| Pocahontas Resident Drives Late Model For First | | | | model to race as well. |
| Time | | | | After the modified had difficulty, Trista turned her |
| It's been a good 12 months for young Trista | | | | concentration on the late model and made the most |
| Stevenson. | | | | of the opportunity. |
| The 14-year-old daughter of Kenny and Gayle | | | | Because of wet conditions, each driver was given |
| Stevenson of Pocahontas, Trista has been flinging | | | | only one lap of practice and one qualifying lap to |
| dirt all over her competitors on the race track. | | | | make the show. |
| In her first season in a full-bodied race car, | | | | Twenty-six cars were going to make the race on |
| Stevenson picked up a total of 20 top 10 finishes, | | | | their qualifying time. For Stevenson, it would be |
| seven top five finishes and one feature victory to go | | | | especially difficult because she had never stepped |
| along with six heat race wins and two dash victories | | | | into a late model or onto a track the length of |
| at Highland Speedway, Fayette County Speedway | | | | Oglethorpe. |
| and Tri-City Speedway. | | | | Her practice lap went smooth so then it time to |
| In her debut at Highland Speedway, she finished first | | | | qualify. Reaching speeds of nearly 130 miles per hour |
| in her heat and dash and 10th in the feature. | | | | down the back stretch, Trista was able to qualify for |
| To recognize her success, St. Louis Motor Racing | | | | the race with a time that landed her in 25th position. |
| News and named Stevenson their Newcomer of The | | | | When it came to race time, Stevenson was able to |
| Year. Stevenson was selected from a pool of drivers | | | | pass cars quickly, but because many caution flags |
| that race at approximately 10 tracks in the St. Louis | | | | flew, the race was limited to only 13 laps. But in that |
| area. | | | | short amount of time, she was able to move up six |
| But with a recent trip to Georgia's Oglethorpe | | | | spots to a 20th place finish. |
| Speedway, she proved that she can run among The | | | | All through the day, Harvick called Kenny to get |
| elite young drivers in the United States. | | | | updates on Trista's progress at Oglethorpe. |
| Thanks to Stevenson's friend Lance Deiters, an | | | | "It was pretty cool," Kenny said, "She loved it." |
| employee for a NASCAR Bush Series team owned | | | | Trista's success in Georgia has opened a door for her |
| by Nextel Cup driver Kevin Harvick, Trista ways able | | | | this season. |
| to take part in the second annual Coca-Cola Young | | | | Rather than race the sportsman class car she had |
| Guns race at the half-mile Ogelthorpe Speedway. | | | | success in last season, Kenny said that plans are in |
| Deiters, a Pocahontas native, loaned Stevenson a | | | | the making to put his daughter into a late model for |
| modified car, his own, to race in the event and | | | | the entire 2006 season at Mt. Vernon Raceway and |
| another friend, Don Hammer, loaned Trista a late | | | | at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. |