A dozen years ago, I was announcing the Outlaw Kart races at Silver State Raceway when I was informed that I was mispronouncing the name of a 10-year-old beginner in the Box Stock class. The youngster was Mackena Bell, and in the next few years I watched her progress to race wins and championships in bigger and faster karts, and then become the first female Legends division champion at Champion Speedway before advancing into late model stock cars. Four years ago, Mackena was selected to participate in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program and was featured in a reality TV show …



