By Joe Grabianowski
Some of the most historic moments in motorsports the last couple years have belonged to women; from Jade Avedisian winning the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota championship to four women finishing in the top 10 in an ARCA race this month. Kingston, ON’s Jessica Power will try to add her name to that list during Super DIRT Week 52 in October.
Looking to make her 11th start in the Northeast’s biggest dirt track event – currently tied for second most starts there – Power is again entered to compete in the DIRTcar Sportsman Chevrolet Performance 75 at Oswego Speedway.
She’s been on a trajectory of career-best Super DIRT Week finishes the last two years, finishing eighth in 2022 and fifth last year. And along with outracing her competition, she’s also starting to outrace outdated views from early on in her career.
“Some nights are easier than others,” Power said. “Even after all this time, there are still nights that you can tell people are not happy about getting beat by a girl. But for the most part, I’ve earned the respect. When I first started, they tried to push me around and it wasn’t really cool that a girl was driving against them. I’ve proven that I work on [the cars] just as much. I work just as hard as everyone else, and when I put the helmet on, everyone is the same. It doesn’t matter to me, and I don’t think it matters to them anymore.”
For Power, it’s all about presence. The more women we have racing, the more girls will be inspired to follow.
“My family wasn’t involved in racing at all, so I didn’t watch when I was really young,” Power said. “But when we first started racing our four-cylinder car I remember seeing Jessica Zemken [Friesen] in a Sportsman at the time at Brockville. We are the same age, but I thought it was really cool that she could race a Modified and be competitive.”
On Aug. 15, 2024, headlines across the nation called out Venturini Motorsports and its four women who raced at the Springfield Mile dirt track in ARCA competition to great success.
“Four women finishing in the top 10 in an ARCA race? We need more of that blazing the trail for young girls in the sport and any other sport that is traditionally male dominated,” Power said. “We can be just as competitive. I want all young girls to know that whether it is hockey or racing or any other sports, that includes work too, never let anyone hold you back.”
Power excels on long tracks like the 5/8-mile Oswego Speedway, but competition is at its highest at Oswego. More than 100 of the best Sportsman drivers from the United States and Canada venture to the iconic track for the Chevrolet Performance 75 – now on Saturday, Oct. 12, paying $5,000 to win/$500 to start.
It’s a high-pressure situation for all with only 36 starting spots available in Saturday’s finale, but for Power – whose day job is being an associate director of business systems and analytics – it’s no sweat.
“When you are out on the track it’s a pretty high-pressure situation with 100 cars there,” Power said. “You want to qualify and do well. When I am out there, I just try to stay calm and hit my marks.”
Power never leaves her crew out of her thoughts. A driver can only do her job behind the wheel when she has full confidence in her equipment and crew. Super DIRT Week is the true test for all.
“It’s the biggest stage that we probably race on,” Power noted. “I think the preparation that goes into it is something that not all fans truly understand. We call Super DIRT Week a marathon because you spend a better part of the fall preparing and getting equipment ready so you have the best piece possible. When you are there, it is all hands-on deck with your crew. You have to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.”
To improve on her career-best performance from last year and try to add her name to motorsports history, Power stated qualifying will be key for a good starting spot in the Heat Race. Then, once locked into the Feature, it’s aim as high as she can.
“A top five in the Feature is the goal but I really want to win,” she said.
To watch Power at Super DIRT Week 52 (Oct. 7-12), tickets are now available HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action from Super DIRT Week live on DIRTVision.
