AVONDALE, Ariz. -- It's not often that the college intern gets promoted into a key position in the business. But Caitlin Shaw is not your average college intern.

Shaw, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., will be making her second Camping World Truck Series start Friday night at Phoenix International Raceway. She has a dozen years' worth of experience behind the wheel but the 21-year-old junior at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina has spent most of 2010 working behind the scenes.

“

I'm not trying to set the world on fire right now. I want to get seat time.

”

-- CAITLIN SHAW

"I applied for an internship with Michael Waltrip Racing last January, so I started with them in January," Shaw said. "It's been so much more than I expected, just the responsibilities they've given me. They've let me do as much as I possibly can. That's been really neat.

"I started out in more of a sales position, working with sponsorship. From there, I moved into public relations and communications, which is really what I like. I enjoy working with the media and doing that sort of thing."

In addition, Shaw's been posting videos on the team's website. And this summer, Shaw handled public relations duties for Ryan Truex, younger brother of Martin Truex Jr.

"Working with Ryan has been a great opportunity," Shaw said. "I started with him at his Nationwide debut, and have worked with him through his K&N East Series, where he won his second championship. Just to learn, as a rookie driver, what he's done and that's helped me in the Truck Series as to what to expect."

The connections she's made during the internship paid off this weekend, as she landed a ride in one of Mario Gosselin's trucks, allowing her to climb back behind the wheel for the first time since her 2009 series debut at O'Reilly Raceway Park near Indianapolis.

"I think it taught me a lot about all of the different aspects of the sport," Shaw said. "Having to do the sales and marketing, as well as the PR, and then driving the truck. It made me appreciate being on the track a lot more."

Shaw said Gosselin and his staff have made the transition back behind the wheel as seamless as possible.

"Mario's been great," Shaw said. "Our team chemistry has been great. Having Johnny Chapman become my crew chief ... I worked with Johnny in the Late Models before, so that's been a really good experience for me."

Shaw's racing career began not far from Phoenix International Raceway.

"I started when I was 9 years old, racing quarter-midgets in New Mexico and Arizona," Shaw said. "So it's kind of a neat experience coming back, because the midget track where I first raced was just a few miles away from here. I moved from there up to mini-sprints, then to USAC Ford Focus midgets and then the USAC National midgets.

"Last year was actually my first year in stock cars. I ran about six or seven races at Hickory to get approved for the Truck Series. And last year at ORP was my first Truck race."

Shaw caught the stock-car racing bug relatively late.

"I started racing the midgets in Indiana, and there was also a series in North Carolina," Shaw said. "So we'd drive back and forth. I just love Charlotte, I loved being around the NASCAR stuff. Through my racing and Michael Waltrip Racing, I've been living and breathing it. I love every minute of it."

The biggest difference Shaw finds between the two disciplines is the power-to-weight ratio. Midgets are significantly lighter and easier to maneuver.

"I notice it more coming from the midgets," Shaw said. "Midgets have been my main background. They're lighter and have a shorter wheelbase, so the difference has been huge for me. It felt like last year, I helped ease that gap a little bit.

"Coming here, I'm focusing on getting seat time. Being out of the race car for a year is tough. That first practice was a little rough for me, but after that, the second practice, me and Johnny really clicked and made good strides."

Shaw crashed early in her debut but was able to return and finish 24th. She admits she doesn't have any specific goals in mind this weekend but would like to be competitive.

"I'm not trying to set the world on fire right now," Shaw said. "I want to get seat time. I want to get approved for the next level of track. A finish on the lead lap would be great. I'm just trying to finish all the laps and get as much seat time as I can."

And with an eye on the future, Shaw said she would like to spend more time racing in 2011, if possible.

"I'm working with Mario and DGM Racing," Shaw said. "I'd like to continue that. They've really given me a lot of experience that is necessary for a rookie driver getting into this series. Obviously, as many races as I can get would be ideal. Being out of the seat for so long has been hard on me. So I'd like to get a steady schedule.

"With the sponsorship money, it's relatively economical to get into the Truck Series. Plus, it's a great learning ground, with veterans like Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner that you can look up to and aspire to be like. And then you have a lot of rookie drivers."

Racing has always been considered an adrenaline rush. Shaw joins Amber Cope, Angela Cope, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Johanna Long and Michelle Theriault as female drivers who have raced in the series this year.

"It's pretty cool to be a part of that," Shaw said. "But I think that really, whether you're male or female, it's about having the experience and the sponsorship behind you."

And the best thing? Shaw doesn't need to hire a public relations staffer to promote her driving career.

"I did this race," Shaw said. "I had a little help [writing it], but it was easy to get quotes."