Lindsey Trausch is ready to get dirty.

Trausch, 27, will make her first start on dirt when the USAC Carolina Ford Focus Midget Series visits East Lincoln Speedway on Saturday. After testing at the 3/8-mile clay oval on April 28, the Indiana native is excited about getting on the dirt with a full field of cars.

?It was a blast,? Trausch said of her first dirt laps. ?I went out there not knowing what to expect. I went slow at first, but once I got up to speed it was fun. It was actually more than I expected.?

But Trausch knows it will be a unique experience when the green flag falls for the main event Saturday night.

?It?ll probably be a different story with a full field of cars out there,? she said. ?But I think I?ll be OK.?

After racing in the last four events of the series last season, Trausch is running for rookie of the year honors this year in a car that was built for both dirt and asphalt.

?The others have a specialized car for dirt, but we run the same car,? Trausch said of the series that runs mostly on asphalt, but will also be on dirt at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia on Sept. 10. ?Our car actually won the 2003 Chili Bowl, so it works both ways. We have to change the set-up, of course, but it will run anywhere.?

Trausch likes all kinds of racing and has been involved in the sport since she was 10 years old.

?I was born into a drag-racing family,? said Trausch, who hails from Middletown, Ind. ?I?ve always wanted to race.?

Trausch began working as a crew member on her family?s super comp dragster driven by her older brother, Brian Seward. By age 17, she made her way behind the wheel of Seward Racing?s Competition Eliminator dragster, then headed to Purdue University.

After graduating with a degree in public relations, she started stock car racing, competing in two events at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway in her sister?s ThunderCar. When she and husband Chris moved to North Carolina, Trausch looked for a division where she could afford to go racing full time. Currently, Trausch is an account executive for National Speed Sports News, a national auto racing publication.

?I wanted to race midgets, but running a national midget was out of our league,? Trausch said. ?The Ford Focus division has a spec engine rule, so that makes it affordable.?

But Trausch admits that her midget is not your everyday Ford Focus.

?They made some modifications to it for the series,? Trausch said. ?It runs on methanol, but it?s totally sealed. Basically, the only thing you can do is change the fuel mixture. Other than that, it?s pretty even.?

Trausch said having a level playing field makes the series attractive for up-and-coming racers.

?This is a series designed to develop drivers,? Trausch said. ?Chassis set-up is the most important thing.?

Trausch has yet to find victory lane this season, but is pleased with her progress.

?East Lincoln will be my seventh race in the series, and I?ve totally exceeded my expectations so far,? she said. ?But I?ve got a lot more to learn. My goal is to finish sixth or higher in the points and make the national run-off, so consistency is the key. If I finish every race, I think everything else will fall into place.?

Trausch realizes she is in the gender minority in the world of racing, but that doesn?t bother her.

?I don?t even think about it,? she said. ?I?ve been a tomboy my whole life. Once you put the helmet on, you can?t tell who is driving the car.?

Trausch has the backing of her husband?s high-tech marketing company, Lunasea Media, and a host of other sponsors.

?He wasn?t into racing a bit until he met me,? Trausch said. ?Now he?s my crew chief. He?s not as crazy about it as I am, but he?s getting there.?

Trausch plans to stay in racing a long time, pursuing a dream that she hopes may one day take her back to Indiana.

?I?d like to work my way up through USAC,? she said. ?My ultimate dream has always been to race a top fuel dragster, but the Indianapolis 500 would work, too, since I?m from Indiana. That would be awesome.?

Special to The Gazette Lindsey Trausch, 27, drives her Ford Focus USAC midget car during a race. Trausch, a rookie, will race at East Lincoln Motor Speedway this Saturday.