This Kennewick ‘Supergirl’ is ready to fly around the track

In her comic book and TV exploits, Supergirl possesses many powers, including flight, X-ray vision and superhuman strength.

But there is one power that Brittney Zamora, a recent Kennewick High School graduate and emerging race car driver, hopes Supergirl infuses into her ride: speed.

Zamora recently landed a Seattle TV station — CW11 — as a main sponsor this season, and the main character from “Supergirl” now adorns her No. 52 race car, completed with the iconic red “S” on the hood.

“I’m excited for the opportunity and that they chose me to do it,” Zamora said. “They sponsored a (car) last year, but they wanted to promote a different car and a different show this year. Doug Hobbs and Jeremy Anders at Evergreen Speedway help set me up with the sponsorship. That was cool of them.”

Hobbs, who owns the Monroe speedway, said Zamora was perfect for the project.

“We had a two-year sponsorship with CW11 Seattle, and they wanted to highlight the ‘Supergirl’ show this year,” Hobbs said. “We thought we had the perfect candidate.

“My wife (Traci) and I are good friends with the people at the TV station. We told them she would be a good ambassador for the station and our track.”

Big boost, big change

There’s more to the sponsorship gig for Zamora than having Supergirl along for the ride.

“CBS will broadcast her car nationally, and we hope that will open doors for her,” Hobbs said. “They are going to use her in print marketing. For the month of April, she will be in the national newsletter for CBS employees throughout the nation.”

And there is the money that comes with the sponsorship.

“Every penny counts,” Zamora said. “When you have a big sponsor, it takes stress off your shoulders and you can be more focused on being at the track than getting there. It’s cool to represent Supergirl as a female in the racing world.”

Supergirl, who is a cousin to Superman, also brought a new color scheme to Zamora’s car. Gone is the bright green-and-black motif that she and her dad Mike have raced with for more than 20 years. Red has replaced the green.

“Ever since I was 5, my car has been black and green,” Zamora said. “It’s worth it. Change is good. We still have a touch of green with the chassis.”

Zamora, 18, also was the face of the “Supergirl” booth for a day at Comic Con in Seattle at the beginning of the month.

“She was a big hit at Comic Con,” Hobbs said.

Zamora, who is majoring in education at WSU-Tri-Cities, said she hadn’t watched “Supergirl” before she got sponsored, but now she’s hooked.

“I really like it,” she said.

Up, up and away

Zamora already has had big success driving a super late model car, which is one of the fastest stock cars below the NASCAR level. Her car tops out at about 150 mph.

She won the Northwest series points championship in 2017 after being named rookie of the year in 2016. She was the first female to win a race in the series that tours short tracks in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

This year she will take on tougher competition, moving up to Evergreen’s Whelen All-American Series and its 11-race schedule.

“It’s still the same car, but a different series and a higher level of competition,” she said. “I’ve raced against a handful of guys in this series, but this is their track. This will be my debut there.”

Kulwicki Driver Development Program

A strong season on and off the track could lead to a big payday at the end: the $54,439 grand prize in the Kulwicki Driver Development Program. Zamora was one of seven drivers selected to participate in the program from among 200 applicants.

The selected drivers will compete against each other based on their results throughout the season, as well as off-track civic participation, program promotion, fan interaction and stewardship of Alan Kulwicki’s story. Kulwicki was a popular NASCAR driver who died in a plane crash in 1993.

“It’s a huge honor to be selected,” Zamora said. “... When I saw my name on the list, I had to do a double take. It was super exciting.”

The seven drivers also receive a stipend of $7,777 to help with travel and equipment.

“That’s a nice addition to it,” Zamora said. “It’s not all about the money with the a program, but a way to represent Alan’s (Kulwicki) legacy and what he has done for the sport.”

Zamora and Molly Helmuth, 22, of Seattle are part of the program and will work together this weekend to coordinate a food drive at Evergreen Speedway.

“For us to have two of our female drivers a our track in the program is great,” Hobbs said. “We are going to help them with different fundraisers over here. It will help create a better profile for them and be good ambassadors. From a marketing standpoint, it’s fun to watch their careers blow up into something good.”

This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 6:24 PM with the headline "This Kennewick ‘Supergirl’ is ready to fly around the track."