Kenna Mitchell is a championship-winning race car driver from Loomis, California, who made history in 2024 as the first female NASCAR Berco Redwood Pro Late Model champion and continues to dominate West Coast short track racing.

EARLY YEARS

Born in March 2006, Kenna grew up in Loomis with racing in her blood—her father, Michael Mitchell, raced Modifieds and became both her inspiration and mentor. At 11 years old, she jumped into Mini Cups and Bandoleros, those pint-sized race cars that top out around 50 mph but teach you everything about wheel-to-wheel combat. It didn’t take long for her to prove she belonged. Racing alongside her dad, who still competes and understands the sport from the inside out, gave her an edge most young drivers don’t get. She had someone in her corner who’d lived it, someone who could translate the chaos of the track into lessons she could actually use.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she’s not strapped into a race car, Mitchell lists Hawaii as her favorite vacation spot—a solid choice for someone who spends most weekends breathing in tire smoke and motor oil. She’s cited Lia Block as her favorite driver and counts “The Art of Racing in the Rain” as her go-to movie, which tracks for someone who sees racing as equal parts strategy and emotion. She describes racing as a high-speed chess match, and it’s clear she loves the mental game as much as the physical one.

EARLY SUCCESS

Mitchell’s rapid ascent through the ranks was impossible to ignore. She started turning heads in road course racing, eventually becoming the Silver State Road Course Series Semi-Pro Division Champion. By the time she was 16, she’d already graduated to Pro Late Models at All American Speedway in Roseville—a significant jump from the entry-level cars she’d started in just a few years earlier. In 2022, still a teenager, she made history as the youngest winner of a Pro Late Model race at All American Speedway. That same year, she finished as runner-up in points at the track, proving her win wasn’t a fluke. She also competed in the 51FIFTY Jr. Late Models at Madera Speedway, where she became the first girl to win at the track during the Pumpkin Cup—a moment she’s called one of her favorites after battling brake issues all season.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2022: Became the youngest winner of a Pro Late Model race at All American Speedway at age 16; finished runner-up in points at All American Speedway[1].
• 2022: Became the first female winner at All American Speedway under NASCAR sanction in July[2].
• 2022: Made history at Madera Speedway as the first girl to win, with two wins, seven Top 5s, and one Top 10 on the season[3].
• 2024: Became the first female NASCAR Berco Redwood Pro Late Model champion during the 70th NASCAR season