NASCAR Cup Series

Drive for NASCAR ride brings teen to Randleman

Published Oct. 19, 2010 10:11 p.m. ET

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GREENSBORO - Tayla Orleans spent Christmas morning 2007 in suburban Boston with her mother and sister in the motorhome the family used to pull its race-car trailer.

Her father was pulling into the Greensboro area with a vanload of their belongings.

A few years earlier, also for Christmas, Barry Orleans purchased a car for his then-11-year-old daughter.

"We moved down here just so that I could make it in racing and further my career," Tayla Orleans said last week.

Orleans, a 17-year-old Trinity High School student and Randleman resident, wraps up her third and final day at the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Testing and Evaluation Combine today at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va. She is part of a group of 35 racers ages 16 to 24 vying for one of 10 spots in the final group. The 10 will earn a fully sponsored year of development and competition with Revolution Racing in either the NASCAR Whelen All-American or Can-Am Pro series.

"They'll come in, get seat time, compete on a weekly basis, work on cars in the shop, get strength and conditioning training, media training and they race," said Max Siegel , the team owner and CEO of Revolution Racing.

The three-day Drive for Diversity Combine, which is in its sixth year, entails a comprehensive evaluation of each driver, both on and off the track. Judges compile data, rank the drivers on a physical and psychological basis and evaluate ability and potential.

"We want to continue to attract the best and brightest drivers and professionals for our sport," said Marcus Jadotte , NASCAR's managing director of public affairs. "It will not only be good for the teams across the sport, but also good for our fans. NASCAR will continue to be where the best racers in the world come to compete."

This year was the third time Orleans applied to the Drive for Diversity Combine. She was selected from among more than 200 applicants.

Orleans had 31 victories and 92 top-fives racing karts from 2000 through '04 and in 2005 she began competing in the Allison Legacy North Series with her father, where she finished seventh in championship points in a partial season. She finished third in the series points standings in 2007, and in 2008 stepped up to the Allison Legacy Touring Series, where she notched one victory, six top-fives and 13 top-10s. Last year, Orleans placed sixth in the Super Late Model Division at Hickory Motor Speedway.

"Just to be able to get into this testing and evaluation combine, it's such a big deal to me ... " Orleans said. "(My dad) made the mistake of putting me in the car, and I fell in love with it."

Contact Jason Wolf at 373-7034 or jason.wolf@news-record.com

* Tayla Orleans is competing for one of 10 spots in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.

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