The Roanoker - March/April 2018 - 37

MACKENZIE
POWELL
AUTO MECHANICS STUDENT & DRAG RACER

Mackenzie Powell uses her natural thirst for
cars to pursue a career in auto mechanics.

Growing up in a racing family made pursuing auto mechanics a
natural path for Mackenzie Powell, auto mechanics student and
drag racer.
"I went to races all the time with
my family when I was young and I've
been racing since I was eight," says
Powell.
Currently enrolled in an auto
mechanics training program, she's
blazing a trail as a woman in what
is arguably the field with the lowest
representation of females. According
to the Department of Labor data,
women make up only 1.7 percent
of all automotive technicians and
mechanics in America. However,
they are the number one consumer
in the automotive industry.
In addition to a love for the craft,
"I wanted to prove that girls can do
the same things boys can do," says
Powell. Absent female mentors,
Powell gets the majority of her
support from her father, who is a
mechanic, and the one other woman
who is in the program. But it hasn't
been an easy road.
"At school, it's typical teenage boy
stuff. They say stuff like, 'you should
be in the culinary or cosmetology
class.' At the race track, guys will say
things like, 'you're a girl, I'm going to
beat you,'" she says.
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And the taunting means
questioning herself and her choice.
"I usually don't let it phase me, but
sometimes I ask myself, 'why did I
do this?' It can feel like all I ever
do is get brought down, but the
competitions and the wins make it
worth it," she shares.
She also gets a sense of
accomplishment when her experience
and expertise are recognized. "I
like it when people ask me if I
know what the problem is with an
engine because I've been doing it
the longest-especially when the
guys come to me to ask a question
because they don't know how to do
something," she says.
In 2017, Powell competed in
the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow
Engine Building Competition at
the Performance Racing Industry
Trade Show in Indianapolis, IN.
The competition rates the fastest
team to completely remove all of
the parts of a standard engine, down
to the engine block and completely
reassemble it. The competition pitted
Powell and her team against teams
from all over the country. And her

team, sponsored by K&N Filters,
finished fourth and placed sixth in
the Elite 8 Final competition. Her
team scored two perfect engine
builds, garnering each team member
a $7,500 scholarship.
Next year, she'll serve as teaching
assistant helping new students learn
auto mechanics. When she graduates
high school, she'll hit the ground
running with ten automotiverelated certifications including
basic auto mechanics, electrical and
steering suspension. She plans on
continuing her education and going
into the auto aftermarketing or high
performance racing fields.
For other girls looking to enter
the field, Powell warns, "Auto
mechanics isn't easy for anyone.
You really have to work for it to
understand it, but for women,
it's all the mental stuff, the name
calling, the way you're treated in the
industry," she says. However, she
advises, "Stick with it no matter what
anybody says. Focus on the positive,
the satisfaction is in doing it even
when they say you can't." I
MARCH/APRIL 2018

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