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CAMDEN, NJ - Chassis rolls, pit stalls, silly seasons, and roll bars. Roars, crashes, smoke, and fires. Big sponsors, fans, victory lanes, and champagne. For the stock car racing neophyte, these are the words and images that define the sport of NASCAR. More and more Hispanics are tuning into NASCAR, in some measure because there are now latino drivers on the circuit. Though Hispanics and women have entered NASCAR, there has yet to be a combination of the two...but that may soon change.
Enter Natividad Soto. "I am here to change the direction of the sport," she says.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Camden, New Jersey, the 36-year-old hopes to become the first female Latina NASCAR driver. Influenced by the Earnhardts and inspired by her three sons and grandparents, Soto started racing 7 years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she currently resides. She works as a property manager, raises her boys, and donates her time to her community.
Detours and car trouble have delayed Natividad in reaching her goal, but they haven’t stopped her from getting her car running. After a brush with poor management, Natividad has finally found a loyal manager to stand by her side.
Finding sponsorship has been Natividad’s critical problem since the beginning of her journey. "Getting into racing is hard enough, especially when you are starting from scratch. However, just like the economy, things will become better for me."
Unfortunately, she has not been picked up by a sponsor yet. Lately, the Latina stick shifter has been having fundraisers to get her in position to compete. After her finances are in order, Natividad says it will take some time for her to get acclimated to the tracks. She will then need to work her way up through the different racing divisions.
With Natividad behind the wheel and her family as her pit crew, she plans to move her community forward as a role model. "When you take a normal individual in any situation who wants to aspire to do something and you put them around positive influences, things will happen for them," Soto said. She believes confidence and support are the key ingredients for success.
Beyond her community, Natividad Soto strives to get her car into NASCAR for other women that share her problems. "I want to make a mark for all women drivers out there that want to break into the ranks and compete with the top men of the sport."
Check out Soto’s future races at Slinger Super Speedway on her journey to NASCAR.
Photo above: Natividad Soto
Photo courtesy of Natividad Soto
Soto’s Car
Photo courtesy of Natividad Soto
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8/31/2010
Summit Hosts Fall Field Hockey Classic
SUMMIT, NJ - Summit was the scene of some spirited field hockey this past Saturday as the Summit High School coaches and field hockey players hosted a Fall Classic for seven other distric....
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8/30/2010
A Cheer for the Launch of Sum It Up’s Fall Lacrosse Clinics
Coaches Libby McGraw and Annie Stathis, both of Short Hills, lead a rousing cheer for the launch of Sum It Up For Girls’ outdoor lacrosse clinics. Clinics are offered at Kent Place School in Summit, NJ for girls in K -8th grades on Saturday....
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8/28/2010
Michael of Troy - Chatham’s Ness Off to Good Start in Pro Ranks
TROY, NY - As he has for every summer as far back as he can remember, Mike Ness is throwing a baseball. But now there’s one critical difference – the Chatham resident is getting paid to hurl the horsehide.
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8/26/2010
Summit Medical Group Hosts Sports and Healthy Living Festival; Appearances by Olympic Champions, Shannon Miller, Gymnast; Tim Morehouse, Fencer, October 3rd
Summit Medical Group hosts its first Live Well Sports and Health Festival, Sunday, October 3, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., on its campus at 1 Diamond Hill Road, rain or shine.
This free sports and h....
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8/26/2010
Summit Football Looks to Build on Magical 2009 Season
SUMMIT, NJ - The Summit football program was about as close to perfect as humanly possible in 2009. For starters, the varsity, JV, and freshman teams won every single game they played. In addition, the varsity team scored....
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8/18/2010
Versatile Athletes Spanning Seven Decades Recognized for their Achievements at Chatham High School
CHATHAM, NJ - Like many Chatham High School alumni, these individuals were driven and talented athletes. What distinguishes the select group of "The 100% Club", however, is their vers....
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8/16/2010
Chatham’s Ness Wins First Game in Pro Ranks
CHATHAM, NJ - Michael Ness won his first game as a professional when the Tri-City Valley Cats pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Staten Island Yankees in Troy, N.Y. on Friday evening.
Ness, a Chatham resident....
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8/13/2010
Summit Health and Bodyworks Makes Hitting the Gym Fun
SUMMIT, NJ - "We’re all about fun here," Summit Health and Bodyworks owner Neil Wilson says.
The new fitness studio, which opened ....
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8/9/2010
Summit’s Ryan Sebastian of the Elite Swim Club Places 2nd at the NJ USA JO Championships
Ryan Sebastian, an energetic 14-year old from Summit, swimming for the Elite Swim Club placed 2nd overall in the (13-14 age group) high point award race at the 2010 New Jersey Long Course Junior Olympic C....
