ROANOKE (WSLS 10 SPORTS) - In a sport that has seen countless drivers throughout the decades, there are some that stick out as trailblazers and pioneers. One of those is Seaford, Virginia native Diane Teel.
"Me and my husband were boyfriend-girlfriend at the time, we liked racing we went racing then my husband started having a car with another guy and that's how it all started", said Teel.
She soon developed a need for speed herself, racing in the NASCAR Limited Sportsman Division where in 1978 she became the first woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race, as well as a NASCAR track series. From there Teel began racing in the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series in 1982, now known as the XFINITY Series. It was then she was introduced to the Martinsville Speedway for the first time. Teel remembers it as a unique track to race considering the other tracks she was used to.
"That first year was kind of rough...real rough."
After failing to qualify her first time at the track, Teel bounced back in the 1983 season and not only qualified for the race but in the process became the first woman to ever start a race at Martinsville. Current track President Clay Campbell says what she did then, opened doors for women in a male-dominated sport.
"She didn't do it because she was female. She did it because she wanted to drive a race car and I think people could see that", said Campbell.
"She wasn't trying to break any gender lines or anything like that but she did it because she loved the sport."
Teel would go on to race for a few more seasons before eventually retiring but her contributions live on. Earlier this month the city of Martinsville declared February 16th as Diane Teel Day.
"I just couldn't believe it like my husband and I said usually people get honored after they pass. I'm seeing it and still alive", explained Teel.
These days Teel cheers on her granddaughter Macy Causey who is part of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity Program. The sixteen-year-old was the recipient of the NASCAR Young Racer Award in 2016 and she too made history at Martinsville. Causey is the youngest female to race at Martinsville in the Valley Star Credit Union 300.
Teel mentioned, "With Macy, it's like I see my dream come true. With her, I relive my whole life over again. I just didn't realize that I'd have a granddaughter that would be following my footsteps."