Young racer hopes to continue breaking records

(CNN) -- In real life, her first car was a Volkswagen bug when she was 16. In her racing life, Stephanie Mockler was driving Quarter Midgets, open-wheel race cars that children can drive, at the age of 6. Now at 20, she's a record-setting driver.

Mockler became the first female to win a United States Auto Club Ford Focus Midget Series when she finished at the Indianapolis Speedrome. She's also the eighth woman in history to win a USAC feature race. And she's the youngest female to ever win a USAC main event.

"There are points where you do have to earn more respect from your competitors just because you are a female," admitted Mockler. "It's just all in proving yourself."

She gets the whole "Danica Patrick" thing a lot. Patrick is a 25-year-old Indy Racing League driver who also has a modeling career. Mockler said she appreciates the comparison, but adds that she wants to focus solely on her racing career.

"I just want the image of a race car driver. I'm not here to model. I'm here to race. And I want to be compared to the guys as a race car driver." Watch the CNN.com Live interview with Mockler »

She's also quick to point out that not all racing is the same and that she hopes to take to the NASCAR track. But one thing about them is the same: "When you put on the helmet, you're just another racer."

For Mockler, neither age nor gender stops her when it comes to following her dreams. With help from the Clorox/Ford Racing Female Driver Development Program, she hopes to become the first winning female in the NASCAR Sprint Series.

"It's a really great sport, and the people you race with are like family," she said. "It's just like none other. I love it." E-mail to a friend

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