Sophie Anderson’s first night behind the wheel of a race car was memorable – and not for the right reasons. It happened at a test-and-tune at Fiesta City Speedway in Montevideo in 2021.
“I rolled my car the first time I drove it,” Anderson said. “It was a scary situation. I didn’t realize that could happen. I was expecting to turn a few laps.”
While the start may have been auspicious, the 17-year-old from Chokio, Minn., has zero regrets about hopping behind the wheel. She’s in her third season of racing the 82JR Pure Stock at KRA Speedway in Willmar, Fiesta City Speedway and Madison Speedway.
She is enjoying the most successful season of her young racing career. She picked up her first two career feature wins earlier this summer and has 12 top five finishes on the season.
Not that this season has been all roses for Anderson. She got a new motor for her car prior to the year – and blew it on her third night of the season. She’s dealt with rear-end problems and also blown a transmission and called the season “the most frustrating of all.”
But on the other side of those challenges came breakthroughs. She earned her first career feature win on July 6 at KRA Speedway; two nights later she won the feature at Madison.
“To finally get that first win, it meant a lot to me,” Anderson said. “We’d been having such a hard year. To break through with all the challenges, it felt great. Getting two wins in one weekend was worth all the challenges.”
Aside from racing a snowmobile once, Anderson didn’t do any racing – such as go-karts – growing up. But she was at the racetrack at a young age.
“We started going to the races when I was literally in a car seat,” Anderson said. “I’ve always been at the racetrack.”
Sophie will be a senior at Chokio-Alberta High School this fall. Her parents, Debbie and Keith, and sisters Madison and Lillie, are heavily involved in her racing program.
The Andersons started going to the races with fellow Chokio resident Ron Hawkinson, who was a top runner at Madison, recording 15 feature wins from 2017-2020. Hawkinson would help Anderson get behind the wheel in 2021.
Anderson’s rookie season in 2021 was truly about learning. She did earn 10 top 10s in 25 starts. But a bent rear end hindered her progress on the track.
“We battled with brake issues all year long,” Anderson said. “We were new to racing. We took out the rear end and put in a new one and that was the issue the whole time.”
She measured her progress that first year differently.
“Mentally that was the hardest part,” Anderson said. “The little milestones were the favorite part of my first year. I was so happy when I didn’t get lapped for the first time or lapped twice. I was so happy I got to the tech shed and so happy to keep up with the guys. Those smalls steps people don’t realize mean a lot.”
The second year, armed with a new car, there were clear signs of progress. She had seven top fives with a best finish of second. She did cross the finish line first at a feature on Sept. 1, 2022 at KRA, but was DQed in post-race tech for a distributor effort. She came back the next week to get second.
“I trusted the car more than I trusted the car I rolled,” Anderson said. “That’s when I got comfortable.”
This year, the growing pains of the first two seasons – and the first part of this year – have paid dividends.
“All the hard work finally paid off,” Anderson said.
Anderson has friendships with several female drivers who serve as mentors to her, and one of those individuals is Ashley Mehrwerth, who has had a lot of success in the Wissota Midwest Modified class in central Minnesota. The two met in the pit area racing at KRA Speedway.
“That girl is so motivated, and I wish I had half her brains. She is so smart,” Mehrwerth said. “She’s snapping me saying she’s pulling her rear end out or transmission out. Since she is so hands on and involved in her car, it’s awesome to see. The way she pushes herself each week is phenomenal.”
“I love those friendships I have with them. I look up to them,” Anderson said. “They support me, I support them. They’ve been there. Being there, having something to relate to, makes racing a lot more fun. If you have a bad night you can go to them and talk about it.”
She does have a goal for the rest of 2023.
“I really want to win at Fiesta before the end of the season. That Is my biggest goal,” Anderson said.
But her love for racing goes beyond the competition on the track.
“I love the racing community. I love all my fans, each and every one of them,” Anderson said. “Racing wouldn’t be the same without the racing community. I enjoy that the most. If it wasn’t for the fans, we wouldn’t have anybody to put on a show for.”
Driver Profiles
Sophie Anderson
Pure Stock #82JR
Age: 17
Residence: Chokio, Minn.
Sponsors: Anderson Farms, Wagner Diesel/Wagner Company Excavating, Larson Farms, MTH, Mahoney Farms, AutoPlus Morris Bearing Supply, Stroman Farms, Golden Harvest Johnson Seed Company, Hawkinson Construction, SJJK Plumbing and Heating Inc., Blackline Seed, Brethorst Farms, Kronemann Construction, Marty Farms, Westerman Farms, Bobcat of Morris, Progressive Collision and Glass Center, Steve Johnson Farms, Spaulding’s Sports Bar, Fischer Farms, Jeremy Michaelson Tree Service, Barrett Agri, Stahn Boys and Toys, Erickson Farms, Wild Racing Bodies
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