Maryeve Dufault is Hot for Speed

In many ways, Maryeve Dufault won the genetic lotto.

She's a French Canadian beauty and Woman of pressdog® gifted by her parents with classic looks -- size and shape, face and body, the the total package. Or as someone fresh from getting an autograph at Iowa Speedway Friday put it: "She's soooooo hot."

The person so fetched by Maryeve was a woman with a streak of purple in her hair. With hotness that even appeals to the purple-haired women demographic, you understand why companies are willing to pay Dufault a lot of money to photograph her in not a lot of clothing.

For a decade, Maryeve Dufault -- pronounced Mary-ev (not Mary-EVE) Du-foe -- has been exploring how to use the benefits of her genetic jackpot to fuel her passion for racing.

It's difficult to imagine two things farther apart than modeling a bikini and driving a race car. To start with the obvious, bikini models show as much skin as possible whereas race car drivers perform shrouded in Nomex and encased in sheet metal or carbon fiber. For another thing, appealing to the widest definition of physical beauty is essential to work for Speedo, whereas it has zero impact on the stopwatch.

There are at least a few similarities, though. For one, Dufault said, modeling is harder than just sitting there and being photographed, just like oval racing is harder than flooring it and turning left. The two pursuits have emotion, preparation and hard work in common.

"What you have to do as a model is show your emotions, in a way," Dufault said before taking a first practice run in her Tony Marks Racing Dodge ARCA car at Iowa Speedway Friday. "That’s the hard part. You go through long days, long nights. When I took that photo shoot (for the August Maxim, part of which is above right), the water was probably 56 degrees, you know? Those are little challenging things. But it’s just work. Racing is what I do."

So what about accusations of exploiting physical hotness to get and maintain a race car ride that many female drivers face? Maryeve has clearly dealt with this before -- probably often -- and verbally waves it off.

"You know, I’m at the point ... for many years I did not want to do any kid of photo shoot, but you know what? NASCAR is a bubble. You need talent to get out there in your first year and do what I am doing," Dufault said. "Being in a bathing suit and being part of marketing (is also part of it). I would never do something that is trashy; it’s always going to be really classy. I'm not going too far, I’m pretty sure."

And if you agree with the purple-haired woman outside Maryeve's hauler and enjoy seeing a lot of Maryeve, you can thank Tony Kanaan and Carl Edwards. Kanaan's sculpted body photos in ESPN The Magazine -- and the complete lack of outrage they sparked -- created a tremendous "if he can do it without outrage, why can't I?" argument for female drivers.

"You look at Carl Edwards and Tony Kanaan and you see him (Kanaan) in ESPN Magazine," said Dufault. "Well, OK, they have been around a long time and have a lot more experience than a developmental driver, but hey, I can do cool stuff too. It’s all good. It comes down to marketing. You gotta get both, marking and talent. Racing is about passion, perseverance and determination."

Passion, perseverance and determination haven't been in short supply for Dufault. On the passion front, she's not pursuing opportuntities to make far more money as a model than she may ever make as a driver because modeling isn't her passion, driving is.

That's why, 11 years ago, Maryeve entered the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International contest and won it. The was a six-figure cash prize, a modeling contract and notoriety that came with it were nice, but Dufault did it primarily to win the motorcycle and Jet Ski prizes. Modeling a job. Going fast is a passion.

Perseverance and determination are in there too. After growing up with dirt bikes to carts and moving to open-wheel formula cars, Maryeve briefly connected with fellow French Canadian Alex Tagliani's now defunct FAZZT racing team. Originally aimed for the IndyCar feeder system, Dufault got derailed for a year or two until Tagliani got her into a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series car for the Trois-Rivières Grand Prix and the Autopro 100 race to be held on Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve last August.The ride was sponsored by some Canadian Dodge dealers.

Representatives from Dodge in the U.S. were there. "They really liked my aggressiveness and everything I did on the track," Dufault said. "I got taken out but I went from 30th to 10th and I was with good drivers out there, good, respected drivers, and I just fought. They liked what they saw and I got a call and we just worked on my development as a stock car driver with Dodge."

That landed Dufault with Tony Marks Racing and the ARCA series, where she is 13th out of 34 drivers in points even after missing the last race with a shoulder injury and slight concussion from a wreck at Winchester. Her average finishing position after nine races is 18.5. Her top finish so far was 10th at Chicagoland Speedway.

Not bad for a woman with two stock car races experience and no oval experience prior to the start of the ARCA season.

"The transition (from open wheel cars to an ARCA car) is a huge difference to be honest," she said. "It handles pretty different. You're going from a light car to a heavy car and the kind of braking and the adjustment of the car you have to figure out ... You have telemetry from in an open-wheel car and that helps you out a lot as a development driver there is none in a stock car.

"We’re a rookie team. I’m a rookie. Coming from a different background with all those drivers who have been driving stock cars forever. I'm putting my foot down out there and to be with them; it’s great. I’m getting a lot more confidence."

As for the full-contact nature of stock cars -- don't mistake "pretty" for "soft."

"I think you gotta be tough, as a girl for sure, because you get all those drivers and not all of them want a girl on the track somehow, I don’t know why. So you gotta put your stuff down. I grew up with my brother and I am pretty tough. (The car contact) is not something that bothers me at all. I have a lot of tomboy in me. They don’t want you to pass them. Trust me, they don’t want to pass them. So you have to figure out a way."

Bring up modeling again and the sparkle in Maryeve the Driver's eyes dims a bit. It's easy to tell she'd rather talk fenders than photographs.

But does Maryeve, herself, seem to think she's hot?

Clearly, she's not into her own physical appearance. The off-duty Maryeve at the track is jeans and a Dodge T-shirt, no makeup, no ornate hair, no jewelry.

What about critiquing her own photos?

"I used to. Right now, if the picture seems right, I just say 'Oh that's fine.' I don't critique myself that much in photos. I critique myself on the track."

Maryeve Dufault will be part of the ARCA field that hits the Iowa Speedway today at 4 p.m. Central. Seats are still available for purchase at the gate. The race is televised live on SPEED.

For a previous pressdog Q&A with Maryeve, go here. more on the entire Women of pressdog® roster, go here.

Comments

[Ttomkat]

I do believe we're going to need her back in open wheel racing, not stock cars. She is perfect for INDYCAR.

[GeorgeK]

On a purely physical level she makes Danica look so, so, so, what's the word? Average?

Here's hoping she can bring some chops to the track as well as the photo studio.

[Br!an McKay]

Amen to that!

[vanessa merced]

maryeve is a great lady. You guys should go to her site maryevedufault .com - you can clearly see she is doing great things for young woman! I just sent $100 donation to help the cause. I will be cherring for you Maryeve!

Go donate on her site now. Mrs. Dufault will be taking over Nascar racing very shortly!
Vanessa Merced

[Mannequins Lyon]

I have read about the car info graphics about the skilled women driver. I’m really impressed with the number. And what’s more interesting was this beautiful model had decided to try this sport scar that requires a lot of endurance. I would definitely watch her racing match.

[Tyra Shortino]

Oh well... She should've been driving more carefully. It's important to keep safe while driving, especially in her case. She wouldn't want her face or body to have scars. She models her cars too, right?