From South Lake Tahoe to NASCAR, local woman making name for herself on the race track

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A job working with race cars and trucks on the track is not a traditional career path for a woman, but Elizabeth "Liz" Prestella has been making a name for herself in racing.

The 2007 South Tahoe High School (STHS) graduate currently lives in Mooresville, NC, and has the job title of "Part assistant/ tear down mechanic/ at track tire specialist." Liz says she is like "a utility knife for my team they can put me wherever is needed."

This weekend, race fans will find her at the Sonoma Raceway Toyota Save Mart 350 which starts at 12:30 p.m. and will be televised on FOX.

Liz will be working on the "23" car of Bubba Wallace, filling in for the team's normal tire guy. The road mechanics get 1-2 weekends off a season, and with 36 races in a row, Liz says it can be taxing and time off is important.

Her path to the race track started in South Lake Tahoe, both at home, and at STHS.

"I always watched racing with my dad and we’d talk cars from a young age," said Liz. "Our family's vacation every year was going to a NASCAR race. I would take toys apart to figure out how they worked as well. I took auto shop at the high school from sophomore to senior year with Mr. Patterson who still teaches at the school. I was his TA [teacher's assistant] for small engines my senior year. His class gave me the confidence to decide that racing was the career I wanted to have growing up."

What have been some challenges you've faced in your chosen field? Have things changed over the years? What would you tell a young girl who is thinking of going into auto racing on the mechanical side?

Liz is one of the very few females on the NASCAR side. She said that comes with its own challenges.

"NASCAR is based in the south and has a good old boys mentality from time to time," said Liz. "Since I started in 2012 the sport has changed drastically to have more females and more diversity as with any growth."

Thinking of taking a similar path as a female? Liz says she'd tell a young girl to go for anything she dreams of, put her head down, and work hard.

"Ignore the white noise because that noise isn’t going to change how hard to work or your passion for what you are doing," said Liz. "The more you learn and know how to do the more valuable you will be to the right team."

At this time Liz works for 23XI Racing. She joined the team in 2022 when the second car was added to the lineup. At the shop, she floats between parts and teardown, as well as filling in as an extra mechanic at the track.

"I also do the majority of the testing along with our third car when we run it. In Daytona we had a Travis Pastrana in the "67" car that I primarily work on when it runs," said Liz.

Their driver lineup is Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace full-time. Kurt Busch is on the team but he has been unable to return to racing after a crash last year while qualifying at Pocono where he got a severe concussion.

"He is the captain of the fun department, as he calls himself, and is still a huge part of our team," said Liz. "This year we have a win at COTA in Austin, Texas and both cars are top 15 in points. We are a force to be reckoned with this year!"

Not only is Liz excelling on the track, but she also started a clothing line, Torq'd, a workwear line designed for and by women. It officially began in 2017 after years of research and finding a factory in Cleveland that made the prototype and first run.

"I have a background in sewing and crafting from my Grandma Rae, she taught me to sew quilts when I was 12 so as I got more into cars I struggled to find functional pants or button-up shirts," said Liz of its beginnings. "By the time I got to Nascar after years of changing oil and working in service at dealerships I was fed up with no functional pants options so I started the process of creating my own."

Even after that first run, it was a lot of "trial and error" as Liz figured out how to navigate apparel manufacturing.

"I went through three factories in the U.S. before I found the one I have now," added Liz. "My last full run of pants of 150 pairs in 2019 sold out in less than a year but due to COVID, production was delayed while finding a new factory. During that time I revised my pants with added features and enhancements which is where my v2 pants came from I had 300 pairs made in sizes 0-30 last year so far I have sold around 60 pairs." (find out more on the clothing line HERE)

Her mother, Jeanne Prestella of South Lake Tahoe, has developed a relationship with NASCAR over the years with Liz's involvement. This spring the NASCAR Foundation held a Giveathon for its 75th anniversary. Soroptimist of Tahoe Sierra, where Jeanne is treasurer, was a beneficiary of the event.