Washington State driving star Brea Lopez has been selected as a participant for the Drive for Diversity Combine that will take place in mid-October. The 909 Group, which took over the operations of the program, will own and operate ten racing teams and field the teams under the newly formed Revolution Racing banner. Four of the teams will compete with the NASCAR Camping World Series and the remaining six teams will compete on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and on target for competition in 2010. This once in a lifetime opportunity has been a dream for Brea for quite some time. The spirited young racer has been racing since the age of nine and realizes she needs to make the most of the golden opportunity before her with her selection into the program.

The NASCAR based group will determine the drivers for the 2010 program once the Combine is completed. The Combine will take place from October 16-20 and the extensive training program will include on track assessment in all areas of driving skills, communications between driver and crew, media relations and training both on and off the track and above all ability to adapt to a given situation. Former 4-time NASCAR Camping World Series champion Andy Santerre will head up the Camping World operations and current car owner Blair Addis will oversee the NASCAR Whelen All-American program.

The challenge to try something new has been a staple in the life of 21 year old driving sensation Brea Lopez. Brea began chasing her racing dream at the age of nine as she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, the legendary and very successful West Coast racer Dan Press. From 1998 until 2004 Brea chased the dream across the country following the quarter and half midget racing series and becoming quite successful herself in racing. Brea won more than ten championships in that span of time that included two Grand National titles, four consecutive Winternational events and two regional titles that included the 2003 Eastern Grands where she captured the championship over more than one thousand fellow competitors.

Brea’s success spawned new goals for her racing endeavors. Her grandfather looked at many divisions of racing and decided the correct path was to spend some time in the open wheel ranks driving a midget race car. Brea spent fours years competing with the Washington Midget Racing Association and did some traveling to compete in with other sanctioning bodies as she honed her skills in the powerful little creations. Brea was “Rookie of the Year” in her first season while being the runnerup in the final points. While her second year in the Midgets was an off year due to many mechanical issues and being the victim of having the race car stolen on a trip out of state, Brea enjoyed successful seasons in 2007 and 2008 winning a main event in California and challenged for the series titles all season long.

Brea and her grandfather decided to change divisions after the 2008 season was completed. After deciding the correct approach was with the full-fendered late model division, her grandfather purchased a Victory Circle chassis race car and fitted the car with a crate motor for competition with the Limited Late Model division at the South Sound Speedway in Washington. The transition for Brea was a quick one as she quickly adpated to the heavier, bulkier cars with ease and captured a win in July in her initial season. With the season schedule having one more event, Brea is sitting in second place in the points battle and has enjoyed the close side by side competition the division offers.

Brea Lopez was honored recently by the WNBA Seattle Storm franchise in their salute to Women in Sports in the area. Ahtletes from all division of the sporting world were honored for their achievements in their respective sport as they were announced at mid-court and took part in an autograph signing period during her stay in Seattle. The event took place on August 25th and although the invitation took Lopez by surprise, she was honored to join her fellow athletes in the joyously rewarding experience.

Brea’s grandfather, West Coast racing legend Dan Press, continues to work his magic with the race car as the car owner, crew chief, mentor and friend for the lady racer. Press is accustomed to working on this type of racing equipment as his success behind the wheel was driving late model type race cars. The team is utilizing a Victory Circle race chassis and the racer has been fitted it with a GM Crate motor for competition with the Limited Late Model division at the South Sound Speedway located in Rochester, Washington. The track will be a familiar and a good starting point for Lopez as she has always enjoyed great success while running her Midget on the fastest 3/8 mile raceway on the West Coast.

While the Brea Lopez Motorsports Team is ready for the team’s foray into the late model competition, the search to add additional sponsors to the fold continues on a daily basis. The downturn in the national economy has become a difficult challenge for all racers trying to find glory and success in a racing environment. Anyone who would like to lend support to the Brea Lopez Motorsports Team efforts should contact her through her website for further information.

Brea Lopez would like to thank all of her sponsors and supporters for their efforts in helping the team prepare for the 2009 racing season. Redline Oil, Finish Line Racing Equipment and new sponsor Joe’s Racing Products, Nex-Gen Motorsports and GA Motorsports Media have all played a major role in the success of the team.


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