Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 3, 1994 TAG: 9402030282
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Betsy Biesenbach staff writer
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
She still has the car, and she's still racing, despite years of setbacks that would stop anyone with less determination.
Armstrong is one of only a few female drag racers, and in a sport in which African-Americans are not highly represented, she is the only black woman driver she has seen.
Armstrong, 49, was born in Roanoke. Her family moved to Washington, D.C., when she was an infant, but her ties to the Roanoke Valley are strong. She attended the old Harrison Elementary School for a year.
As a child, she was never one to play with dolls. She swam, skied and played tackle football and basketball. At that time, she said, she might have been called a tomboy. In today's terminology, however, ``I was a liberated little girl.''
Her desire to compete and win began early in life. While she was still in kindergarten, she talked her way into a bicycle race, although she had only a tricycle, and won.
She became fascinated with cars as a preschooler when she noticed that some cars had three pedals and ``a thing that went up and down'' - a stick shift.
``I liked the sound and that look,'' she said. To drive a standard shift, ``you have to use your mind.''
A cousin told her ``little girls don't do that,'' but she was not dissuaded.
Armstrong was driving before she was old enough for a license, and later would go on to earn Class-A commercial, motorcycle, transport passenger, and chauffeur's licenses. She learned to drive a tractor-trailer in just two lessons.
She saw her first drag race when she was a teen-ager. She was fascinated by what she saw, and she finally knew what she wanted to do with the cars she loved so much.
After graduation from high school and a vocational school in Washington, Armstrong got a job with the federal government. For most of that time, she has been a secretary at the Department of Labor.
Although she was not one of the winningest drivers around, she almost always made it to the final heat. She was quick with the stick shift in a sport where speed is critical, and was so in tune with her car that she often could shift without using the clutch.
Armstrong was so good, she found out later, that some drivers would pretend to have engine trouble just to avoid racing her. In fact, her marriage deteriorated when her husband, also a racer, couldn't handle competing with her.
During her career, Armstrong said, she has run up against prejudice of every variety, but most of it was ``behind my back,'' rather than overt. Some drivers and mechanics ``said they wanted to help, but still didn't take me seriously.'' Some officials have made it harder for her to compete as well.
But the fans are ``marvelous,'' she said. The are of both sexes, and all races and ages. Although many of them are surprised when they find out she's not a white man, her driving seems to be what's most important to them.
Armstrong raced at tracks in Maryland until 1976, when her sponsorships ran out. She has the mechanical skills to do her own repairs; but unlike her male competitors, many of whom are professional mechanics, she could never afford the tools or the space to work on her own car.
Her car stayed parked for 14 years. Every once in a while, she said, someone would get her hopes up with offers of a sponsorship, but the offers always fell through.
In 1990, Armstrong decided it was time to try again. This time around, she said, she is aiming for more than just local races. She wants to compete on the national level.
She took out a loan to get her car rolling again. If she had any worries about whether she still had her competitive edge, she said, they disappeared when she got behind the wheel.
Armstrong has discovered that she is still popular with the fans, some of whom remember watching her drive when they were children. They cheer her on, shake her hand and ask for her autograph. They have told her she is a racing legend.
But in 1993, her engine blew apart during a race, and there was no money to repair it. Armstrong has come to the conclusion that without sponsors, she will not be able to go on, especially since she wants to upgrade her car to national competitive standards.
She hopes to be ready for a meet in March. For months she has been working to find sponsors. Her search has generated publicity, and she has been featured in newspapers and on television and radio in the Washington area. Now she is looking to her hometown for help.
By sponsoring her, Armstrong said, a business can help her fulfill her dreams. But on a more practical level, she said, because she is an African-American female race car driver, she attracts a good deal of attention. This puts the sponsor's name and logo in front of a crowd every time she appears.
She has met with both rejection and encouragement, but she doesn't plan to give up.
``There are too many doors being opened'' right now, she said.
She already has a mechanic, Velmon McLean, and Mario's Towing of Washington has offered to take her anywhere she needs to go. Armstrong estimates that it will take about $115,000 to get her going again, or about $300,000 to upgrade and maintain the car to national standards.
There are many others who have helped as well, she said, and ``I'm appreciative of everything they've done.''
In the meantime, she has kept busy doing volunteer work with Special Olympics, churches, and with young people. She prefers to be known foremost as a Christian race driver, someone who is a good example for children. On Sundays, she said, she won't race until she has gone to church.
``The Lord has really blessed me,'' she said. ``For every dream I've ever had, he's made it possible for me to compete.''
Anyone wishing to sponsor Armstrong may write to P.O. Box 57442, Washington, D.C. 20037-0442, or call (202) 726-7873.
Keywords:
PROFILE
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