Profile On: Casie Shilling!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Casie Shilling, #16c 305 Sprint Car Driver
By Joanne Cram
Racing has always been a family hobby for the Shillings, having Knoxville Raceway in your back yard makes attending races every weekend very easy to accomplish! Casie has been attending since she was just a baby- and has grown to look up to local racers such as her brother, Tony Shilling, Davey and Danny Heskin, Skip Jackson, and Joe Beaver.
Living in Knoxville has allowed Casie to make racing a key part of her life, but also has made it possible to pursue other interests that a driver from out of town might not be able to. Casie played volleyball all through high school, and pursued her dream to become a hair stylist-and is now enjoying a busy career with Exsalonce Salon on the square uptown in Knoxville. As if Casie wasn’t busy enough, she and her fiancé, Seth Vernon, are planning their wedding for July 1st.
Breaking into a male dominated sport can be difficult, but Casie has been doing it with ease since she was four years old. The 20 year old, Knoxville native began her racing career as a young kart driver up at the Newton Kart Club where she raced for a few years before the family took a few years off from racing. When Dan Ebright opened up English Creek Speedway in 2005, the family jumped right back into the racing scene, not skipping a beat. Casie began in a 125 cc Outlaw Dirt Kart, where she earned 3rd in points in her first season out. The following season of 2006, found Casie back at English Creek moving up a class into the 500 cc Oultaw Dirt Karts. She earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2006 with a 2nd place points finish, and 3rd in points in 2007 running a 600 cc Micro Sprint.
The 2008 season was a successful one, as Casie achieved 3rd in points in the 500cc Outlaw Dirt Karts at English Creek Speedway, was 2nd in the Outlaw Dirt Kart Nationals, and 2nd in the Wisconsin State Dirt Track Championship.
The following season of 2009, Casie jumped up to sprint car racing, and dove right into a 410. Her father, having run the 410 class with Casie’s brother, Tony, knew that the cost offset wasn’t that much different, and the payout was higher. So for cost effectiveness, the 410 was the route the Shillings went. Casie said it was a humbling experience to race with such accomplished drivers, some being her childhood favorites- such as Skip Jackson and Danny Lasoski. It was quite an adjustment to move from accomplished karter to learning the ropes in a 410- but Casie is thankful for the experience and all the learning that the season brought.
Last season Casie bumped down into the 305 class, where she has adjusted to the lower horse power and is working on getting to know the track and work towards top 5 finishes. She and her team try to race as much as possible, but with sharing a trailer with her brother, Casie is mainly racing at Knoxville Raceway, hitting a few Midwest 305 Series races when able. Winning a few heat races, getting top 10 finishes in the features, and a top 10 points finish on the season are some of Casie’s priorities this season. Overall improvement is Casie’s main objective, coming off last season without feeling like she found her groove on the half-mile is something she is working hard to move past.
Casie’s family has been extremely supportive of all of her siblings’ dreams. She and her brother Tony are still actively racing, and her younger sisters, Cari and Caitlyn are pursing other sports this season and taking some time off racing. Casie is very thankful for all the opportunities she’s been given by her dad, Rick, and mom, Becky, who’s family run business, Shililng Excavating, are Casie’s primary sponsor. Casie’s crew which includes her parents, fiancé, and Chris Crook and Donny Simmons, are also big supporters and giver her great feedback.
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