Racing Toward the Future: Alissa Geving
By Keri Collins Lewis
The animal roar of the engines. The acrid smell of fuel and hot tires. Adrenaline. Speed. Why go to the mall when you can race instead? Alissa Geving may look like a typical teen Monday through Friday, but on weekends she’s at the track, gearing up for battle on the dirt track at the Petaluma Speedway in Petaluma, California.
Born to Race
While most kids don’t get behind the wheel until they are 15 or 16, Alissa began driving much earlier. “I got started racing when I was about 12,” she says. Both Alissa’s father and grandfather were championship drivers, and she spent many childhood hours at the track. “It wasn’t a shock to my family that I wanted to pursue racing as a way of life, since I would be following in such amazing footsteps!” Not only is Alissa’s dad her racing mentor, helping her improve her style and skills—he builds her cars, including the engines. “My family is the core of what I do. My mom tapes my races, cleans my helmet, and even helps clean the car! They’re awesome!” Such support helps Alissa stay focused, and when you’re muscling 1,600 pounds of steel going 150 miles per hour through a muddy hairpin turn, you need all the focus you can get.
At the Track
While Alissa races at her local track for points, she also competes in the California Civil War Series, which takes her all around the state. “My favorite part about competition is getting that rush of adrenaline when you just passed a competitor . . . or it could be that ice-cold feeling in my veins right while I’m waiting to start the race!” Typically, when she gets to the track around 2:00 in  the afternoon, Alissa greets friends and teammates before gearing up for practice laps. “The competition and I tend to be very close. I get along with most of the racers, and I get to know their driving styles pretty fast. For example, if I’m behind someone who always runs a low line on the track, I will race them on the top to strategize a way around them. Knowing weaknesses is always the key to being safe, and getting around people.”
Before getting into the car, she puts on a fire suit, head sock, ear plugs, gloves, and neck protection. To qualify, she drives two laps around the track, vying for the fastest lap time, which determines her starting spot for the rest of the night. “We then have heat races, typically involving eight to 10 cars that run for about 10 laps. After this, the main event rolls around. This is a 25-lap race and usually includes 20 to 25!” When asked about being female in the male-dominated world of racing, Alissa jokes, “Being a female just means I have to worry about messing up my hair in my helmet. Other than that, I forget about all that stuff on the track, and I believe most of my competitors do too.”
Her positive mind-set is a powerful asset. To be a champion driver, you need “determination, consistency, aggression, finesse, and a good attitude,” she says. “Sometimes people just have raw talent. It takes awhile for someone to become proficient, and to fine-tune their technique, but I believe racing is a passion, and if you want it that bad, anyone can rock the house!” Clearly Alissa’s attitude gives her an edge, because she recently won the 2008 All-Pro Points Series championship at Petaluma Speedway—the youngest ever to win it, and the only girl in the track’s approximately 75-year history. Bill Sullivan, the Media Relations contact for Chicko Motorsports, wrote, “It is believed that at the age of only 16 she becomes the youngest woman racer ever to win a championship title in a winged 360 powered sprint car.” She’s also been Petaluma’s Rookie of the Year, and took second in points at the track in Antioch, California.
While others say her driving style can be aggressive and a little crazy at times, she tries to keep it contained. She can’t contain her love of the sport, though. When people say racing is good only for the crashing, her zeal is evident: “A devoted race fan will tell you any day of the week that seeing his or her favorite driver crash can be just as depressing as watching your favorite football team lose by one point in the Super Bowl. Fans don’t go to the races to see crashing. Anyone who claims this . . . might as well go to a baseball game simply to eat peanuts.”
Off the Track
When asked about her proudest moment, Alissa is thoughtful. “I’m most proud of my balance between school, family, friends, racing, and my own self-respect. Without all of these things, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.” In addition to loving the challenge of school, she enjoys exercise and healthy eating. “I eat a raw vegan diet, run a few miles a week, and do a little bit of weight training. I find joy and peace within myself if I stay healthy, which is why I stay away from doing drugs and all that bad stuff. I never party so I stay on top of my game all the time.”
Racing Toward the Future
What role will racing play in Alissa Geving’s future? Many people have used sprint car racing as a stepping-stone to NASCAR, and Alissa’s considering that path. “I eventually want to venture into the world of asphalt racing,” she says. But her goals are broader: “I would say that my goal in life is to be completely happy with my life when I look back on it at the age of 80 and say, ‘Wow, I really changed the world.’ If I can do this by racing, involving charity and service, and just having the time of my life, count me in!”
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