Outlaw racing car accident doesn’t faze senior

BY VICTORIA WILKINSON
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In order to fuel her desire for adrenaline, Roseville High School senior Skylar Thompson races outlaw cars in her free time.

Outlaw cars are smaller versions of classic sprint racecars, but have smaller, dirt bike engines.

Skylar began racing her freshman year when her friend Kolby Juarez introduced her to the sport and sparked her interest.

“I would go out and watch him and one night I got into a car and tried it out and just loved it,” Skylar said. “Then I got a car and started racing.”

According to her father Bill Thompson, she had tried many other sports before racing, but her passion for outlaw racing was evident and took priority as soon as she got behind the wheel.

“She tried out a lot of things prior to it and once she actually got out on the track in a race car, there was no stopping her,” Bill said.

In her first season of racing, Skylar placed second in the Dixon championship. She now races every weekend.

According to Juarez, when Skylar first started racing she was a little uncomfortable but soon adapted and really took to the sport.

“She didn’t get used to the speeds until about a half a year and started winning a few months after that,” Juarez said.

According to Skylar, her experiences with racing have not always been the best. Her passion was interrupted when she crashed her car while racing in May of 2014 and was forced to take a break from racing. She dove back in as soon as she was finished with four surgeries on her leg and being in a wheelchair for three months. The accident does not affect her now.

“Ever since the accident I have been trying to catch up but I have been doing pretty good,” Skylar said. “I have won a few races since.”

Even after the accident, Skylar never considered quitting racing.

“I never felt like I had to [go back] – I just wanted to,” Skylar said. “It’s my whole life and I don’t want to be doing anything else.”

In fact, Thompson’s love for the sport triumphed after the accident, realizing it is what she loves the most.

“It was easy to go back because racing is what I love to do and I wouldn’t ever want to not do it,” Skylar said.

Bill was hesitant to let her go back to racing after the accident in fear of future injury.

“It was very scary,” Bill said. “I didn’t know if I was going to let her go back.”

The accident was not only impactful on their family but to Juarez, as well.

“I felt as though it was the scariest thing of all time,” Juarez said.

Despite her love toward racing, Skylar was hesitant to go back on the track after the accident.

“It was scary. I was really skeptical of it, I just really took my time getting back into it because I did not want to crash again but now I am a lot more comfortable with it than I was,” Skylar said.

Skylar’s friends knew they had seen her at her worst and now hope to see her do well in her future.

“I feel that Sky has come a long way but also has a very long road ahead of her,” Juarez said.

Skylar’s love for the sport lies in the feeling it gives her.

“The speed and the adrenaline. It’s just a rush and it’s really fun,” Skylar said.