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Balcaen chasing down a dream

Winnipeg-born race car driver Amber Balcaen is working hard to make a name for herself as she pursues her dreams of competing on the biggest stage possible
2019-02-04 KInsmen Sports Banquet 2 MG
Amber Balcaen, centre, answers a question while flanked by Darryl Sittler, left, and John Gibbons, right, during the 27th annual Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Banquet. (Matthew Gourlie photograph)

Behind the wheel of a race car, there isn't much that Amber Balcaen can't chase down.

A talented, young driver from a racing family, Balcaen is in the chase of her life trying to find a foot in the door — or a ride in a car — in the competitive world of NASCAR.

"The industry is extremely difficult. It's for one reason and that's financial," Balcaen said. "Back in the day, if you won races you got a ride. Now, things don't work that way. It doesn't matter how many races you win, it's more about how much money you can bring. Unfortunately, I don't come from a very wealthy family, so that makes my job a little harder, but I've proven on the race track that I can win races. Now, it's just about building a brand strong enough to create enough exposure to attract sponsors who want to partner with me.

"My full-time job is finding marketing partners and you could almost say that my side job is racing cars."

To that end, Balcaen has a role on the new CMT series Racing Wives that debuted in January. The reality show focuses on the lives of a trio of women married to NASCAR drivers, with Balcaen also being featured. The 26-year-old is also very active on social media and has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram.

"I embrace every opportunity that comes my way," Balcaen said. "Racing has opened so many other opportunities for me.

"I like to think of myself as an entrepreneur just as much as a race car driver. I really had to figure out the industry and learn in it and then figure out how to sell in it — then drive the car and succeed at that as well."

Balcaen was in Moose Jaw as one of the guests at the Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Banquet. She grew up in Winnipeg, but moved to Charlotte, N.C. nearly three years ago to chase her NASCAR dreams.

"Charlotte is the NASCAR capital of the world," Balcaen said. "If you want to be a country singer, you move to Nashville. If you want to be a race car driver, you move to Charlotte."

Balcaen's business sense and ability to connect with people would lend itself to many careers, but she wants to be behind the wheel. She related that she was sitting in a university class when she realized that she wasn't being true to herself. She went home and told her parents that she was dropping out of school to pursue racing full time.

"I love racing so much that I'll never give up on it. It's something that I want to do forever," Balcaen said.

In 2016, she became the first Canadian woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States. Balcaen looks to have one race lined up so far this season on April 20 in Hickory, N.C. She is hoping to get more opportunities finalized this season as well.

Balcaen is a third generation race car driver. Her father was a racer and so was her maternal grandfather. 

"They definitely instilled racing in my blood. Growing up that's all I knew. I went to the race track and watched my dad, my uncle; my grandpa raced and my cousins raced, so naturally I wanted to race too," she said. "Once I did start to race — I started with go-karts — and got that feeling of racing and a feeling of winning and knowing that I was good at something... it was so addictive. I've never stopped being addicted to it. I still crave that feeling."

Her family competed in dirt track racing, an exciting — if less lucrative — form of racing. 

"It was always a hobby for them. They still had a 9-to-5 job," Balcaen said. "Racing is now my career. Not only did I move away from dirt to go to NASCAR, which is a completely different industry, but no one in my family had any experience in NASCAR, so I had to learn a lot on my own through trial and error."

Balcaen feels that she is still learning and growing. The journey hasn't been easy, but she hopes that will make her story all the more compelling if and when she achieves her dreams. 

She wants to use racing as a platform to be a positive influence for younger girls, but also have a positive impact society and show that dreams are attainable, no matter how large they are.

"When I first started I thought 'if I don't make it by this age, I'm going to quit,'" Balcaen said. "Well, that's been thrown out the window. You can't put a timeline on your dreams, so I've just been going for it. I don't think I'm too old at all. I have confidence in the future."

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