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Miamisburg native in NASCAR program; Franklin racer just misses

Reitenour, along with nine others, will be introduced tonight in Daytona.

Former Miamisburg resident Megan Reitenour is a member of NASCAR’s Drive For Diversity development program for minorities and women for the second year in a row.

Contributed photo Former Miamisburg resident Megan Reitenour is a member of NASCAR’s Drive For Diversity development program for minorities and women for the second year in a row.

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By Greg Billing, Staff Writer Updated 1:21 AM Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Should their paths happen to cross at Daytona International Speedway this week, Miamisburg native Megan Reitenour said she wouldn’t feel comfortable offering driving tips to stock car rookie Danica Patrick.

That’s okay. Maybe Reitenour can save them for another day, perhaps when she finds herself door-to-door with Patrick — who makes her NASCAR debut this weekend — on the race track.

Reitenour’s bid to join the upper levels of NASCAR receives another boost today, Feb. 9, when she is officially announced as a member of NASCAR’s Drive For Diversity development program for minorities and women.

The 10 drivers — all racing as one team under the Revolution Racing banner — will be introduced tonight in Daytona Beach. Reitenour, 18, is one of five returning drivers who made the program last year in its inaugural season and again will run the grass-roots Whelen All-American Series.

“I think I need one more year in a late model and I’ll get a lot more experience,” said Reitenour, who last season finished fourth in points in the late model division at Tri-County Speedway in North Carolina. “Everybody’s dream is to be in the bigger series, of course. I want to take my time and do it right so when I do make it up there I’ll be very competitive.”

Last year D4D drivers competed with individual teams. This year they will all work together out of the same shop in Mooresville, N.C. In addition to their driving duties, their academy-style training includes sessions with a physical trainer, competition meetings and 20 hours a week in the shop learning about the cars.

“I’ve never had to crew chief on my own car so I’m learning how to do that,” Reitenour said. “I know a few people in the shop don’t know how to so I don’t feel like I’m the only one.

“I never realized there is so much to know about a race car. I look up to those people, they are just awesome.”

Reitenour is expected to return to Tri-County Speedway again this season, as well as Caraway Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina, and Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

“She’s a fierce competitor. We had a pretty stellar class this year and she was head and shoulders above many of the people in the class,” said Max Siegel, CEO of Revolution Racing. “She deserved to come back this year.”

Franklin’s Sloan Henderson also competed for a spot during the program’s combine at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., in October, but was not selected.

“Sloan did a very good job at the combine and will benefit from an additional year of competition,” said Marcus Jadotte, the managing director of public affairs for NASCAR. “I’m certainly looking forward to her applying for the program again. She was one of the younger drivers in the competition and needs a little more experience. I’m confident she’ll give it another shot next October. I expect good things from her going forward.”

Contact this reporter at  (937) 225-2400, ext. 6991 or gbilling@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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