LUCAMA, NC – Speed Week will see a record five women competing in the KONI Charger feature races on Friday and Saturday at Southern National Motorsports Park.
Haley Brown, Camryn Rice, Delaney Gray, Sarah Whitesell and Ayla Martin will all be competing in the 35-lap feature during Engine Bulder Night. All five drivers are relative newcomers to the Charger division and come from different backgrounds.
“I feel honored to race alongside four other females in the same division,” Brown said. “I think the division has grown over the years more than any other division at Southern National. Being a male dominated sport, it’s nice to go out there and be competitive with the men and I hope more women along the years come into this sport as well.”
Brown, who is the oldest of the five women racing, began her racing career in 2023 racing competing in four-cylinder cars at Coastal Plains Raceway in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Prior to making the move to Chargers, she had been successful in the track’s Bomber division.
The others took a more conventional path, starting out in Bandoleros and moving up the ranks.
Sarah Whitesell has been competing in Chargers and Limited Late Model races at Southern National, Langley Speedway and Carteret County Speedway in recent years. Prior to that, she had raced in a Bandolero.
“I think it’s exciting,” Whitesell said about competing in Friday’s field. “I’m glad we’re growing the sport and the division. I’m glad that there’s definitely more representation in the higher divisions with us.”
Whitesell was one of three women who raced on Sunday, but her race was cut short. She’s hoping to shake that off on Friday night.
“I definitely want a clean race,” Whitesell remarked. “I don’t want to start the season off with another racecar. Sunday was definitely disappointing and I hope we can get a better finish. That’s really what our goal is. I would like to do more learning, especially with a larger car count.”
Camryn Rice and Delaney Gray both started out in Bandoleros and moved up to the Allison Legacy Race Series, then into Charger. Gray picked up two series wins in 2025, the first coming at Carteret County. She has won races in a Bandolero at both Southern National and Coastal Plains.
“It’s really cool the be one of the females in this sport, in that division,” Gray said. “It’s awesome to hopefully get my name up there and hopefully be one of the top racing females. Hopefully we will be able to get a top-five this time and finish the race. It was really cool to be able to do my first Charger race and see all the ladies here doing their stuff.”
Gray’s day was also cut short on Sunday when she cut a tire amidst a three-wide battle for position.
Along with being a competitor, Gray also delivers the invocation ahead of most Southern National races as part of the track’s youth outreach efforts.
“Being able to race with other talented women is a privilege,” Camryn Rice commented. “IT’s amazing to see new and past women competitors race with the best of the best in short track racing. From being onf of the few female racers when I started back 12 years ago, I’m glad to be a part of a sport that has grown women in racing over the years.”
Rice competed in the full KONI Charger season last year. This season, she hopes to continue learning, become more consistent, and score a top-five finish.
“I’m still learning a ton and my expectations going into each race is to stay consistent throughout the race while maintaining good track position,” Rice added. “As a driver, focusing on making more progress toward the end of the race and staying positive while being in a tight field of talent is something I need to work on.”
The fifth driver is New England racer Ayla Martin, who is moving up from Legends racing. Martin competed in all three KONI Chargers races in the 25th Thanksgiving Classic in November 2025.
These five fast women will join a stacked field which includes names such as Rusty Daniels, Hunter Brown, Justin Mitchell, Aiden McConnaughey, and many more. Along with Friday night’s race, Chargers will also compete on Saturday afternoon in the Speed Week finale.
Tickets are available online and at the gate on race day for each race, and the races will be broadcast live on Ultra Broadcasting.
