Packard Scores First Career Late Model Win
16-Year-Old Vermont Driver Becomes First Woman To Win At Canaan
CANAAN, N.H. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., became the first woman to win a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature event at Canaan Fair Speedway when she scored the overall victory in Twin 25-lap Late Model features at the track in Canaan, N.H., on Saturday, June 1.
Packard posted finishes of third and fifth, respectively, to earn the overall win in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I event. It was her first career victory in a Late Model race.
“It really means a lot to me, because I know people are so excited about this,” Packard said. “Heck, I’m excited about it.”
Packard started sixth in the first 25-lap race and finished third. After some adjustments to a loose-handling No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet, she started 14th in the second main. She quickly worked her way up into the Top-5 and was content to ride there as the cautions continued mounting.
Despite not being credited with a first-place finish in either of the individual races, Packard said the overall win was gratifying.
“The thing is, we strategized for this,” Packard said. “You know that in a 25-lap race, when you’re starting 14th, you know you’re going to have to make smart moves to get to the front. They kept having restarts late in the race, and it was like we’d lose all the headway we’d make every time. If I had wanted to push it, I probably could have easily gotten in the Top-3.
“At that point – I’m watching some of the other (contenders) keep getting caught up in stuff, so it’s like, ‘Let’s just take the finish, get the win, and leave it at that.’ Some people would say its not a real win, but I think it is. The team worked really hard and we got the car good, and it feels like a win. I’ll take it.”
Packard was the Canaan Fair Speedway Rookie of the Year in 2012, and she had a Street Stock win on her resume from Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., last season. Her previous best finish in a Late Model was second, which she recorded twice in weekly competition last season at Canaan.