Zoey Hicks - Reserve Grand Champion for 12-Volt Stock. (Photo provided)
Zoey Hicks- Reserve Grand Champion for 12-volt Power Wheels
By Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
Zoey Hicks is an adorable four year-old girl. She is friendly, chatty, and looks incredibly “girly.” She’s also a little sparkplug of a drag racer.
Dad Josh explains we’ve got three different classes of 12-volt stock, 12-volt modified, and 24-volt modified.
Zoey’s mom Victoria saw a Power Wheels Derby at Brush Creek, found a used toy stock vehicle on the side of the road, and took Zoey for a day of racing fun. Zoey said, “I want to do it again.” Then Victoria did a Google search to find out what existed in the racing world for little ones. She searched “drag racing” and “Power Wheels racing” and found Pacemakers Dragstrip in Newark, Ohio, which has become their home track. The Hicks make the three-hour drive to the track every other weekend during the season. They will also race in Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan this year. Zoey participates in about 11 races per season.
Typically, Zoey races against eight other tiny racers on a pro dragstrip track. She practices right on her front lawn, which leads into their neighbor’s yard. There’s a line of Power Wheels on display (predominantly pink). Zoey points to a 12-volt stock Corvette and says, “This goes fast.” Dad clarifies that “fast” is about seven miles per hour. He is currently working on modifying a black Corvette to a 24-volt which doubles the speed.
Mom said Zoey enjoys the racing so much that if they must leave early and miss the adults racing, Miss Zoey throws a fit. “She wants to ride in the big cars and do all the stuff,” said Victoria. Fun fact – Zoey is the Reserve Grand Champion for 12-volt stock, a title she earned at three years old.
Young stock car racers typically age out at 9, depending on their size. Mom said, “We’ll try to keep her in it as long as possible.” She described a comical sight when they load multi vehicles in the jeep en route to the races.
Zoey jumps in a vehicle, shows off her skills, and gets a tad frustrated when her tires get hung up in the grass. Who says girls can’t race? Well – they best move over, and watch Zoey show you how because, as she says, “I drive fast!”
