Evergreen Speedway driver also racing on East Coast

Think you have a busy summer schedule? Well, take a gander at Molly Helmuth’s itinerary the past couple weeks.

On July 28 the popular Evergreen Speedway Super Late Models driver competed in the Central Welding Supply 125, part of the Monroe track’s Bud Crown Series. Four days later she hopped on a flight to North Carolina, where she finished 12th in the CARS Racing Tour’s Throwback 276 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway in Newton. As soon as that was done she hopped back on another plane back to the Pacific Northwest so she could start getting her car ready for Saturday’s NASCAR K&N West 175, another Bud Crown Series event.

Three weekends, three races, 4,600 flight miles and a whole lot of sweat. But it’s a hardship Helmuth is more than happy to make to further her racing career.

“I kind of enjoy that,” said Helmuth, the only Evergreen regular who’s racing both coasts this year and the first to do so in recent memory. “You never have time to relax, which is kind of nice. And while I love my home track, it’s exciting racing on the tracks out east.”

Helmuth, who hails from Seattle, already has a long history at Evergreen, despite being just 23 years old. She’s been a regular at the track since she began racing go-karts 12 years ago. In 2010 she was was the track’s Rookie of the Year in the Mini Stocks class, in 2012 she was named the NASCAR Washington State Rookie of the Year in Super Late Models, and the past three years she was voted Evergreen’s Most Popular Driver.

This year, having graduated from Western Governors University in 2017 with a marketing degree, she took the initiative to double her load. In addition to racing a full schedule at Evergreen, she’s also driving a Super Late Model on the East Coast-based CARS Racing Tour.

“I’ve known that racing on the East Coast is what I need to do to better my career,” Helmuth said. “But I really started to push the idea mentally over the last couple years. Then it all just happened really quickly.”

Helmuth began making phone calls in December, one of which was to TJ Majors, the spotter for NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano, whom she knew previouisly. Majors connected Helmuth with Tony Eury Jr., the former crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Eury in turn referred Helmuth to Will Jones, the owner of J&J Racing Unlimited. Jones decided to bring Helmuth on this season.

“When Tony approached with Molly’s situation, I thought it was really unique,” said Jones, who was seeking a driver for his car since his son, who drove the car in the past, decided not to race this year. “There aren’t too many girls tackling these Super Late Models, and she’s been racing out west for a while. I thought this was a cool deal.”

Helmuth was also motivated to race both coasts because she was accepted into the Kulwicki Driver Development Program (KDDP). The KDDP, which was established by the family of Alan Kulwicki in honor of the late NASCAR champion driver, provides financial support and motivation for promising drivers aged 25 or younger. Helmuth was one of seven drivers selected from more than 100 applicants — fellow Evergreen regular Brittney Zamora was also chosen this year.

The seven drivers in the KDDP compete for the Kulwicki Cup, in which they earn points based both on their performance on the track and work in the community.

“We identified (Helmuth) as a young up-and-coming driver with so much potential, but her capabilities as far as promotions and marketing were second to none,” KDDP executive director Tom Roberts said about why Helmuth was selected. “She’s like a PR machine. I think when you see how she appeals, especially to young people and children, it’s quite amazing.”

Being competitive in the Kulwicki Cup requires a heavy race load, so Helmuth’s dual-coast schedule couldn’t have been timed better.

“It means a lot,” Helmuth said about being picked for the KDDP. “There’s a lot of renowned people on the Kulwicki board, so for them to all see who I am — and that they believed I could be a good representative for the program — that means a lot. It really pushes me every day to be my best self, whether it’s away from the race car or on the track.”

Helmuth’s charity work has included raising money for the Sky Valley Food Bank in Monroe and visiting the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle. When she travels to North Carolina she also does charity work. Roberts gave Helmuth glowing praise for her off-track efforts.

Unfortunately for Helmuth her on-track results haven’t been as strong, as her season has been plagued by bad luck. A series of wrecks and mechanical failures have ruined strong runs on both coasts when she was in the top five. Nevertheless, she went into Saturday’s CARS Racing Tour race fifth in the Super Late Models points standings. At Evergreen, where she’s had to miss a couple events because of scheduling conflicts with the CARS Racing Tour, she heads into weekend in 14th in Super Late Models points.

“I wish I could be performing a little bit better, but you can only do so much,” Helmuth said. “I try my best every time I go out there, and sometimes luck gets in the way. But I’m having a great time doing this. It’s a new experience and an incredible challenge, but I’m always up for new challenges.”

And Helmuth doesn’t have much time to dwell on the negative. Her schedule criss-crossing the country keeps her plenty busy.

If you have an idea for a community sports story, email Nick Patterson at npatterson@heraldnet.com.