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DRIVER
PROFILE - VANNA BRACKETT
June 28, 2008
Born to race: Vanna follows family's
path
to victory lane, championship at Oxford
By Kalle Oakes
OPS Media Services
Vanna Brackett's answers to the line of questioning in Allen's
Coffee Flavored Brandy Ladies victory lane are usually quick and to
the point.
Ask the 21-year-old, third-generation
driver what she likes best about racing at Oxford Plains Speedway,
then, and it's no surprise that you don't get a flowery speech about
the camaraderie and the thrill of competition.
"Winning," she replied.
Hey, it's never a bad idea to talk
about what you know. Since picking up her first feature victory as a
high school student in 2004, Brackett has carried the checkered flag
13 times.
Only Debbie Martin (22) and Stephanie
Bowie (14) have earned more wins since the Ladies division was
resurrected in 1999.
Two of those triumphs have
highlighted the first half of this season, as of Wednesday, June 25.
Then again, winning is what the
Brackett family does.
Vanna'a father, Tim, owns 42 career
victories in three divisions, putting him in the top 15 on the
speedway's all-time list. After more than 25 years of chasing a
track championship, Brackett reached that mountaintop with a Pro
Stock title in 2005.
Brother T.J. has 10 triumphs to his
credit, highlighted by a championship in the Mini Cup ranks.
"I was born into it," Vanna
said of her inspiration to go racing when she turned 16.
Brackett joined the men on the short
list of 10 father-child combinations to win championships at Oxford
in a landslide, needing only to start the final feature of 2007 to
wrap up the title.
She won a career-best five features
along the route.
On the subject of answers that aren't
a surprise, Brackett lists her father as her primary hero in racing.
"He knows a lot," said
Brackett, "and he has accomplished a lot."
Of course, some lessons must be
learned behind the wheel.
Not one to overdrive the #23 and lock
fenders with her competition in the pursuit of victory, Brackett
said she learned that valuable lesson from the beginning.
"When the car is pushing up the
race track, let off the gas," she said. "Don't use the car
outside of you to try turning."
Now a veteran in a position to give advice to any beginning Ladies
who are wise enough to ask, Brackett has plotted the next five years
of her career.
If everything proceeds according to plan, the Ladies division won't
be a permanent stop.
"My goals are winning lots of
races and championships and eventually moving up in division,"
she said.
Although she's the only member of the family competing at OPS
full-time right now, Vanna Brackett shouldn't be expected to drop
the ball on that family tradition anytime soon..
The Brackett File
Hometown:
Buckfield,
Maine
Division:
Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy Ladies
Car: Buick Regal
Years in racing: 8
Sponsors and Crew: Mom and Dad
Most memorable moment in racing? Winning the championship
Favorite current NASCAR driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Favorite racing songs: The theme from "Stroker
Ace" by Charlie Daniels Band and "Sunday Money" by
Brooks and Dunn
Favorite racing movies: Talladega Nights and Days of Thunder
Favorite OPS racer of all time: Tim Brackett
Favorite OPS moment: My dad winning his championship
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