“I’m
just a housewife with this God-awful habit. I guess there are worse things.”
That,
in a nutshell, describes the fascination with motorsports that has been such a
dominant part of Annette “Pink” Summer’s life since childhood. For as long as
she can remember, the spirited blonde, a native of New Ellenton, a “one
red-light town” in South Carolina, has been involved with engines, wheels, and
any kind of competition that uses them. In fact, young Annette Roberts began
carrying on a longstanding family tradition as soon as she was old enough to
reach the pedals of a bicycle.
Today,
as she prepares to take one of the most technologically advanced door cars in
the sport to the Pro Modified wars, Summer can look back with satisfaction at
her accomplishments, and the many trails she blazed to achieve them. Of course,
she did it because she had no other choice; in the male-dominated sport of drag
racing she had to fight for recognition and acceptance from her male peers, and
it wasn’t always easy. In fact, it was hardly ever easy. Fortunately, drag
racing now offers more opportunities for women than any other form of
motorsports, and people like Annette Summer, who helped change longstanding
attitudes and perceptions, are certainly owed a debt of gratitude. In the
beginning, however, she did not consider herself a standard bearer for the
rights of women racers - she was just a competitive, strong-willed girl who
wanted to race!