McKenna Haase, Dirt Sprint Car Racer, Moving to Asphalt Racing
It's not easy to switch disciplines in motorsport, but that is exactly what 28-year-old McKenna Haase is attempting to do as the long-time Sprint Car dirt racer is moving her talents to the paved surfaces in the Late Model ranks.
The Iowa-native, who married Zavier Scott, a National Football League Running Back currently on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, in March, will make her debut in the 602 Late Model division of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series on Saturday, April 19.
Haase will compete at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway in Bakersfield, California, driving the No. 55 Interstate Batteries machine for Charlie Wilson's race team.
In moving to stock cars from a dirt track career, Haase is checking off the box on a lifelong dream.
“I’ve always wanted to race stock cars and, you know, I’m not getting any younger. I just wanted to give it a chance,” Haase said.
The chance for Haase to swap disciplines from dirt to pavement was made possible due to the flexibility of her sponsor-- Interstate Batteries-- and getting linked up with Charlie Wilson, a late model team owner.
“I got connected with Charlie Wilson, who is based out in California,” Haase said. “Charlie has a long and extensive background in asphalt racing. He’s got a reputation for having good equipment that’s fast, but also for being a really good person who is genuine, fair, and ethical, and those are all values that matter to me. There’s mutual respect, and we just clicked.”
In addition to being a late model team owner who specializes in developing drivers attempting to climb the ladder, Wilson previously served as a crew chief for legendary drivers including Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Ron Hornaday Jr., and Steve Park.
Wilson's wealth of racing knowledge and understanding of Haase's situation led the driver to feel that this was the perfect opportunity for her to transition to stock car racing.
Haase is a competitor through, and through, and race car drivers always expect to be at the front competing for wins no matter the situation, but she fully knows to expect the unexpected in her new racing venture.
“I expect it to be a challenge because it is so new,” Haase said. “I don’t 100 percent know what to expect, but being a racecar driver, I still have high expectations. But to get to where I eventually want to be this year –winning – I’ve got to be consistent, keep things clean, and just get laps in, get experience.”
While Haase is realistic and knows working her way to the NASCAR Cup Series would be a near-impossible task at 28 years old, she is committed to giving paved oval racing a serious try.
“I’m not saying that I’m going to try and be a Cup driver, but I’ve always loved NASCAR," Haase explained. "I want to be successful at it, and I’m coming at it from a humble approach. The door was open for this opportunity with Charlie Wilson and Interstate Batteries, so why not take it?”
Why the Switch for McKenna Haase?
Haase's switch comes after a tumultuous 2024 season, where the tenacious racer endured two massive crashes in her 900-horsepower Sprint Car. The first hard crash came last May at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Illinois.
Fortunately, Haase walked away uninjured from that eye-opening crash, where she went tumbling on the 3/8-mile dirt track, but she wasn't as fortunate at the Knoxville Nationals, one of the most prestigious Sprint Car events, a few months later.
Haase would get sent flipping into the air on the opening lap of the first Heat Race on Friday night of the Knoxville Nationals race weekend. Haase's car would collide with the Turn 1 wall, and would then land hard on the clay surface of the half-mile dirt oval.
The replay of McKenna Haase's big flip during heat 1 of #FVPHardKnoxNight at the Knoxville Nationals.
— Always Race Day (@AlwaysRaceDay) August 10, 2024
She was able to walk to the ambulance with limited assistance and is on the way to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/g8GKKMb88P
The injuries sustained were intense and substantial enough to end Haase's 2024 racing season. After looking back at the helmet that she was wearing in the crash, the racer knew the situation could have been even more dire.
“I had a collapsed lung and was pretty bruised up,” said Haase in a press release. “I had a decent amount of whiplash too, lots of strains in my neck and back muscles. I didn’t have any kind of head injury, which I’m thankful for, because when I flipped into the wall, something metal went through the top of my carbon-fiber helmet. If I had been two inches taller, things would’ve been a lot worse. The lung injury was the main, lasting injury."
Haase, who had gone nearly five seasons since her last major crash in a Sprint Car, had suffered two major crashes in the same season.
Prior to the Knoxville Nationals, Haase got engaged to Scott in July. At the time, Scott was on the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad. Scott was in training camp with the Colts when Haase was injured in the Knoxville Nationals, and was helplessly watching the event on a stream from afar.
Haase's parents had to keep Scott up-to-date on her condition as he continued to pursue his role with the Colts.
“Zavier was actually watching the race and saw my wreck as it happened. It was a hectic time, but thankfully, my parents were able to keep him up to date on my condition," Haase explained. "He stayed at camp, and I stayed at my parents’ house in Des Moines to heal."
As she was continuing to heal from her vicious crash, Haase went wedding dress shopping, and it was in that moment that she became even more grateful for everything. Surviving the crash, finding the love of her life, and being able to plan her wedding.
“I actually went wedding dress shopping in Des Moines while I was still healing. I probably wasn’t well enough to do that," Haase admitted. "I still wasn’t feeling very good. I remember the dresses were pretty painful to wear, and I couldn’t even turn my head left or right to look in the different mirrors, but it was still a really cool experience because I never thought I’d be married, anyway. And then to go from a hospital gown to a wedding gown, it just made me all the more grateful, knowing that you don’t take life for granted."
After his stint with the Colts, Scott, who went undrafted in 2023, was signed to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad on August 29, where he would sign a reserve-future contract with the team in January 2025. Geographically, the move to the Vikings put Scott closer to Haase, which the racer was very thankful for as the couple closed in on their wedding, an event that Haase says turned out incredible.
“Zavier went to the Minnesota Vikings after training camp with the Colts, which was nice because it’s closer to my family in Des Moines," Haase said. "And then we got married in March. It was an incredible wedding and a super cool experience. Like I said, it was never something I thought I’d do, and planning the wedding was more of a gift than an expectation, and it was pretty awesome.”
Eight months after one of the worst moments of her racing career, and life, the arrow is pointing up for Haase, and now she hopes to find success in the paved racing world, and who knows, if it goes well, you may just see her in the NASCAR National Series ranks someday.
Recommended Articles
Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
Follow toby_christie