Sisters race to St. Mary's for Potomac Nationals

“It’s a very unique sport in the sense of … TV does not give us justice at all. You really have to be there to experience the smells … they create a 3.2 magnitude … you can’t get that on TV,” Evaristo said.

The National Hot Rod Association hosts approximately 20 races a year starting in Florida, Josh Hachat, director of PR and communications, said. This year marks the first time the organization is racing at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville.

“You wanna get new people to the sport,” Hachat said. “You want a good crowd for the debut.”

The sisters started racing when they were younger through the junior dragsters series. Salinas, the oldest of four sisters, started when she was 14 and returned to the sport after college in 2019.

“I race the fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet, and when the cars take off, they’ve been recorded to make a 3.2 magnitude earthquake. For three-and-a-half seconds, I’m literally shaking the ground beneath everyone’s feet,” Salinas said. “There’s nothing else on the planet that can recreate that sensation.”

Their father, Mike Salinas, is a nine-time National Hot Rod Association winner, and his successful career inspired them to start racing.

For Evaristo, however, she knew she would always pursue motorcycling instead. She earned her motorcycle license when she was 19 and has been racing for seven years.

“When she chose cars, I kind of went the opposite way. I always knew that I love motorcycles … we actually had a really strict rule … don’t look at a motorcycle, don’t touch a motorcycle,” Evaristo said. “He [my dad] entertained it, and I’m very lucky that he did because it all happened really fast. I never really thought that I would have been given the opportunity to actually race motorcycles, to see if I loved it.”

Even though racing is a male-dominated sport, women and men compete together, Evaristo said. Growing up, they looked up to female racers and now hope to become an inspiration for young girls interested in joining and following the sport.

“There are still a lot of challenges that female racers have to go through and experience that a lot of our male counterparts don’t really understand,” Salinas said. “We’re proud to have the responsibility to make sure that we are continuing to pave the path forward and make it easier than our opportunities were.”

Attendees will receive pit passes, which allow them to meet the drivers and get a closer look at the cars over the weekend, Salinas said.

“Being able to come out somewhere new where nobody really knows what to expect … it’s gonna be really exciting and really put on a good show for the teams, for the fans,” Salinas said.

The Potomac Nationals will take place at the Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville from Friday, May 29, through Sunday, May 31. Visit app.nhra.com/PotomacNatsEventGuide to view the weekend schedule and purchase tickets.