Lauren Edgerton held off the hard-charging Race 1 winner Mike Rudy to win the second 25-lap MAD Modified race at SoBo. Edgerton became the first female to win a race in the first-year division. Joe Scarbrough, who finished second in Race 1, finished third. Robert Conner finished third in Race 1.

An engineer assigned to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) made history when she roared across the finish line July 21 at the South Boston Speedway to become the first-ever female driver to win a race in the Modified Affordable Division (MAD). Race fans left the stands and crowded the green to congratulate Lauren Edgerton, who at age 22 is also the youngest driver yet to win a race in the inaugural season of MAD racing. The Chesterfield, Va. native's first taste of victory, however, came years ago, away from the cameras and fans, on a simple dirt go-kart track.

Polite and soft-spoken, Edgerton offers few outward hints about the fiercely competitive personality that has guided her to victories since she began racing go-karts at the age of 14. Racing stickers adorn the car Edgerton uses to make her two-hour commute to Dahlgren; a lug nut that once served the number 24 car of her favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, hangs on her necklace; a ring on her finger is engraved with the same number.

The quiet demeanor quickly fades when the subject turns to Edgerton's life passion. "I just fell in love with racing," she said.

Edgerton never raced in any youth divisions; from day one, her goal has been to compete at the highest level possible. That meant competing against mostly adults and mostly men, from the time she raced go-karts at an unsanctioned "outlaw" track near her home, to racing in the four-cylinder, front-wheel drive UCAR division at sanctioned regional tracks. She smiled as she summed up how the competitive emotions of her sport sometimes unfold in such environments. "Guys don't like getting beat by girls," she explained, "especially badly and repeatedly."

Edgerton found success in the UCAR division in 2007, winning her first race at the age of 17. With some help from her father, Rusty, Edgerton had a promising 2008 season and was named UCAR Rookie of the Year and Track Rookie of the Year after winning four races in 2009 at East Carolina Motor Speedway. In 2010, she won the UCAR championship at Shenandoah Speedway and was voted Sportsman of the Year by officials, and Driver of the Year by fellow racers. The success, however, made her and her number 24 Chevy Cavalier a high-value target for some drivers. While the affordability of UCAR racing draws many to the racetrack, that affordability also makes wrecks less costly and even desirable to some aggressive or frustrated drivers.

Edgerton and her long-suffering Cavalier were often on the receiving end of such aggression. During some races she found it difficult to make it through even the first few laps without being taken out by another driver; in at least one instance, Edgerton remembers the offending driver waving and smiling to her as her car was towed off the track. "You get a lot of stupid," said Edgerton of UCAR. "Some people think it's demolition derby because it's a cheaper car. Drivers would end up dumping you going into the first turn of the first lap. That actually happened to me two weeks in a row. We started running other tracks because totaling your car was getting old."

Edgerton's frustration bought her hard-won and valuable experiences, including the importance of her containing her own intensity and emotions on the track. She found herself taking more risks when she drove angry and takes pride in racing cleanly. "I don't retaliate; I don't take people out," she said. "I know some people like seeing drivers taken out. I don't like that. I like to see somebody race for all their worth, race clean and earn it."

For someone who doesn't hide her dislike of flying, boating and other seemingly low-risk endeavors, Edgerton seems remarkably unfazed about the high-speed wrecks that are a part of her sport. She doesn't even remember exactly how many wrecks she's been a part of when asked. "A lot," she said, with a not-too-subtle frown. "Courtesy of Southside [Speedway] and Langley [Speedway]."

"You have your memorable wrecks," she added, recalling a dustup at the Franklin County Speedway. She calmly described what happened to her car with her hand: the gesture suggests she was on two wheels, Dukes of Hazzard style, and not far from flipping. "I knew that one was going to leave a mark, but I can't remember every little wreck."

By age 21, Edgerton had transitioned to modified stock car racing, a much faster, more powerful class. Edgerton purchased her current number 7 car and formed Illusion Racing. With help from her crew chief, Mark Hunter, Edgerton focused on learning how to compete in a new type of car and of course, how to keep it in top mechanical shape, all while finishing her mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and interning at NSWC DD. After graduation and accepting a full time job at NSWC DD, Edgerton has fallen into a routine that would challenge even the most thick-skinned commuter. After driving two hours each way to and from work, she spends a few hours every night at the shop to work on her car. Weekends are filled with race activities.

Edgerton's competitive nature bore the brunt of a winless first season in 2011 as she learned the ins and outs of running modifieds. While coworkers in Dahlgren provided encouragement during that first season, she was not always the picture of contentment on Mondays, even after achieving respectable finishes. "I'm only going to be really happy if I won," she said.

That moment finally arrived with her July 21 victory. "I had to bring the trophy into work to show [co-workers] and be happy for the first time on Monday morning," she laughed.

Her victory in the second of two MAD races held that evening came despite or perhaps because of unusually slick conditions on the track. Edgerton finished sixth in the first race before finding her groove in the second. Among other factors, Edgerton credited her "great" spotter, David Phelps, along with a good start for helping her achieve the win. "It felt awesome," she said.

Edgerton's knack for judging how much she can get out of a vehicle and how much more damage and wear it can sustain, applies to her job at NSWCDD. There, she helps measure the effectiveness of various types of military ordnance, including the damage they cause to vehicles. For someone who has raced many miles in cars after sustaining, for instance, a broken tie rod or radiator, the intersection of Edgerton's work and play seems uncanny.

Edgerton's mechanical abilities began when she built those her first go-karts with her dad; most recently, it came from helping out other teams. With years of experience already under her belt, she takes the lead on her current car. "Now, I pretty much do everything on the car," she said. "I do get help [sometimes] because there are things I don't remember and things I want to make sure I don't forget something. I helped build my motor, but I'd like to get to where I can re-build them myself."

Already, Edgerton has her sights set on her next goal. "I would like to save up money and maybe be able to run a NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified," she said, referring to an exceptionally powerful class of car run in what may be best described as a minor league of NASCAR. Currently, Edgerton is helping out her crew chief working on such a vehicle to build her knowledge."