Norfleet. If you do not know the name yet, you will be hearing a lot of it soon. What makes the name ‘Norfleet’ special? I am talking about Tia Norfleet, the one who is aiming to be the first African American woman to make strides on the NASCAR circuit.
Tia grew up in a racing family, as her father, Bobby Norfleet, raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2000. Having the guidance from her father, Tia clearly expresses the importance he has had on her career
“I listened and took heed to what my dad showed me. He taught me everything I know about motorsports. He taught me the game and encouraged me to look at it from a business standpoint.”
Tia is currently licensed to run in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in NASCAR and plans on moving up through the ranks, however, she knows that in order to move up through the ranks, she needs to find funding.
“I [need] a sponsor. I could be the best driver in the world, but if I don’t have the financial backing to progress to the next level, it doesn’t matter how good I am. An average race in the Whelen Series is just like any other race, but they’re a little shorter compared to Sprint or Xfinity because they are smaller tracks. What I am working on is moving up to the K&N series, and then eventually branch off into ARCA. From ARCA, I want to go to Truck and then wherever else I feel comfortable.”
However, Tia has loved the sport of racing since her father introduced her to the idea of driving fast around 5-years old. But, she did not realize how much passion she had for the sport and that she could make a career out of racing until she was around 15-years old. By then, racing was in her blood to stay.
With Tia’s personality as great as it is, she will succeed and she will continue to push no matter what.
“I would definitely tell them to stay prayed up and that trouble doesn’t last always. If it’s meant for you, it’s going to happen and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Do you by all means and live life to the fullest because you only get one. Take every opportunity that is presented to you because you never know when you’re going to get that opportunity again.”
