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Sydney Prince is a Connecticut-born racer and mechanical engineer who has been turning laps since age five, working her way from quarter-midgets to Sprint car championships before becoming one of the few drivers skilled enough to wheel a car she helped design and build.

EARLY YEARS

Growing up in Killingworth, Connecticut, Sydney Prince had a twin sister, and like many little girls, they started out in dance class together. Sydney wasn’t exactly thrilled about tutus and recitals, so her father took a different approach—he wrote down a list of sports and hobbies and let her pick. Racing caught her eye, mostly because she had no idea what it was. Curiosity won, and at five years old, she climbed into her first quarter-midget car.

That choice turned into a family affair. Racing became the Prince household sport, and Sydney worked her way up through the ranks, progressing from quarter-midgets to Sprint cars. As a first-generation college student, she followed her high school advisor’s recommendation and enrolled at UNC Charlotte, drawn by the university’s reputation for motorsports engineering. In 2022, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, proving she could excel both on the track and in the classroom.

OTHER INTERESTS

Information about Sydney’s interests outside of racing and engineering is limited in available records.

EARLY SUCCESS

Prince racked up numerous wins and championships in Sprint cars as she climbed the racing ladder, establishing herself as a legitimate competitor in a sport that doesn’t hand out participation trophies. Her first trophy win came at Charlotte—a moment that mattered not just because it was first, but because it represented the payoff of years spent learning racecraft from the ground up.

At UNC Charlotte, she joined the Formula SAE program, where student teams design, build, and race formula-style cars against universities from around the world. Sydney wasn’t just along for the ride—she was part of the engineering team that designed and manufactured the car, working with different subgroups each year to bring a brand-new machine to life. Then she got behind the wheel and drove it in endurance events at Michigan International Speedway in May 2022, competing against the best collegiate engineering programs on the planet. “It’s definitely cool to be one of the drivers of a car that you helped design and helped build,” she said, understating what is essentially a engineer’s fever dream.

Working in UNC Charlotte’s Alan Kulwicki Motorsports Lab gave her hands-on experience that went far beyond textbook theory. “Working in the Alan Kulwicki Motorsports Lab has provided me with advanced automotive manufacturing knowledge that I probably wouldn’t have obtained through other programs,” Prince explained. “You have to be able to design to manufacture. Having the chance to design and build a race car really has boosted my confidence in my capabilities.” She also interned with Spire Motorsports, gaining real-world experience in professional racing operations.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2022: Graduated from UNC Charlotte with B.S. in Mechanical Engineering[1][3].
• 2022: Drove UNC Charlotte Formula SAE car in endurance events at Michigan International Speedway (May 18-21)[1].
• Multiple championships in Sprint car racing (specific years not documented)[1].

INSPIRATIONS

No documented information is available regarding Sydney’s specific inspirations or influences.

REPUTATION

Prince has built a reputation for motorsports excellence, recognized not just for her driving ability but for her engineering acumen. As of 2024, NBC Sports featured her work, highlighting her dual expertise as both racer and engineer[3]. Her ability to operate on both sides of the garage—understanding the technical aspects of car design while possessing the skill to extract performance on track—sets her apart in an industry that increasingly values multi-dimensional talent.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Sydney’s dream is to become a crew chief, the tactical mastermind calling shots from atop the pit box. She’s also considered starting her own team, specifically to create opportunities for racers who’ve come up through the same grassroots ranks she did—the quarter-midget kids, the Sprint car fighters, the ones who earned their way in rather than bought it. “Being involved in racing and being a first gen college student definitely makes me feel as though I’ve accomplished kind of one of my dreams that maybe I wasn’t going to be in NASCAR, maybe I wasn’t going to be a driver,” she reflected in 2022. “But just being involved in racing still and doing something that I love to do.” It’s a refreshingly honest take from someone who understands that success in motorsports doesn’t require a Cup Series ride—it requires passion, skill, and the grit to find your place in the paddock, even if it’s not the one you originally imagined.

References:

“Racing to win: Sydney Prince demonstrated student-designed Formula car” – UNC Charlotte, May 23, 2022
“Following Her Dream of Racing At UNC Charlotte” – UNC Charlotte YouTube, May 24, 2022
“Niner Engineer Sydney Prince featured by NBC Sports” – UNC Charlotte Engineering, May 6, 2024