Kate Re, a 20-year-old who lives in Norway, is looking to again qualify for the Oxford 250 this weekend. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

OXFORD — Kate Re made history in 2020 by becoming the first woman to earn a starting spot in qualifying for the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

At this weekend’s Oxford 250, the 20-year-old Re once again will look to earn a spot in a field that is predominantly comprised of men.

“It’s just been a whirlwind,” she said Wednesday at Oxford 250 media day.

Karen Schulz in 1989 became the first woman to race the Oxford 250 when she received a provisional starting spot. She finished 42nd.

Re finished 27th in 2020. She has since finished 27th again in 2021 and 2023.

Kate’s father, Rick Re, introduced Kate to snowmobile racing as a kid. After a few years of snowmobile racing, Rick traded snowmobiles for go-karts, kick-starting Kate’s racing career when she was 8 years old.

“He thought it would be something to do with the family on Sundays, and here we are,” Re said.

Kate ran go-karts until she was 13. During that time, she worked on her driving skills and getting comfortable with driving a vehicle. In 2017, she joined the Allison Legacy Series, a racing program for new and old drivers looking to develop their skills.

From 2018-19 – before she even had a driver’s license – Re drove fast modifieds before making the jump to Super Late Models in 2020 and joining the PASS tour.

Drivers Tim Brackett, Derek Kneeland, Kate Re, Trevor Sanborn, Joey Doiron, DJ Shaw and Johnny Clark participated in Wednesday’s Oxford 250 media day at Oxford Plains Speedway. The 51st edition of the race is this Sunday. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

She’s racked up more accolades since, including becoming the highest finishing female on the PASS Tour. In 2023, she became just the second female to win a Super Late Model race at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Re said she’s keenly aware that not many women race in the top levels at OPS. Amara Parker, the stepdaughter of OPS racer Trevor Sanborn, runs Super Late Models on a weekly basis, Re said.

“Other than that, it’s a lot of the lower divisions,” Re said. “There might be one or two women in the PASS race this weekend – honestly, not too sure – but there isn’t really that many of us.”

Kate Re, 20, became the first female driver to qualify for the Oxford 250 without a provisional entry four years ago. Last year, she became only the second woman to win a Super Late Modified race at Oxford Plains Speedway. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Not only does Kate race, but she’s also responsible for fixing any damages to her car. Her shop sits right across the street from OPS, making it convenient for quick repairs.

“I do a lot of maintenance on the car each and every week, set up, help clean the car,” she said. “It’s usually a full-day process, fixing anything that’s broken, any sort of damage. It’s usually me and my dad – we have a couple crew guys during the week that stop by here and there, but usually it’s pretty much just us.”

Earlier this year, Kate won a Grand National Greg Peters scholarship, which provides funds to young drivers looking to cover racing expenses in honor of Peters, who died of cancer in 2021.

Kate was awarded $5,000.09, which pays homage to Peters’ No. 59 race car.

“At 19 years old, Kate competes full time in multiple Super Late Model divisions across New England,” the GNG Peters scholarship program wrote. “Most recently, she represented the Kulwicki Driver Development Program as one of 7 finalists in 2022. Kate was the first female to race her way into the Oxford 250 without a provisional, and is the highest-finishing female in Pro All Stars Series history with a 3rd place finish at Lee USA Speedway in 2021.”