Tag Archives: driver

NASCAR’s first Arab American female driver to make her debut at Daytona International Speedway

Twelve years later, Breidinger has become the first Arab American female driver to participate in a NASCAR national series, according to NASCAR.

The 21-year-old joined the racing team Young’s Motorsports to race in the 2021 stock car competition ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR’s pick-up truck competition, Camping World Truck Series, which begins with the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Saturday.

“I’m honored and excited to be the first, but i don’t want to be the last,” Breidinger, who is of Lebanese descent, told CNN. “I hope I can pave the way for future female Arab drivers as well.”

Breidinger is a 19-time United States Auto Club winner, a record for any female driver, and debuted in the Top 10 at Madison International speedway in ARCA Menards in 2018.

Breidinger said racing on the Daytona speedway “is a dream come true.”

“Daytona has always been on my bucket list to race at. Every driver’s dream is to race there one day,” she said. “It’s such a historic track. It’s a step in the right direction to hopefully race in the Daytona 500 one day.”

Breidinger hopes to one day reach the NASCAR Cup Series, the top racing series.

“As soon as I got into a go-kart, I really just knew,” Breidinger said. “I’ve always had so much passion for it. I love the competition, the adrenaline rush. I’m hooked on it.”

“When the helmet comes on and I’m racing, it’s not about being a female driver anymore. I’m just like anyone else trying to get to the finish line,” she said.

Breidinger will be driving Young Motorsports’ #02 Chevrolet SS car for the ARCA Menards race and their #82 Chevrolet Silverado for the Camping World Truck series.

“We’re working diligently to strengthen diversity across the sport and the diverse makeup of our drivers represents an important part of that mission,” Brandon Thompson, NASCAR vice president of diversity and inclusion, told CNN. “We want women and people of color to see themselves represented in our competitors because it’s those connection points that will help NASCAR grow and become more diverse.”

The Lucas Oil 200, an 80-lap, 200-mile race, is the first of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule.

The season-opener for the 69th ARCA season begins around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised on FOX Sports 1 and live streamed on ARCARacing.com.

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14-year-old ‘getaway driver’ among 4 Jacksonville teens charged in triple murder

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four teenagers are accused of murder in the shooting deaths of a woman and two men late Monday night in a Northwest Jacksonville apartment. A young mother who briefly worked for the State Attorney’s Office was one of the victims.

JSO Director of Investigations Mike Bruno said Wednesday a 14-year-old girl who had previously been convicted of a felony was driving the car that fled the Calloway Cove apartments off West Moncrief Road after the shootings. Officers with the gang unit, who had been working inside the complex and heard the gunfire, chased the car for almost 3 miles before conducting a PIT maneuver to cause it to crash.

The girl, along with Keon Lester, 18, and Kyshawn and Owen Laureano Cosme, both 17, are all charged with second-degree murder and criminal conspiracy. Detectives have not yet identified who was the shooter or any connection between those charged and the victims.

The 14-year-old, who News4Jax is not naming because of her age, is also charged with accessory and fleeing a law enforcement officer. Bruno said all four have previous felony arrests.

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Bruno said three handguns — one partially disassembled — were recovered from the car, which police learned was stolen out of Clay County.

Bruno said when the teenagers blurted out, “We didn’t shoot those people,” officers returned to the complex and searched until they found a woman and two men dead in an apartment in Building E. Also in the apartment police said they found over 100 oxycontin pills, a large ball of white powdery substance and a large amount of cash. Detectives believe robbery was the motive for the shootings.

Police said these four teens committed adult crimes Monday night.

“This is not a random act of violence,” Bruno said. “It’s shocking and appalling when you see that you’ve got kids — 14, 17, 18 years old — out there committing crimes like this in our city.”

The 18-year-old appeared in court Wednesday and was ordered held without bond.

Jacksonville police no longer identify victims of crime but did say they were the men were 27 and 30 years old and the woman was 30.

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A GoFundMe site identified the woman victim as a former employee of the State Attorney’s Office who “would do what was needed for her son and family.” The family asked that her name not be used.

“If you truly met (her), you loved her for who she was inside and out,” her family wrote on the page. “May (her) character and love be with us forever and keep her spirit alive and positive.”

The triple shooting happened about 11:50 p.m. Monday. A neighbor told News4Jax she heard what sounded like an estimated 20-30 gunshots at the complex early Tuesday.