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8/3/2010
Cherry Hill Knocks Livingston Out of State Tournament; Livingston Finishes Season 25-6
LINDEN, NJ - Although they received their tournament bid because of the disqualification of Mount Olive, the Livingston Junior Legion team proved that they deserved to be one of the final eight teams in t....
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8/1/2010
Clearwater Wins All-Team Meet for Third Consecutive Year
CHATHAM, NJ - Racers broke out their Fastskins and LZR Racer performance swimsuits for the Town and Country League’s 55th annual All Team Meet on Saturday at Minisink Swim Club in Chatham. Clearwater Swim Club d....
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8/1/2010
Livingston Bit By Denville Walk-Off, Falls 5-4
LINDEN, NJ - Livingston was given a second chance Wednesday night as Mount Olive was disqualified and Livingston was granted a spot in the American Legion State Tournament. However, Livingston could not knock off Den....
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7/31/2010
Chatham’s 10U Baseball Team Wins Championship
Chatham’s 10U baseball team won the New Providence Green League championship over Westfield by a score of 8-4 on Thursday July 29. Although seeded eighth in the playoffs, Chatham defeated the first seed Watchung and the fourth seed Florham ....
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7/30/2010
Berkeley Heights Tops Summit in 11U North Jersey All-Star League Championship, 5-3
SUMMIT, NJ - For the second consecutive year, Berkeley Heights defeated Summit in the league championship game on Thursday night. Berkeley Heights, which was seeded higher and was therefore the home team, won 5-3 on ....
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7/29/2010
Livingston Advances to State Tournament, Despite Second Straight Loss to Mount Olive
LINDEN, NJ - After being shut out by Mount Olive ace, Sean Geiger, Wednesday night at Memorial Field in Linden, Livingston players hung their heads as they had the usual post game talk. But the director of the New Jersey Legion District 2 t....
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7/28/2010
Greg Rocheville of Livingston Finishes Ironman Triathalon in Lake Placid, NY
Greg Rocheville of Livingston finished his first IRONMAN Triathalon on July 25th in Lake Placid NY. The event consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run a total 140.6 miles.
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7/28/2010
Livingston Wins Third Straight One Run Game, 9-8, Despite Mount Morris Surge
LINDEN, NJ - Livingston knew the 2010 American Junior Legion State Tournament would be challenging, but not this challenging.
Livingston knocked off Mount Morris 9-8 Tuesday evening at Memorial Field in Linde....
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7/27/2010
Summit Junior Baseball 11U Team Wins Semi-Final Game Over Westfield; Final Game to be Played Thursday in Summit
WESTFIELD, NJ - Summit’s "Black" team faced rival Westfield "Blue" for the third time this season in Westfield on Monday evening and walked away with a semi-final victory, winning 3-1. The two teams had fac....
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7/27/2010
Livingston Still Alive in State Tournament With 4-3 Victory Over South Brunswick
LINDEN, NJ - On Monday afternoon, Livingston took another step to achieving its goal of becoming state champions by defeating South Brunswick 4-3 at Me....
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7/26/2010
Rodino and Kimmel Lead Livingston With Hard Fought Win Over Roselle, 7-6
LINDEN, NJ - Livingston was in a do or die situation on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Field in Linden as they took on Roselle Catholic.
The Lancers made the best of their situation and defeated Roselle 7-6 in ....
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7/25/2010
Mt. Olive Knocks Off Livingston in First Round of State Tournament
LINDEN, NJ - Livingston came into the state tournament with only two losses under their belt: Nutley and Millburn. The Lancers were confident going into Saturday’s game against one of Morris County’s top teams, the Mount ....
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7/24/2010
Chatham Fish and Game Beats Crestview by 12 Points
CHATHAM, NJ - Chatham Fish & Game called upon their home-pool advantage to sneak by visiting Crestview Swim Club by twelve points in a close meet that until the final score was announced could have gone to e....
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7/23/2010
Young Archers Find a Home at Oak Ridge on Monday Nights
As Caitlin Goerlich draws back the string on her bow, determination is written all over her face.
The 17-year-old is now a regular at Monday night archery classes at Union County’s Oak Ridg....
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7/20/2010
Rodino Shines as Livingston Crowned Essex County Champions
NUTLEY, NJ - There is an old baseball saying: "Pitching and defense wins games."
That is exactly what Livingston did during the Essex County Champio....
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7/20/2010
KemperSports and Union County Golf Properties Announce Partnership with TaylorMade Golf for The Learning Center at Galloping Hill
KemperSports, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Union County Golf Properties and TaylorMade Golf have agreed to transform The Learning Center at Galloping Hill, a full-service driving range, practice facility ....
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