Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Saturday, April 26, 2008
Emily Sue Steck more than just a novelty
 La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway driver Emily Sue Steck. Erik Daily photo |
WEST SALEM, Wis. — It has been a year of change for Emily Sue Steck in many respects, but one thing remains the same. She is still the only female driver in the Kwik Trip Late Model Division at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway.
That fact may have been a heavier load to carry around than anyone knew, or even Steck, herself, would admit last year.
If she was having a rough night, she couldn’t go kick a tire or people would talk about her temper (which she doesn’t seem to have much of). She couldn’t throw a wrench in the pit area like some drivers — male drivers — do or she might be tabbed unprofessional, or immature.
On the track, if she made a mistake or was involved in a wreck, people said it wasn’t because she was a rookie who was learning the ropes. It was because she was a woman, which has absolutely nothing to do with driving a race car.
And by no means could Steck ever, I mean ever, think about crying at the race track. That would sink her career faster than dropping a rock in the middle of the Mississippi River.
Be cool. Always, always, keep your cool.
And — get this — if Steck was the subject of a story in this paper or on www.lacrossetribune.com, it wasn’t because of her talent. It was because she is a woman. More than one driver made that point to me last season, which again, is not the whole truth.
The truth is that Steck, like it or not, is a woman in a male-dominated sport. In other words, being a female driver in the Fairgrounds Speedway’s premier division remains a tough gig. And, like it or not, it’s a story that race fans, and those who are not necessarily race fans, want to read about.
Is Steck a novelty? No, but she is a minority, and people are interested in her career.
The Holmen, Wis., woman said she’s ready for the challenge, perhaps more so than ever before. She’s got someone else to confide in, too, as she got married in the offseason.
Her husband, Nick, will not be in the pits, she said. Instead, he’ll be watching from the stands. They both wanted it that way.
“I had my eyes opened to a lot of things last year,” Steck said. “I still feel there is a little more pressure because I am female. I would hope I earned some respect last year. I hope it’s better this year, with me not being a rookie.”
Steck, 22, made some rookie mistakes last year, and paid a heavy price. She was involved in a crash on the front stretch on Lap 23 of a 25-lap race on June 9, 2007, that sent her spinning toward the wall at more than 120 mph. She hit the outside concrete wall driver’s-side first in a frightening crash.
She insisted she wasn’t hurt — she had a headache for five consecutive days, yet refused to see a doctor. That, she believed, was part stubborness, part foolishness, and part pride. Her shell, she believed, could never reveal any cracks. Ever.
Luckily, she had an owner in Tim Jacobs of DMT Motorsports that knew what she was up against. He was tough on her at times, sympathetic at others. He gave her advice when he thought appropriate, and listened to what she had to say. Her teammates, Steve Carlson and Kevin Nuttleman, did likewise.
“We are all just trying to help her,” Jacobs said. “We are taking it step by step. I think she’s got the talent. I think we have the right equipment for her. We are not expecting her to go out there and win every night. That is not possible at La Crosse. We are expecting her to compete. I think she has what it takes to compete at La Crosse and beyond.”
Steck didn’t win last year, but she was competitive. She had eight top-10 finishes in 20 starts, and did have the fastest qualifying time one time. Overall, she finished 11th in points — 12 points out of the top 10 — out of 44 drivers to earn points.
She not only earned the track’s rookie of the year honors in the Late Model Division, she seemed to earn some well-deserved respect. That, any driver will tell you, is essential when it comes to winning races, and keeping your race car in one piece.
And she’s learned some of the smaller, more intricate things, about driving a race car at the Fairgrounds Speedway. Say, for example, lettting the car “roll through the corners” instead of pushing hard on the brakes, then smashing on the gas. With Professor Carlson and Professor Nuttleman leading the lecture, she’s got two of the best the track has ever seen.
“I’d like to think I am getting better at that,” Steck said of knowing when to crank up the horsepower, and when to let the car’s chassis set-up take care of the rest. “I have, or had, the mindset if I’m not on one pedal, I should be on the other. That’s not the case.”
And how does she know if she’s getting better at this particular driving skill?
“Brake dust. I’ll come in (after practice laps) and Tim will look at the brake dust on the front. If there’s a lot, I know it’s not good.”
It’s a reversal of roles, in a way, for Steck. She is a junior at Winona State University, and hopes to someday soon land a job as a physical education teacher at either the elementary or high school level. She is on target to graduate in May of 2009.
When that happens, she may have some tough choices to make if her racing career continues to take off.
And let’s be honest, the marketing possibilities for a female driver are seemingly unlimited.
“With Emily being a female, right or wrong, it’s reality that she is marketable,” Jacobs said. “We have a number of things in the works for her. Like I said, I think she’s got what it takes.”
We’ll be watching, and this year Steck seems far more comfortable with that.
Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
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