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Melissa Fifield

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Melissa Fifield
NationalityAmerican
BornMelissa Fifield
(1992-08-07) August 7, 1992 (age 32)
Wakefield, New Hampshire
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career
Debut season2014
Current teamPine Knoll Racing
Years active2014–present
Car number01
EngineChevrolet
Crew chiefJake Marosz
Starts155
Championships0
Wins0
Poles0
Best finish11th in 2023
Finished last season11th (2023)
Awards
2014-2016 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Most Popular Driver (3 times)
Last updated on: August 27, 2024.

Melissa Fifield (born August 7, 1992) is an American racing driver and spokesperson. She primarily races in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, driving the No. 01 Chevrolet for her family-owned team.

Racing career

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Fifield grew up watching races with her family at a young age. She received her first go-kart at 11-years old, and competed in nearby racetracks. She won the Londonderry Track Championship in her rookie season, and eventually drove in the World Karting Association, where she ranked 4th in the national standings. She drove in the Allison Legacy Series at 14 years old, racing in the North and South series. She had her first and only Legacy Series win at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl in 2011.[1]

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

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Fifield at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2015

2014–present

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Fifield moved up to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour full-time in 2014, racing for her family-owned team.[2] She recorded her best finish of 19th at Thompson Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. She finished 21st in the final point standings and won the Most Popular Driver Award that season.

Throughout her career in the Whelen Modified Tour, she would always start each race, with most of them being ended early from mechanical issues. She had her career-best finish of 15th at Wall Stadium in 2019. She followed with a 16th-place finish at Jennerstown Speedway in 2021. She is expected to return to another full-time season in 2022.

Criticism

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From 2014 to 2016, Fifield won the Whelen Modified Tour Most Popular Driver award,[3][4][5] and would often get criticized on social media, due to her driving performance and being several seconds behind the pace.[6] Fifield said, "I've never had anybody make a comment at a pit party or off the track or anything there. Everybody kind of just has the courage to say what they want on the computer, but they'll never say it to your face. People don't have the courage to say something."[7]

Personal life

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Fifield is currently a spokesperson for the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety. Because of her efforts, she received a commendation from New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu in 2017. Sununu stated that she is "one of the best race car drivers in the world, and one of the top few female race car drivers in the world lives right here in New Hampshire and she doesn't get nearly the recognition she deserves."[8]

Fifield was featured on the cover of New Hampshire Women Magazine in September 2018, which talks about her NASCAR career.[9]

She also worked with the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD), where she would interview high school students about making good decisions in life, and their future goals.[10]

Fifield currently runs and operates Pine Knoll Auto Sales, a car dealership in her hometown of Wakefield, New Hampshire, which is also the location of her race shop.[11]

On February 14, 2022, Anheuser-Busch brands announced the formation of a new program, called the Busch Light Accelerate Her Program, a program that allows female drivers who are 21 years old or older, to get more funding, track time, media exposure, and training for NASCAR. Fifield is one of the recipients for the program.[12]

