Madison Tomaszewski, 15, pursuing her racing dreams at Riverhead Raceway

At 15, Madison Tomaszewski doesn’t have a learner’s permit. She can’t drive on the Long Island Expressway or even on the sleepy streets of Laurel, where she lives with her family. And yet, at racetracks across the tristate region — including her home base, Riverhead Raceway — she has hit speeds of 65 mph in her vibrantly painted blue-and-white race car with the bright yellow 10 on the side.

Even more remarkable? She is a girl in a sport that continues to be male-dominated, though advocates hope that could one day change.

“Women’s sports in general have such high growth potential, and we are seeing interest in them explode across the country in a variety of venues, auto racing included,” said Lyn St. James, a retired professional race car driver and co-founder of the nonprofit Women in Motor Sports North America.

St. James, who was the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year in 1992, said female participation in racing is believed to be around 5% nationally. At Riverhead Raceway, its youth program for kids aged 7 to 16 has 60 participants — 10 of them, or about 16%, are girls, with Tomaszewski the oldest.

“There have certainly been more males than females in the races I’ve participated in, but it’s not uncommon to see girls on the track, so I don’t feel like I stand out just for being a female driver,” the Mattituck Jr.-Sr. High School sophomore said. And when she’s racing, Tomaszewski noted, gender differences fade away.

“Everyone pretty much gets treated equally on the track,” she said.

NASCAR FAMILY

According to Tomaszewski, racing runs through her family’s veins. Her uncle, Richie Vlacci, competed at Riverhead Raceway in the 1990s. Her younger brother, Shawn, 11, is a fan of the sport, as was her maternal grandmother.

“My mom and dad were going to NASCAR races since before I was born,” Tomaszewski said. “In fact, they told me that when my mom was 8 months pregnant with me, she was at the track driving around in a golf cart.”

So it perhaps shouldn’t have come as a surprise at 12, she told her parents that she wanted to take up racing.

Riverhead Raceway offers two age-class categories for young racers — Bandits (for 7- to 11-year-olds) and Outlaws (for kids 12-16) — plus a beginner’s class for those of any age just starting out in the sport. After advancing through these groups, drivers can move up to increasingly challenging divisions, with races requiring more skills, quicker decisions, sharper reflexes and greater speed.

The vehicles at this level are noticeably smaller than a regular race car — 10’9” long and 2’10” tall. Madison, who is 5-foot-9, has to first flip the roof of the car forward, then reach in and remove the steering wheel before she can slide down into the driver’s seat through an entrance that measures just 15x20 inches. And the 30-horsepower motor, which starts with the flip of a switch followed by the push of a button in the cockpit, is at the rear of the car.

But while the engine’s size might seem more comparable to that of a go-kart or lawnmower, it can generate speeds exceeding 70 mph.

Tomaszewski is in her second year of racing. Last year, she said she competed in 10 races at Riverhead, one in Calverton and drove 157 laps in a practice session at Bethel Motor Speedway in upstate Swan Lake to get more driving experience. This year, her schedule calls for about a dozen races at Riverhead and Waterford, Connecticut.

Her top speed to date is 65 mph, which she said she achieved in July. She has finished as high as second and third in some races but points out those were in small fields. In her most recent set of races, at Riverhead in late July, she finished fifth and eighth out of 11 in each race.

“She certainly makes a good impression,” said Riverhead Raceway co-owner Tom Gatz. “She’s a great kid, the kind we want around here — the kind that drives this division. Already, we see her maturing, learning what it means to be a race car driver and a leader in this sport. She’s definitely on the right track.”

John Elwood, Riverhead Raceway’s general manager, agreed. “She’s thriving here,” he said. “You’d be surprised at the skills kids in this division learn. Competing even at this level requires drivers pick up a lot of mathematics, learn to build, troubleshoot and construct things with their hands, and understand what it means to be humble.”

