Sportsman modified driver Shannon Slaughter earned more than a win on Saturday. She became the first woman to win a feature among the top two classes at Grandview Speedway.
“It is great that young girls can see that it is possible to win races against the best male drivers,” Slaughter, of Lititz, Pennsylvania, said. “In racing, women can compete with men on a level playing field. My win was a great milestone for women racers.”
Her penchant for racing may come from her DNA rather than two X chromosomes. Slaughter’s father, Dave, raced go-karts and micro sprints. Her grandfather, Pete Ober, and brother Billy Logeman also raced micro sprints. Prior to being introduced to sportsman modifieds, Slaughter competed in go-karts and micro sprints, too.
“A year and a half ago, sportsman racers Brett and Kenny Gilmore reached out to ask if I had any interest in driving a sportsman,” said Slaughter. “I took them up on the offer, but it was only an opportunity for last season. Last season I had contact with another car, spun around, and got my hand caught in the steering wheel. I was out for two weeks with a dislocated shoulder.”
While Gilmore took over Slaughter’s ride, Slaughter decided to field her own car with her father. That didn’t mean the end to Gilmore’s support, though.
“The Gilmores have helped us a ton, with advice and everything else,” Slaughter said. “We bought a car, got it to the track, and started racing.”
Saturday’s win didn’t come easy. She had to battle Addison Meitzler during the closing laps.
(For more on Meitzler, read “Addison Meitzler: 4 Weeks on the Same Tires and 3 Wins.”)
“I knew I had to hit my marks when I saw his car inside of my car,” said Slaughter. “I made sure my car was not tight on entry going into the corners — I just drove extra hard to make sure that didn’t happen.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
