ARCA Menards Series rising star Lanie Buice continues to make a name for herself in the lower division of NASCAR. As one of the series’ promising young female drivers, she shared a candid message for NASCAR amid the growing number of female racers in the industry. 

While NASCAR has been a male-dominated sport for quite some time, the past few years have seen the rise of female racers through the lower ranks and slowly make their way up. Names like Danica Patrick and Katherine Legge showed their skill on the Cup level, inspiring the likes of Toni Breidinger, Lanie Buice, and Dystany Spurlock, among others, to follow in their footsteps.

In a recent interview with reporter Kaitlyn Vincie for "People Who Race," Buice was questioned about why she believes it is important to continue highlighting the growing presence of rising female talent in NASCAR. 

"I think it’s hugely important," she told Vincie. "We should be proud of this moment and come together in a way that’s beneficial for all of us. It’s amazing to be part of this wave of women in the industry. We all work really hard. Toni Breidinger recently got a win at Hickory, which was incredible to see."

Buice further expressed that the female drivers deserved to be on equal footing with their male competitors. She added, 

"We see ourselves as equal to the men, and with this group of women contending with them, I think it should be celebrated. In general, there are just a lot more women in the sport now, and I think we should be here. We deserve to be here. I hope there are many more women coming behind us."

As more female drivers continue to climb the ranks of NASCAR’s developmental ladder, Buice hopes that this wave can inspire an upcoming generation of female racers. 

Lanie Buice talks about winning at Sonoma

Besides her ARCA commitment, Lanie Buice also competed in the TA2 Series West Coast Championship, and this year she made history at Sonoma Raceway in April.

She drove the No.27 Sunoco/Guthrie’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro for Team SLR to victory lane, becoming the first woman to do so.

In the aforementioned interview, Kaitlyn Vincie questioned the 19-year-old about what stood out to her about that specific victory. She replied, 

"It really kick-started our momentum over the next few months. Team SLR gave me a really fast car, and it was incredibly encouraging to get that win. It builds momentum, and that was something I really needed before the long stretch of back-to-back race weekends that followed.

"That victory gave me the extra push to become even better. Wins don’t come easy, and you can’t take them for granted."

The Sonoma Raceway win turned out to be a turning point for Buice. As for her ARCA journey in 2026, she has secured four Top 5 finishes in four starts, including a podium at Chicagoland.

Read more at Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak