Milka Way Logo

The new site, at www.milkaway.com, discusses the educational outreach program and shows many images of Milka Way visits with children and young students around the world.

Started in 2004, the primary objective of the Milka Way program is to inspire and motivate children and young students to study hard in school, pursue every educational opportunity available to them and strive for academic excellence.

In speaking to children and young students directly via the Milka Way visits, and through her book “Go, Milka, Go!” Duno gives insights and tells stories about her own life and her academic and professional goals and accomplishments as an example of what can be achieved with hard work and determination.

This personal interaction with children and young students has shown to be wonderfully effective and both inspires and motivates them in a direct and impactful way.

The “Testimonials” section of the website displays letters from children and young students and statements from educators that reflect the effectiveness and success of the concept and the program.

Milka Way visits have occurred at elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities. Each Milka Way visit is customized to the size and age level of the audience. Milka Way visits are also customized in conjunction with school officials’ requests for specialized emphasis. They can also be customized for student specialties/groups – such as in the areas of science, math, engineering and technology.

As a qualified Naval Engineer with four master’s degrees – in Organizational Development, Naval Architecture, Aquaculture and Maritime Business – earning the last three degrees simultaneously – Duno is a big believer in the value of education.

Milka Duno

Duno has taken this message to children, young students, parents and teachers at all school levels around the world – including her home country of Venezuela, Malaysia, Canada, Japan, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and all across the United States.

The new website, in its “Academic Excellence” section, gives Duno a wonderful opportunity to highlight and celebrate the successes of some of her Milka Way fans – and she invites parents and teachers to send in images of their children and young students that are achieving!

The site’s extensive gallery offers visitors many images to view as well as several videos on and about Milka Way visits.

MilkaWay.com also offers a simple way for those that are interested to order Duno’s award-winning children’s book “Go, Milka, Go,” a way to inquire about hosting a Milka Way visit or corporate speaking engagement and an invitation to become a promotional partner, sponsor or supporter of the Milka Way effort.

In the coming weeks the Spanish version of the new MilkaWay.com website will debut.

- Milka Duno Public Relations / RacePR / CapehartPR Press Release

The No. 63 Sheltra Motorsports Ford Fusion driven by Milka Duno at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway

Circling the famed 2.5 mile superspeedway in a time of 48.383 seconds (186.016 mph), Duno not only set the fastest time in the first day and a half of testing but also tops 2011 ARCA Racing Series Champion Ty Dillon’s pole qualifying effort (48.509 seconds/185.533 mph) from last season’s race at Daytona by almost two tenths of a second.

Milka Duno

Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team are set to return to Daytona’s high-banks this afternoon for the first drafting session of the test. Teams have three total sessions left throughout the open test with this afternoon’s session and two more drafting sessions on Sunday.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

Milka Duno

Hosted by CNN en Español Sports Anchor Elizabeth Perez, “Latinos en Acción” profiles the impact of Latinos in an array of popular sports. In addition to Duno, the special will also profile basketball player Al Horford, baseball player Pedro Martinez and soccer sportscaster Andres Cantor among others.

The first female driver to win a major motorsport race in the US, Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race.

Duno was the first Hispanic woman, in 93-year history of the race, to compete in the world famous Indianapolis 500 and in the IndyCar Series. She was also the first Hispanic woman to lead an IndyCar Series race.

In January, 2010 Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete to be inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame at their 35th Anniversary Induction Ceremony.

2011 marked yet another milestone for Duno as she became the first Hispanic woman to compete in stock car racing on a national level in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

Off the track, Duno is a certified Naval Engineer who holds four master’s degrees, earning the last three simultaneously. Duno is also working through her “Milka Way” program to inspire children and students to “Aim for the Stars” and achieve academic excellence.

The special will also air on later on Saturday, October 15 at 1130pm ET, on Sunday, October 16 at 5am ET, on Wednesday, October 19 at 1pm ET, on Friday, October 21 at 1pm ET and twice on Saturday, October 22 at 1130am ET and 9pm ET.

For more information, visit www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Milka Duno Public Relations Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“I’ve raced at Kansas before in an Indy car and passed my IndyCar rookie test here too,” said Duno. “I have a fond place in my heart for this track and the fans in Kansas because they have been so supportive of me. It will be my first time at the track in a stock car and so it will be a different experience. We made some progress at a test here last month and we hope that will help us deliver a good result.”

Milka Duno

“I am excited to get to Kansas with Milka,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner II. “Milka has had a steep learning curve this season; every track has been brand new to her. We just tested here in September, and I really believe that will show on the race track this week. She made tremendous improvements throughout the entire test session and I believe that will continue on Friday. I think our Sheltra Motorsports team will be pretty sporty Friday night.”

Duno and the stars of the ARCA Racing Series roll into Kansas Speedway on Friday, October 7th for 148.5 miles of Friday night racing action. Drivers and crews will have their work cut out for them with only one short 2 hour and 15 minute practice session (9:00 – 11: 15 a.m. CDT) Friday morning before qualifying begins at 5:35 p.m. CDT. green flag will drop on the Kansas Lottery 98.9 at 7:30 p.m. CDT with live television coverage on SPEED and live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Fast Facts:

Duno at Kansas Speedway: Milka Duno will be making her first career stock car start at Kansas Speedway. She tested at the 1.5-mile track in September with her Sheltra Motorsports team.

Sheltra Motorsports at Kansas: Sheltra Motorsports has made four previous starts at Kansas Speedway, all with team owner Patrick Sheltra behind the wheel. The team finished fifth at the 1.5-mile track last season, a finish that helped catapult Sheltra Motorsports to the 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship.

This Week’s Toyota: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 20 this weekend. This chassis has only been used once before by the Sheltra Motorsports team at Iowa Speedway. It was a new chassis to the team in 2011, originating from Red Bull Racing.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

Go, Milka, Go!

Milka’s bilingual book was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. The ceremony, held in New York City on Thursday, May 28, 2009, took place during BookExpo America, the largest publishing event in North America. The prestigious awards honor literary excellence within the Latino community in a variety of categories.

Inspired by Milka’s life and racing career, the book was a longtime dream and a true labor of love for her and she was involved in every step of the process – from creation to production.

Milka Duno

Duno is at Daytona to compete, with 2010 ARCA Series Champion Sheltra Motorsports, in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards opener this Saturday, February 12, 2011. She will be competing in the team’s No. 63 Dodge.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Duno has been competing in the IndyCar Series since 2007. Off the track, Duno is a certified Naval Engineer who holds four master’s degrees, earning the last three simultaneously. Duno is also working through her “Milka Way” program to inspire youth to “Aim for the Stars” and achieve academic excellence. For more information, visit www.milkaduno.com.

- CapeHartPR Public Relations Press Release

Milka Duno

Duno is a former model and undoubtedly attracted much attention. Her racing career has been deemed somewhat unusual because of her late start. However, she wasn’t going to let that statistic keep her from reaching her dream.

She was introduced to the sport when she was invited to a driving clinic by a car club in Venezuela and did not start racing until she was 24. Prior to racing her background was primarily academic. Duno holds master’s degrees in Organizational Development, Naval Architecture, Maritime Business, and Marine Biology and she has prior experience working as a naval engineer.

No. 18 Citgo / CANTV Dallara Honda

The move to the improving Dale Coyne Racing was an opportunity for Duno who had in the past competed for two part-time seasons with Dreyer & Reinbold. She had also participated in a test entering the 2009 season driving an entry for Newman / Haas / Lanigan Racing – which led speculation that she was potentially moving ship but after much thought and weighing options, she returned to her familiar No. 23 CITGO entry for Dreyer & Reinbold at Kansas Speedway where she qualified a solid 12th before finishing 16th.

There wasn’t a thought that Duno’s advance to a full-time schedule wouldn’t be filled with some bumps and bruises. Seven races into the year though; Duno has ultimately paid those dues tenfold. The first four races of the season were on street courses which over the years has proven to be an obstacle for the improving driver.

She did however qualify for those races and gained valuable seat time that she would not have had if not for the DCR / CITGO racing team. While unable to make it to the checkered flag in three of the first four races, she did however keep her nose clean and finished the race on the streets of Birmingham, Alabama where she placed 24th.

The first oval race of the year took the teams out west in the United States to Kansas Speedway, where Duno made her first career IndyCar start in 2007. While she qualified near the tail of the field, she patiently moved her way through the running order and was in the hunt for a season-best and notable finish before debris from another competitor’s incident sidelined the No. 18 team 84 laps into the 200-lap event.

Milka Duno

After showing early strength at the beginning of the month, Duno would be one of the handful of drivers who eventually would be bumped from the 33-car starting field and forced to sit on the sidelines for the Memorial-weekend tradition. Duno wasn’t on the sidelines alone as Paul Tracy, considered one of the favorites entering the 2010 Indy 500 was also unable to earn a starting berth into the contest.

Sometimes though, hitting the very bottom raises you to the top and more than likely for Duno, missing the Indianapolis 500 was one of the lowest points of her racing career. No time to fret though as the series would press on a week later at Texas Motor Speedway, another favorable track for the former Panoz GT Series champion.

