9/6/2023
Mandy Chick
Mandy Chick to make ARCA return at Kansas Speedway
She’s back.
Kansas native Mandy Chick is set to return to the driver’s seat of her No. 74 Dynamic Drivelines/Jennifer R. Chick, CPA, LLC/Freedom Concrete, De Soto, Kansas Chevrolet SS on Friday evening in the Sioux Chief Fast Track 150 at Kansas Speedway. The ARCA Menards Series race at the fast D-shaped oval in Kansas City, Kansas, will be Chick’s fourth of the season and her first since turning in a 12th-place result at the track in May.
For the 21-year-old Chick, racing close to home with her Chick Engineering program is a special opportunity.
“Growing up in the Kansas City area, making many memories at the track and frequently passing Kansas Speedway, I always dreamt of racing there one day,” said Chick, a native of De Soto, Kansas. “That dream of mine came true in May as I got to race at my home track and got a solid finish. I am excited to return, with many of my local fans and marketing partners there to support me, while continuing to learn about the track and how we can do better.
“I rarely get to have extended family at my races as I frequently travel far distances to race, but racing at Kansas Speedway provides us the opportunity to have family with us and race at a track near and dear to our hearts.”
Chick was one of the top stories during the early part of the 2023 ARCA campaign, first turning heads with a fifth-place finish in the series’ season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in February. She also took on Talladega Superspeedway in April before the Kansas race.
Chick recently started her senior year at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, where she majors in mechanical engineering. She stepped away from competition over the summer months to complete an engineering design internship at General Motors and plans to utilize lessons learned from the experience in her own racing program.
“I grew my skills in designing intricate parts on vehicles and got to be involved in many areas of the design process,” Chick said of her internship. “I think my biggest takeaway was to look at problems much differently and always think out of the box. This is beneficial when I'm helping build my cars – sometimes it is easy to stick to the ‘traditional' way we build cars and fabricate different components, but I really think there is a lot we can simplify and refine to be better. After all, the spirit of an engineer is to never stop improving.”
But not only did Chick advance her professional career over the summer, she also got engaged.
Now, thanks to a full course load, Chick and her team have decided to round out their 2023 campaign with the Kansas race. They look to end on a high note and build upon the team’s May finish with a top-five or top-10 result.
“We had a solid run in May, but learned a lot from the race and had things in our mind we wanted to work on,” Chick said. “With the extended time we have had to improve different things and prep our cars, I feel like we are set up for success.”
In the offseason, Chick plans to utilize the extra days to prepare for January’s preseason test at Daytona and the prestigious season-opener at the track the following month.
“We are working on some funding opportunities at the moment to give us a clearer picture of what next season looks like,” Chick said. ”But I will assure you we are excited to see what the future holds and will continue to work hard and build our program for many years to come in ARCA.”
The Sioux Chief Fast Track 150 is set for 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. CT) on Friday, September 8. Television coverage will be provided by FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports App. The radio broadcast can be found on MRN / SiriusXM (XM channel 391/online channel 981) / ARCARacing.com.
Article Credit: Liz McFarland image
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