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Whelen Modified Tour

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NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour results
Year Car owner No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 NWMTC Pts Ref
2014 Kenneth Fifield 01 Chevy TMP
19 		STA
20 		STA
22 		WFD
27 		RIV
30 		NHA
29 		MND
23 		STA
22 		TMP
24 		BRI NHA
19 		STA
20 		TMP
22 		21st 251 [13]
2015 TMP
29 		STA
29 		WFD
32 		STA
30 		TMP
28 		RIV
DNQ 		NHA
23 		MND
27 		STA
22 		TMP
29 		BRI
DNQ 		RIV
27 		NHA
31 		STA
27 		TMP
25 		25th 239 [14]
2016 TMP
27 		STA
27 		WFD
28 		STA
22 		TMP
19 		RIV
27 		NHA
31 		MND
22 		STA
22 		TMP
23 		BRI
18 		RIV
29 		OSW SEE
26 		NHA
25 		STA
20 		TMP
19 		23rd 341 [15]
2017 MYR
27 		TMP
23 		STA
24 		LGY
21 		TMP
19 		RIV
24 		NHA
22 		STA
28 		TMP
25 		BRI
21 		SEE
27 		OSW
21 		RIV
23 		NHA
20 		STA
22 		TMP
30 		15th 337 [16]
2018 MYR
25 		TMP
30 		STA
20 		SEE
22 		TMP
28 		LGY
22 		RIV
30 		NHA
30 		STA
28 		TMP
26 		BRI
21 		OSW
20 		RIV
20 		NHA
25 		STA
24 		TMP
31 		22nd 302 [17]
2019 MYR
27 		SBO
24 		TMP
26 		STA
33 		WAL
15 		SEE
27 		TMP
29 		RIV
DNQ 		NHA
26 		STA
31 		TMP
30 		OSW
26 		RIV
29 		NHA
31 		STA
31 		TMP
29 		23rd 261 [18]
2020 JEN
27 		WMM
31 		WMM
27 		JEN
25 		MND
28 		TMP
25 		NHA
30 		STA
27 		TMP
20 		22nd 156 [19]
2021 MAR
27 		STA
26 		RIV
26 		JEN
16 		OSW
24 		RIV
25 		NHA
28 		NRP
20 		STA
22 		BEE
19 		OSW
18 		RCH
22 		RIV
26 		STA
26 		16th 291 [20]
2022 NSM
30 		RCH
27 		RIV
30 		LEE
19 		JEN
21 		MND
25 		RIV
26 		WAL
27 		NHA
23 		CLM
20 		TMP
18 		LGY
18 		OSW
25 		RIV
22 		TMP
24 		MAR
28 		15th 321 [21]
2023 NSM
33 		RCH
20 		MON
26 		RIV
21 		LEE
20 		SEE
17 		RIV
22 		WAL
16 		NHA
28 		LMP
16 		THO
15 		LGY
15 		OSW
18 		MON
18 		RIV
12 		NWS
28 		THO
22 		MAR
35 		11th 410 [22]
2024 NSM
25 		RCH
20 		THO
16 		MON
20 		RIV
29 		SEE
23 		NHA
29 		MON
19 		LMP
15 		THO
27 		OSW
20 		RIV
19 		MON THO NWS
18 		MAR 15th 292 [23]

Whelen Southern Modified Tour

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NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour results
Year Car owner No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NSWMTC Pts Ref
2015 Kenneth Fifield 01 Chevy CRW CRW SBO LGY CRW BGS BRI
DNQ 		LGY SBO CLT N/A - [24]

References

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  1. ^ Fifield, Melissa. "Melissa's Story". Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  2. ^ Courchesne, Shawn (December 11, 2013). "Melissa Fifield Heading to Whelen Modified Tour Full-Time for 2014 Season". Race Day CT. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  3. ^ "Melissa Fifield Named Whelen Mod Tour Most Popular Driver; Andy Seuss Wins Honor On Southern Tour". Race Day CT. November 19, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  4. ^ "Melissa Fifield Named Whelen Modified Tour Most Popular Driver For Second Consecutive Year". November 24, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  5. ^ Courchesne, Shawn (November 23, 2016). "Three-Peat: Melissa Fifield Wins Whelen Modified Tour Most Popular Driver Award For 2016". Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Courchesne, Shawn (November 23, 2016). "Don't Hate The Player: Melissa Fifield Deserves Credit Not Criticism For NASCAR Award". Race Day CT. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Courchesne, Shawn (November 13, 2019). "Unmuffled Highlights From Melissa Fifield, Burt Myers and Andrew Molleur". Race Day CT. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Green, Rick (July 19, 2017). "Several Honored as Governor & Executive Council Hold Meeting at Funspot". FunspotNH.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  9. ^ "New Hampshire Women Magazine". ISSUU. September 17, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  10. ^ Tiongson, Rob (August 17, 2017). "In the Driver's Seat with Melissa Fifield". The Podium Finish. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "Hometown NASCAR hero opens new auto dealership". Salmon Press. August 14, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  12. ^ Long, Dustin (February 14, 2022). "Busch Light makes $10 million commitment to female drivers in NASCAR". NBC Sports.
  13. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  14. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2015 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2016 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  16. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2017 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  17. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2018 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  18. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2019 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  19. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  20. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2021 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  21. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2022 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  22. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  24. ^ "Melissa Fifield – 2015 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
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