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18-year-old Jade Avedisian has become the first woman to win a CARS Tour race in the 11 years that the competition has been running. After a disqualification of the first place finisher of the race at the New River All-American Speedway earlier this week, Avedisian inherited the trophy, and scored a victory in the Tour's Pro Late Model category on Saturday.
This was the Californian's first win this year, after achieving podium places at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing earlier this year. While the young driver did not win the race conventionally, she has discussed her feeling pride for the team, Wilson Motorsports, as well as cementing her intentions to continue winning as many races as possible. Speaking after the race, Avedisian said [via FloRacing]:
"It's really cool. I want it to the the first of many hopefully. Outside of that, all I care about is winning races. I just want to win races and do the best I can."
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"Obviously I want to be the first to cross the finish line but a win is a win. I'll take it. I'm very proud of everyone behind me. Everyone on this 24 car did a really great job over the past few days and it obviously shows," she added.
T.J. DeCaire, who crossed the line first at the race, lost out on his win after a post-race inspection revealed a left-side weight infraction, giving Jade Avedisian a historical win.
After spending her time in the racing world competing on dirt tracks, the 18-year-old driver announced last year that she would be moving towards only driving in pavement racing. A victory came soon after at the Carolina Pro Late Model Series race on November 9th at the Hickory Motor Speedway.
The next CARS Tour Pro Late Model race will take place on March 12th at the Cordele Motor Speedway.
Jade Avedisian reveals her ultimate racing goals
Like other drivers who have had their starts in the world of dirt and asphalt racing, the most recent CARS Tour race winner has a familiar ambition: to become a NASCAR driver. More specifically, Jade Avedisian wants to become a Cup Series driver.
The 18-year-old has signed on with Toyota Gazoo Racing in a multi-year deal to be a part of their driver development program, which will help her on her path to achieve her racing ambitions.
According to Jade Avedisian's profile on the TGR website, the Californian is clear about where she wants to take her career:
"To be a NASCAR Cup Series driver," she says.
Other Cup Series drivers who started in the world of dirt racing include Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell. Bell is also part of Toyota's driver team, alongside the likes of Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Bubba Wallace.
