Meet "The Race Car Teacher"

My name is Michelle Mallory. 
I am an elementary educator and
YES I really do race cars!
Click this link to see me race at Englishtown, NJ. 
(I'm in the blue Caprice that wins!)

I never had an interest in racing while growing up, but my husband was always into cars.  After he inherited his dad's '96 Impala SS, he started participating in autocross, road racing, and drag racing. 

During this time, we were living in Michigan.  I was focused on my teaching career and busy with our three daughters.  I would bring them to some of his races, but never dreamed I would eventually race cars with him.  

One day, some of the racers said my husband should let me take the car down the 1/4 mile drag strip during a "test and tune."  All it took was one time and I was hooked!  We would take turns racing his car and our girls would cheer us on.  They probably cheered for me more than my husband. 😉 Racing created a common interest for us to share together.  I love 1/4 mile drag racing because you get to go really fast and don't have to use the brakes until the end of the race!

For my next birthday, he surprised me with my own car to race- a black '99 Pontiac Trans Am.  I love this car and still own it today. I raced it for a few years until we moved to NJ.

While in NJ, we joined a competition race club called East Coast Impala Racing Series (ECIRS).  Only B-body cars from 1994-1996 could participate in the races, so I couldn't race my beloved Trans-Am.  No worries!  My husband bought me an old police car and had it painted blue.  I was the only female racer when I joined the series.  

Eventually, I got a black '99 Impala SS.  I won several races and took 2nd place in total points in the East Coast Impala Racing Series!  My husband took 3rd place. 😜

In NJ, I created a race car theme in my classroom and my students were my racing team!  My first graders were excited about the theme and thought it was cool that their teacher raced cars, especially the girls. At the end of the year, they received real car trophies in the "Winner's Circle."  The guys I raced with also presented me with my own class trophy too!

Now we live in South Carolina.  I have lost over 40 lbs from when the previous pictures were taken.  I am now creating different educational resources.  Some of the resources have the race car theme that I used while teaching in NJ!  Check out this race car theme freebie on my Teachers Pay Teachers Website!  

Any Number Plus Zero Race Course Challenge (Mystery Number is 100)