LEGACY MOTOR CLUB NOMINATES ENGINEER SYDNEY PRINCE FOR 2024 WOMEN IN MOTORSPORTS NORTH AMERICA SHEro AWARD
STATESVILLE, N.C. (October 3, 2024) – As the traditional landscape of motorsports evolve, women are stepping into roles that challenge the status quo in traditionally male-dominated areas of work. LEGACY MOTOR CLUBTM (LEGACY M.C.) and AdventHealth have teamed together to participate in an opportunity with the Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA) to nominate an outstanding female in consideration for a 2024 SHEro award.
The WIMNA SHEro Award highlights outstanding women who have demonstrated effort and results contributing to advancing motorsports. The award also provides a means to inspire the next generation of females entering motorsports careers. LEGACY M.C. elected race engineer Sydney Prince as a SHEro.
Prince, 24, is the newly promoted lead engineer on the NASCAR Cup Series No. 84 LEGACY M.C. Toyota Camry XSE entry, driven by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and co-owner of LEGACY M.C., Jimmie Johnson. A racer growing up, Prince knew early on she wanted a career in the sport. Throughout high school, she raced sprint cars and chose the No. 14 due to her love for NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, even earning the nickname “Smoke Jr.”. After taking an engineering class in high school, Prince realized that she could work in motorsports by combining her newfound love of mechanical work with her passion for racing.
“No one is more deserving of this award than Sydney,” said Johnson. “I’m proud we could honor her in this fashion and to join with AdventHealth and WIMNA to make it a reality for Sydney. She is hard-working, and we look forward to watching Sydney grow even more in her role within the CLUB. She is an extremely valuable member of the CLUB both at the track and in the shop as her contribution is integral to our performance.”
“Sydney is very organized and detail oriented,” remarked Gene Wachtel, Crew Chief on the No. 84 for Kansas Speedway. “She ensures that our race engineering group has all the details for simulation each weekend. She is a self-starter and high achiever. She takes on new tasks and learns new skills quickly. Sydney is a great teammate and is always willing to help anyone at any time”.
Prince searched for schools with exceptional mechanical engineering programs and ultimately chose the University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNCC), noting its close location to most NASCAR teams in the greater Charlotte area. She graduated in 2022 and interned with Spire Motorsports before graduating.
After graduation, she started working as a quality control engineer for NASCAR Truck Series team, GMS Racing, and was quickly promoted to an engineer for the No. 24 NASCAR Truck Series team in 2023 with driver Rajah Caruth. At the start of 2024, Prince joined LEGACY M.C. as an engineer on the No. 84, making her Cup Series debut in the DAYTONA 500 with Johnson. When the No. 84 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota Camry XSE isn’t on the track, Prince is constantly at work, feeding information to benefit the No. 42 and 43 entries, as well as driving the simulator to provide feedback on the set up of the cars.
“Sydney is a tremendous asset to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB”, said Jacob Canter, SVP of Competition at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. “She grew up racing on dirt, which instilled her drive and passion for motorsports. She is a talented engineer helping the team develop and exploit our simulation tools, recently being promoted to the primary race engineer role for the No. 84. Sydney is also a secret weapon within our simulator program. She helps develop the model, while driving the simulator at the same time. She has extraordinary talent behind the steering wheel and behind the keyboard.”
LEGACY M.C. and AdventHealth took time Sunday morning at Kansas Speedway to dedicate the SHEro award to Prince. The award was a surprise to Prince and many members of LEGACY M.C. joined to commemorate the dedication, work ethic, and trailblazing efforts Prince has made in the world of motorsports.
“Although I am not one for attention, I am appreciative of the recognition,” said Prince after learning she was nominated. “I am super thankful to have the opportunity to be an engineer in racing and to have people around me who believe in me and push me to my fullest potential. I hope that this spotlight is a sign to the current and future generation of women in motorsports that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.”
The SHEro initiative serves as a visual for promoting, enhancing, and encouraging women in the motorsports industry. Prince is now eligible to be nominated for a national SHEro award, which will be presented in Indianapolis later this year at the WOMEN WITH DRIVE SUMMIT IV.
"We are thrilled that LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has nominated Sydney Prince as a SHEro Award honoree,” said Cindy Sisson, Executive Director of WIMNA. “Sydney's unwavering dedication and significant contributions have elevated her as a race engineer and a role model for others, as she has paved the way for future generations of women engineers in motorsports. The SHEro Award is about celebrating trailblazers who inspire and lead by example, and these recipients truly embody the essence of what this recognition represents."
To nominate a woman for a SHEro award, visit: https://womeninmotorsportsna.com/shero/