Police evidence photo of guns found in the car that fled a triple murder Monday night at a Northwest Jacksonville complex. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)

The area has wrestled with violent crime for years. In 2015, Jacksonville City Council named 4229 Moncrief Road as one of the top locations in the city you were most likely to be a victim of a violent crime.

In 2018, Millennia Companies bought the complex at 4229 W. Moncrief Road and spent $10.6 million on renovations. A spokesperson for the company issued a statement to News4Jax in response to Monday’s violence.

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“We are saddened by this violence and sympathize with those affected by the incident,” the statement said in part. “Our property management and leadership teams are deeply engaged in responding to this event and cooperating with law enforcement officials as they continue their investigation. For those who may need help coping during this difficult time, we have made counselors available for residents and staff.”

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office by calling 904-630-0500 or via email at JSOCrimeTips@JaxSheriff.org. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.

Copyright 2021 by WJXT News4Jax – All rights reserved.

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Los Angeles driver in custody after hours-long vehicle chase

A bizarre, hours-long vehicle chase in Los Angeles ended early Wednesday with a suspect in custody and his severely damaged vehicle — with at least three flat tires — sitting on a freeway.

Video posted to social media around 1:30 a.m. local time showed police officers moving in on the reportedly “armed and dangerous” suspect as he stood outside his vehicle. He was quickly surrounded, handcuffed and led away.

Just minutes earlier, sparks flew from the left wheel on the driver’s side of the suspect’s vehicle as the rim fell off, leaving the silver Chevy Malibu finally disabled after hours of traveling with at least three of its tires damaged.

THIEVES THROW WINE BOTTLES AT POLICE DURING CHASE FOLLOWING $430G BOOZE HEIST: REPORT

Throughout the evening, video posted by FOX 11 in Los Angeles and other stations had showed the Malibu with Oklahoma plates traveling around the city, largely on Interstate 110, with police vehicles close behind and news helicopters overhead.

What started as a high-speed chase after 7 p.m. eventually slowed to less than 5 mph after the suspect’s vehicle was damaged by a spike strip, KNBC-TV of Los Angeles reported.

Police were pursuing carefully because the driver was believed to be in possession of a weapon, the report said.

The cautiousness of the pursuit was in accordance with police training, Joe Buscaino, a Los Angeles city councilman who served as an L.A. police officer, told the station.

He noted the vehicle chase came amid a time of rising crime in the nation’s second-largest city.

“I anticipate it’s going to get worse before it gets better, unfortunately,” Buscaino said.

The chase covered stretches of Interstate 110, in both north and south directions, as the driver exited and re-entered the freeway, KNBC-TV reported.

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Around 11 p.m. local time the suspect was seen driving slowly in El Monte, Calif., with at least four police vehicles close behind. All vehicles were in driving slowly, and many vehicles were seen parked along the roadway, with passengers watching the action.

The chase began around 7 p.m. local time on a report of a suspect with a gun, the station reported.

The suspect’s identity, and a list of potential criminal charges, were not immediately available.

 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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1 dead after wrong-way driver slams head-on into semi on I-73

One person has died after a crash on Interstate 73 early Monday morning.All lanes of Interstate 73 North, and the left lane of Interstate 73 South, are back open after the deadly crash. They were closed for several hours. According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, a passenger car was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes on I-73.A tractor-trailer, traveling north on I-73, collided with the wrong-way driver.A person traveling in the car died. The crash was near Exit 117 (NC-150/Oak Ridge Road), near Greensboro.According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the interstate wasn’t expected to reopen until 8:00 a.m., but reopened early around 6:40 a.m.The closure started around 2:30 a.m. Monday.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

One person has died after a crash on Interstate 73 early Monday morning.

All lanes of Interstate 73 North, and the left lane of Interstate 73 South, are back open after the deadly crash. They were closed for several hours.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, a passenger car was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes on I-73.

A tractor-trailer, traveling north on I-73, collided with the wrong-way driver.

A person traveling in the car died.

The crash was near Exit 117 (NC-150/Oak Ridge Road), near Greensboro.

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the interstate wasn’t expected to reopen until 8:00 a.m., but reopened early around 6:40 a.m.

The closure started around 2:30 a.m. Monday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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