The hallowed track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has witnessed some dramatic moments over the years, including birth and crowning moments of some of the legends of the sport. It played host to something truly exemplary during the USAC National Midget Series BC39 fixture in September this year. Jade Avedisian, a 17-year-old female racer, put on a show of grit and on-the-edge driving to get the stands into an adrenalin-driven cheering frenzy.
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Avedisian finished runner-up behind Cannon McIntosh by a mere 0.191 seconds, fighting hard till the finish line. Jade managed to win over the whole track with her performance and people were left wishing she had ended up as the victor instead of McIntosh.
There are not many teenage drivers who have evoked such emotions in fans. Then again, Avedisian is no ordinary teenager. She already has a celebrity fan in none other than Kyle Larson.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion had praised her at the start of the season.
“She’s got a very aggressive style and she’s fun to watch,” Larson had said. “A great lady, a great family… I am excited to see her career progress.”
Jade currently drives for Keith Kunz Motorsports, the team with which Larson began his career. However, fans and Larson alike will have to wait for a bit to see ‘the Girl on Fire’ in action again.
Avedisian posted a message on social media revealing that she has been dealing with an injury since BC39. She will step away from dirt racing for the rest of the year. The nature of her injury was not revealed.
“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%,” her post read.
— Jade Avedisian (@jadeavedisian) November 19, 2024
The injury could have been from an incident on track considering how her racing style is hard on her body, and her car.
Jade’s aggressiveness is fun to watch for sure. However, it has also caused major crashes over the years. Two of them made everyone shudder.
Luckily, she walked away unscathed from her flip at Circle City in 2023, and at Northern California’s Placerville Speedway in 2022, when she scraped the wall before flipping over.
Why is Avedisian called ‘the Girl on Fire’?
Fans coin endearing nicknames for drivers that reflect their personalities on track. Avedisian was described as the “the Girl on Fire” multiple times this year. That has a lot to do with her victories on track, and how she went about them.
She won the 2023 Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series championship and was named the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals Rookie of the Year. Her accolades, and the way she races, have pushed her up the motorsports ladder in no time. She has even starred in commercials for Toyota, the racing family she is part of.
Avedisian 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 in awe.
The unfortunate injury could stall Jade’s momentum. Hopefully, it would be a temporary break. Larson, and her fans would all be hoping that she recovers soon to hit the track again.
