A glamorous Oklahoma woman is racing to break down barriers by becoming the first female speedway in her city and by opening a welding shop to inspire young girls.
Emme Hughes, 21, of Enid, has spent the past 12 years racing and finally took home her first win on June 1 at Enid Speedway in the Sport Mods/B-Mods division, where she was the only female in the race.
'I felt very excited,' Hughes told DailyMail.com on Wednesday. 'It was nerve-wracking, but at the same time, [I had] an adrenaline rush.'
It was only the sixth time she had raced her mirror-less B-Mod car, as she used to drive sprint cars until recently when her 78-year-old grandfather and former racer, Ted Shepard, grew too sick to work on her car.
So her father, Shawn Hughes, got her the B-Mod car and the rest is history.
Emme Hughes, 21, of Enid, has spent the past 12 years racing and finally took home her first win on June 1 at Enid Speedway in the Sport Mods/B-Mods division, where she was the only female in the race
'I felt very excited,' Hughes told DailyMail.com on Wednesday. 'It was nerve-wracking, but at the same time, [I had] an adrenaline rush.'It was only the sixth time she had raced her B-Mod car, as she used to drive sprint cars
Although Shepard was too ill to attend her race, he was 'super ecstatic' to learn she had won her first race.
'He said: "I knew you would do that soon,"' Hughes recalled. 'He just believed in me more than I'll ever know.'
Her grandfather used to race cars at Enid Speedway and is well-known in their town of 50,000.
'I can't go anywhere without someone saying: "Are you Ted Shepard's granddaughter?' Hughes said with a laugh.
The 21-year-old Oklahoman grew up in a big racing family and often missed birthday parties and other youthful rights of passage because she was too busy at the track, but she doesn't regret it as it brought her family closer.
She even had a racetrack in her backyard growing up to allow herself to 'focus on my sport' and become a 'driven person.'
These skills now help protect her when male racers get a little too upset that a female is participating in the sport.
At the age of 18, Hughes opened her welding shop, EH Metal Works - which specializes in making cattle guards, art pieces, and signs - with the help of her grandfather, who also owned a welding company
She remembers spending a lot of time in Shepard's old Dodge truck, eating donuts, and listening to Reba McEntire on the way to her grandfather's shop - the place she learned to weld at the ripe age of six
'I have been yelled at,' she told DailyMail.com, revealing that roughhousing and fights are normal at racing events. 'I can't help that I'm a female in a male-dominated field.'
But she'll take the misdirected criticism to keep empowering young girls to chase their dreams.
At the age of 18, Hughes opened her welding shop, EH Metal Works - which specializes in making cattle guards, art pieces, and signs - with the help of her grandfather, who also owned a welding company.
She remembers spending a lot of time in Shepard's old Dodge truck, eating donuts, and listening toReba McEntire on the way to her grandfather's shop - the place she learned to weld at the ripe age of six.
With the help of his old equipment and business advice, Hughes took off to build her own company and hasn't looked back. She now has three employees and is working on setting up workshops to help young girls and boys to learn the basics of being an entrepreneur and a welder.
Her father, Shawn Hughes, got her the B-Mod car and the rest is history
And she plans to keep winning races to show young girls they can do it too.
'All I do is eat, sleep, work, and race,' she told DailyMail.com. 'I hope to do this the rest of my life.'
And she isn'tafraid of bringing a little pink into a traditionally male-dominated space.
'Staying in my feminine energy while I'm doing something that's considered a male-dominated industry. I just love it, to be able to embrace myself,' Hughes told KOMO News.
'Continuing to be the modern-day Rosie the Riveter, you know?' she continued. 'If any little girls want to come to my shop and learn, please. I would love it.'
