The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has seen plenty of dramatic moments over the past several decades. But it witnessed something truly exemplary during the USAC National Midget Series BC39 fixture in September 2024. A 17-year-old female racer by the name of Jade Avedisian put on a show that had the stands pumping with adrenaline and cheering in frenzy.
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She finished runner-up against Cannon McIntosh by a mere 0.191 seconds after an extremely hard-fought effort in which she gave it her all to reach victory lane.
Impressed with her speed and skill, people were left wishing that she’d been the one with the winner’s honors. Not a lot of teenagers in racing evoke this kind of emotion in fans. But Avedisian is one of Kyle Larson’s favorites for a reason.
The 2021 Cup Series champion considers her to be the next-best female driver in motorsports. He showered praise on her at the start of the season and said that her racing style was so much fun to watch.
She is currently a driver for Keith Kunz Motorsports, the team in which Larson began his career. Considering this, the latest news out of her wagon is bound to leave him heartbroken along with fans.
Avedisian came out with a message on social media that she has been dealing with an injury since BC39 and that she will have to step away from dirt racing for the rest of the year.
She wrote, “I need time to heal and avoid making things worse. It’s been a very hard decision because I have so much love and passion for dirt racing but I need to get my body back to 100%.”
Why is Avedisian called “the Girl on Fire”?
The nature of the injury is unknown but it is certain that the youngster won’t be seen behind the wheel of her car for some time. She was described as “the Girl on Fire” multiple times this year. The reason for that is the results that she secured over her career.
She won the 2023 Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series championship and was named the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals Rookie of the Year. Her accolades have caused her to quickly rise the ladders of motorsports and she even starred in commercials for Toyota, the racing family of which she is a part.
She is currently 11th in the USAC National Midget Series standings with 718 points. Her impressive performances on both pavement and dirt tracks have left many pleased.
The unfortunate injury has come at a time right when she was about to break it big. Hopefully, she recovers from this soon and gets back to racing.
