Street stock driver Alex Gay has had some major moments this season at Grundy County Speedway.
The biggest — both from a competitive and family standpoint — took place on May 10, when the Morris resident set fast-qualifying time for the first time.
Among those she beat out was her father, Darrell.
Daughter had done her daddy so proud. She also made him a little bit jealous.
“She just beat me to getting a fast time and achieving that goal,” Darrell said, smiling. “I’m happy for her.
“Getting the flag and carrying it out there during the national anthem is pretty special. We did a lot of hard work over the winter, and it’s paying off.”
In a big way.
Going into the weekend, Alex Gay was third in the street stock points standings. She posted heat race victories on May 31 and June 15 and has led several laps during feature races.
She’s the highest-ranking female driver in any division so far this season.
Alex gave credit where it was due as she looked at her No. 62 Monte Carlo.
“This is the most competitive and the best my car has ever been between the pure stocks and the street stocks,” Gay said. “Being the fastest qualifier that night was a thing that I wanted to achieve since I ever raced. I’m feeling more confident than ever.”
She’s staying ahead of perhaps an even bigger challenger than any she faces on the oval.
In 2016, Gay was diagnosed with chronic long-term Lyme disease, a tick-borne condition that has various symptoms both physically and neurologically.
“Some people, as far along as I am, are bedridden or wheelchair-bound,” Gay said. “Our biggest battle is, we look OK but inside I am struggling. It’s everything from arthritis to brain fog to fatigue.
“To drive a car, you have to be mentally quick and physically react. One mistake can be critical. With my inflammation, sitting in the car and all of the stress can be tough on your joints. I do have flareups after races.”
Family support is vital, and she has plenty of it. Gay, 30, brings her 5-year-old daughter Kamdyn to the track.
“She’s my biggest fan,” Gay said. “She’ll give me my fist bumps and my crossed fingers and my ‘Good luck, mommy.'”
And then there’s dad, who works on her car as well as his — but certainly doesn’t cut her any slack on the track.
“It’s pretty exciting, actually,” he said. “She has become a heck of a driver. She’s fun to watch.
“I try to protect her out there whenever I can. But she has steadily gone in the right direction since the day she started racing.”
The journey began well before that. As a child, Gay accompanied her father to the track in the late 1990s when he raced street stocks at Raceway Park.
“Yep, and I never complained about being there,” Gay said, laughing. “I liked the cars, the stands, the food, the people. I would tell him about how I wanted a car.”
In 2013 Darrell was preparing a pure stock car for one of her younger brothers when the plan changed.
“My older son, he loves cars,” Darrell said. “But when it came time to start working on them, he had other things going on. Then Alex came up to me and told me she wanted to drive it.
“We would go go-karting and she was flying out there, so we put her in the 4-cylinder and let her go.”
Gay earned rookie of the year honors in 2013, finishing second in the pure stocks standings. She was third in 2015. She moved up to the street stock class in 2016, and has been a solid points finisher ever since.
This season she’s a serious title contender.
“Setting fast time that night (in May) was amazing,” Alex Gay said. “It was so special carrying the flag during the national anthem.
“And now, with two heat wins and being so close in these features… I’ve been chasing this stuff for a long time. I’m ready for it. “Hopefully, this season will be the best I’ve ever had.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
