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Kim Hughes may hail from Maybee, Michigan –
but there’s no hesitation or uncertainty when she gets behind the wheel of a race car!
Racing competitively for the past six years, Kim’s achievements include 8 championships in 6 years, 150+ first place wins and another 250+ top three finishes. With grit and determination, Kim has worked her way up from a Briggs oval go-kart purple plate gas in 2002-2003 to competing in the Wolverine Outlaw Midget Series and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge today.
Track Chic first met this impressive driver in July at Birmingham, Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park during the Porsche 250 Rolex Series Grand American. Kim, driving the #12 for SpeedWorks R&D in the new series, the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup, pushed her way through to a 12th place finish ... trading paint along the way! The enthusiasm of Kim and her teammates was contagious. Only the second time competing in this new heavier class, Kim was master of her game. All agreed we were watching someone special!
Chosen to participate in the Lyn St James Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation Driver Development Program, Kim has the intensity, the commitment and the skill to be great. As Kim celebrates her 18th birthday this month, the road ahead looks promising. Track Chic talks with Kim to learn more about her life in the fast lane.
How did you get started in racing?
My Dad wanted a family sport and thought go-karts would be a great answer for our family. Two weeks after my 10th birthday, I beat my dad’s track record by 0.03 seconds, so he shook his head and bought me a go-kart. We have been a family team ever since.
I love racing and everything about it. I have been racing since I was young and now my focus is to make it my career. I got my first start at our local track in Jackson, Michigan, Jackson Speedway. I have raced everything from Go Karts to Mini Sprints and everything in between. I am currently racing in the Mini Cup series at Jackson Speedway as well as the Wolverine Outlaw Midget Series and the new Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup.
When did you know that your passion had crossed the line from a fun hobby to a career choice?
I can’t identify the exact moment when it clicked, but I’ve known in my gut for a long time. When I was 14, I can remember all the school counselors trying to advise me to choose a different path, but I was 100% convinced that racing was my calling. Over the years they sort of abandoned their effort to talk me out of it. They have seen my commitment, all my hard work, and my success on the track. I couldn’t do this without the support of my friends and family and the community, they’ve been awesome.
It must be challenging to balance school, with social life, with fitness training, and racing? How do you manage?
You know, it’s tough; but I have only missed two weekends in my six years of racing. One was for a funeral and the other was for a school dance, so you can tell that I am committed to racing.
I do try to be a kid two days a week. I go shopping with friends or to the movies. But what’s cool is that most of my friends are very athletic, very fitness oriented. So we spend a lot of our social time working out together - it’s very positive, a 2 for 1 benefit!
What do you enjoy doing when you get the chance to relax?
I’m not sure I ever really relax 100%, I’m always itching to be “moving” – whether it’s going to my Grandma’s house to ride dirt bikes or snowmobiling – I’m always energized.
Can you share a little about your racing career and how you progressed to this new level of competition? How did you come to be the driver for SpeedWorks R&D #45 Mustang?
I started with a Briggs oval go-kart purple plate alcohol in 2002-2003 and worked my way up to bigger engine classes including the 250-cc Ninja Dirt Mini-Sprint, 600-cc Mini-Sprint, Sprint mini cup oval, and now the Wolverine Outlaw Midget Series and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge today. Each is a new experience with new challenges and new demands. I have to learn the differences in handling, and the engine’s capabilities. Each time I become more experienced and ready to take on the next challenge. But it’s not just the equipment, I spend a lot of time memorizing the track and learning my shift points. There is a lot of homework involved, but I enjoy this homework!
A lot of people have helped me along the way including Ronny Johncox. He races at Jackson Speedway and used to run for IRL. He is very competitive; he saw some talent in me and helped me get into the Mustang Challenge. And also Steve Lefere, the owner of Jackson Speedway. He met with my dad, helped me find a ride and opened a lot of doors for me.
Working with SpeedWorks R&D is awesome. It’s great to be a part of this team and new professional racing series. The series is co-developed by Ford Racing and Miller Motorsports Park. We are all driving the new Ford Mustang FR500S a V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive car. So it’s all new and we are all competing on the same level playing field. The series is a showcase for the driver’s ability in high-profile events.
The hardest challenge is the continued search for sponsors. I know that I am not alone in this. All drivers are experiencing a tough time getting funding, but it's part of racing.
Who are your heroes, who do you look to for inspiration?
My parents; they have invested their time, their money, and their hearts in me. It’s great to have them on my side.
Where do you want to be five years from now?
That’s an easy one, five years from now I want to be competing, and winning, in the IRL!
 No doubt Kim will be there, and Track Chic promises to greet her at the finish line!
To learn more about Kim , please visit her website: www.kimhughesracing.com
 Meet our favorite Track Chic from Canada, Mary Lynn Bridgman!
Touched by Track Chic's recent story about the Victory Junction Gang Camp for children with serious illnesses and Pattie Petty's loving efforts to ensure that each child has a handmade quilt, afghan or Teddy Bear to make their visit to the camp special, Mary Lynn has been busy making afghan and Teddy Bears for the children visiting the camp. Sometimes it is the smallest things, like Teddy Bears or handmade afghans that make the biggest difference ... and Mary's generous efforts will touch the hearts of many!
Here is Mary Lynn's story:
My name is Mary Lynn Bridgman and I'm 59 years young (WOW the big 60 next year). I have been married to my terrific husband John for 10 great years and we live in Stoney Point, Ontario, Canada. We have a cat named Grizzly and our dog (baby) is Kila. I have a daughter Jennifer and a sweet grandaughter Madison who will be 7 years old on August 13. Jennifer just got remarried and the three of them live in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
To relax, I enjoy acrylic painting, reading and knitting on my Knifty Knitter.
I have been a NASCAR fan for many years. My all time favourite driver is and will always be Dale Earnhardt Sr. So, now I root for Dale Jr, Kurt Busch, Elliot Sadler, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr. and JJ Yeley(who I hope finds a ride soon). In the Nationwide series I have a soft spot for Kenny Wallace. I have been a fan of his for along time. In my opinion Kenny doesn't get the recognition as a driver that he deserves.
In college football I'm a fan of NAVY, the University of Michigan and especially the Florida Gators. My husband considers himself lucky because I also enjoy watching the NFL and the Detroit Tigers with him. I find myself yelling louder than him especially when it comes to "GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES".
One day I was surfing the web and came upon a really nice article about Patti Petty by Track Chic. It mentioned the Victory Junction Gang Camp and about how each child goes home with a teddy bear or an afghan. Since I knit already, I thought I could make the afghans and maybe the teddy bears. So, I contacted Track Chic and received a very nice response from Theresa Earnheart. Because I was the first Canadian to contact Track Chic, Theresa was so kind as to give me a membership to Track Chic. She also sent out the pattern for the bears and measurements for the afghans. Thank you so much Theresa.
I had alot of the bears cut out, but found it very difficult to sit at my sewing machine because of pain in my back and shoulder. So, I contacted Theresa again to see if she knew anyone who would take on finishing all the bears for me, and she did. Many, many thanks to the Southern Chics. What a GREAT group of ladies.
At present I have about 20 afghans to be put together and get ready to be shipped. Will continue with much joy to knit more afghans for the children.
All my best to all the children who attend the camp, all the Track Chics and all of the NASCAR fans out there.
Mary Lynn Bridgman
To download patterns and learn more about how you can help please CLICK HERE.
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