Behind The Wheel - #18 - Stefhanie Slaughter
Racing four wheelers turned into racing a Mustang at 16, which then turned into continuously racing Mopars- quick ones at that. Stefhanie Slaughter, is 42 and from West Virginia and has been obsessed with racing for as long as she can remember. Stefhanie’s life has always been filled with some sort of fast engine and thankfully, she never grew out of that. Her pride and joy is her 2016 Scat Pack Charger and she finds fun in racing around with all of the guys because, “you never expect a blower on a stock mom car”, she says.
Stefhanie’s earliest memories are times she shared with her dad which always had something to do with some sort of fast vehicle. She told me about a memory she has were she was sitting in her dads lap at 2-years-old “shifting” and racing her mom. Stefhanie found her younger years spent on dirt bikes, go karts, and four wheelers. She told me a story about when she was in 3rd grade and competed in the Boone County Hill Climb, “I had an 80 Suzuki four-wheeler and because I had my helmet and gear on and all of my hair hidden, anytime they called my name they would correct themselves and say it must be Stephen because the didn’t know I was a girl. I loved taking my helmet off and the end knowing everyone was confused and no one new I was a girl”. She eventually graduated into racing her Boss Mustang at 16, where her dad caught her street racing and told her if she had lost, she would have been in trouble.
There are women that Stefhanie look up to like Shirley Muldowney, Leah Pruitt, and Courtney Force. “They’re kicking ass out there. I still want to be them when I grow up! They get out there and prove that they can handle the men and they inspire me to keep going”, she told me. Stefhanie’s husband is her biggest supporter at every event, “Everyone laughs at us in our pits, we are so alike we bump heads. He makes sure I’m safe and figures out what we need to do and he is always there to make sure I’m successful in what I do. But it’s a common known fact that if Jeremy is driving my car- it’s broken or it needs fuel”.
Competing in the Charlotte Women & Wheels class, Stefhanie went 2 rounds but found herself not only enjoying the competition, but the company as well. “Both times I raced we stopped and talked and congratulated each other. The comradery is just something with this class, you’ve never met the other woman but it’s cool because it’s another woman kicking ass. Whether she beat you or not- she’s kicking ass!”. Stefhanie told me about how she almost didn’t compete in the class, “At first I thought I didn’t want to do it because I only like heads-up racing. Then I talked to Sophie and I read about the class and thought about how good of a cause it was. I’ve been in other powderpuff classes where it wasn’t as competitive or people made fun of it. I love everything Women & Wheels stands for and I’ve met so many girls just by competing in this one class. I’m so glad I listened and decided to jump in”, she told me.
Stefhanie pilots her 2016 Scat Pack Charger at the track with plenty of upgrades. It has a Whipple 2.9 blower with a 3.0 Griptec pulley, MMX forged drop-in pistons, ported and polished heads, Kooks long-tube headers, OST dedicated 8 rib pulley set-up, hellcat throttle body, Fore return style fuel system, Injector Dynamics 1050x injectors, Paramount transmission, TBR/ Dusterhoff tune, Forgestar bead-lock wheels, and plenty of other goodies. Her car currently makes 1091whp and her fastest pass so far is a 9.3 @ 147MPH. Stefhanie and her friend Kerra came up with the hashtag #BoostandBoobs as something that separates her from the guys. Aside from her Scat Pack, she pilots a nitrous track hawk at no-prep events.
She shares advice for any women eager to become involved, “Just get out there and do it! I tell all of the local girls to do that, they’re worried they won’t know what they’re doing, or their car isn’t as fast, but who cares? You won’t learn by just watching, so get out there, do it, and practice!”. Stefhanie told me how she thinks Women & Wheels is giving an outlet for women to get involved, “I’ve read the other articles and we all say the same thing- whether you’re new or old in the race world you can come together and compete without feeling you’ll be made fun of or picked on. I love that Women & Wheels is traveling to schools and saying that women can do it, it’s not just a man’s world. When I started, this wasn’t a thing, now women can say I race both women’s AND men’s classes and I kick ass”. Stefhanie has a philosophy, “Don’t chase the boys, pass them”.
Stefhanie proves that you can try something new, like bracket racing, and not only learn more but create friendships. She embodies sportsmanship and pride and proves to women that they can exist in a male-dominated industry without intimidation.
You can find Stefhanie on IG @ boostandboobs392