A year ago, Sarah Cornett-Ching was working as a master welder in the remote hinterlands of northern Canada.
Today, Cornett-Ching is one of the most promising young drivers in stock car racing, with a bright future ahead of her.
That’s why it’s no surprise that after a strong rookie season in the ARCA Series in 2015 – including finishing seventh in the standings (an ARCA record for highest finish ever for a female driver), Cornett-Ching is moving on up to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2016.
She made the announcement recently on her web site.
Cornett-Ching will run for K&N East Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. She’ll also continue driving for team owner Tony Blanchard and RACE 101 as they join her in the climb from ARCA to the K&N series.
Cornett-Ching will also compete in select races in ARCA, as well as the CARS Super Late Model Tour.
“I’m really energized about running in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series,” Cornett-Ching said in a release. “We raced a handful of events with them last year, I really liked how the races were organized, the parity of the rules package and what it offered me as a driver.”
The 24-year-old Summerland, British Columbia resident has shown great promise in her climb up the racing ladder. The K&N Series is the next step in her evolution as a racer.
“As my career continues to advance, I’ll be racing on some of the same tracks and with a lot of the same drivers and teams,” Cornett-Ching said. “Combine that with the added value that the NASCAR brand can bring to me and my partners (and) it was really a no-brainer (to move up to the K&N league).”
Cornett-Ching will kick off her 2016 racing season in the ARCA season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13. The following day, she’ll compete in the K&N Pro Series East season opener at nearby New Smyrna Speedway.
“The K&N Series has a great mix of tracks and is a really good place to build my skill-set and improve my confidence as a driver, but ARCA still offers valuable opportunities for big-track and radial tire experience,” Cornett-Ching said. “Seat time is seat time, no matter what I’m driving.
“So to have laps around places like Chicago, Talladega or Kansas is extremely valuable, especially when I have an opportunity to move up to Xfinity or the Truck Series in the future.”
Cornett-Ching had five top-10 finishes in 20 ARCA starts in 2015. Now that she moves up to the K&N series, she looks forward to following in the footsteps of others who preceded her.
“So many drivers came through those cars on the way to K&N success, and ultimately the top three tiers of NASCAR – Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and so many more,” she said. “There’s a pattern there.”
Follow @JerryBonkowski
