Catchfence

For a newcomer to this style of racing, Maryeve Dufault is showing the veterans some pretty impressive moves. In her first full season as a stock-car driver, Dufault, 29, of Sorel, Que. finds herself 10th overall in the ARCA Racing Series points standings heading into Friday’s Raineater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

“Being a rookie with a rookie team, and not only a rookie ARCA driver, but a rookie stock-car driver because my background is open wheel, I think it’s great,” Dufault said of her season to date. “We’re consistent, we’re 10th in points, the team is coming together really well. I’m really happy.”

Driving the No. 12 Dodge for Tony Racing of Napoleon, Ohio, Dufault made her stock-car debut with a start in a Dodge on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series last year. Her open-wheel experience came on the Pro Mazda Star and the Formula BMW USA Series. “It’s a good, competitive series with really good drivers with a lot of auto racing background,” Dufault said of ARCA. “To me, it was a pretty good option.”

It’s been a crash course in learning to avoid crashing after making the switch to the heavier stock car. “It’s a different world,” Dufault said. “There’s so much downforce in open wheel and you can rely on the car so much. This is a bit more tricky. You’ve got to learn the car and make sure you and all the mechanics communicate well to help make the car better. Even if you have a lot of racing background, you still have to learn a lot of things.”

- The Windsor Star