These two sisters are driven to succeed on the race track

The Sault’s Kayleigh and Madison Tucker are passionate about auto racing.

Kayleigh, 19, recently finished her second season of racing while sister Madison, 17, has completed her first season on the track.

The two race at Laird Raceway every Thursday for eight weeks starting in late June until late August. Kayleigh has also competed at Kinross Raceway Park in Michigan.

“It’s different. It’s something I never thought I’d pick up as a hobby but the adrenaline rush is just unexplainable,” Kayleigh said in an interview with SooToday.

“Every time I get out on that track I can feel my heart beating fast while I’m waiting to start. The racing community is great too. I’ve never felt that well-connected with a sports community in a long time. If you need something your pit neighbour will lend it to you. Everyone’s supportive. Everyone’s there to have a good time.”

“I like the excitement of it,” Madison said.

“I like the competition and I’ve always been very driven to be the best. It’s fun having that freedom to just go and compete by yourself against other people and having a chance to win something. It’s not super easy. It can be hard but it’s fun. Overall, I like the excitement of it, the thrill of it.”

Kayleigh is a Korah Collegiate graduate currently in her second year of Sault College’s Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant program.

Madison is a Korah Collegiate Grade 12 student.

Their father — Dale Tucker — is an information technology consultant and also an auto racer, the three family members known on the local auto racing scene as Mother Tucker Racing.

“My boyfriend Anthony Mannarino led my dad into auto racing and he took it from there. He was an inspiration,” Kayleigh said.

From there, Dale encouraged his daughters to get involved in the sport.

“Our dad supports us 100 per cent with whatever we want to do,” Kayleigh said.

“Our dad is a pretty amazing guy. He gives us as many opportunities as possible and he pretty much lets us try whatever we want. He started racing and then he asked us if we would be interested and it went from there,” Madison said. 

Though new to the sport, the Tucker ladies have experienced success on the track.

“I had my first heat win this year at Laird. I held my own throughout all the races and I placed fifth in points out of 24 drivers in the four cylinder division,” Kayleigh said.

“In my first season I ended the year in third place out of a lot of really good drivers. There are more than 20 of us in my division. To be as steady as I was for my first season, holding at around fourth place for the whole season, was really great,” Madison said.

The two named Kevin Harvick and Hailie Deegan as drivers in the professional auto racing world who have inspired them.

Kayleigh drives a Dodge Neon, Madison a Nissan Maxima, both vehicles converted by father Dale for auto racing.

The conversion process is a big one, the cars requiring constant and dedicated maintenance.

“You’ve got to strip the car down first and get rid of all the interior things you don’t need. You just need the shell, the roll cage, the race seat, rims and tires that are different from your normal daily vehicle and other adjustments to the car,” Kayleigh said.

“To take a regular car and convert it for racing you’re probably looking at 100 to 150 hours of effort,” Dale said.

Auto racing isn't an easy endeavour, so the two sisters have also experienced setbacks on the track.

“There was a 100-lap race we had this year and I got kind of squished by other cars. I lost my steering and didn’t have any motion to the car. It got stuck. I rolled into the top corner of the track and watched other cars go by for 50 laps,” Madison said.

“In my first year I had my first big wreck. It took my front end right out and I got towed out. The same thing happened this year. I got pushed up onto the dirt, dove back on to the track and ended up facing the guard rail and the front end was smashed again,” Kayleigh said.

Regardless, those setbacks have not discouraged them. Kayleigh and Madison love the thrill of the sport despite its sometimes-disappointing moments and dangers.

“I feel extremely safe in my car. I’ve got a harness, my helmet, the roll cage, the fire extinguisher is in there, the net’s at the window. I feel safe. There is risk obviously, just like in anything else, but I feel comfortable with my car. It takes confidence. You cannot go out there without confidence,” Kayleigh said.

Both women feel that racing has been beneficial to their lives.

“I think racing has helped me carry many qualities into my everyday life. It’s hard work and dedication. We work on our cars all the time. One of the big things I’ve really taken into my life is based on something we say and that’s ‘you’re not going to win the race on the first lap.’ You have to be patient and smart and take your time and you’ll get there, and that transfers to life,” Kayleigh said.

Though Kayleigh is currently a college student with Madison also planning to graduate from Korah Collegiate before beginning her own postsecondary education, the two said they do consider going into auto racing on a professional basis.

“I’ll go as far as I possibly can. I really enjoy it. If I get that good it might be an option,” Madison said.

“If the opportunity presents itself and the financial backing is there, why not? It’s something I enjoy doing,” Kayleigh said.

“I’d love to see them progress and I’d support them if that’s where they want to go with it,” father Dale said.

Financial backing is needed for drivers to progress into the professional racing world, Kayleigh and Madison both expressing their gratitude for the backing they have already received from local businesses.

“They have perseverance. They work hard off the track. People see the couple of hours they race on the track but these girls work on these cars, welding, fabricating and learning skills.They’re great ambassadors for the sport,” Dale said.

Kayleigh and Madison are proud to be female racers in a male-dominated sport.

Locally, they are two of approximately five females in a field of about 70 racers.

“It’s definitely nice to show other young women that you can do anything you want to,” Kayleigh said.

More information and updates on Kayleigh, Madison and Mother Tucker Racing can be found on the team’s social media page.