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Asphalt Late Model Driver
Risk-taking, adrenaline-rushing, action-packed racing is Jackie Ziegler’s style, and being a “Monday Morning Quarterback” is simply not an option for her. Jackie knows that big dreams can mean even bigger failures, but none of that is a consideration. For Jackie Ziegler, living life in the “‘untaken path” is the only way for her. Most articles are written on how well a driver performs. And yes, Jackie Ziegler is no slouch on the track- her numerous championships and over 100 wins prove that. But there’s more to a racer’s career than the media presents. For 15-year old Ziegler, racing is all she's ever known. Since she was two years old, her father, Zig, took her to quarter midget tracks all over Pennsylvania. At the age of nine, Jackie took the wheel and ran with it. By the end of her quarter midget career, she wound up with two Track Champion Cups, and over 100 wins. After a test-and-tune session at Grandview Speedway, Jackie was willing to give up all of her Christmas presents, if she could only take out her father’s 358 Sprint Car for a couple laps. It was instant addiction! Turning times over two seconds faster than the grown men who’d driven the car before her, she never looked back! Just a season later, Jackie started running Asphalt Modifieds at Mahoning Valley Speedway. In her first year, she finished 2nd in the points standings, won "Most Popular Driver" and "Rookie of the Year" awards. Rounding out the season with four heat wins and a feature win, Jackie became the youngest driver to win in her division as well as only the third woman driver to win. In 2004, Jackie sported an Asphalt Late Model. Finishing 9th in points, she was the highest-scoring rookie, and qualified for every race she ran!
When 2005 rolled around, Jackie found herself at Mountain Speedway. To date, she has not fallen out of the top 10 once this season! She plans to open a Shock Dino Business by the end of 2005 after attending Penske Shock Class. When the car leaves the track, the work isn’t done though. For every 100 hours Jackie spends working on her car, she races one. Understanding what it takes to create a winning team, Jackie has given up a lot for her dream. Events such as birthday parties, anniversaries, and even proms have been missed due to racing. "Knowledge is power." Jackie says. "And best of all, in most cases, its free! Anyone can drive, go straight, and turn left! How hard could it be? The only difference between a race car driver and a great race car driver is knowledge." Spending countless hours with her nose in “Circle Track Magazine” or chassis books she’s picked up along the way, Jackie will never stop learning. A true racer does what she does because she can't live without it.
“Dreams are a huge part of racing. Dream big to win big! Without taking a chance, you’ll never succeed,” Ziegler states. Regret is the worst feeling in the world. “I could have, would have, should have…” are simply not words in Jackie’s vocabulary. “I’d rather fail and know I tried my best, than take the bench.” With every three fans, you’ve accumulated you have yourself an enemy. Dealing with the pressures of performance, Jackie faces with the fact that the men she races with are sometimes 3 times her age. “When the belts are buckled, engines purring, the visor slams shut, I weigh 2900 pounds, just like everyone else.”
“Love me. Hate me. Just don’t forget me.” – Jackie Ziegler Jackie's Thunder Valley Racing Profile Jackie's Website:
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