Amber Balcaen, currently competing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series with Nitro Motorsports, has logged two starts this season, finishing 29th at Daytona before improving to 16th at Talladega. Now, the Winnipeg, Manitoba native has her sights set on returning to home soil to race in the NASCAR Canada Series.
Advertisement
Eager to compete in front of her countrymen, Balcaen is making her pitch to sponsors loud and clear. As she previously revealed during a segment on The Social CTV, carving out a career in NASCAR as a woman requires not just grit and performance, but relentless pursuit of sponsorships.
Balcaen recently took to LinkedIn with an open call for collaborators and brands ready to ride shotgun on her next chapter. She wrote, “I’m excited to announce that I’ll be racing in Canada this summer!…
“I’ll be on track for a few key races in the NASCAR Canada Series and the Ontario Sportsman Series, and I’m opening up limited opportunities for both primary and associate sponsors to come on board. This is a great chance for Canadian companies to align with:
✔️ A values-driven underdog story
✔️ A strong and growing personal brand (340K+ social media followers)
✔️ National media coverage and visibility
✔️ Meaningful B2B and community engagement opportunities
If you’re a Canadian brand looking for authentic representation, increased exposure, and a powerful partnership, you know where to find me. Let’s make this a winning summer.”
Balcaen has long shouldered the financial weight of her racing career, often self-funding through her business ventures. But competing in the NASCAR Canada Series seems to be bringing new demands, which is maybe why Balcaen is seeking additional sponsorship dollars to stay competitive.
Balcaen’s racing roots trace back to the dirt ovals where both her father and grandfather made their mark. From there, she clawed her way through the NASCAR regional ranks, earning Rookie of the Year honors, bagging a race win, and steadily climbing the ladder. But Balcaen also acknowledged that talent alone isn’t enough.
“It costs millions of dollars to race,” she had said, emphasizing that aspiring drivers must prove their worth both behind the wheel and in boardrooms. The 33-year-old had to learn how to be a businesswoman before being a race car driver, a journey that, by Balcaen’s estimate, has seen her raise approximately $67 million to date.
