Five things about ... MWR team engineer Tricia Wall

Tricia Wall is not just another pretty face in the NASCAR garage, nor is she a feather in the cap for female diversity. She's an aerodynamics engineer, just like the rest of the men in the sport, only she's a whole lot cooler.

When she's not running simulations for the cars at Michael Waltrip Racing and directing the team's wind tunnel testing, Wall is either on a tennis court or a snowy mountainside somewhere.

The 31-year-old is pretty hardcore, but she does have a soft spot for her fellow TRD engineer love interest. Just don't mistake her for a driver's 'PR girl.' She considers it bad form and merely perpetuating a stereotype.

Learn five things about this Midwesterner destined for the NASCAR industry.

1. Growing up in open wheel ...

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An IndyCar race at Michigan lured Wall into a career in racing.

As a young girl, Wall loved going to work with her father who happened to be a sponsor finder in the Indy Racing League and Champ Car series. This is where her interest in racing began. And eventually she chose to attend college at the University of Southern California because she loved going to the Long Beach Grand Prix for her Spring Break.

"We lived in Grand Rapids, Mich., so it was central to a lot of the race tracks: Milwaukee, Toronto, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I went quite a bit and continued to go when I was out of college and home for Spring Break. Once I was visiting my family and we went to an IndyCar race at Michigan International Speedway. I was done with school and contemplating a Ph.D. or going into the real world. Then I met Derrick Walter [former team owner] and he offered me a job as a data acquisition engineer and aerodynamicist.

"At the time I had an aerospace engineering internship in Southern California with Boeing and the project I worked on was creating a chemical oxygen iodine laser to put in the nose of a helicopter. I worked there two summers but never saw much progress, but in racing you can think of something on Monday and it will be on the track Friday."

2. Open wheel's downfall, NASCAR's gain ...

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Wall has helped MWR teams prepare cars since the organization was formed.

After four years in open wheel, Wall knew TRD was planning a move to the Sprint Cup Series and she wanted to be part of it. She was already a track support engineer for TRD in the Indy Racing League, so a transfer to NASCAR's program would be feasible. She became the NASCAR program's aerodynamicist. But not for long. In 2007 she had an interview with Michael Waltrip Racing.

"Ty Norris [general manager] brought me over to our shop as it was being constructed and walked me around and showed me the grand plans. It was really exciting to be a part of the team from the beginning. We started with eight or 10 engineers and now we have 20 or 25."

3. Rough first day ...

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Wall's first race was the 2007 Daytona 500 when the No. 55 failed inspection.

Wall's first day on the job was Michael Waltrip Racing's worst day. It was the 2007 Daytona 500 when the team was penalized by NASCAR and handed record-breaking fines for suspected cheating.

"I had probably been at MWR for maybe a month and that was my first race. It was eye-opening for sure. But it was amazing to see Michael race his way in after all that happened. So much has changed; our organization has grown. We have finally accumulated enough people to do all the work required. We haven't won any races but I know we are so close. For me and a lot of the other engineers around, it's great to see this constant evolution the last two-plus seasons."

4. What she does ...

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Wall takes information from MWR teams to help formulate a setup each week.

Her first role at MWR was an aerodynamics engineer responsible for collecting data at wind tunnel testing.

But today she works in vehicle dynamics.

"We have two people running simulations every week for all three of our cars. At the beginning of the week each race engineer will give me their setups for the weekend. We created our own software to run simulations. I'll run through each guy's simulations. It takes me two or three days, and from their baseline setup I provide them a direction on how to tune the car. It's a tuning tool for them to use while they are practicing."

5. A different kind of racer ...

Wall's first racing career was on the slopes.

Wall was a competitive ski racer at USC and won the women's league title -- United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association -- her senior year.

"It is tough being in North Carolina now with not much snow but I'm still trying to get out and do it every now and then. But there is some ski racing in Charlotte I looked into, I just haven't gone and done it yet. Maybe next season. I never car raced though, but I started ski racing in high school in Michigan."