got to stick to your plan. You're going to have a lot more bumps in the road than you're going to have wins. You can just throw out the bad days and run with the good ones to motivate you and you're going to be fine."

Do race car drivers ever stop learning?
"Oh, you'll never stop learning. If you didn't you'd be lying. You're always learning. You'll never be perfect."

Do NASCAR champions and motorsports champions have common traits and abilities, and if so could you identify a few? "To me what makes a better driver is that it's all in your mind. It's one big mind game. The person that tells their brain to keep in the gas that one millisecond farther is going to be faster. What it all boils down to is it's a mind game and you just got to have the guts and trust the car, trust yourself to do it. Whoever has the most trust in their car and their team will come out at the top usually."

Always there is a gender question in waiting for female drivers. You're basically in a man's world and could you comment on that?
"I've been racing for 14 years so for me it's just another day as far as the make and the female gender concerned. It's always going to be trouble with the guys, especially for a Daytona race as far as the draft is concerned. You're worried that might not go with you one being you're a rookie and two being that you are a female. I think you just got to go out there and show you can run with the guys, get the same times they do and I think they'll have to learn to respect you. Let's face it if you're out there with them they are going to have to follow you eventually. My goal is just be successful and I think the rest will come with that."

Is it your ultimate goal to make it to the big leagues?
"Yeah, my ultimate goal would obviously NEXTEL Cup, but if we could just make it and be competitive in the Busch Series I think that would be quite an accomplishment.