Milka Duno

True. It wasn’t a dream. It was for real. Duno’s speed was impressive and the fastest of four female competitors, including rival Danica Patrick entered for the Firestone 550K. For her fans and supporters, the lap proved that there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Caracas, Venezuela native and I personally see her season only getting stronger. By the way, Patrick was the next fastest female in the session nestled back in the 15th position, nine positions behind Duno.

Unfortunately, for Duno who has 33 career IZOD IndyCar Series starts to her resume her engine in the CITGO machine began to falter which ultimately hindered the 38-year old in qualifying and eventually led to a mechanical failure in the event. While she was credited with a disappointing 23rd place finish, her efforts gained her attention for showing that she has the talent, ability and confidence to run with the best in the potent Indy Racing League (IRL).

After two weeks off, the series resumes action from Iowa Speedway this weekend for the running of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 Presented by Pioneer®. Obviously for Duno, her goal is to prove that Texas’s practice performance was no fluke.

Located in Newton, Iowa, Duno will make her third start the .875-mile short track and hopes to improve on her best qualifying effort of 19th and finishing position of 18th occurring in 2007. No doubt that the recent success of teammate Lloyd is a confidence booster for Duno’s Darren Crouser led race team and I would be ultimately disappointed if Duno didn’t find herself contending for a top-10 run on Sunday.

Milka Duno

While much of the attention was centralized on Patrick, many of the media agreed it was hard to overlook the success of Duno’s first try in a stock car fielded in a joint effort between Braun Racing and Stringer Motorsports and not surprisingly would later be considered a potential sleeper for the 43-car starting field in February.

Sadly, her first taste of Daytona speedweeks did not go as planned. Armed with the same No. 90 CANTV Toyota Camry she tested with, the performance from two months earlier never came back to life. Duno struggled to gain the horsepower she needed in order to be a threat at Daytona but still managed to find herself in the starting grid. After starting 41st, she quickly learned the feel for the draft and had maneuvered into the 32nd position before being swept into an accident not of her own making on lap six which suffered in a heart-breaking 43rd place finish.

Word from the ARCA garage is Duno is wanted back (badly in fact) and is currently approved for all tracks on the circuit but no official confirmation from her party has been announced. Personally, I also would like to see her back in the series. She without a doubt helped the ratings spike to record levels but sadly didn’t share the same success that Patrick did. Had Duno not been shoved into the multi-car incident, I strongly believed she would have been contending for a top-15 and potentially even a top-10 run in her ARCA debut.

Chicagoland Speedway will be a joint venue for the two series later this year and I feel that seat time for her in a stock-car could gain her some additional momentum to feel more comfortable about racing in ARCA and / or NASCAR rather than the bitter-sweet taste she experienced at Daytona. Time will tell though whether Milka Duno will take another stab at stock car racing.

Milka Duno

Her willingness to give back to the students has earned her several awards, honorable mentions, invitations to esteemed events, programs and functions while in a sense building a superstar status that has seemed virtually bulletproof. Not to forget, her bilingual kids book, “Go, Milka, Go!” has become a smashing success. The book depicts her as a cartoon character teaching the importance of education to children of all ages.

Oh and if you think she hasn’t done it all, in 2008, she completed filming her first major motion picture role. Duno played the role of Kellie “Gearbox,” a race car driver, in the highly anticipated Speed Racer movie that is based on the 1960’s classic animated series. The Warner Bros. movie was released in May 2008.

Love her or hate her, Milka Duno (as long as she can continue to trigger the strong sponsorship she has acquired) is going to be around for many more years to come. Some say she is a threat and sometimes quoted as a “rolling chicane” on the track.

I say bologna.

Every driver has had rough spots in their career and Duno is no exception. Duno has showed improvements in every season she has competed in and I don’t expect this year, despite her hardships to be any different. By the way, there is another driver (and no I won’t name that pilot) who comes to my mind that I would fight to the end to see their IndyCar license revoked before hers but as long as Duno continues to show the drive and passion she has in her three years of open-wheel racing; nothing will stand in her way. Nothing!

If you don’t think becoming the highest-finishing female in the history of the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Rolex Sports Car Series with a second place finish alongside teammates Ryan Dalziel, Darren Manning and Patrick Carpentier in 2007 isn’t a boost for your resume – than you might want to just rethink the garage.

For more on Milka Duno and her Milka Way program, please visit MilkaDuno.com.

