Tia Norfleet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tia Norfleet |
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Norfleet in 2017
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| Born | Shauntia Latrice Norfleet May 1, 1986 Suffolk, Virginia, U.S. |
Shauntia Latrice "Tia" Norfleet (born May 1, 1986) is the first and only African American woman to hold a NASCAR driver’s license. The daughter of NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet, she has completed 1 lap in a late model.
Personal life
Born in Suffolk, Virginia in 1986, Norfleet's interest in racing began at age 7, when her father, NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet, doubled the battery power of a Hot Wheels Barbie car to increase its speed. Norfleet claims her racing career began at age 14, when she began competing in kart racing events; she went on to attempt a career in drag racing at the local and regional level.
In 2000, Norfleet switched to entry level spec racing competing in Bandolero cars, then moving to late model stock car racing on short tracks starting with the 2004 racing season; she became the first female African-American driver to purchase a NASCAR Late Model Series racing license.
Norfleet attended local late model events at tracks near her Augusta, Georgia home, starting her Late Model career in 2004. She claimed to begin competing in NASCAR national touring series competition starting in the summer of 2012, and was operating a grassroots funding initiative, claiming it would finance her racing career; however she did not make it to the track in a major series in 2012.
Charitable work
Norfleet supports the Safe Teen Georgia Driving Academy program, providing driving instruction at Atlanta Motor Speedway on behalf of the group; in addition she is an ambassador for Safe America Driving.
