Amber Balcaen Bio
Amber Balcaen, born March 7, 1992, is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She most recently competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 70 Toyota Camry for Nitro Motorsports. Over the course of her career, she has built a reputation as a trailblazer, becoming the first female Canadian driver to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States and a pioneer for women in short-track and open-wheel competition across North America.
Early Life and Background
Amber Balcaen was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she developed an early love for speed and competition. She began racing at ten years old behind the wheel of a go-kart on dirt tracks scattered throughout North Dakota. Those formative years on short ovals gave her a foundation in car control and race craft that she would carry forward into every new discipline she tackled.
At sixteen, Balcaen purchased her first lightning sprint car and immediately made history. She became the first female driver to win a dirt track racing championship in Manitoba, an accomplishment that signaled her arrival as a serious competitor. By her late teens, she had already proven that she could win against established drivers in demanding machinery on unforgiving surfaces.
Path to NASCAR
Balcaen’s first step toward NASCAR came in 2014, when she debuted full-time in the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association. She won Rookie of the Year that season and became the highest-finishing female in series history, a performance that caught the attention of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. In 2016, she drove in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, now known as the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
During that 2016 Whelen All-American Series campaign, Balcaen made history at Motor Mile Speedway, becoming the first female Canadian driver to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States. She collected eleven top-five finishes, earned Rookie of the Year honors, and returned to win at the same track the following year. Those results helped her graduate to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2017, where she debuted at New Smyrna Speedway for Martin-McClure Racing, starting 21st and finishing 20th.
Amber Balcaen Career
Early Career (2014–2018)
Balcaen’s early career was defined by versatility. After her breakthrough 2014 sprint car season, she entered the 2015 Chili Bowl Nationals, one of the most prestigious indoor midget events in the country. She then balanced weekly short-track competition with selected late model starts, debuting in the CARS Super Late Model Tour in 2018 for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Hickory Motor Speedway.
That 2018 Hickory debut was cut short by an early wreck, but her relationship with Kyle Busch Motorsports continued. In March 2019, the team announced she would drive two late model races that year, including a Pro All Star Series event at Hickory and a CARS Super Late Model Tour race at Motor Mile Speedway, where she started 22nd and finished 14th. These experiences sharpened her stock car skills and prepared her for national series competition.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2021–2024)
Balcaen made her first ARCA Menards Series West start in 2021 for Bill McAnally Racing at Irwindale Speedway, finishing 15th in her debut. She added two more West Series starts that year at Irwindale and Las Vegas, gaining valuable superspeedway and intermediate track experience. In January 2022, Rette Jones Racing announced she would run the full ARCA Menards Series season, and she delivered six top-ten finishes and a seventh-place result in the final standings.
On January 12, 2023, Venturini Motorsports announced Balcaen would run selected ARCA Menards Series races, including Daytona and Talladega, plus the Kansas opener. She earned a career-best finish of sixth at Daytona, a result she would later match. On January 9, 2024, Venturini Motorsports confirmed she would run the full 2024 schedule in the No. 22 car. During the General Tire 150 at Dover, she suffered a non-displaced fracture in her left foot after a spin, but she avoided missing races by driving with a carbon fiber plate in her shoe. She tied her career-best sixth-place finish in the Reese’s 150 and ended 2024 sixth in the final ARCA Menards Series standings.
Nitro Motorsports Era (2025–Present)
On January 9, 2025, it was announced that Balcaen would compete part-time for Nitro Motorsports in the 2025 ARCA Menards Series season, beginning with the season opener at Daytona. She made an immediate impression, setting the fastest time in the annual pre-practice session. Her transition to the No. 70 Toyota Camry marked a new chapter focused on superspeedway and selected high-profile events.
The Nitro Motorsports program gave her flexibility to chase the biggest races on the ARCA calendar while balancing her growing media and motivational speaking commitments. Her experience with Venturini Motorsports, paired with a fresh team alliance, positioned her to remain a consistent top-ten threat on ovals of every shape.
Driving Style and Strengths
Balcaen is widely regarded as a versatile and patient driver, equally comfortable on slick dirt tracks, tight short ovals, and high-speed superspeedways. Her sprint car background sharpened her throttle control, while her years in the ARCA Menards Series with Venturini Motorsports refined her drafting skills. Crew chiefs have praised her ability to communicate over the radio and manage tire wear over long runs, traits that have helped her turn consistent top-ten finishes into standout results at Daytona and Dover.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among her signature performances, her 2016 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series victory at Motor Mile Speedway stands as a defining moment, the first NASCAR-sanctioned win by a female Canadian driver in the United States. She has also produced strong results at Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Bristol Motor Speedway, where she posted a top-ten in the ARCA Menards Series East. Her perseverance through the 2024 Dover injury underscored her reputation as a determined and resilient competitor.
Amber Balcaen Career Wins
Amber Balcaen’s verified victories include her landmark 2016 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series win at Motor Mile Speedway, the first by a female Canadian driver in a NASCAR-sanctioned event in the United States, plus a second Whelen All-American Series win at the same venue. Earlier, she became the first female champion in a Manitoba dirt track racing championship, a result that helped launch her national career. In the ARCA Menards Series, she has yet to record a victory, but she has collected fourteen career top-ten finishes across her full-time and part-time campaigns.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Balcaen owns zero wins and fourteen top-ten finishes in the ARCA Menards Series, with a best championship result of sixth in 2024. Her best finishes of sixth came at Daytona in 2023 and at the Reese’s 150 in 2024. Across the ARCA Menards Series East, she has zero wins and one top-ten finish, with a best result of 17th in 2022. In the ARCA Menards Series West, she has zero wins, with a best series result of 25th in 2021. In the NASCAR Canada Series, she has zero wins and zero top-ten finishes, with a best result of 54th in 2023.
Other Wins and Performances
Balcaen’s regional résumé includes her groundbreaking Manitoba dirt track championship, the 2014 Northern Outlaw Sprint Association Rookie of the Year award, and her appearance in the 2015 Chili Bowl Nationals. She also competed in the 2020 POWRi Midget Racing Series, where she qualified for two events and recorded a best finish of 12th before a serious wreck at Valley Speedway temporarily paused her career.
Amber Balcaen Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Amber Balcaen was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in a household that supported her early interest in motorsports. Her willingness to travel to North Dakota as a ten-year-old go-karter, and later to fund her first lightning sprint car purchase at sixteen, reflects a family environment that encouraged her racing ambitions. Publicly available details about her parents and siblings remain limited, and she has spoken primarily about her own journey rather than a multi-generational racing lineage.
Personal Life
Outside of racing, Balcaen has built a notable media profile. She co-hosted the television series Cars That Rock alongside AC/DC band member Brian Johnson, appeared as a main cast member on the 2019 CMT reality show Racing Wives, and worked as a spokesperson for Kal Tire during a winter campaign. She is also an active motivational speaker, sharing lessons from her racing career with audiences around the world.
2025 Season Performance
Amber Balcaen entered the 2025 ARCA Menards Series season as a part-time driver for Nitro Motorsports, with a schedule built around the season opener at Daytona and other marquee events. She wasted no time making an impact, setting the fastest time in the annual pre-practice session at Daytona, a strong early indicator of the speed she and the No. 70 Toyota Camry team brought to the superspeedway opener.
Her 2025 campaign reflects a shift toward selective, high-visibility races rather than a full points chase, giving her flexibility to balance her media and speaking commitments. With a deep résumé of top-ten ARCA finishes and prior experience at Daytona and Talladega with Venturini Motorsports, she remains a regular threat to contend for strong results whenever she straps into the car.
