Fw: Stevens makes USAC history with Earl's Fast Qualifier title

>
> October 5, 2005
>
> PHILLIPSBURG, NJ-- In her first full season of competition in the USAC
> Northeast Ford Focus midget car series, Stephanie Stevens of Phillipsburg,
> NJ, made USAC History by becoming the first female to earn a title in the
> Earl's Fast Qualifier (FQ) Championship.
>
> During the 2005 Northeast Ford Focus season, Stephanie collected five heat
> wins, runner-up finishes at Seekonk and Adirondack Speedways and five
> top-5's in 9 races.
>
> Stephanie finished the season ranked fourth in the final USAC Northeast 
> Ford
> Focus Series standings and edged Nick Wean by a single point to win the 
> 2005
> Earl's FQ title.
>
> "Our team is happy with the results of our first year in the USAC 
> Northeast
> Ford Focus midget car series," said Stephanie. "It is a great honor to be
> the first female to win the Earl's Fast Qualifier award and that is a
> testament to our crew and their hard work in learning tracks that we had 
> not
> raced on in the past."
>
> Each Ford Focus FQ champs will each receive $1,000 which will be awarded 
> at
> the USAC's Champions Night ceremonies in Indianapolis.
>
> "We are looking forward to next season and we would like to thank our
> family, friends, crew and especially our sponsors for their support this
> season. We will chase the USAC Northeast Ford Focus midget car series 
> title
> in 2006 with a new asphalt chassis while participating in some of the 
> races
> in newly formed Mid-Atlantic region," added Stevens.
>
> The 21-year old senior mechanical engineering major at Messiah College is 
> in
> her 12th year of racing having started in 1994. Stephanie participated in
> the 2004 Lyn St. James Foundation Driver Development program.
>
> Final 2005 Earl's Fast Qualifying Northeast Ford Focus Standings:
> 1-Stephanie Stevens-37; 2-Nick Wean-36; 3-Jeff Abold-32; 4-Brit 
> Andersen-25;
> 5-Ryan Smith-20.
>