Busch Light + WIMNA Announce Contingency Fund for Women Drivers in NASCAR

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For the 2023 racing season, Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA) is proud to be working with Busch Light to deliver the next phase of the brand’s Accelerate Her Program. To support women currently pursuing racing careers in NASCAR and to diversify the sport for future generations of drivers, WIMNA has created the 2023 Contingency Fund Program, a bespoke point system that rewards women drivers 21 years of age and older with monetary rewards based on race results throughout the 2023 racing season.  

 

In 2022, Busch Light made a first-of-its-kind three-year commitment that aims at the inequity of resources available to women drivers by investing directly in woman drivers aged 21 or over in NASCAR. In year two, the brand teamed up with WIMNA to expand the Accelerate Her efforts to reach even more women drivers in NASCAR. As a pivot to the program’s initial focus on visibility and awareness, the Contingency Fund Program will more directly address the financial aspect and reward race results, something that greatly impacts women drivers across NASCAR.  

 

“Last year, Busch Light seized the opportunity to accelerate gender equality in motorsports, and we’re pleased to be bringing WIMNA onboard to strengthen initial efforts through the next phase of Accelerate Her with the 2023 Contingency Fund Program,” said Krystyn Stowe, Head of Marketing, Busch Family and Natural Family at Anheuser-Busch. “As experts in the space with plenty of heart and passion for building opportunities that create an equitable playing field, WIMNA is the perfect partner to lead this year’s efforts in providing even more women drivers with opportunities for advancement on and off the track.” 

 

This new points system, created by WIMNA, empowers and rewards women drivers based on their merit and race results throughout the season. The system incorporates several factors, including the different lengths of races, the size of the fields, the level of competition, and the cost of competing in NASCAR-sanctioned races. Eligible participants in the program will accumulate points during the 2023 season – as of February 1, 2023. Designed to celebrate their success within the sport and to help fuel opportunities for even more women pursuing careers in NASCAR. At the end of the year, the top three points earners will be rewarded $125,000, $50,000, and $25,000, respectively.  

 

“Motorsports is unique to almost every other sport in that women and men compete equally. I have seen firsthand that equality is not always granted when it comes to the much-needed funding drivers require to succeed,” said Lyn St. James, Co-founder of WIMNA.” Financial incentive contingency programs are one of the best ways to monetize and create awareness for women racers based on results. We look forward to reaching more women drivers, providing more access throughout the season, and seeing more wins for women racers in NASCAR.” 

 

Throughout the year, WIMNA will also offer a series of off-track training sessions to give women drivers access to much-needed off-track resources. This supplemental programming will continue fostering unilateral career growth for every woman racer in motorsports.   

 

“WIMNA’s mission is to both support and develop more opportunities for women in the industry, and with brands like Busch Light tackling the inequity in motorsports head-on, we’re very hopeful that a more even playing field is on the horizon,” said Cindy Sisson, Board Member, WIMNA. “Providing more women in motorsports an opportunity to succeed based on their achievements on-and-off the track this season is another step in the right direction for the future of the sport.” 

 

More details on the 2023 CONTINGENCY FUND PROGRAM spearheaded by WIMNA and powered by Busch Light can be found at www.womeninmotorsportsna.com/AH. 

 

Adam Sinclair
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