BOONE, Iowa — When Kelsie Foley takes the green flag to start the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway on Sept. 11, she’ll make history.
Foley, a 23-year-old racer from Arizona and the defending modified track champion at Central Arizona Speedway, is the first female competitor to be selected to compete in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational for IMCA modified drivers.
The field for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational is determined via a unique combination of on-track accomplishments and a fan vote. After qualifying for the race by claiming the IMCA Arizona State modified championship in 2019, Foley was among the top fan vote recipients, which earned her a spot in the event.
“It takes a lot for me to be proud of myself. I’ve accomplished a lot in racing and I know that, but I’m probably my own biggest critic,” said Foley, who is the second female driver in IMCA history to win a modified state championship. “I’ve never really been proud of anything I’ve accomplished until this. This is the one thing that has been my goal for probably three years now. I wanted to make the All-Star Race.
“Usually the girl thing doesn’t really get to me either, because I feel like a lot of the things that I accomplish are average accomplishments,” she continued. “The fact that I’m a girl doesn’t make it any more average, you know? For some reason this accomplishment, being the first girl, is actually hitting me kind of hard.”
It’s been a busy summer for Foley as she prepares to take on the challenge of competing at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, the biggest event of the season for IMCA competitors.
Earlier this year she lost her job as a server at Texas Roadhouse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While most would have looked at that as a negative, Foley found the positive in the situation. She packed up her things, loaded up her modified and barnstormed her way across the Midwest.
“This year I wanted to travel a lot. I didn’t really know what that was going to entail. I just knew I wanted to travel,” Foley said. “The coronavirus hit Arizona and I got laid off from my job. All the race tracks closed. There was really nothing for me going on in Arizona.
“My sponsors were awesome enough to approach me and tell me, ‘Hey, why don’t we let this be your best summer ever?’”
So with the support of her sponsors and by dipping into her carefully managed savings, Foley hit the road. Since then she says she’s raced in eight different states, hitting as many race tracks as she could along the way.
The wildest part? Minus a little help from her boyfriend, fellow racer Tanner Black, she’s doing everything herself.
“The whole summer I’ve actually been completely by myself. I don’t have any crew or anything. I’m doing it all by myself,” Foley said. “My boyfriend, I’ve been staying at his house in Kansas. So if there is any really difficult things that I haven’t learned yet, he’ll help me with that kind of stuff. Other than that, I just try to be as prepared as possible the week of before I go racing.
“My tires are already done for the whole week. Wheels are already changed. So whatever I need to do at the races should just be minimal maintenance that would be nightly anyway.”
With several hundred cars expected across six divisions, the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s is among the most challenging events in grassroots racing. Foley said her goal is to at least advance to a preliminary qualifying race for the Sunday finale, which she accomplished last season.
She admits that will be incredibly difficult given the sheer amount of competition she’ll face.
“I’ve taken three weeks off in preparation for Super Nationals to go through the car and get everything back to standard,” Foley said. “I’d like to make at least one qualifier again. I made one last year, but I didn’t run well in it.
“Obviously, a huge goal would be to make the show. If I actually make the show at Super Nationals, I’d be ecstatic.”
Even if she doesn’t make the Sunday night modified finale, she still has the satisfaction of knowing she’ll make history in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. No one can take that away from her.
“It’s such an honor for anybody to make it in,” Foley said. “I think that’s what makes me feel so honored, too. It’s not an everyday accomplishment. It’d be a huge accomplishment, whether you were a guy or a girl.”
All six nights of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s on Sept. 7-12 will be broadcast live via SPEED SPORT TV affiliate IMCA.TV.