REITENOUR HONORED AT FIFTH ANNUAL WOMEN IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE LUNCHEON
July 27, 2007
Megan Reitenour, Junior from Miamisburg Ohio was invited to attend the fifth annual Women in The Winners Circle Luncheon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. This event is held annually to help raise funds for the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation (formerly the Lyn St. James Foundation), founded by racing driver and motivational speaker Lyn St. James in 1993.
"Today's racing world is more encouraging for female drivers than when we first held this event in 2003," said St. James, 1992 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. "More and more, women are receiving opportunities to prove themselves on the track and increasingly, women are rising to higher levels of racing and earning their place on the podium.
"How far we've come in such a short time," added St. James, "and how far we still need to go to receive equal opportunities in the field. At the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation, we continue to commit resources to training and mentoring drivers as they are starting their journey and throughout their careers.
Co-hosting with St. James was ESPN basketball commentator Nancy Lieberman. Donald Davidson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian, was a guest presenter. Committed sponsors include NASCAR, USAC, Indy Racing League/Indy Pro Series, NHRA, Champ Car World Series/Atlantic Series, American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Grand-Am, Racing Limos, and National City Bank. .
The day started with a driver's meeting where the agenda for the day was reviewed and the women rehearsed their entrances for the "walk of champions". The drivers where then released for a short period of time to mingle with their guests, distinguished visitors and top executives from some of America's leading companies along with industry leaders such as Mike Helton (NASCAR), Terry Angstadt (Indy Racing League), Roger Bailey (Indy Pro Series), Vicki O'Connor (Champ Car Atlantic Series), just to name a few. The "walk of champions" then took place. Each driver was introduced with a list of their career highlights and accomplishments. The drivers were then released for a short lunch break where a catered lunch was served.
Following lunch various awards were given to included journalist/author/racing driver, Denise McCluggage with the Mildred Marcum Pioneer Award and Harold Matthews with the Opportunity Award for his support of mini-sprint racer Brittany Frosh.
"Today's racing world is more encouraging for female drivers than when we first held this event in 2003," said St. James, 1992 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. "More and more, women are receiving opportunities to prove themselves on the track and increasingly, women are rising to higher levels of racing and earning their place on the podium.
"How far we've come in such a short time," added St. James, "and how far we still need to go to receive equal opportunities in the field. At the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation, we continue to commit resources to training and mentoring drivers as they are starting their journey and throughout their careers.
Co-hosting with St. James was ESPN basketball commentator Nancy Lieberman. Donald Davidson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian, was a guest presenter. Committed sponsors include NASCAR, USAC, Indy Racing League/Indy Pro Series, NHRA, Champ Car World Series/Atlantic Series, American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Grand-Am, Racing Limos, and National City Bank. .
The day started with a driver's meeting where the agenda for the day was reviewed and the women rehearsed their entrances for the "walk of champions". The drivers where then released for a short period of time to mingle with their guests, distinguished visitors and top executives from some of America's leading companies along with industry leaders such as Mike Helton (NASCAR), Terry Angstadt (Indy Racing League), Roger Bailey (Indy Pro Series), Vicki O'Connor (Champ Car Atlantic Series), just to name a few. The "walk of champions" then took place. Each driver was introduced with a list of their career highlights and accomplishments. The drivers were then released for a short lunch break where a catered lunch was served.
Following lunch various awards were given to included journalist/author/racing driver, Denise McCluggage with the Mildred Marcum Pioneer Award and Harold Matthews with the Opportunity Award for his support of mini-sprint racer Brittany Frosh.
After the awards a panel discussion where drivers, Sarah Fisher, Jessica Helberg, Erin Crocker, Janet Guthrie and Denise McCluggage began covering subjects that included valuable advice in what has helped them be successful women in racing, their career advancements and opportunities and provided encouragement to the other drivers. The day concluded with Lyn St. James thanking the women and executives for attending and wishing everyone a safe racing season.
Megan said, "The Women in The Winner's Circle is always an event that I look forward to every year. It is an honor to participate in an event where there is such a caliber of talent and it's truly a dream come true to have the opportunity to talk with drivers which have inspired me my entire racing career."
Megan said, "The Women in The Winner's Circle is always an event that I look forward to every year. It is an honor to participate in an event where there is such a caliber of talent and it's truly a dream come true to have the opportunity to talk with drivers which have inspired me my entire racing career."
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