Renee Dupuis thrives on training and racing

Renee Dupuis is a championship race car driver who just happens to work for the Boilermakers’ Northeast area apprenticeship program, too.

Office worker is NASCAR driver

DURING THE WEEK, Renee Dupuis can be found working away in the office of the Boilermakers’ Northeast area apprenticeship program in East Hartford, Conn. But on the weekends you’ll find her pursuing her 30-year passion as a championship-winning race car driver.

She began her career in motor sports at the age of four driving in the Quarter Midget ranks. At age 15, she moved into a Pro Four Modified, where she secured several feature wins and a series championship. She then advanced to the NASCAR Modified division.

For the last several years, Dupuis has competed with NASCAR’s ultra-competitive Whelen Modified Tour. In the 26-year history of the tour, Dupuis is the only woman to earn a front-row starting position and top-ten finishes.

In 2007, she competed on “Setup,” a racing-themed reality TV show that aired in primetime on SPEED. 2010 marks the third year she has earned sponsorship from the UNION Insurance Group.

Dupuis has also been inducted into two separate sports exhibits in the “Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future,” an official Smithsonian Institution affiliate museum.