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Julie Sylva
Mini Mod Driver
 Meet 17-year-old Julie
Sylva, driver of the #3 NCI-4 Mini Mod from Lakeport, California.
Julie has been around racing her entire life, following in the tire
tracks of her grandfather, uncle, and father. "I always go to the
track; there was hardly a summer Saturday I wasn't there."
Julie expressed an interest in racing, expecting to start in a
go-cart. Julie's grandfather "got a deal" on the NCI-4 mini mod that
he could not pass up. Everyone expected her to run a race or two and
decide it was not for her; she was only 15. Julie changed their
minds on her fourth night out.
"I corrected for
a spin and plowed head-on into the wall ... I have not
corrected for a spin since." Julie's crew of family and friends got the
car to her grandfather's body shop and made it back to the
track just after qualifying. "We started in the back of the
main with no sway bar, three blown shocks, a bent car and a VERY sore
driver. It was the first main event I ever finished on the lead
lap. That's when my dad knew I was a racer."
In her rookie year, Julie finished 4th in
the points, also winning the open race at the
end of the year. The first night out in her second season, Julie
set a track record. Julie reset the record by 3/10 of a second
later that year. She finished third in the points
in her second season. Her track record at Lakeport Speedway is still standing,
and she has seven main event wins
overall.
Julie has not attended an "official" driving school, learning
lessons on the track. "There was one guy who didn't much like being
beat by a girl. He took me to the wall more than once." At a later
event, Julie beat this competitor to the finish by only six inches,
one of her most rewarding moments. "It was really exciting. It was a
clean race, and I won just by racing my heart out."
Julie states she has "earned a lot of respect. I have quite the
fan following. Everyone likes the little girl that beats the guys.
It's a lot of fun." Julie's mother, sister, and brother lead the
cheering squad in the stands. Julie also notes, "My boyfriend loves
it. He races also a little bit but he likes helping me."
Julie is a self-described "huge Dale Earnhardt fan," as evidenced
by her car's paint scheme and number. For luck, she started carrying
a small #3 Earnhardt sticker in her car. A friend gave her a small
Earnhardt car, which she glued to her dash, but she needed another
"charm" to complete the lucky 3.
Then a friend gave her a lug nut from Earnhardt's car. Julie
zip-tied the lug nut to her steering wheel. Julie declares, "The
first night I did this was the night I won my first main event.
Those three things have been in my car ever since."
Julie's hopes for the future include a 2001 Championship then a
move to a higher level. With the support of family and friends,
Julie hopes go a long way with her talent and drive. Perceived as "a
quiet nice little girl," Julie notes, "I am really short, very few
people can picture me behind the wheel of a race car. My dad started
calling me 'Sweetpea' and I used to hate it." Julie had wanted an
"Intimidating" nickname but now gets a kick out of the fact that
"people are losing to some little girl called Sweetpea!" .
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