Alli Owens isn't afraid of going 190 mph in a stockcar, she is afraid of burning down her kitchen.

"I don't know how to cook," said Owens, who recently moved from her home in Daytona Beach, Fla. to North Carolina in hopes of becoming NASCAR's next female star. "That has been the biggest challenge for me after leaving home: Cooking! Easy Mac and Ramen are my new best friends."

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I knew once I turned 16 I could do this. I separated myself from my age group and didn't get caught up in the party scene and I work very hard at what I do.

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-- ALLI OWENS

Becoming a legitimate competitor in NASCAR is hard for even the most talented of young men who aspire to become the next big thing. For a female to break through, Owens said, will be that much harder.

Owens knows she faces an uphill battle, but she has business smarts, a colorful personality and the support of D'Hondt Motorsports who has agreed to run her in a full season of ARCA racing next year with the ultimate goal of becoming a driver in NASCAR's Nationwide Series.

"That's what we are shooting for. It's a rollover package deal in the works and I'm not giving up until we get to NASCAR," Owens declared.

Persistence is something Owens learned in the classrooms of the Daytona Beach school system, both through books and sounds.

"I remember sitting in elementary school and high school and we could hear the cars from the track [Daytona International Speedway]. We were that close and we were able to leave early some days so the buses could beat the traffic," Owens said.

She could barely concentrate on her studies when NASCAR racing came to town, all she wanted to do was drive.

By age 13, Owens was racing quarter midgets. She then advanced to the Mini Stock division and Late Model division where she finished two consecutive seasons third in the point standings earning rookie-of-the-year honors.

Owens then moved to the NASCAR Whelan All-American Series in 2008 and competed as a rookie in 12 races.

"Our finishes didn't show how well we ran but it was enough to get some attention," Owens said of her ARCA performance.

Eddie D'Hondt reached out to Owens to help with his ARCA program and developing Nationwide Series team.

"We are proud to have Alli join D'Hondt Motorsports," D'Hondt said. "This is a great opportunity for all of us. We are all looking forward to representing and promoting ElectrifyingCareers.com and helping Alli reach the next steps of her own career goals."

Owens will pilot the No.19 sponsored by the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers who together have formed the ElectrifyingCareers.com Web site dedicated to educating the public about career opportunities in the electrical industry.

The partnership will carry the team for a portion of the season, Owens said, but in the meantime she is looking for additional sponsors.

Developing the Owens Racing team is a second career goal of hers. That way, Owens said she can provide other females and minorities with similar opportunities she has been afforded throughout her career.

She knows that the male-dominated NASCAR industry can perceivably be a bit cold to those outside the boys club.

"My team has never worked with a female driver so I like to get them going. The other day I walked in the shop and said, 'When we go to the racetrack, keep your eyes open for cute guys. That's what the radios are for, right'," Owens joked. "They just looked at me funny until I said I was kidding."

Owens has her own approach and style off and on the track. She grew up as a cheerleader who liked pastels, but now must switch gears to be taken seriously.

"I knew once I turned 16 I could do this. I separated myself from my age group and didn't get caught up in the party scene and I work very hard at what I do," Owens said.

At the same time, she claims to be an open book and can "let her hair down" with the best of them.

"Yeah if I'm not at the shop I like to go take my truck out in the mud," Owens said. "Just imagine semi tires on a normal truck."