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Local girl making strides on the track

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Though Marcia Bristol, 18, is a well-known driver in the area intent on moving up in the world of auto racing and a sophomore at Georgia Military College, she is quick to remind you that she has her “girly girl” moments. Bristol, a 2004 graduate of Northgate High School, was also a cheerleader and a softball player in high school but found acceptance rather quickly since her racing days began in a male dominated sport.

“It took a little while for the guys to get used to a girl driving,” admitted Bristol, who started her racing career in the Bandolero Young Guns division at Senoia Speedway in 2001. “But I was there every week and I learned a lot from them, especially the guys that raced in the same series as my father.” Bristol ended the season in fourth place in the division and would get her first win at the track the following year. In 2003, she raced in the Thursday Thunder series at Atlanta Motor Speedway, placing fourth in the Outlaw division. She also raced in an off-season race there and picked up a win, while also picking up a division championship at the 2004 Orlando Winter National Outlaw race and earning feature wins at Senoia, Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele and Orlando Speedway in Bithlo, Fla.

In 2004, Bristol also received her best racing memory when she got the opportunity to compete at the world’s fastest half-mile at Bristol Motor Speedway in July of 2004.

This year, Bristol began racing in the Iceman Late Model Division. She drives a Ford Taurus that her father used to race, which often hits speeds between 85 and 95 miles per hour. Bristol made her debut in the series on Aug. 13 and elected to start at the rear of the field, in ninth place, to give her the experience of moving up through the field. Despite clutch problems during the race, bristol earned a fifth place finish and is looking forward to the next Iceman Late Model feature at Senoia Speedway on Sept. 24.

Bristol admitted the transition from bandolero has been challenging and she has done more strength and conditioning work to handle a car that is bigger, faster and heavier. She is a racer through and through tough, declaring that the adrenaline rush is one of the attractions to the sport.

“I enjoy being in control of something that seems uncontrollable,” said Bristol, who has only faced one serious crash in her career. In her first year of racing, there was a 15 car pile-up at the start of a race in Senoia and she got the worst of it, hitting the side wall fairly hard. She was able to get her car back on the track that night and earn a 10th place finish.

Currently sponsored by Bristol Boiler and Welding Co., Inc., Mid-Mechanical, Peach State Boiler, R&R Equipment Repair and Po’ Boys Golf Carts and driving the 54 car, Bristol is hoping to move up to the Georgia Asphalt Series in the next year or so. She hopes to continue moving up to higher levels of racing but is just concerned with getting her feet wet and learning as much as she can.

For more information on the racing schedule at Senoia Speedway, visit www.senoiaspeedway.com.