In May 1991 a 17-year-old graduate of Schlagle High School named Jennifer Jo Cobb made her first start as a race car driver at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.
Little did she and her supporters know that 25 years later she would be one of only two females to compete consistently full-time at the big leagues of NASCAR and be a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) team owner.
Jennifer Jo Cobb returns to the Kansas Speedway in her Mark One Electric Chevrolet Silverado to compete in the Toyota Tundra 250 on Friday evening, May 6. The race will mark her 118th start in the series.
“When I was a young girl watching my Dad race across the Midwest I was determined to be a race car driver,” Cobb said. “When the Kansas Speedway was built my life changed as things started to come together for me to compete at the top level of NASCAR.”
Cobb has partnered with numerous Kansas City area companies over the years, which has enabled her to continue this legacy.
“Kansas City race fans and companies have been a significant factor in our ability to grow this team and compete on a national level. I have always loved this city and am proud to come home to race twice a year.”
Of those Kansas City companies, Mark One Electric has notably been one of her top supporters. They will return as a primary sponsor for Cobb.
“I remember the first day I met with Mark One Electric and president, Rosana Privitera-Biondo,” Cobb recalled, “I was so nervous about having such a prominent area sponsor and wanting to live up to their standards of excellence. They are a family owned business that started small and have become the gold standard of electrical contractors in Kansas City. To maintain their partnership has been a great accomplishment for our program, allowing us to race twice a year at my home track.”
Other Kansas City area companies sponsoring Cobb for this race include: Pizza Shoppe, Precision Roofing, Trinity Performance Wear, and Arrow Truck Sales.
In her 25 years of racing Cobb has many notable accomplishments in the NCWTS including highest finishing female driver, (6th, Daytona), highest female points finisher (17th in 2010 and 16th in 2014) and the woman with the most starts in the series (117). In 2016 Jennifer is running a full season in NCWTS and select races in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series. Between race events, Jennifer makes appearances for her sponsors, is a public speaker and runs the daily operations of her racing businesses.
She is also the founder of Driven2Honor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring women who serve in the U.S. military.
Cobb will sign autographs at the Shawnee, Kan., Pizza Shoppe, located at 22014 W. 66th St., from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 4.
– Story from Tracey Passantino