Driver:  Kelly Anne Williams  Birthplace: Val D’Or, Quebec
Birth Date: August 19, 1971  Residence: Caledon, Ontario

On April 29, 1994, Kelly Williams put her name in the record books as she became the first female driver to capture a win in the 14-year history of CASCAR racing. In her rookie season in Canada’s top stock car series, Williams was victorious in a qualifying heat race at Delaware Speedway Park.

Williams’ career has been full of milestones and it didn’t take the Caledon, ON resident long to start making a name for herself. In both 1989 and 1990, she won Most Improved Driver honors in the Challenger division at Flamboro Speedway. She also earned recognition with her first career race victory, which came at the Canadian National Exhibition.

Williams switched from Flamboro to the faster Mosport International Speedway in 1992. She also made her debut in the Challenge Cup Series, a province-wide Challenger points championship.

The 1993 season saw Williams make her breakthrough as one of Ontario’s top drivers. She was a winner no fewer than eight times, and finished fourth in the Goodyear Challenge Cup Series and seventh in the Mosport track championship. She was also voted Most Popular Driver in the Challenge Cup Series.

In 1994, Williams took another step up the racing ladder by competing in the CASCAR Late Model Series, the most prestigious arena for stock car racing in Canada.

The switch to the more competitive CASCAR series was not an easy one for Williams, who secured lucrative sponsorship from General Motors and Snap-On Tools. But she displayed her typical determination as she slowly came to grips with her new challenge. She won a heat race at Delaware Speedway Park on April 29, leading from start to finish.

Williams built on her CASCAR experience in 1995. She scored a top feature finish of eighth at Cayuga Speedway. She also made great strides in her qualifying performances, and by the end of the year was a regular top 15 performer in the difficult single-car time trial sessions.