Joelle Lewis
#651, #357, #957
Kid Kart Years
Born to Race
Joelle has wanted to race go karts ever since she can remember. She grew up at the track, cheering for her brother, but as soon as she was old enough (and maybe a little earlier), she learned to drive her own kid kart.Â
She earned her first podium in 2014 and won the the Kid Kart championship at The Track at Centennial in 2015, taking first in every race except two. She spent three years learning the ropes in the Kid Kart class, racing in both The Track at Centennial's Rotax series and the Colorado Karting Tour's Honda, LO206, and Rotax series. She aged out of Kid Kart after placing 4th in that class in 2016.
LO206 Jr 1, MicroMax, and MiniMax Years
A Winning Attitude
In 2017, Joelle jumped up into the next available classes for her age group: LO206 Junior 1 Cadet and Rotax MicroMax. That year, she placed third overall in Junior 1 Cadet and just off the podium for the year in MicroMax.Â
The next year, in 2018, Joelle won the Colorado Karting Tour Cadet Kart Championship in her Junior 1 kart and placed second overall in MicroMax. Near the end of the season, she moved into the MiniMax class in Rotax to prepare her for the next year, placing third in one of her first races.
Joelle raced in MiniMax and Junior 1 in 2019, taking third in her first national race in the 4-Cycle Super Showdown in Phoenix, Arizona, and in a COVID-shortened 2020 before deciding she wanted to race in one of the fastest classes on the track in 2021.
LO206 Jr 2 and Rotax Junior Max Years
Teen Racer
Joelle has always suffered from the need for speed, which is why she moved into the Rotax Junior Max class as soon as she was eligible when she turned 12 in 2020. She raced in the LO206 Junior 2 class in a few local club races that summer and next season, but focused primarily on mastering her Junior Rotax kart.Â
As the youngest racer in the class, she placed 7th overall in a tough field of 14 competitors. She earned her first P1 qualifying time in the fifth race and her first podium finish in the sixth race of the season. That fall, she competed in her first national Rotax series, the Rotax West series, and placed fourth overall, missing the podium by just eight points.Â
In the Colorado Karting Tour, She raced in the Junior Max class in 2022 and placed well in the overall series. She also competed in the Rotax West series, with a top 10 finish overall.
In 2023, Joelle returned to the LO206 Jr 2 class in the Colorado Karting Tour. She had some adversity on the track with lapped traffic on two occasions, which prevented her from winning the championship. However, she came in 2nd overall in a very competitive class.Â
LO206 Adult and Rotax senior Max Years
Karting is life
In 2024, Joelle decided to race as much as she possibly could, hoping to build her skill set and gain invaluable experience. She started the year racing in the Rotax West series, competing in eight races in Phoenix, Arizona; Tucson, Arizona; Amarillo, Texas; and Grand Junction, Colorado. It was her first year in the senior class and was racing with more than 30 racers between the ages of 15 and 30. As one of the youngest drivers in the field, she had a huge learning curve, but ended the series in 7th place overall. It was an incredible run!
Joelle was also determined this year to win a free entry to the Rok Vegas race at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas in October. She raced the Rok the Rockies series at SBR Motorsports in Colorado Springs, capturing the championship and punching her ticket to Rok Vegas!
In March, Joelle received a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to spend a day with Tony Breidinger, a NASCAR driver who got her start in karts. Joelle flew to Phoenix, where she received a suit, pair of shoes, pair of gloves, and rib protector, all courtesy of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a company that sponsors Toni and this very special Women in Motorsports event. Joelle raced with Toni on the track and participated in a Q&A session to learn more about Toni's path from karting to cars.
In the Colorado Karting Tour series, Joelle also jumped up to the Adult LO206 class and took a couple of races to get used to the new non-grippy tires. Once she did, though, she became a top 3 racer and ended up winning three of the last five races! She earned enough points to win the regional championship in the LO206 Lights class!
Joelle's season ended on a high note, as she competed in the Rok Vegas race. She was one of a very few racers without the backing of a major team, which caused us to make some errors that kept her from making the final 40 in the main. Still, she (and we) learned a ton from this experience and will apply it when she races national series and races in the future!
2024 Recap
Rok Vegas
October 29-November 2, 2024
Women in motorsports with toni Breidinger
2022-2023 recp
 Joelle's future dreams are to race in even faster cars and wants to eventually become an Formula 1 driver. She wants to pursue a career that will allow her to be around the sport she loves while she continues to work hard to make her dreams come true. Please consider becoming a Lewis Racing sponsor to help her achieve her goals. Thank you.