Sarah Montgomery is on track to earn a bachelor's degree in marketing while pursuing a career as a professional race car driver.
This weekend, she'll suit up and get behind the wheel of a red Mazda MX-5 to race on the Road America track in Elkhart Lake, Wis. The competition, from Aug. 8 to 10, is part of the 2014 Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette sophomore competes about 30 times a year in road races across the country. Meanwhile, she plays clarinet in the UL Lafayette Wind Ensemble and works part-time selling used cars. She's also a high-performance driving instructor, licensed by the Porsche Club of America.
In 2013, she competed in a modified Mazda Miata and was named the Spec Miata Grand Champion for the New Orleans region by the National Auto Sport Association.
“It may not seem like it to the spectator, but this sport is incredibly demanding. It’s like being a jet fighter pilot,” she said.
During a race, which lasts 45 minutes, her heart beats as fast as a marathon runner’s, reaching 85 to 95 percent of its capacity. While navigating a curve, she experiences g-force — a feeling of added weight caused by acceleration. “It’s as much as 3 g in some corners,” she said. That’s similar to what astronauts in the Space Shuttle felt leaving and reentering 
the earth’s atmosphere.
Montgomery's devotion to the sport began when she was 9. Her family attended an Indy race at Texas Motor Speedway in College Station.
“I thought it was the coolest thing. I loved the smell of fuel and burned rubber. I loved how fast the cars were going and the sound of the engines screaming. I was totally hooked,” she said.
At 13, she became a “karter,” racing go-karts on dirt tracks. At 16, she was the first female competitor to win two championships in one year.
That same year, she made the transition from karter to race car driver when she took part in the Skip Barber Racing School Karting Scholarship Shootout. Participants get coaching and feedback on their driving, as well as business aspects of the sport.
A few weeks later, Montgomery was one of seven drivers to attend Lyn St. James’ Women of the Winners Circle Driver Development Academy. More than 230 female drivers have attended the annual, invitation-only event, including Danica Patrick.
Montgomery said her ultimate goal is to follow Patrick's path into professional racing.
“I love it. The adrenaline, for me, is so cool. It’s kind of like my escape from the world and school," she said.
"But it’s also my life. I can’t imagine a life where I’m not involved with racing."