Melissa Fifield (born August 7, 1992) is an American racing driver and

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

. She primarily races in the

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Mod ...

, driving the No. 01

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

for her family-owned team. She won NASCAR Whelen Modified tour most popular driver for three consecutive years.

Racing career

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 The World Karting Association, or WKA, is the largest sanctioning body for kart racing in North America. The WKA was founded in 1971 and is located directly behind Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The WKA is believed to curren ...

, where she ranked 4th in the national standings. She drove in the

Allison Legacy Series The Allison Legacy Series is a stock car racing series in the United States. It is based on 3/4 size scaled-down NASCAR Cup Series chassis utilizing a Mazda B-2200 truck engine. The lower-tier series has been used as a stepping stone into higher d ...

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.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

2014–present

Fifield moved up to the

full-time in 2014, racing for her family-owned team. She recorded her best finish of 19th at Thompson Speedway and

New Hampshire Motor Speedway New Hampshire Motor Speedway (formerly known as the New Hampshire International Speedway from 1989 to 2007, the Bryar Motorsports Park from 1965 to 1989, and as the 106 Midway Raceway from 1961 to 1964) is a oval track in Loudon, New Hampshir ...

. 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 The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Mod ...

, 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 Wall Stadium Speedway (also known briefly as Wall Township Speedway) is a 1/3-mile high banked (30° in corners) paved oval track in Wall Township, New Jersey, United States. The track opened to the public in the spring of 1950 and has operated fo ...

in 2019. She followed with a 16th-place finish at

Jennerstown Speedway Jennerstown Speedway Complex is a racetrack in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania. Built on land that was once home to the Jenners Fair the track had its start in the 1920s as a flat, half-mile dirt track. After several changes, advancements and owner ...

in 2021. She is expected to return to another full-time season in 2022.

Criticism

From 2014 to 2016, Fifield won the Whelen Modified Tour Most Popular Driver award, and would often get criticized on

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, due to her driving performance and being behind the pace. 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."

Personal life

Fifield is currently a

for the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety. Because of her efforts, she received a commendation from

New Hampshire governor The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...

Chris Sununu Christopher Thomas Sununu ( ; born November 5, 1974) is an American politician and engineer who served as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire from 2017 to 2025. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Sununu is the son of former New Hamps ...

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." Fifield was featured on the cover of ''New Hampshire Women Magazine'' in September 2018, which talks about her

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

career. 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. Fifield currently runs and operates Pine Knoll Auto Sales, a

car dealership A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive maintena ...

in her hometown of

Wakefield, New Hampshire Wakefield is a New England town, town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Wakefield Corner (the o ...

, which is also the location of her race shop. On February 14, 2022,

Anheuser-Busch brands Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in othe ...

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.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

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

Whelen Modified Tour

Whelen Southern Modified Tour

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fifield, Melissa Living people 1992 births NASCAR drivers Racing drivers from New Hampshire People from Wakefield, New Hampshire American female racing drivers 21st-century American sportswomen