Delaware State bowler a star in the driver's seat

Bower is Pennsylvania track's first female feature race champion.

During the school year, Nicole Bower is on a mission to bring Delaware State University its first NCAA team championship in any sport. But during the summer, Bower kicks off her bowling shoes and puts on her racing helmet and firesuit to race sprint cars at tracks in Pennsylvania.

On the bowling lanes, Bower helped the Hornets advance to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament last spring. She has found success behind the wheel, too. In early May, Bower led all 20 laps of the 358 sprint feature at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicburg, Pa., becoming the first female to win a feature race at the half-mile clay track. The "358" designation refers to engine displacement. Bower lives about 15 minutes from the track in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

"It was unbelievable," said Bower, who began her racing career at the age of 12 in a quartermidget, often racing at New Castle's Airport Speedway. "It took quite a few days for the win to set in. I had dreamed of standing in victory lane at Williams Grove for a long time. All of the great drivers have been there ... and to get that opportunity is just great."

The 19-year-old will gott yet another thrill on August 5, when she competed against Sprint Cup regulars Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart in the Ollie's Bargain Outlet "Battle at the Grove" charity race at Williams Grove.

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