Mandy Chick is a third-generation race car driver from De Soto, Kansas, who juggles piloting stock cars in the ARCA Menards Series while pursuing a mechanical engineering degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology—making her the only known active NASCAR-affiliated driver who’s also a full-time university student sponsored by her school.

EARLY YEARS

Born October 17, 2001, Amanda “Mandy” Chick is the first female in her family to drive race cars, though she comes from serious racing pedigree. Her father, Steve Chick Jr., and grandfather, Steve Sr., both raced, and Mandy can’t remember a time she wasn’t around the track. At four years old, she flipped a go-kart and broke her arm. Not long after, she stripped the gears out of a dune buggy by going too fast. The signs were there early—this girl had speed in her veins and zero interest in slowing down.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she’s not behind the wheel or buried in engineering homework, Chick has a surprisingly eclectic side hustle: tattooing. Yes, you read that right. In interviews, she’s joked about “seeing more butts in the last two weeks” than she ever expected, thanks to her work as a tattoo artist. She’s also a wizard with CAD software and 3D printing—skills she picked up in 2018 when a racing business approached her with a design need. At Rose-Hulman, she’s part of the Noblitt Scholars program, where she leads research projects that marry her love of engineering with motorsports innovation. She’s also the president of her Tri Delta sorority chapter, because apparently she needed one more thing on her plate.

EARLY SUCCESS

Chick started racing quarter midgets and quickly proved she had talent to match her determination. In 2010, at just nine years old, she became both a regional and Kansas quarter midget champion. By 13, she’d moved up to asphalt Pro Late Models—specially approved for the NASCAR Home Track Series—and started racking up top-10 finishes. Her family operation, Team Chick Racing, kept things close-knit and scrappy, the way a lot of great racing careers begin.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2010: Regional and Kansas quarter midget champion[1].
• 2019: Finished second in JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour points with seven top-tens, including a top-five at Bristol Motor Speedway[2].
• 2021: Earned career-best JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour finish with a runner-up result[3].
• 2022: Made ARCA Menards Series debut at the Sprecher 150 at Milwaukee Mile, part of a historic race featuring six women on the entry list[4].
• 2023: Opened the ARCA Menards Series season with a fifth-place finish at Daytona International Speedway—her career-best finish in the series to date[5].
• 2023: Became the only known active driver on the ARCA Series who is a full-time student and sponsored by the university they attend, partnering with Rose-Hulman[6].

INSPIRATIONS

Chick credits her father, Steve Chick Jr., and grandfather, Steve Sr., as her primary inspirations. Growing up in a racing family meant the sport was in her DNA, but being the first woman in the Chick racing lineage to get behind the wheel added its own layer of motivation. She’s also become deeply committed to raising awareness about women in both racing and STEM fields, launching a speaking tour called “Drive to Inspire” where she talks about being a driven individual and breaking into male-dominated industries.

REPUTATION

Chick has built a reputation as a multi-threat: a competitive driver, a sharp engineering student, and an articulate advocate for women in motorsports. Her top-five at Daytona turned heads—not just because she moved up from a 25th-place qualifying spot and overcame a speeding penalty, but because she did it while juggling finals week. She’s known for being approachable and funny in interviews, never taking herself too seriously despite the pressure of balancing two demanding careers. Kansas Speedway has become her home track, where she’s a regular and a local favorite. Her partnership with Rose-Hulman is groundbreaking, and she’s used that platform to inspire younger girls who might not see themselves reflected in racing or engineering.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Chick returned to the ARCA Menards Series in 2025, piloting the No. 74 Team Chick Racing entry at Kansas Speedway on September 26. She’s set on continuing to compete while building a long-term career that bridges racing and engineering—proof that you don’t have to choose just one dream when you’re talented and stubborn enough to chase them all.

REFERENCES

[1] Mechanical Engineering Student on the Fast Track in Racing and Engineering – Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
[2] Mandy Chick – Wikipedia
[3] Chick Captures Career-Best JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Finish With Runner-Up Result – Stars National Tour
[4] Women Making ARCA History Sunday At Milwaukee Mile – FloRacing
[5] Engineering a Career in Racing: Mandy Chick Making Name for Herself Early in ARCA Menards Series Career – Kickin’ the Tires
[6] In Partnering with Rose-Hulman for ARCA Racing Series, Mandy Chick Wants to Raise Awareness of Women in Racing, STEM – Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Mandy Chick Inspiring Others | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology – YouTube
De Soto race car driver Mandy Chick, 22, eager for return to Kansas Speedway – KSHB
About – Mandy Chick
Interview: Mandy Chick is Racing, Schooling and Tattooing? – Toby Christie
Pit Pass Network Interview: Mandy Chick
33 Under 33: Mandy Chick, Racing to Success – Tri Delta
Mandy Chick Returns To Run ARCA Menards Series Race At Kansas – Toby Christie