BMORENEWS: BLACK HISTORY: Tia Norfleet Makes NASCAR Debut
While the Williams Sisters and Gabby made history this weekend in London, history was also being made in the states. Tia Norfleet, the first and only African American female licensed by NASCAR, made her debut at the Motor Mile Speedway in Fairlawn, Virginia, August 4, 2012 at 7:06pm.
(FAIRLAWN - August 5, 2012) - “It gives us great pleasure to officially announce Tia Norfleet’s historical accomplishment to the world. It has been a long time coming and we are extremely elated and expect nothing but the best from her,” says Guernica D. Williams, her Publicist. “Getting here has taking much hard work and dedication. There are so many people who have helped to make this happen and we are very thankful for their devotion and support.”
Allen L. Ellison, President of Bobby Norfleet Racing, Inc., said, “At Bobby Norfleet Racing, Inc., it is a family-affair and we all stand strong and firm behind Tia. We are extremely proud of her and the hard work that she has put into this program.”
“While this has been an enduring journey for the entire Norfleet Team, it has taught us patience and perseverance in all things,” says Tia Norfleet. “This, today, is the result of persevering. I am truly honored and truly blessed to be able to experience this moment with my family and to race with some of the best drivers in the sport.”
ABOUT TIA NORFLEET
Tia Norfleet, the multi-talented, beautiful Suffolk, VA native is the daughter of 20 year veteran NASCAR driver, Bobby Norfleet. Tia started racing, under her father’s tutelage, at the age of 9 and has a true passion for the sport.
On the track, Tia Norfleet boasts an impressive winning record racing cars. From 1995- 2000, Tia started racing go karts, with 22 top ten finishes, 6 top 5 finishes and 2 wins. She then moved up to the Bandoleros Series from 2000-2003, accumulating 3 top 10 finishes and 2 top 5 finishes. In 2004, Tia began racing in late model series with 18 starts and 2 top 15 place finishes. In the drag racing circuit, she has amassed an impressive 52 starts with 37 wins.
Off-track, Tia has a literacy program called Driven 2 Read, in which, she is developing a platform to help inspire children to read. It is a merit based reading program designed to encourage young people to increase their reading proficiency through the power of motorsports. She is a Brand Ambassador for Verizon Wireless’ Celebrating Your Story; Empowering Your Network, which is an initiative that highlights the social achievements of African Americans and allow them to inspire their networks through the use of technology and interactive social platforms. She is the “Goodwill Ambassador” to TIMOTCA, which stands for The International Museum of Twenty First Century Arts.
TIMOTCA is providing an avenue for artist from every corner of the globe- A “United Nations of the Arts”- offering an unprecedented platform and a forum for the development of international programs promoting cultural understanding and peace. She is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the National African American Drug Policy Coalition which is a unique collaborative initiative to address the problem of drug abuse in the African American community with each member organization contributing distinct intellectual content, practices and procedures for eradicating the deleterious societal effects of drug abuse.
In its 67-year history, she is the first and only African American woman to compete in NASCAR.
For more info, visit www.tianorfleet34.com.
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