FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Center for Retail Excellence in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas hosted Sarah Fisher, the youngest woman to ever compete in the Indianapolis 500, at the Donald W. Reynolds Boys & Girls Club in Fayetteville on July 17.

Fisher’s appearance in Northwest Arkansas was made possible by Firestone Complete Auto Care. She was in town to attend the 12^th annual Vendors FORE Education golf tournament on July 18, which raised almost $21,000 for scholarships for college students interested in the retail industry. The tournament and scholarships are coordinated through the Center for Retail Excellence.

The center held a hot dog cookout for members of the Boys & Girls Club as well as members of the Oprah Winfrey Boys & Girls Club from Kosciusko, Miss. Before introducing Sarah Fisher, Claudia Mobley, director of the center, announced that it will donate $3,000 from the funds from the golf tournament to a club member who would like to attend the University of Arkansas after completing high school.

Center director Claudia Mobley said, “We are very pleased to be able to offer this scholarship to a Boys & Girls Club member. One of the Center for Retailing Excellence’s missions is to connect students with the retail industry.”

Fisher described the ups and downs of her auto racing career to the more than 50 teenagers and adults attending the cookout. She said, “Driving a race car involves a lot of things. We have to recruit sponsors as the car can cost up to $1 million. The maintenance is complicated and involves a lot trial and error. Of course, we use Firestone tires.

“I drive 220 miles per hour which means I can cover a football field in a minute. Competing in the Indy series is physically demanding. I have to run and work out. There are all kinds of challenges on and off the course. Some teams have four cars and 100 people to work on them. We have one car and four people. But I believe in what I am doing, and we’ve succeeded in spite of the ups and down. I encourage you to follow your dreams and persevere at whatever you want to do.”

Fisher was the third female and one of the youngest drivers ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Fans voted her the Indy Racing League’s most popular driver for four seasons. She announced in February 2008 that she would add “team owner” to her list of titles, doing double duty as a driver and owner of Sarah Fisher Racing.

Fisher was exposed to life at the racetrack at an early age. Her first racing experience came as a five-year-old when her parents fitted her for her first race car — a quarter-midget. After winning the World Karting Association Grand National Championships three times, Fisher caught the eye of open-wheel veteran Derrick Walker, who signed her at the tender age of 19 to his IndyCar Series team. She continued to write history at a young age when she claimed a second-place finish at the IndyCar Series' first race at Homestead Miami Speedway. She went on to become the first female to earn a pole position and is the fastest woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 with a four-lap average of 229.439 mph. Today, Fisher continues her efforts to blur the artificial boundaries between men and women in sports through her record-holding racing career.

In addition to appearances at the golf tournament and the Boys & Girls Club, while in Northwest Arkansas, Fisher also appeared at the Firestone Complete Auto Care location in Rogers.