South Daytona, FL – Her face and name were among the regulars in the ARCA garage between 2008 and 2010. She was a national spokesperson for several organizations. This young lady even sat on the front row at Daytona in the ARCA race in 2009, but hasn’t been heard from or seen much of in the past couple of years until now.
Alli Owens has announced she will be making a solid effort to return to motorsports in full force in 2014. Her only condition is that she is fully funded. “I want to put myself in a perfect scenario this time. Taking time away from the sport has allowed me to mature as an individual and business woman which has prepared me for this comeback journey”.
From a public point of view it looked like Owens just vanished at the end of her ARCA effort in 2010 with Venturini Motorsports, but that wasn’t the case. Her four year partnership with Electrifying Careers came to a sudden end when the economy put a strain on blue collar America and unions. “In the four years together, the program increased by three hundred percent. Numbers were great and the ROI was gaining, but we understood what had to happen. It was sad to see it come to an end”, Commented Owens.
After scrambling to try to find funding and falling short, Alli chose to step away from the only thing she knew (racing) and began to build her personal life. She married long time NASCAR Mechanic Paul Chodora in 2011 and soon became a mother to daughter, Braelynn Everlee, who is now a little over a year old. Paul and Alli are expecting their second daughter in early June of 2013.
“I knew people assumed having a baby is why I stopped racing, but they were wrong. Being a mother was always part of my life goals and it just worked out where the time came when my sponsorship ended. Having a second child was an easy decision after our 2012 potential sponsorship deal fell through two weeks before leaving for Daytona to race. I was over the broken promises and major let downs. I had to step away for a while for my sanity and for my family’s sake.”
Alli Owens made a bold statement to her family, friends, and fans in early December of 2012. She declared that it was time. Time to return to the driver’s seat, time to set the record straight about mom’s still being able to follow their dreams after child birth, time to be an example for her daughters, and most importantly it is time to finish what she started at the drop of each green flag!
Owens said, “Our second child will be here in less than six months, so that is my personal deadline to have solid potential sponsorships in the pipe line. I will need time to be in the gym getting my strength, weight, and endurance back to competitive standards. I also need time to get back in the seat and regroup on my feel for the car and being behind the wheel again.” She continued, “I know there is going to be people that will doubt me being able to do this. I will respect their opinions but I will continue to move forward. I’m doing this for all the people around the world that are looking for a symbol of empowerment, for ‘I can do this’ encouragement, for little children like my own kids who need healthy stable idols instead of Hollywood or reality TV, and it’s for me to know that I can believe in myself and that hard work really does pay off.”
Owens reports that she is going to take smart steps to get back to the top of her game. She is thinking of returning to the ARCA Series and possibly NASCAR K&N Series to regain familiarity with the variety of tracks and then add select NASCAR Camping World Truck races once she feels like she is ready. “This is going to be a smart transition for me. I rather race my way to the top and let my finishes decided how quickly I will move up the racing ladder” Alli said with a determined look on her face.
“I’ve already won three of the greatest rewards of all, a wonderful husband and two daughters!” she added a quick remark, “I think I am more excited to hear Braelynn tell everyone that her mommy beat the boys”!
