Deciding to embrace her dream, Addison packed up and headed to North Carolina. The eight week program taught her how to perform each task on a pit crew and then recommended a job that would match her skills; tire changer was the job they thought suited her best.
Honing her skills in the Hooters Pro Cup and ARCA/REMAX Series, Addison finally got her NASCAR break in May of 2004. Working here and there, she finally found a home with the No. 16 truck team for the 2005 season. At the end of that season, Addison made a trip to ppc Racing to try out with their pit crew. Proving to be the best man…well, woman…for the job, she became Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International's newest crewmember, and its first female.
"People make a big deal out of the fact that I'm
a woman working on a pit crew. I don't see it as a big deal. I hope that I never get hired because of my sex, I hope people give me a chance because I'm good at what I do. I wish the guys got as much attention for their hard work because it takes all of us to make the team successful."
The ultimate success found Addison in July 2006, when driver Terry Cook pulled the No.10 into victory lane in Kansas. Amassing 11 top-10 finishes and one win in a season is just the success Addison was hoping for when getting there was just a dream.
"I'm so lucky to be where I'm at. I'm lucky to be here at all! The fact that I get to do what I love each day makes me so grateful for everything I've been through, the good and the bad. I have even bigger plans for my racing career and for my life."
