Amateur Women Drive For Fun

"Driving just seemed natural for both of us," Kelly said. "The reason I like keeping my amateur status is that it allows me to drive on a competitive level, and it keeps driving fun. I don't think I'd look at it as fun, if I were to drive professionally. That would put the pressure on me to do well, and I think that would also put an end to the fun-which is why I like to do it. My job at the USTA keeps me involved in the business and the driving part of the game is not something that would motivate me professionally. Jamie and I both drove together in the same Billings race for the first time in 1998 and it was just a riot. The best part of this whole experience is that my sister and I have done it together-we take road trips to the tracks, and it gives us an opportunity to spend time together to do something we both enjoy."

Sister Jamie says she got a lot of inspiration for driving by watching her mother Debbie steer horses around the Ohio ovals while she was growing up.

"Watching my mother compete gave my sister and I a lot of confidence and it really influenced me in terms of wanting to drive," Jamie said. "It was kind of second nature that we would all do something involving horses-since that was our parent's business. When we both first found out about the Billings, we both looked at each other and said 'We want to do that!'"

"The great thing about the Billings is that it does cater to amateurs," Jamie continued. "It takes a lot of the pressure off, and you know that if you make a mistake, that it is much less of a mistake than if you were driving a horse professionally for someone. That's not to say that I don't try to become a better driver, because I do. I try to better myself each year as an amateur...plus, my dad is always on hand to tell me what I'm doing right and wrong. He's my biggest critic and also my biggest fan. I wouldn't want to have the pressure that the professional drivers have-watching my brother Adam drive is good enough for me."

"Another great aspect about the Billings Series is that we get to visit so many different race tracks," Jamie

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