Female Racer With NASCAR Dreams

NASCAR driver Danica Patrick will etch her name in the history books Sunday by being the first woman to start from the pole position in the Daytona 500. This historic moment is a victory for other women, including those in South Dakota who are used to burning rubber with the big boys.

Harley Bauman is used to leaving the competition in the dust. The South Dakota School of Mines freshman spent three years climbing to the top of her game.

"I was out there racing with men that have been racing as long as I've been alive. So it was definitely good competition. It pushed me farther, made me try harder," Bauman said.

But Bauman had a decision to make; continue racing or save for money college. She chose the latter. But is using her education to fulfill her NASCAR dreams.

"I want to be a NASCAR technician. I want to be able to sit behind the computer and be able to tell the workers what's wrong with the car and how they should fix it so they can get the car back on the track and get it running right," Bauman said.

And when she sees female role models like NASCAR's Danica Patrick lead the Daytona 500 for the first time ever, she's inspired and proud because she knows just what it's like to be in her shoes.

"I've just always been told that I'm a girl and I can't do stuff that guys can do but if they say that, I am going to prove them wrong and I totally see how other women are putting themselves out there because they hear the same thing," Bauman said.