Kaylee Bryson Makes History As First Woman To Win USAC National Race
Kaylee Bryson Makes History As First Woman To Win USAC National Race
Kaylee Bryson made history by winning Saturday's USAC Silver Crown race and becoming the first woman to win a USAC National Series feature.
Kaylee Bryson will never forget the night of May 18, 2024.
On Saturday night, Bryson made history by becoming the first female driver to win a USAC National Series feature race by winning the USAC Silver Crown Hucovsky Classic at the Belleville High Banks.
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"This is a long time coming," Bryson said upon climbing out of the car in victory lane. "My team has worked so hard and has believed in me for so long. I'm so happy to pull off a win for them. This car was on rails tonight."
Bryson, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, inherited the lead with 16 laps to go when race-long leader Brady Bacon went up in smoke. From there, she fended off a hard-charging C.J. Leary who had charged to second from his 24th-place starting position.
"Just drive the track, don't worry about anyone else," Bryson said when asked about the conversation with her spotter over the final laps. "Just go out there and make fast laps. That's what we did and we won!"
Prior to winning the race, Bryson had already added her name to the USAC record books earlier in the night by becoming the first woman in the 54-year history of the series to win the pole for a USAC Silver Crown event.
During her rookie season with the series in 2023, Bryson became the first woman to earn Rookie of the Year honors with a national division in the 68-year history of the United States Auto Club (USAC).
In addition to her USAC records, Bryson also became the first female driver to qualify for the Chili Bowl Nationals A-Main in 2022.