Minter to attend 'Women in the Winner's Circle' luncheon

Minter to Attend 'Women in the Winner's Circle' Luncheon

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 25) -- Kathryne Minter is taking a couple of days out of her busy racing schedule to accept her invitation to Thursday's Fifth Annual Women in the Winner's Circle Luncheon at legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The annual event is held to help raise funds for the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation (formerly the Lyn St. James Foundation) that was founded by auto racer and motivational speaker Lyn St. James in 1993.

"I'm really excited about going," Kathryne said Wednesday before flying to Indianapolis. "It was awesome attending the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program last year. It'll be good to be around girls who have only been racing a few years like me. It will also be nice to see some of the friends I met during the program. It'll be great to catch up with them and see how they're doing. People have been asking me what I'm doing this week and when I tell them, they're like, 'That's SO cool.' I didn't know that many people knew about it, but it's a really big deal. It's an honor to be invited and have the opportunity to attend this great event."

The Foundation is a non-profit educational organization focusing on worldwide activities and programs for automotive safety and driver development, especially for women who aspire to become racecar drivers. The Foundation remains dedicated to continuing to train, advocate and educate for diversity in racing until "opportunity" and "diversity" are no longer concerns and are taken for granted.

The Foundation has trained more than 230 female racecar drivers from 38 states and three countries through its Driver Development Program and has contributed to Girls, Inc., the Wilbur Shaw Soap Box Derby Hill in Indianapolis, and other charitable organizations. The WWCF has also donated numerous autographed items for various charities throughout the world.

"Today's racing world is more encouraging for female drivers than when we first held this event in 2003," said St. James, 1992 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. "More and more, women are receiving opportunities to prove themselves on the track. And, increasingly, women are rising to higher levels of racing and earning their place on the podium.

"How far we've come in such a short time and how far we still need to go to receive equal opportunities in the field. At the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation, we continue to commit resources to training and mentoring drivers as they are starting their journey and throughout their careers. At the luncheon, we will introduce a new program -- Project Podium -- which will provide significant monetary grants on a matching-fund basis to drivers who are dedicated to succeeding in this challenging industry."

The WWCF relies on the contributions of corporate, sanctioning group and individual sponsors to continue with its important programs to help provide significant support to women who have the passion to succeed in the extremely popular and growing sport of auto racing.

Committed sponsors include NASCAR, USAC, Indy Racing League/Indy Pro Series, NHRA, Champ Car World Series/Atlantic Series, American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Grand-Am, Racing Limos, and National City Bank.

Co-hosting with St. James will be ESPN basketball commentator Nancy Lieberman. Donald Davidson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian, will also be a guest presenter.

More than 40 winning female racers will be introduced, including Minter, IRL racer Sarah Fisher and racing legend Janet Guthrie, along with industry leaders such as Mike Helton (NASCAR), Terry Angstadt (Indy Racing League), Roger Bailey (Indy Pro Series), Vicki O'Connor (Champ Car Atlantic Series).

Minter, who graduated from the WWCF driver development program last year, will be racing to maintain her lead in the American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region Rookie of the Year point standings Friday at Motorama Speedway in Beaumont, TX, and Saturday at 105 Speedway in Cleveland, TX.

More information about Kathryne, including her "Kat's Corner" and "Off-Track With Kathryne" columns, can be found on her website at www.mint13.com. Fans can also check out Kathryne's merchandise and request a free autographed hero card on her site. Kathryne Minter Racing invites fans to visit the team's trailer after the races.

-credit: kmr