Advertisement 1

Winnipegger Balcaen set to drive in NASCAR development series after lining up new Manitoba sponsor

Article content

Since she became the first Canadian woman to win a NASCAR sanctioned race in 2016, life on the track has generally been a struggle for Winnipeg’s Amber Balcaen.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

There have been times when it seemed like it would never work out, that no one was going to provide the sponsor dollars she needed to get behind the wheel full-time, develop her skills and move up in the world of stock car racing.

This month, her knight in chrome armour came along in the form of ICON Direct, a recreational vehicle parts company from Winkler. Balcaen has signed a six-figure deal sponsorship deal with the company, which will allow her to compete in 40 races this season in the BMR Drivers Academy, a new NASCAR development program.

Article content

“I’d say this is the best thing that’s happened in my career so far,” Balcaen, 28, said from her home in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday.

“To have a large company come on board for an entire season of racing means so much. The last four years I was racing part-time and it’s hard to develop your skills and be noticed when you’re only racing a few times a year and not getting any chances.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

“I have 40 races now, so I can build that momentum. I have 40 opportunities to win a race instead of two or three opportunities. I know this year is gonna definitely set me up for success in where I need to go.”

Balcaen has had a few chances to drive stock cars in recent years but things never quite worked out. She went back to her Manitoba roots — driving midget cars on dirt tracks around the U.S. — this past season but even that went the wrong direction when she was injured in a spectacular crash in July in Missouri.

She suffered a partially collapsed lung, a concussion and severe burns on her left arm when dirt midget car flew into the air, flipped over a fence and rolled several times.

“It’s nice to be talking about this and not crashing or anything,” Balcaen said with a laugh on Monday.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

“The last four years have been a struggle. But I continue to persevere and I’m driven and dedicated. Every year I get more disciplined, I learn more about racing and about the business side of it, what it means to create value for a sponsor.”

Amber Balcaen
Amber Balcaen Photo by Handout /Winnipeg Sun

Balcaen will be driving for Bill McAnally Racing, starting on March 26 in California. The entire development series is held on the West Coast.

If she does well, there’s a chance to move up to the ARCA Menards Series (Automobile Racing Club of America) for a few races this year and potentially earn a ride in the series full-time next year.

“This definitely is gonna be the highest level that I’ve competed in,” Balcaen said. “When I was racing NASCAR before it was at a local level and this is more of a regional level, all on the West Coast.

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

“The cars that we’re driving are ARCA cars and ARCA is known as a NASCAR development series. What this is going to do is give me the seat time I need to continue to move up the ranks. We’re doing 40 races, which is a lot for pavement racing. It will allow me to develop my skills and move up so that next year and I can compete in the national ARCA series and be racing at tracks like Daytona, Talledega and places like that. It’s just a great opportunity for me to showcase my talent.”

Balcaen still also has a sponsorship deal with Manitoba’s Glen McLeod and Sons, a trucking company.

The deal with ICON Direct is a game-changer.

Balcaen has spent most of her time over the last few years trying to line up sponsors but often has heard the same response.

Advertisement 6
Story continues below
Article content

“So many people say ‘Well, once you’re at the XFinity Series or a Cup Series,’ I’ll sponsor you, but they don’t want to start with you from the ground up,” Balcaen said.

“It’s so hard to find sponsorship at a development level.

“The fact that ICON says ‘Hey, we believe in you and we want to be on board with you and we want to be at the ground up with you,’ that means the world to me.”

Balcaen has worked with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the past and also appeared on the Country Music Television reality series “Racing wives.”

But she’s been waiting for her true big break and she believes she may have found it.

“You really have to know your marketing a lot,” she said. “Through my hard work, I’ve learned a lot. Through accumulation and compounding all the time, I was finally able to bring something together and I’m just super grateful that I never gave up because I really want this and this kinda shows how persistent I am with it.”

Twyman@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers