By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Nicole Romeo is a very busy 14-year-old girl.
The Boardman High School Freshman plays the piano, drums and mallets. She also takes classes for tap dance and jazz dance, and is involved in gymnastics. Between school, studying and extracurricular activities she finds time to serve as an altar girl at church.
Still, with so much on her plate, Nicole squeezes in one hobby most girls her age probably have not given much thought -- drag racing.
At Quaker City Raceway
Every Saturday between April through September Nicole, her parents Rochelle and Pat, and younger sister Stephanie head out to the Quaker City Raceway in Salem. Nicole sheds her usual quiet, unassuming demeanor and steps into a full racing jump suit, helmet and gloves.
In tow behind her parents pickup truck is a trailer carrying Nicole's 14-foot-long, half-scale dragster with "Lil' Miss Attitude" stenciled across the side. Nicole spends the bulk of her Saturday afternoons taking on challengers in races hoping to win enough points to eventually go on to an annual national competition in Norwalk.
According to representatives from Quaker City Raceway, junior racers receive one point for every race won and one point for attendance each weekend. At the end of the season, raceway representatives assemble those with the highest scores for a team to go to Norwalk.
Won spot in nationals
This year Nicole beat out most other racers in the junior pro racers division and won a spot at the national competition. There is also a junior beginners division and junior super pro racers division.
Nicole was the only junior racer in her division from the Youngstown area to earn a spot at the national competition. There were two racers from each of the three junior divisions sent to the competition.
In Norwalk, Nicole ran into trouble with the clutch of her car during her first race. She eventually lost by less than one second to another racer. Still, the family said the trip and experience were unforgettable.
Began with Soap Box Derby
Nicole's love of racing and need for speed actually started several years ago when she participated in the local Soap Box Derby competition. Shortly after winning a trophy in the Soap Box Derby, Nicole was intrigued by some junior dragster racers she saw on a trip to a shopping mall with her uncle.
Nicole took a class offered at the Quaker City Raceway and eventually entered a first trial race. From that first race on Nicole said she was hooked, but did have one small grievance.
"When I did my first trial race and they asked me if I liked it I said yes, but I wanted to go faster. It just wasn't fast enough," she recalls.
Dissatisfying speed aside, Nicole has continued to race and plans to do so into adulthood. The Romeo family makes the weekly races a family affair with mom, dad and sister serving as pit crew.
Father is mechanic
Pat Romeo handles all the mechanics associated with Nicole's car. Both parents keep an eye on the cost associated with Nicole's racing career -- cost that can be quite high.
Pat Romeo said the family has invested between $14,000 and $15,000 to date for the car, trailers and other associated cost. He said sponsors such as Paula's Motorsports of Boardman, The Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 396 and Austintown Fence have helped alleviate some of the costs.
Nicole's mom, Rochelle, enjoys the racing with a cautious eye.
"I am excited for her and it is fun going out there, but it can be so nerve racking," Rochelle Romeo said. "It's a scary thought to think of a 14-year-old going 57 miles per hour."
Rochelle Romeo's concerns will be two-fold next season. She said her younger daughter Stephanie is hoping to get behind the wheel of her own dragster.
jgoodwin@vindy.com