COLUMN: Trail-blazing Oliver, Wilson set the standard for local female drivers
Chrissy Oliver (pictured here) and Angie Wilson are two of the top female drivers ever from this area.
Since March is Women’s History Month, I would like to look back at some ladies that have raced on both the local and national level.
Sara Christian competed in the first-ever NASCAR sanctioned race on June 19, 1949, at the original Charlotte Speedway. Christian went on to race eight times in NASCAR’s highest level with her best finish of fifth, a record for any female driver that still stands.
Jason Freeman
Sports guest columnist
In 1976, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Several decades later, Danica Patrick would compete in both races, and both ladies share the modern era record with a best finish of sixth place.
Shania Robinson was the first female driver to win a NASCAR touring series event in 1988 at New Asheville Speedway.
Around this area, the two most decorated women are Chrissy Oliver and Angie Wilson.
Chrissy’s father Gary, a stock car builder, moved his family and company, Tri-City Buggy, from Illinois to Lenoir.
The move served a dual purpose to both build the family business and advance Chrissy’s career. She soon developed a reputation as a tough competitor on and off the track. Bud Williams once had a run-in with her at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C.
“She was racing hard with Herman Mooney. He got around her and she turned him coming to the checkered flag. Herman hit the concrete retaining wall head on, knocked him unconscious. Chrissy was as tough as the men and twice as mean.
“I heard a story of her at Tri-County, she was involved in a two-car wreck, and both cars came to a stop on the front straightaway. Before the other guy could unbuckle, Chrissy crawled through his right-side window and was throwing body blows.”
Oliver raced all over the country, winning over 70 features and a track championship all before her 25th birthday. She left her mark as one of the best grassroots drivers, male or female, to come out of this area.
Angie Wilson (pictured here) and Chrissy Oliver are two of the top female drivers ever from this area.
Harold “Blackbeard” Wilson began his racing career later in life than most. He didn’t see victory lane until after his 40th birthday.
“I won a few races in my career, but winning the Bobby Isaac Memorial in 1988 at Hickory Motor Speedway was for me like winning the Winston Cup championship,” Wilson exclaimed.
In 1989, Wilson sold his late model car and invested in a go-kart team for his 13-year-old daughter. Angie was a natural behind the wheel, winning over 40 features and the Junior Carolina Cup championship.
In 1991, she started racing in the Carolina Mini division and racked up another 20 victories. The next year, the team began racing Mini-Stocks. Angie’s win at Hickory Motor Speedway made her the first female to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race at the historic track.
A move to the Limited Sportsman division saw more trips to victory lane. Angie made history on May 5, 1995, becoming the first female to win a Limited Sportsman feature at Tri-County Speedway in Hudson.
The last part of the decade saw the Wilsons move to the top series in weekly short track racing — Late Model Stock. Driving the No. 06 just like her father, Angie battled bumper-to-bumper and door-to-door with the best drivers in the country: Max Prestwood, Andy Houston, Scott Kilby, and countless others.
“One night, we got involved in an early wreck and had damage to the front bumper, both fenders, and the hood,” Harold Wilson said. “We got the car back out there and somehow finished in the top five. In post-race inspection, we were a few pounds light. They let us lay the sheet metal on the car, but we were still under weight. Then we filled the car with gas, still light.
“The rule book says you can refill all the fluids in the car. We put 32 quarts of oil in the engine to finally make the minimum weight and pass tech. When I got the car back to the shop, I took out the spark plugs and oil shot out like we had struck oil.”
The 1999 season saw another jump, this time to the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series, a national touring series with focus on local short track while also racing on larger tracks like Charlotte and Daytona.
Angie proved she belonged on the big stage, finishing 12th in the season points standings, and was awarded the Most Popular Driver award. She would spend most of the next six seasons racing stock cars across the country, including a stint on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Rick Ware Racing.
Nowadays, life moves a little bit slower. Angie and her husband have two children. She is now a high school teacher in McDowell County and is still a role model for future generations.
This weekend, most short tracks across the country will feature multiple females competing against the men. That wasn’t always the case. Chrissy and Angie, along with the ones that came before them, paved the way for female drivers to be more accepted in our sport.
Someday, a female driver will win a NASCAR Cup Series race, and when that happens the Angie Wilsons and Chrissy Olivers deserve a little bit of the credit.
Hope you enjoyed the banter and see you next time on the Pit Box.
Jason Freeman is a guest sports columnist for The Paper.
