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Reitenour On The Fast Track

Megan Reitenour is just 18 years old but she’s already finding the fast track to success in motorsports. As a member of the 2009 Drive for Diversity class, Reitenour has four top fives and nine top 10s in just nine starts this season, piloting the No. 92 Chevrolet for Leicht Motorsports at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C.

Last season, as a high school junior, Reitenour competed in the Super Cup Stock Car Series traveling to races in North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Now the recent high school graduate is competing in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series driving a late model stock car against some of the best drivers in the country.

Reitenour loves the challenge of advancing to a new series and starting her climb up the NASCAR ladder but knows it’s not going to be an easy journey.

VIDEO PROFILE OF MEGAN REITENOUR

“There is always a transition from one series to another, but I would say the most difficult thing is getting used to the difference in teams and what works well for each other,” she says. “From the set up of the car to the communication between the driver and the team, it takes some time to figure out what works best.”

Reitenour and her Leicht Motorsports team owner, Eugene Leicht, are finding that chemistry and are working together to run up front every week.

She’s thinking both short- and long-term about her racing career, trying to find the balance between on-track performance and off-track marketability.

“I’m happier – and more at ease – behind the wheel than I am in front of a camera,” she says, “but I’m working to get better at my interviews. I know that my sponsors now and the future will want me to be a good spokesperson for their product. You have to be marketable.”

Reitenour has embraced social networking; she’s active on Facebook and on the Drive for Diversity online community, D4D.tv.

“It’s important to get fans involved and keep your name out there,” she says.

With the support of her parents, Bill and Tabitha, Reitenour has already gathered a strong fan base from her hometown of Miamisburg, Ohio. Earlier this year Reitenour was presented with an award from the City of Miamisburg, recognizing her racing achievements.

She hopes to continue to bring recognition to her hometown through her on-track success and off-track community service. She is active in supporting causes near to her heart, including multiple sclerosis, melanoma and animal related causes.

“I enjoy finding ways to incorporate my racing into causes that I feel strongly about,” says Reitenour. “It’s important to bring awareness to, and help people understand, these important causes.”

Reitenour has also participated in charity events with the Lyn St. James Women in the Winner’s Circle program. She recently appeared at the 28th Annual CARA Charities Fashion Show and Luncheon, modeling alongside honorees like Helio Castroneves, Milko Duno and Paul Tracy.

She hopes to participate in more charity events as the season progresses. In the meantime, she continues to race at Tri-County Motor Speedway and is planning to get as much seat-time as possible this summer before beginning college later this year.

“My ultimate goal is to continue my career as a professional racecar driver,” she says, “but I want to have a career in racing no matter what happens.”

Reitenour is planning to pursue a degree in motorsports marketing or management, taking online classes so she can travel and race as much as possible.

With the support of the Drive for Diversity program and her supporters, Reitenour is determined to make it to the next level.

“I’m an ultra-competitive person,” she says. “It’s almost a problem how competitive I can be; I won’t stop until I get to the top.”

For an 18-year-old climbing the NASCAR ladder, that’s not a bad attitude to have.