Mary Katharine has been dreaming about racing since the age of 5. 

Growing up outside Milwaukee in a family of 10, she found herself collecting Matchbox cars with her brothers rather than playing with Barbie dolls. She had always thought about what it would be like to drive a race car over 100 miles per hour, a fire that she fanned by watching races on television and attending two Indianapolis 500's in her teens. Her visions of ever becoming a race car driver took a back seat when she married at 19 to her high school sweetheart. She and her husband moved to Arkansas tofarm cotton on family land. Mary learned to drive a tractor and practiced "Rockford spins" in the turnrows. "There was nothing like pitching that giant piece of equipment into maneuvers like that", she laughed, "it was just slightly less nimble than a Firebird." 

After 8 years of farming, Mary moved with her husband and newborn daughter, Nancy, to South Florida, where she not only had four more beautiful daughters, but also trained to become a pastry chef, fulfilling another childhood dream. Soon after her youngest daughter was born, however, Mary was faced with an unbelievable challenge. After returning from a morning jog, her husband of 17 years told her he was leaving. At age 36, she was suddenly a single mother raising 5 young daughters and unsure what the future would hold. She reached out for a lifeline in her dream of becoming a race car driver. She found a racing school 20 minutes from her house and decided to dive head first into the racing arena. "Racing took me away from all of my worries, fears, and sadness. The adrenaline consumed me, and I couldn't wallow in self pity when I was driving." Mary decided she wanted to pursue her racing dream in earnest and, after racing for more than three seasons in the ultra-competitive Spec Miata class, with several top five finishes; Mary, now 39, has become a professional race car driver, signing with Tindol Motorsports in February, '06. "The Tindol Motorsports team has given me an incredible opportunity to represent them in a pro series where there are no other women drivers. I hope to draw in women and young girls to the excitement of watching World Challenge racing." Her daughters, Nancy, 13; Maggie, 11; Lane, 10; Mia, 6; and Helen, 4, are her biggest fans at the track. "They are my most ardent supporters." 

Whether speaking to children at schools about the importance of safety, speaking to women's groups about not giving in to grief, or speaking to the media, Mary brings honesty and her sense of humor to the task.