Michele Abbate
Michele Abbate | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 9, 1988 |
| Occupation | Professional race car driver |
| Known for | Competing in the TA2 division of the Trans-Am Series West Coast Championship; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver |
Michele Yvette Abbate (born March 9, 1988) is a professional American race car driver currently competing in the TA2 division of the Trans-Am Series West Coast Championship, representing GRR Racing.
With four championships in road racing to her name, Abbate has participated in events organized by the Sports Car Club of America and has also raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Racing career
Abbate’s motorsport journey started with karting before she transitioned to local autocross competitions under the sanction of the Sports Car Club of America after obtaining her first vehicle at age 16. Her debut on the national stage came in 2007 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, where she achieved a podium finish.
In 2008, she shifted focus to time attack racing and occasionally competed in INEX legends car racing, honing her road racing expertise. By 2011, Abbate secured a role as a factory driver for Scion, finishing second in the 2011 National Auto Sport Association Time Trial rankings and capturing the MotoIQ Pacific Tuner Car Championship title in 2012.
Starting in 2014, Abbate raced in the United States Touring Car Championship driving for GRR Racing, a team she co-established with her fiancé Anthony Philleo after losing her initial sponsorship. In 2015, following a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised $13,000, she claimed the SCCA Western Conference Majors Tour championship and became the first female to be honored with the Lindley Bothwell Memorial Cal Club Driver of the Year Award.
Abbate competed in the Bathurst 6 Hour in 2017, finishing in 49th place. The next year, she achieved a GT-1 podium at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs held at Sonoma Raceway, becoming the youngest woman to reach this milestone.
In 2019, GRR Racing entered the TA2 category of the Trans-Am Series. Abbate secured second place overall in the 2020 Trans-Am West Coast Championship, recording four top-five finishes out of five races. At Sonoma, she made history by becoming the first woman to stand on the podium in a TA2 race with a third-place finish.
Her debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came in May 2021 with On Point Motorsports at Circuit of the Americas, a track where she previously finished second during the Trans-Am West Coast Championship.
Personal life
Michele’s older brother Michael was also involved in kart racing.
She earned her bachelor's degree in communications and marketing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2011.
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position earned by qualifying time. Italics – Pole awarded through points or practice results. * – Most laps led.)
Camping World Truck Series
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | NCWTC | Pts | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | On Point Motorsports | 30 | Toyota | DAY | DAY | LVS | ATL | BRI | RCH | KAN | DAR | COA 29 |
CLT | TEX | NSH | POC | KNX | GLN | GTW | DAR | BRI | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO | Finished 81st | Points: 8 | |||||||||||||||||
Season ongoing Not eligible for series points