Kristen Yeley wins wreck-filled Better Half Dash at Charlotte
The lives of racing wives and girlfriends are often lived behind the scenes, but for one night they get to climb behind the wheel of a race car and compete against one another in the fourth annual Better Half Dash charity race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Thursday night, 11 driver wives, girlfriends and fiancees, climbed aboard the 570 CC, 30 horsepower Bandolero race cars to see who was the fastest "better half."
The 25-lap race was wild from the start, as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s girlfriend Amy Reimann was the first driver out of contention after she hit another spinning car.
Admittedly nervous before entering the race, Dale Jr.'s better half said she wanted to "throw a fit like Kyle Busch" after wrecking out early.
A string of spins and accidents slowed the pace of the race, which was shortened to just eight laps due to a 25-minute time limit. In the end, Kristen Yeley -- wife of Sprint Cup Series driver J.J. Yeley -- won the event after a hard fought battle with Heidi Stoddard -- wife of team owner Frank Stoddard.
"It feels pretty good," said Yeley. "I've been waiting for this for four years. I got really close last year, so this is bittersweet."
The victory included a $10,000 purse, which was divided three ways among Motor Racing Outreach ($2,500), Speedway Children's Charities ($2,500) and the winning driver's charity ($5,000).
Yeley's share of the purse went to Yantz's Son Is Back Foundation LLC -- something she said was close to her heart.
"My dear friend lost his life, and he was two years old in May," she said. "My girlfriend started this foundation in memory of him, to raise awareness for organ donations for families that are in need of organ donations or have had donations and lost jobs, houses, stuff like that. This foundation is to keep his memory alive and help families and save lives in the process."
Finishing second, Stoddard said the competition was very tough at the front of the field, more than she had expected.
A look at the Bandolero cars used during Thursday night's Better Half Dash charity race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
"It was a lot of fun," she said. "It was much more intense than it was last year. I don't think I had any idea what I was in for. I learned a lot last year that transferred over to this year."
Coming home third was Melanie Self, the women's and children's ministry coordinator for MRO. Racing for MRO, Self also carried the banner for close friends Shawna Robinson and Sherry Pollex.
Robinson -- a former NASCAR driver -- is currently battling breast cancer, while Pollex -- the girlfriend of Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. -- is battling ovarian cancer.
"I made a promise to Sherry Pollex and Shawna Robinson that I would see them in Victory Lane or that I would put them on the pole. I put them on the front by qualifying second," said Self. "It feels really good ... It has been a lot of fun this week to get to know these ladies. If you don't know many of the wives in NASCAR, you need to get to know them. They're the unsung heroes and that's why we do this. It's about the women, and so they have a chance to shine. I'm so glad to at least share this platform with these special ladies."
In all, the 11 women that competed in Thursday night's event raised more than $70,000 for Motor Racing Outreach.
