NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — When Katie Hettinger and her team pulled into New Smyrna Speedway for the 2024 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, all the memories from 2023 immediately rushed back.
It was during her maiden venture into the marquee event that the third generation competitor from Dryden, Michigan made history as the first female World Series of Asphalt Pro Late Model feature winner. Katie accomplished this in the fifth race by engaging in a tough battle with Carson Brown before passing him with 10 laps remaining.
A full year of Pro Late Model races around the southeast provided Katie plenty of confidence as she approached another grueling week at New Smyrna with the goal of further cementing herself into the World Series of Asphalt record books.
“It was really cool,” Katie said. “We didn’t even know I was the first female to win a [Pro Late Model] race until afterwards, but milestones like that are awesome. Now I want to break another record by winning a [World Series of Asphalt] championship along with some more races.”
Hettinger’s path to achieving a Pro Late Model win in the World Series of Asphalt for was dominated by adversity and a copious amount of studying.
Her only experience in a full-bodied stock car at New Smyrna prior to the 2023 World Series of Asphalt was the Red Eye 50/50 the year before. A full week at New Smyrna would present more challenges such as dynamic track conditions and a larger field consisting of drivers like Brent Crews, Conner Jones and Eddie MacDonald.
With so many unknowns entering the World Series of Asphalt, Hettinger knew she needed to utilize every resource at her disposal to be fully prepared. She regularly conversed with her car owner and veteran racer Anthony Campi on how to best approach each night at the track all while receiving input from her father Chris Hettinger.
Campi’s background with competitors like William Byron, Casey Roderick, Chandler Smith and others gave Chris some assurance about Katie’s potential for that week. Despite this, Chris still emphasized to Katie the importance of avoiding trouble and finding a comfort zone.
“The biggest thing with [the World Series of Asphalt] is consistency,” Chris said. “It’s a long week, and this is about getting strong finishes and being there at the end. You don’t want to tear everything up early in the week, but you do want to learn and get better every night.”
Unfortunately for Katie and Chris, trouble ended up finding them during the fourth Pro Late Model event.
After Katie Hettinger set the fastest lap in time trials, an invert moved her back to sixth for the 35-lap feature. Contact between Brown and Crews for third collected Katie and sent her into the outside retaining wall, ending her night on the second lap.
The crash ended any chance Hettinger had of securing the Pro Late Model championship following two consecutive podium finishes. It also further invigorated her, knowing she still had two more opportunities to leave New Smyrna with a trophy in hand.
A long night of repairs commenced to get the team’s No. 81 Chevrolet prepared for the following Pro Late Model race. Any concerns about the speed of the car were quelled with Hettinger putting together her best night at New Smyrna to earn a trip to Victory Lane.
The simultaneous jubilation and relief were evident when she climbed out of her car to celebrate her accomplishment.
“My team was talking me through everything and telling me to stay calm,” Hettinger said. “That’s what I was trying to do by taking off my laps, hitting my marks and not overthink anything. It was a good celebration, and I got a lot of comments on it.
“That win set a high for all of us.”
Hettinger used the momentum from the World Series of Asphalt victory to put together a solid season in Pro Late Model competition. She ended up securing a runner-up finish in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour standings with seven top-five finishes before concluding the year with a win at Hickory Motor Speedway.
Now with more experience on her side, Hettinger returned to New Smyrna this year determined to open 2024 on a positive note, this time in her family-owned No. 71. She said chemistry has been a strength within the program so far and hopes everyone’s hard work translates into several more victories.
Results have been mixed in her sophomore World Series of Asphalt campaign. A top-five finish in the second Pro Late Model feature was eliminated by an infraction in post-race inspection, but she has been constant at the front on each night.
Chris would love to see Katie replicate what she did in 2023 but knows that will be an arduous task with drivers like Dawson Sutton setting the pace in the Pro Late Model class. He said the goal for Katie is the same from 2023: Build consistency and keep the car in one piece.
Even if they do not procure any checkered flags this year, Chris still can not help but be proud of the progress Katie continues to make as a driver. Seeing Katie ecstatic over such a pivotal win remains one of Chris’ happiest moments in his life, and he looks forward to enjoying similar occasions long after the World Series of Asphalt concludes.
“This is such a huge event,” Chris said. “With NASCAR being in town for Daytona, there’s a lot of people watching at home. Katie’s win last year was huge because of the following the World Series of Asphalt gets, so it definitely got a lot of attention.
“To see Katie break through that night and get the win was pretty special.”
Any plans for Katie Hettinger to return to the World Series of Asphalt next year are dependent on a myriad of factors. The possibility remains that she could advance into the Super Late Model class, where she could become the first female winner in that division since Becca Kasten in 2011.
For now, Hettinger is focused on the Pro Late Model races remaining in this year’s World Series of Asphalt. A title might no longer be a feasible goal, but she believes she’s more than capable of finding her way back to New Smyrna’s Victory Lane before the end of the week.
“I’m a lot more confident now, especially with my own team,” she said. “Everyone is working really hard. There’s some good competition, but we have a really good car and a really good shot to get things done.
“We know we got more wins coming.”
Just like her first venture, the second visit to New Smyrna for the World Series of Asphalt has produced plenty of positive memories and lessons, all of which Hettinger intends to use as motivation to further consolidate her status as a top NASCAR prospect.