HURDLES TO ENTRY

Getting started in auto racing isn’t easy, for a variety of reasons — one being the cost. “You need the right tools, and starting out can be pretty expensive, especially before you begin finding sponsors,” said Madison’s father, Zac Tomaszewski. “The car can run $4,000 to $10,000 based on if it is new or used and what it includes. You’ll need a trailer, to get your car back and forth to the racetracks, and special insurance, too.”

Drivers also need protective gear, including a fireproof suit, gloves, shoes and a helmet, plus a harness device to stabilize their neck, a race receiver and ear buds so the driver can communicate with the crew and a transponder to track the car in competition, he said. Add in money for travel, parts, service, repairs and entry fees, the last of which, at Madison Tomaszewski’s level, generally range from $27 to $67 per event.

The teen currently has 22 sponsors — about double what most kids in the program have. They include R&K Precision Autoworks in Riverhead and La Vespa Pizza in Manorville.

“They’ve given their time, worked on the car with us, set up fundraisers and contributed financially, and that has made a world of difference,” Tomaszewski said of her sponsors. “We couldn’t keep doing this without them.”

Another possible deterrent for prospective racers is the risk inherent in the sport.

Tomaszewski recalls one incident when, she said, an aggressive driver attempted to squeeze her car against a wall on the inside of the track. “My car went up on top of his, but he got the worst of it because he was unable to finish,” she said. “I broke a spindle, which meant my front wheel was almost sideways, but I limped home over the last three laps and still finished fifth out of 11 drivers. After that encounter, I have no fear of standing up for myself on the track.”

And, she said, she and that other competitor are now friends. “That stuff can be part of racing,” she said. “Eventually, it all gets sorted out.”

LEARNING CONFIDENCE

Tomaszewski said she has grown as a driver.

“I’m learning how to draft tight behind other cars, better position myself during races and to be more assertive on the track,” she said. “Last year I wasn’t getting right up to the bumper of the car ahead of me at the start of my races. This year I am. I’m driving more confidently because I know working on the little things adds up to higher finishes.”

The teen said she’s also making smarter tactical decisions, understands her car better and knows how it should perform. “I’m more comfortable leading my support team, too,” she added. “All this progress hasn’t translated into any first-place finishes yet, but I feel like that’s coming soon.”

Her mother, Michelle Tomaszewski, agreed. “In her first year of racing, Madison was content to start at the back of the pack and try to move up during the race,” she said. “Now, she wants to have a good position near the front of the field before the race even begins.”

Ask Tomaszewski what she loves best about being a race car driver, and she’ll tell you it’s a combination of the competition and simply being able to drive — but developing new friendships within the racing community has also been a big bonus. “I come from a small school in a relatively small community,” she said. “I used to have just a few friends locally. Now I have friends across Long Island and, to some extent, across the country.”

Inspiring other young people to get involved in the sport has also been a thrill for her. “Recently, I had a boy come up to me on the track and say that last year he spoke with me during a post-race autograph session and thanked me for taking so many questions,” she recalled. “Then he told me that session was the reason he decided to start racing. . . . I feel really good about that.”

Looking forward, Tomaszewski said she is considering a career in racing — ideally behind the wheel as a professional driver, but she is also open to other roles, like photographer or social media specialist for NASCAR. At the least, she would like to keep racing several times per year while moving up into more competitive divisions.

St. James, the retired race car driver, said in her 50 years involved in the sport she has seen women make inroads at every level. “Hopefully, Madison can keep advancing, inspiring more young drivers along the way,” she said.

Later this summer, Tomaszewski said she plans to visit the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with her family. “My favorite NASCAR driver, Jimmie Johnson, will be there,” she said. “He’s retired from racing now, but he has a team competing.”

The teen said she met Johnson once and he kindly answered all of her racing questions. He made such an impression, she said, that when the family got a cat they named it Jimmie.

“Who knows,” she mused. “Maybe someday I’ll make that team.”