NASCAR’s Female Movement Accelerates With Kaylee Bryson’s ARCA Debut at Sonoma Raceway

There’s a reason why the phrase “NASCAR driver” still conjures up the image of a man in most fans’ minds. It’s why, even today, the words “female NASCAR driver” are used as a qualifier rather than a norm. While trailblazers have cracked the code in years past, many women who entered the high-octane world of stock car racing were ultimately sidelined, be it by injuries, sky-high expectations, or initial underwhelming results. But the tide may finally be turning.

The trail Sara Christian blazed in NASCAR’s infancy was carried forward by names like Danica Patrick, whose resume includes an IndyCar win and a Cup Series pole, and then picked up by Hailie Deegan, Isabella Robusto, Toni Breidinger, and Rita Goulet. Katherine Legge, the latest to dip her toes into Cup waters this season, hasn’t yet gone the distance in a race but has shown flashes of her ability.

Now, another name is bursting onto the scene with promise: Kaylee Bryson. In the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, the then 23-year-old Oklahoman made history on May 18, 2024, becoming the first woman to win a USAC National Series feature race at the Silver Crown Huncovsky Classic on the Belleville High Banks.

This weekend, she’s ready to trade dirt for asphalt, making her NASCAR debut behind the wheel of the No. 17 Chevrolet for Cook Racing Technologies in the ARCA Menards Series West at Sonoma. The field won’t be short on talent either, with the likes of William Sawalich, Corey Day, Alon Day, and Spencer Gallagher joining her on the grid. Bryson also carries the honor of being a two-time Chili Bowl A-Main qualifier — further proof that she’s no flash in the pan.

Fans have wasted no time rallying behind her either. When The Athletic‘s Jeff Gluck reshared her announcement on X, writing, “Cool news here as two-time Chili Bowl A-Main qualifier @kaylee11b is going stock car road racing this week:,” the replies lit up with encouragement.

“First Isabella Robusto. Now, Kaylee Bryson. Are we starting to enter the era where female drivers are starting to earn opportunities based on their talent?” one fan asked.

Another chimed in simply, “She’s got the talent…” A third fan praised her versatility, saying, “Now that young lady can wheel just about anything. Looking forward to this one.”

One fan even expressed surprise at her debut venue, stating, “I’m just shocked her debut in stock car racing is at a road course but awesome for her, she can wheel a midget that’s for damn sure.”

If Bryson continues on this trajectory, she might just be the one to break through the glass ceiling that has remained over NASCAR for far too long.