Stephanie Moyer carries family legacy into ARCA Menards Series East

For as long as she can remember, Stephanie Moyer’s life has revolved around racing.

Watching her father Mike Moyer Sr. and brother Mike Moyer Jr. carve out successful careers at their home track in Pennsylvania’s Evergreen Raceway inspired Stephanie to follow a path that currently has her competing in the ARCA Menards Series as a driver for Fast Track Racing.

Fresh off a fourth-place points finish in her first full ARCA Menards Series East season, Stephanie Moyer has grown more comfortable driving the heavier stock cars and hopes to keep building upon that knowledge as she prepares for 2023.

“This year has been a lot easier than last year,” she said. “Going to each track this season has been much more of a breeze for me, so everything has been easier, but a lot has happened, as well. Everything has kind of gone hand in hand.”

RACING REFERENCE: Career stats for Stephanie Moyer

One factor that motivates Stephanie every time she climbs into a car is the desire to carry on the Moyer family legacy in honor of Mike Jr.

When Stephanie started her own career in Champ Karts back in 2010, Mike Jr. was always a constant source of advice. She would regularly consult her brother about setting up a Champ Kart, who would in turn encourage her to be patient and methodical while dealing with other cars on the track.

Mike Jr.’s sudden passing in March of 2011 devastated Stephanie and the entire Moyer family. The months after Mike Jr.’s death were some of the hardest in Stephanie’s life, yet she remained determined to keep her family’s passion for racing alive.

As Stephanie began accumulating victories in Gold Karts in 2011, she ended up making a deal with her mother to pilot Mike Jr.’s championship-winning Factory Stock at Evergreen if she was able to pull off a championship that year; which she accomplished.

It would not take long for Stephanie to pick up where Mike Jr. left off. She ended up earning Rookie of the Year honors at Evergreen in 2012 before gradually becoming one of the track’s best drivers in the Factory Stock division by winning titles in 2017 and 2020.

While Stephanie Moyer found her comfort zone at Evergreen, she wanted to learn more about racing in general and ended up attending classes at the University of Northwestern Ohio. This eventually led her to an opportunity to join Mason Mitchell Motorsports as an intern.

Moyer described joining Mitchell’s ARCA operation as a culture shock. She had never been around equipment that advanced before, but spending time with Mitchell only got her more curious about stock car racing and further fueled her desire to one day move up to the top levels of NASCAR.

“[ARCA] was certainly a lot different than what I was doing,” Moyer said. “There’s so much to learn and do in this series along with all the technical parts. With Mason, I learned all about different setups and the technical aspects of the racing industry.”

Moyer had to be patient while waiting to make her stock car debut. That opportunity finally came about when JD Motorsports owner Johnny Davis recommended that she get connected with Andy Hillenburg, who operates Fast Track Racing.

A three-time ARCA winner, Hillenburg has helped develop the skills of numerous drivers during his time as a team owner. Among the names that have driven a Fast Track Racing car include Chad McCumbee, A.J. Fike and Bryan Silas.

RACING REFERENCE: Career owner stats for Andy Hillenburg

Hillenburg sees tremendous potential in Moyer, and he was thrilled she got to showcase herself more frequently in 2022. He is confident Moyer will continue to shine in ARCA next season if additional funding can be secured.

“[Stephanie] is getting a lot better,” Hillenburg said. “Going to tracks we’ve already been to has been our strong suit this year. She’s gotten more sponsorship this year, which has allowed us to do more but not enough to really show what she’s capable of. Stephanie has really progressed, and I hope she can get some stuff put together next year that will allow us to really take a much bigger swing at it.”

The quality Moyer possesses that has impressed Hillenburg is her consistency. In nearly every start Moyer has made with Fast Track, Hillenburg has noticed minimal fall-off with lap times, which is something he believes will be crucial as she moves up the ranks.

Hillenburg added that Moyer has become more relaxed on race weekends this year compared to her rookie season in 2021. This in turn has enabled Moyer to become more confident behind the wheel and with providing her crew valuable feedback on how the car is handling.

As Moyer prepares to face stiffer competition in 2023, Hillenburg expects her to come across plenty of different challenges, but he is confident she can withstand whatever is thrown at her and continue to make strides as a driver.

“I want Stephanie to run a few more speedways,” Hillenburg said. “She’s run Pocono twice now, but my goal is to get her on a few more [intermediates] while also having her run the full [ARCA] East schedule [again] next year. I enjoy working with Stephanie, and I believe she has a bright future in this sport.”

Now that she has a top-five finish in East Series points on her resume, Moyer is ready to hammer down and start competing with other top-tier organizations.

Moyer currently does not have any plans set for the 2023 season, but she is maintaining a positive mindset while searching for the funding she knows will enable her to showcase the speed of which Fast Track Racing’s cars are capable.

Regardless of what ends up happening in ARCA, Moyer carries immense pride knowing she is carrying on the legacy Mike Jr. wanted for her.

“Everything worked out as much as I wanted it to,” she said. “Before [Mike Jr.] died, he was making a push for me to race his car for him since he didn’t have any money at the time to continue racing.

“I have two championships in his car, and now I’m taking things a step further. I know he would be very proud.”