Amber Balcaen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amber Balcaen
Amber Balcaen at Daytona (2022).jpg
Balcaen at Daytona in 2022
NationalityCanada Canadian
BornAmber Balcaen
(1992-03-07) March 7, 1992 (age 30)
Winnipeg, Manitoba
ARCA Menards Series career
Debut season2022
Current teamRette Jones Racing
Car number30
EngineFord
Crew chiefMark Rette
Starts1
Championships0
Wins0
Poles0
Previous series
2014
2015
2018-2019
2019
2020		World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Chili Bowl Nationals
CARS Super Late Model Tour
Pro All Star Series
POWRi Midget Racing
Last updated on: February 15, 2022
ARCA Menards Series East career
Debut season2022
Current teamRette Jones Racing
Car number30
EngineFord
Crew chiefMark Rette
Starts0
Championships0
Wins0
Poles0
Last updated on: February 15, 2022
ARCA Menards Series West career
Debut season2021
Current teamRette Jones Racing
Car number30
EngineFord
Crew chiefMark Rette
Former teamsBill McAnally Racing (2021)
Starts3
Championships0
Wins0
Poles0
Best finish25th in 2021
Finished last season25th (2021)
Last updated on: February 15, 2022.
.
.

Amber Balcaen (born March 7, 1992) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. She competes full-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 30 Ford Fusion for Rette Jones Racing, and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West, also driving the No. 30 Ford Fusion for Rette Jones Racing. She is most known for being the first Canadian woman to win in a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States.

Racing career[]

Early career[]

Balcaen began racing at ten years old, driving go-karts in several dirt tracks around North Dakota. At sixteen years old, she bought her first lightning sprint car and became the first female driver to win in a dirt track racing championship in Manitoba.

Amber made her Northern Outlaw Sprint Association debut in 2014, for a full-time schedule. She won Rookie of the Year that season.[1]

Chili Bowl Nationals[]

Balcaen attempted to race in the 2015 Chili Bowl Nationals, but failed to qualify.[2]

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series[]

Balcaen got the attention of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program and drove in the 2016 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (now NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). That year, she made history as she became the first female Canadian driver to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States, winning at Motor Mile Speedway.[3][4] She earned eleven top fives in her first season, giving her Rookie of the Year honors. She went on to win at the same track a year later, getting her second overall series win.

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East[]

Balcaen made her NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut in 2017, driving at New Smyrna Speedway for Martin-McClure Racing.[5] She started 21st and finished 20th, after getting involved in a late race wreck. She had a spark plug wire come off her car, which resulted in a penalty, putting her six laps down.[6]

CARS Super Late Model Tour[]

Balcaen made her first start in the CARS Super Late Model Tour in 2018, driving the No. 4 for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Hickory Motor Speedway. Balcaen started 26th and finished 28th, after being involved in an early race wreck.[7]

On March 21, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Balcaen will drive two late model races in 2019, the Pro All Star Series race at Hickory Motor Speedway, and the CARS Super Late Model Tour race at Motor Mile Speedway. Balcaen started 22nd finished 14th at Motor Mile.[8]

POWRi Midget Racing[]

In 2020, she competed in the POWRi Midget Racing Series, failing to qualify for most of the races. She was only able to qualify for two races, finishing 22nd and 12th respectably. On July 11, 2020, Balcaen was involved in a serious wreck at the Valley Speedway, after she got loose in turn 4, causing her sprint car to go off course, and flip multiple times into a fence. Balcaen suffered collasped lungs, a severe concussion, and several burns to her arms. She was immediately taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. She wasn't released for three days, and had her racing career put on hold for about three months.[9]

ARCA Menards Series West[]

Balcaen made her first ARCA Menards Series West start for Bill McAnally Racing at Irwindale Speedway in 2021, finishing 15th. She made two more starts that season, finishing 11th and 22nd at Irwindale and Las Vegas respectively.

ARCA Menards Series[]

On January 3, 2022, Rette Jones Racing announced Balcaen would run the full upcoming ARCA Menards Series season.[10]

Personal life[]

Balcaen was the co-host of the TV series "Car's of Rock" with AC/DC band member, Brian Johnson. She is also a motivational speaker, who is currently helping other people from around the world achieve their goals in life. In 2019, she was a main cast member of the NASCAR reality show, Racing Wives, on CMT. She was a spokesperson for Canada's biggest automotive company, Kal Tire, during a winter campaign.[11]

Filmography[]

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Car's That Rock Herself (co-host)
2018 Fins & Skins Classic Adventures Herself (guest)
2019 Racing Wives Herself

Motorsports career results[]

NASCAR[]

ARCA Menards Series[]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 AMSC Pts Ref
2022 Rette Jones Racing 30 Ford DAY
16 		PHO
30 		TAL KAN CLT IOW BLN ELK MOH POC IRP MCH GLN ISF MLW DSF KAN BRI SLM TOL [12]

ARCA Menards Series East[]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 NKNPSEC Pts Ref
2017 Martin-McClure Racing 39 Toyota NSM
20 		GRE BRI SBO SBO MEM BLN TMP NHA IOW GLN LGY NJM DOV 68th 24 [13]
2022 Rette Jones Racing 30 Ford NSM FIF DOV NSV IOW MLW BRI -* -* -*

ARCA Menards Series West[]

ARCA Menards Series West results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 AMSWC Pts Ref
2021 Bill McAnally Racing 19 Toyota PHO SON IRW
15 		CNS IRW
11 		PIR LVS
22 		AAS PHO 25th 84 [14]
2022 Rette Jones Racing 30 Ford PHO
30 		IRW KCR PIR SON IRW EVG PIR AAS LVS PHO -* -* [15]

References[]

  1. ^ "Amber Balcaen Driver Profile". Amber Balcaen Racing. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Amber Balcaen/Results/Chili Bowl Nationals". Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  3. ^ Bailey, Michelle (August 28, 2016). "Winnipeg's Amber Balcaen Claims Victory and Makes NASCAR History". ChrisD.ca. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  4. ^ Billeck, Scott (August 28, 2016). "Winnipeg woman becomes first Canadian to win NASCAR race". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "Balcaen Prepares for NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Opener". Speedway Digest. February 14, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "New Smyrna Speedway Post-Race Release for Amber Balcaen". Speedway Digest. February 22, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "Amber Balcaen/Results/CARS Response Energy Super Late Model Tour". thethirdturn.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "Amber Balcaen to compete in two Super Late Model events for KBM". Kyle Busch Motorsports. March 21, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Rosen, Kayla (July 13, 2020). "'I completely blacked out': Winnipeg race car driver suffers collapsed lung after car flips multiple times". Winnipeg CTV News. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  10. ^ {"Amber Balcaen, ICON Direct join Rette Jones Racing for ARCA Menards Series championship journey". Rette Jones Racing (Press release). ARCA Menards Series}. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  11. ^ "Amber Balcaen Driver Profile". Amber Balcaen Racing. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Amber Balcaen – 2022 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "Amber Balcaen – 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  14. ^ "Amber Balcaen – 2021 ARCA Menards Series West Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "Amber Balcaen – 2022 ARCA Menards Series West Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 12, 2022.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""