SBRS: Ashley Freiberg Millville event summary

ASHLEY FREIBERG MAKES MORE HISTORY SUNDAY; BECOMES FIRST FEMALE TO WIN BARBER NATIONAL RACE
Teenager Continues Impressive Season with Record Run in NJ

MILLVILLE, N.J. (July 19, 2010) -- Ashley Freiberg made some more racing history Sunday in the Skip Barber competition at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Freiberg (pronounced FRY-BERG) became the first female driver to win a BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Series powered by Mazda main event with an exciting victory on the 2.17-mile Thunderbolt circuit during the Grand-Am weekend at the southern New Jersey racing facility.

The 18-year-old driver from Homer Glen, Ill., earlier in the year made Barber Series history when she was the first women to capture a series championship, winning the Southern Regional title this winter.

Freiberg had been close to taking her first Barber national race win this year when she took second at Virginia International Raceway in May. But a female had yet to win a Barber national event until Sunday.

Ashley, starting sixth on the grid in her AkzoNobel car, battled wheel-to-wheel with Spencer Pigot, Felix Serralles and Isaac Lyons for the lead in the 15-lap feature before Freiberg made history with a .007-second victory.

"It was a pretty wild drafting contest," said a happy Freiberg after the race. "I wasn't sure if I could get to the lead pack late in the race. But things unfolded with me drafting the leaders on the last lap. I slid to the outside and got the right draft at the right time. It is exciting to win my first Barber national race and make some history."

Freiberg enjoyed two appearances on the Barber victory podium on Saturday and Sunday in New Jersey. In the Saturday feature, Freiberg settled for a close (.05-seconds) third place to Serralles and Pigot.

"On Saturday, I thought I had a better chance to win," said Freiberg, now moving into position to challenge for the series title. "I qualified second and led for a number of laps. But I just missed on my timing for the draft. It was close but I had to take third. Our racing in the Barber series has been super close and very exciting."

Freiberg, who also is battling for the Barber Summer Series regional championship, will move to the Star Mazda Series action on July 31-August 1 at the Autobahn in Joliet, Ill. Freiberg is the first woman to compete in the Star Mazda Series when he made her debut last year at the Autobahn.

"I am very exciting to return to the Star Mazda Series," admitted Freiberg. "I have wanted to race with those cars again. After racing in the Barber national series this year, I hope to gain enough sponsorship to jump to Star Mazda in 2011. But this next race is big for me. I want to show that I belong at the next racing level. Winning on Sunday was a great thrill. Now I want to do it again."

-source: Ashley Freiberg PR/tb