Holbrook Clinches 2nd Place in the Touring Car A Championships of the Pirelli World Challenge
Orlando, FL (October 13, 2014) – Shea Holbrook, driver of the No.67 Lucas Oil, TrueCar, Radium, Women’s Sports Foundation, Hendrick Honda Civic Si, finished in 2nd place in her fifth season of the Pirelli World Challenge Championship. The season ended with a twist at Miller Motorsports Park located in Tooele, Utah when Holbrook had to make a bold decision that turned heads come the last race. The 24-year old spokeswoman, driver and co-owner of Shea Racing started off the weekend in the hunt for the championship against Jason Wolfe in the No. 36 Kia.
“This was by far the toughest race weekend I’ve ever encountered. The pressure was on and everything we had worked for was literally on the line. The outcome of the first race would determine the championship,” said Holbrook.
In the first race, Holbrook had her season’s best standing start but by Turn 2 she got caught up in Touring Car traffic causing separation between her and the TCA field to finish fifth in the race.
In the final race of the weekend, and of the Championship, Holbrook made a courageous yet difficult decision and opted out of the driver’s seat to answer questions the team and the manufacturer had. The team selected GT driver and friend, Mike Skeen, to pilot the No. 67 sponsored by the Center for Bone and Joint Disease.
“First off, we want to thank Mike Skeen and the support from Honda for making this happen on such short notice. Unfortunately, my fifth place finish in the first race took us out of winning the championship and at that point the idea of putting another driver in the car arose. We had a significant balance of performance change back at Brainerd that affected the outcome of the championship. Placing Skeen in the car was not about me but for the greater good of the series, the manufacturer and the future of the class. Everyone’s support was inspiring and humbling to me, especially from our partners,” Holbrook said.
Skeen ultimately drove the team to a fourth place finish and 2nd in the Manufacturer’s Championship.
In her fifth season and the 25th Anniversary of the series, Holbrook and team had accomplished their best ever team results with five wins, five top-3’s and four top-5’s.
“I must say, I’m incredibly grateful for such a successful season. Our dedication to performance achieved us the consistent results we wanted and the relentless hard work, passion and competitive drive is what got us on the podium. Looking back to where we started and how far we’ve come is truly a testament to our motto, “Fear is a state of mind, Will is an action taken.” I’m humbled and honored we have the opportunity to represent our partners, to have a platform to raise awareness and funds for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a racing family to share it with,” said Holbrook.
Watch the Pirelli World Challenge races from Brainerd International Raceway on MAVTV, Friday, October 5th at 4PM and 7PM eastern and Miller Motorsports Park, Friday, October 19th at 4PM eastern. Also view the online broadcast on www.world-chalengetv.com and Holbrook’s 2014 Driver Promo video on YouTube.
Special thanks to TrueCar, Lucas Oil, Women’s Sports Foundation, Project Podium, Radium, Hendrick Honda, Vision X Custom Graphics, The Center for Bone and Joint Disease, Race-Keeper, HPD/Honda Racing, Koni Shock Absorbers, Honda Generators, Eibach Springs, Bell Helmets, K&N Filters, Penta Water, Cool Shirt, Stand 21.
You can follow Shea on Twitter (@SheaRacing) become a fan on Facebook (Shea Racing – Shea Holbrook) and watch her video’s on YouTube (shearacing67).
About Shea Holbrook:
Shea is the only 24-year old spokeswoman and professional female racecar driver with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Marketing that co-owns and operates her racing team in the Pirelli World Challenge. Although Shea grew up a national ranked competitive water skier, her passion for driving started when she was 16 with a “Richard Petty Experience.” Shea quickly began excelling in the motorsports world through high performance driving events all throughout Florida. She then went on to obtain her SCCA license and since then Shea has been road racing competitively all over the nation with many organizations, from sprint races to 25 hour endures and debuted her professional career with the SCCA World Challenge Pro Racing in 2010. Her first mark in history was when she won the Long Beach Grand Prix becoming the first female to win a major Touring Car race at the venue. She’s been a featured athlete on Yahoo.com, Teen Vogue, NBC Sports Motor Sports Talk, CNN Live, Racer.com, and many others. A recipient of the Lyn St. James Foundation Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Scholarship and the Women’s Sports Foundation ‘Women in the Winners Circle’ Project Podium Grant. Shea currently races in the TCA division in a 2013 Honda Civic Si. “Fear is a state of mind, will is an action taken.” Shea lives this quote and believes through commitment and determination anything is possible. Helping others is another love of Shea’s. Shea Racing partnered up with Frito Lay Corp., in 2008 to raise $12,500 for the Susan G. Komen “For the Cure.” She has also raised thousands of dollars and awareness for her charity of choice, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD.) PPMD benefits Duchenne muscular dystrophy which affects her own family.