Milka Duno

“I look forward to competing with Dale Coyne Racing. I’ve had the chance to speak with Dale and the team to discuss goals for the season and we are in harmony in all areas”, said Duno. “For the past three seasons I’ve only run partial schedules and I’m anxious to be competing in all the races this year. Doing so builds momentum and maintains consistency that I feel is a key factor to good results. The full schedule includes seven races at tracks that I have yet to compete on so I will be doing my absolute best to learn these new tracks as quickly as possible. This full season will be challenging – but I’m very thankful for the opportunity!”

Duno will contest all seventeen races on the 2010 schedule beginning with the Sao Paulo Indy 300 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on March 14, 2010.

“We are very excited about the challenges and rewards that lie ahead for Milka,” commented Team Owner Dale Coyne. “We have seen Milka’s competitiveness on the ovals and now we look forward to focusing on the road course effort on a full time basis in 2010.”

Milka has won on road courses before in other categories, but 2010 represents her most serious attack at the road courses of Indy Cars. The team has planned an extensive testing program for the coming season with a focus on road and street circuits.

The team now prepares for its two car entry at the first race of the season in Brazil on March 14th. An announcement of Milka’s team mate driving the #19 car will be made next week.

About Milka Duno

Duno is the first Hispanic woman, in the 93-year history of the race, to qualify for and compete in the Indy 500. She’s also the first Hispanic woman to lead an IndyCar Series race. In 2004, she became the first woman in history to win a major race in the USA when she won the Rolex Series Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

She also scored a 2nd place overall finish in the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona – earning the highest finish ever by a female driver in the 45-year history of the race.

She has eight major race wins to her credit and many minor wins as well.

Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete to be inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame at their 35th Anniversary Induction Ceremony in January, 2010.

A qualified Naval Engineer, Duno has four master’s degrees – in Organizational Development, Naval Architecture, Aquaculture and Maritime Business – earning the last three degrees simultaneously. Six years ago she created the “Milka Way” Program – whose mission it is to inspire children and students to “Aim for the Stars” and achieve academic excellence. Duno has taken this message to children and students at all school levels around the world to help inspire and motivate them and help them understand the importance of education – and how a strong academic background will benefit them their entire life – in all aspects of their life – and in any career they choose.

Go, Milka, Go! – a book about Duno’s life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. The prestigious awards honor literary excellence within the Latino community in a variety of categories.

About Dale Coyne Racing

Dale Coyne Racing, based in Plainfield, IL , is in its 26th year of fielding Indy cars. Known for recruiting and coaching drivers, Coyne’s expertise and passion for the sport has led to his leadership position in the league. The team is currently in the Top-10 of the 2009 IndyCar Series Championship. For more information, please visit www.dalecoyneracing.com.

For more information on Milka please visit www.milkaduno.com.

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CapehartPR

Milka Duno

The event will be in Miami’s Central Business District surrounding Miami Dade College. The bububooks.com booth will be located in section E of the fair located on NE 3rd Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues.

“Go, Milka, Go!” — about Duno’s life and racing career — was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards.

Duno also will answer questions, pose for photos and offer words of encouragement that embody her “Milka Way” program. The program’s mission is to inspire children and young adults to “Aim for the Stars” and achieve academic excellence. Duno has taken this message to schools across the nation and internationally.

“I am very passionate about education and I want to do everything that I can to inspire young people to study hard and aim for the stars,” Duno said. “I’m honored to be involved with bububooks because we share the same passion and have similar goals.”

- IZOD IndyCar Series Press Release

Milka Duno

The book, “Go, Milka, Go!” features the Venezuelan driver sharing the importance of education to children of all ages.

She calls the award, presented in New York on Thursday, a “wonderful surprise and a cherished honor.”

Duno says the story was designed to be “both entertaining and inspiring” for youngsters.

- USA Today

Milka Duno

She’s the total package:

“Born in Caracas, Venezuela and now living in Miami, Florida, Duno demonstrated from an early age her competitive nature and the dedication necessary to succeed. As a young woman in Venezuela, she recognized the value of education as the first step on her path to fulfilling her dreams.

“I learned to drive when I was 12,” she explains. “I never had driving lessons, I learned how to drive by observing my parents. I learned in my mother’s car, without her even knowing.”

For Duno, however, it wasn’t about the quick glory that comes with driving a race car, it was the earned recognition that comes from being a naval engineer (her masters degrees were in Organizational Development, Naval Architecture, Marine Biology and Maritime Business.

While pursuing this career path, she began driving, and as she told Vista, “I like challenges. I love wining. I do not thrive on danger, but I do like to race all the time. I love taking risks and I welcome the competition.”

She’s also a smokin’ hot actress, playing the part of Kellie Gearbox in the 2008 movie, Speed Racer. And to top it off, she also released a bilingual children’s book called “Go, Milka,Go!”

- Examiner.com

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Darron Cummings