Imagine my surprise when I'm scrolling TikTok this morning and catch some driver merch in a viral video on my feed. It's always cool seeing racing merch out in the wild when you're least expecting it. So when I saw a short white-haired woman celebrating in a Las Vegas slot-room wearing a t-shirt with a dirt modified on it, I was curious to find out more. Who's the driver and who's this person wearing the shirt? Is it a fan? Maybe a car owner? A wife or family member of a driver? Who knows.
After a quick google search, I realized I had forgotten the oldest rule in the book. I judged a book by it's cover. This wasn't just a fan wearing a t-shirt. This wasn't just a car owner supporting her team. Not just a wife or a family member. It was Christy Barnett, 2023 Vado Speedway track champion and certified badass.
Barnett currently runs both USRA Dirt Mods and Super Trucks at Vado Speedway in New Mexico. In 2023, she had 59 races under her profile with 9 wins, 20 top-5s and she won her third straight track championship in the Super Trucks division. But there's more.
As I said earlier, Barnett is a badass. Barnett's resume includes over 400 feature wins in various disciplines. She's the only woman in history to win a UMP Dirt National Championship. She has about a dozen other track championships. She's won the Wes Hurst Memorial $10k dirt modified race. She's a 3-wheeler flat track champion. She holds a land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Oh and by the way, that video I came across on TikTok? It was Christy Barnett hitting a MILLION DOLLAR jackpot at Caeser's Palace in Las Vegas. Bad ass.
@joelissac__ Caesars Palcace High Limits room is no joke!! #fyp #highlimit #onemilliondollars #casino #jackpot #lasvegas #caesarspalace ♬ original sound - thatsimplejoel
