Katherine got the racing bug from watching
her Dad Jim Aragon and uncle Warren
Wampole racing Super Modifieds at the
Globe-Miami Speedway when she was
growing up. Later on, Dad got back into
racing, but now it was Sprint Cars all over the
Southwest. Katherine was always excited to
help out her Dad racing whenever she
could. When her Dad turned the Sprint Car
seat over to her Brother James, Katherine
continued as part of the pit crew. She had the
chance to hot lap the sprint car a couple times
at practice night and was hooked!
With Charlotte Aragon as her first car owner,
the 29 year-old rookie set out to start racing
with the help of her family. The first year
brought some bad luck with an engine failure
at her very first race in 2005. She worked
to get in as many races as she could and
continued to improve.
In 2006, Katherine was getting more
comfortable and competitive. A bad crash on
May 5, 2006 sidelined her for the rest of the
season. With the support of Andy and her
family and friends, she was able to recover
from her injuries.
Determined that she had not accomplished
what she had set out to do, Katherine bought
another car and with Andy as her crew chief
was able to get back out onto the track. She
continued to work and improve and raced
most of the seasons in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
The highlight of her career up until now is
almost winning her first race (she led 8 out of
the 10 laps) in the B Main of the 2008 Keizer
Memorial Race. She was also excited to start
on the pole of her first trophy dash in Show
Low in 2009. 2010 brought her FIRST WIN in
a trophy dash in Show Low!
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When Andy was born, his brother and sisters
were already racing Quarter Midgets. He got
started at 4 years old and had many
successful years racing Quarter Midgets. He
was the 1983 Quarter Midget National
Champion.
The family then moved in to Midget racing in
Colorado. Andy and his brother Tom raced
successfully for their Dad John for many
years. Andy won his first race ever in a
midget.
Andy then moved on to racing sprint cars and
got the chance to live his dream by racing full-
time throughout the Midwest in 1999 and
2000.
Andy had a long and successful driving
career. After a midget wreck in Kansas left
him injured, he took a few years off. He later
found his place as a crew chief.
With one Sprint Car championship under his
belt, he spent a couple more years as a crew
chief for other teams. As the crew chief on
Katherine’s Minisprint, Andy is not only
responsible for maintaining her car; he is also
a coach, sharing his knowledge gained in over
30 years of racing experience.
In 2007 Andy had the opportunity to drive a
Mod Lite for the first time. He has said that
they are one of the most challenging yet fun
cars he has ever driven. In 2008 and 2009
Andy drove whenever the opportunity arose
and schedules allowed. In 2010 his Miller
Brothers #42 Modlite captured the SWMLA
championship. He plans to race as car #1 in
2011 in addition to his crew chief duties on
Katherine's car.
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