Felicia Smith never intended to be a car person, more or less a top-performing female drag racer. Granted, she always has loved cars but never had the money or knowledge to do much outside of her dream about someday owning something fast and fun. But she probably never thought that someday she would own and drive one of the fastest Cadillac CTS-V sedans on the planet.
When we met the 29-year-old Oklahoma native and her 2009 Cadillac CTS-V on location at Holley’s LS Fest West 2022, we asked what her automotive and racing background looked like. The answer? None.
Felicia is one of those people who are here to prove that you don’t have to grow up around racing or be born into a family filled with gearheads to get into the sport. Hard work, dedication, and passion are all you need. That, and a car that you do not want to own or drive…
Manual Gearboxes and Mechanically Inclined Men
Felicia’s love of cars and racing mainly stems from her other half, Aaron. The two met in college, where they bonded over the fact that they both preferred to drive stick. Quite the rarity these days, as most kids can’t even start a car with a manual, more or less drive one.
Once the couple graduated and started making decent money, the wrench turning began in earnest. Aaron has always been mechanically inclined, so those early, post-college years were filled with experimentation, as Felicia advised and researched, forever yearning to learn more.
It was around that time that Felicia began racing an Infiniti G35, while Aaron raced bikes. But with their new careers came new responsibilities, and the dangers of street racing were scrubbed for sanctioned drag strip action. The couple began entering classes and competing at events, with Felicia’s first poker run win sealing the deal.
Like a couple of kids on the slide for the first time, the twosome hit the track over and over, gathering race experience and understanding at the same time. Lights, tech, classes, burnout…
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