Catchfence

Alli Owens is dusting off her driver’s suit and hopping back behind the wheel of a stock car to shatter what she calls “the mom stereotype.”

The former South Daytona resident and new mother is scheduled to return to the ARCA Series and participate in today’s test session at Daytona International Speedway.

The 23-year-old driver missed most of the 2011 season to have a baby.

“It’s so weird when women get pregnant and people around them think, ‘OK, that’s her life now, as a mom,’ ” Owens said. “They forget we have careers.

“It’s a little unfair to think if a woman has a baby, that from that point forward, all she will be is a mother. Being a mom was part of the plan, and now I want to go back out and race.”

Alli and her husband, Paul Chodora, who live in Charlotte, were joined by Braelynn Chodora — 19 1/2 inches long; 6 pounds, 13 ounces — in October.

Now back to full strength, Owens — who has 32 career ARCA starts — will be driving Andy Belmont’s No. 1 Ford.

“The last time I was in a racecar was my attempt to make the Truck (Series) race at Daytona in February,” Owens said.

Owens raised the money to race with a grass-roots program, but she failed to qualify for the 100-lap season-opening event.

When Owens started sending out feelers for a 2012 NASCAR or ARCA ride, Belmont was one of the first people on the phone with the new mother.

- Daytona Beach News-Journal