{"id":17160,"date":"2024-03-28T16:24:10","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T20:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/?p=17160"},"modified":"2026-02-09T07:09:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:09:02","slug":"latrobe-speedway-racer-steps-up-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/latrobe-speedway-racer-steps-up-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Latrobe Speedway racer steps up for kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
 <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

By DJ Johnson For the Bulletin<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Modified 4 Cylinder racer Tifani McElhose has taken on a few more duties for 2024.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Plum Borough native will oversee the Kidz Club at Latrobe Speedway with Ashley Ghrist and Kaitlynn Spangler\u2019s help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThe lady that did it in 2023 won\u2019t be at the races and she wanted someone to handle the Kidz Klub in 2024,\u201d McElhose said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For McElhose, she enjoys working with the kids.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been up there helping since I started racing,\u201d McElhose said. Whenever they needed drivers, I\u2019d be up there helping. I\u2019ll miss two races for two family functions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The 23-year-old racer began racing Quads when she was 8 years old.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In 2019, racing cars were suggested to McElhose by Latrobe Speedway promotor Dennis Bates.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cDennis suggested that I should race cars, they are safer,\u201d McElhose remembered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That was after an incident where McElhose suffered a concussion and was flown to a Pittsburgh area hospital. McElhose doesn\u2019t recall much from that night in 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

McElhose\u2019s dad built the car that she raced once in 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI never count the 2019 race because I really didn\u2019t know what I was doing,\u201d McElhose said. \u201cI loved it; I was actually disappointed in myself because I wanted to finish in the top 10, but I finished 11th.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019d never seen the cars race before my first race,\u201d McElhose said about her 2019 race.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cIn my first race of 2020, I finished in third place. In 2021, I won one race, the season-ending Fall Fest, and in 2023, I finished third in the final point standings for the Modified 4 Cylinders,\u201d McElhose said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

2024 will be her fifth season behind the wheel. McElhose said she likes the competition at Latrobe Speedway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThe Mod-4 racers at Latrobe are very respectful,\u201d McElhose said. \u201cIf you are the quicker car and have the lane, they usually give you the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Always up for a challenge, McElhose doesn\u2019t mind when she starts back in the field of cars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

McElhose can be seen in her black driving suit with flames frequently in the grandstands at Latrobe Speedway.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI like being in the stands with my family and friends that come to watch the races,\u201d McElhose said. \u201cWe don\u2019t change much on the car, so my dad and I get to spend time in the stands after preparing the car.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/div>\n
McElhose is responsible for funding her racing habit. \u201cI pay for everything; my dad hauls the car for me,\u201d She says with a smile.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

People might be surprised to hear that McElhose works on cars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI work on cars,\u201d McElhose said. \u201cI can basically take a car completely apart and put it back together. I\u2019ve worked with my dad in his auto body shop since I was 8 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In addition to her day job as a collision center appraiser, McElhose also does vehicle upholstery at night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It would seem that having a full-time job, a part-time gig, and racing on the weekends would be enough to keep anyone busy. But McElhose loves giving back to the kids who come to the races.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cAfter the very first Mod-4 race, I had a bunch of little kids approach me because I was a girl racer,\u201d McElhose explained. \u201cEver since then, I\u2019ve wanted to do good for those kids. I want more drivers to be involved in the Kidz Klub because the kids are the future of the sport. If kids don\u2019t start somewhere or if they don\u2019t like it, then we won\u2019t have a sport anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

McElhose published the Kidz Klub 2024 schedule on the track\u2019s Facebook page earlier this week. Each week, there will be an activity for members of the Kidz Klub. McElhose is asking drivers to be involved in many activities, such as the Pit Stop Fuel and Pit Stop Tire Challenge. Plus, there will be a tour of the pits, sack races, a water balloon toss, and more events.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

More information about the Kidz Klub is available at www.latrobemotorsports.com <\/a>under the Kidz Klub tab.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The first Latrobe Speedway Test-n-Tune for all divisions will be on April 6, beginning at 3 p.m., with gates opening at 2 p.m. Admission to the grandstands is free. There will be another session on April 13, with opening night for the FAST-FIVE divisions on April 27, at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

GARRETT SMITHLEY UPDATE<\/strong><\/div>\n
 <\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

The Ligonier native\u2019s tentative schedule has changed going into Saturday\u2019s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond. Smithley\u2019s next race is tentatively set for April 6, at the Martinsville Speedway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
https:\/\/www.latrobebulletinnews.com\/sports\/local_sports\/latrobe-speedway-racer-steps-up-for-kids\/article_96ab6b00-4cea-566d-afe6-eacfcc3ea189.html<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/div>\n
DJ Johnson can be reached at dj1360rpm@aol.com<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By DJ Johnson For the Bulletin   Modified 4 Cylinder racer Tifani McElhose has taken on a few more duties for 2024. The Plum Borough native will oversee the Kidz Club at Latrobe Speedway with Ashley Ghrist and Kaitlynn Spangler\u2019s help. \u201cThe lady that did it in 2023 won\u2019t be at the races and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/tifani-349x445.jpg",349,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/tifani-349x348.jpg",349,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/tifani-209x300.jpg",209,300,true],"full":["https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/tifani.jpg",349,500,false]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/tifani.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17160"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17162,"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17160\/revisions\/17162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latrobemotorsports.com\/dirttrack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}