SALLY MOTT Sweeps Both Races as Women Battle Through Barber’s Tough Conditions

May 8, 2025

by LIAM REDFORD // from www.racers-behindthehelmet.com

GRRL! SUMMARY:

SALLY MOTT absolutely owned Barber Motorsports Park, becoming the first woman to sweep both female driver prizes in a single weekend. Starting from challenging grid positions in both wet and dry conditions, she carved through the field with surgical precision – going from 27th to 12th in race one and delivering an 11th place finish in race two. While others struggled with the tricky Alabama circuit, Mott was posting top-5 lap times and showing everyone how it’s done.
HEATHER HADLEY proved she’s no fluke with consistent top-15 finishes that kept her right on MOTT’s tail throughout both races. The Hendricks Motorsport driver maximized every opportunity, gaining four positions on the final lap of race two alone and finishing just one-tenth behind Mott in the opener. Her qualifying performance in wet conditions earned her a stellar 10th place start for race two, proving she can handle whatever Mother Nature throws at the field.
CAROLINE CANDAS showcased why experience matters by topping all female drivers in treacherous wet qualifying conditions at a track where she’d previously podiumed in Porsche competition. Despite getting spun early in race one and dealing with technical issues in race two, the RAFA Racing Team driver demonstrated the kind of racecraft that comes from knowing how to read conditions and manage adversity. Her wet weather speed was a masterclass for the newcomers in the field.
The depth of talent was evident as ASHLYN SPEED delivered trademark late-race charges (including matching top-10 pace in race one’s final stages), rookie CHARLOTTE TRAYNOR banked valuable experience on her debut weekend despite early setbacks, and MAITE CACERES fought through questionable penalties to show the kind of resilience that builds championship campaigns. Six women taking on Barber’s technical challenges proves this series is becoming the real deal for developing talent.