Beginning her racing journey at just four years old, Milania Shilosky has worked her way up and driven everything from Go-Karts to Trucks. As if racing doesn’t keep her busy enough, she somehow finds time to compete in archery competitions and ride her horse, Joe.
Hometown: Colchester CT
Division: Young Lions
Number: 99
Team: Milania Shilosky Motorsports
1. How did you first get into racing?
When I was around four years old, my dad and I were watching one of the races at the Waterford Speedbowl. There was a little blue Legend Car racing, and I told my dad that I wanted to drive it. Pretty soon after he got me a Go-Kart, which we did for about five years, before I hopped into a Bandolero. A little bit after that we started with the Legends, and then this year we got into the Truck Series. So, we’ve done a lot and it’s been a fun journey.
2. What is your favorite racing memory?
I would say our first championship win in the Bandolero. The year before had been my rookie year, and we came very close to winning it. But things just didn’t go our way and so the next year we came back and won it. It was just an amazing experience for the team, and it felt so good to be able to come back stronger and get that win.
3. Do you have a favorite track?
My favorite track to race on is the [New London] Waterford Speedbowl. It’s our home track too and it’s a good family friendly place. We’ve been driving there for a few years, and I like how smooth the track is. It makes it really easy to drive on.
4. Who is your role model or someone you look up to in racing?
I really look up to my dad. He has taught me so much for both racing and life. He always reminds me to be respectful and humble, on and off the track, and how it is important to be a good sport because things don’t always go your way. He taught me to always keep a cool head and how to stay focused during a race as well. I really am so grateful for him.
5. How do you get focused or into the zone before a race?
I’ll just try to mentally prepare myself for the race. I’ll talk to family and friends who are in the trailer, watch tv or something just to clear my head. I just try to stay as calm as possible and not get stressed out about what is going on. Like anything it is always helpful to stay calm.
6. What are your ultimate racing goals?
It would be amazing to make it to the NASCAR level one day, but we understand that can be very difficult and a lot of money. For right now though, we are just taking things as far as we can go. We are trying to get into as many different cars as we can, and are just going with the flow while we keep gaining experience.
7. What has been your favorite racecar to drive and why?
Although everyone says they are really challenging to drive I would have to say the Legend Car. They have a short wheelbase; they are really fast, and they are twitchy. Quick movements will make them go crazy, so it has been a challenge for us to figure out how to drive them well. They can absolutely be difficult, but I always say that if you can race a Legend Car then you can race anything. That has certainly been the case for me, and it has helped me a lot in all my other divisions and cars.
8. Is there any significance to the number 99?
When I first started racing the Go-Karts, my dad was still racing, too. He had the number 99, so I ultimately took his number. We found out later that his grandfather also had the number 99 on his car as well, so it is sort of a family thing now.
9. What is the biggest lesson that racing has taught you?
The biggest lessons that I have learned from racing are being consistent and being a good sport. It is always important to be respectful to everyone no matter what happens, and consistency helps in racing but also when we shoot archery.
10. We saw that Veteran Equine Therapeutic Services (V.E.T.S) is a sponsor, how did that come to be and is there a connection to horses or veterans?
They just happened to be at the track one day when we were racing. They support veterans with PTSD using equine therapeutic treatment. They use horses and horseback rides to help provide support to veterans suffering with mental health issues. My dad happens to be a veteran as well which makes it even more special. But they were willing to come on board and help support our racing and we are incredibly thankful for that.
11. Was there anything that surprised you about racing?
There wasn’t much that surprised me, but I guess you could just say it was interesting to see that not every driver is the same. There are a lot of different driving styles, but you always have to be respectful to everyone. We try to be clean racers and race people the way they race us. We always race with respect and be a good sport to everyone.
12. Do you have any hobbies outside of racing?
The next biggest sport that we do outside of racing is archery, but I also do like to ride my horse, Joe. Every Wednesday I shoot with Junior Olympic Archery Development Program in Manchester. We practice a lot through the winter months to prepare ourselves for nationals which happens in February.
13. How do you balance school with a sport like racing that is so time consuming?
It can be really difficult to manage, but I tend to bring my schoolwork with me and try to do it in between practices and stuff like that. Sometimes we are too busy though and so I’ll just have to do it when I get home. Sometimes that makes for some very late nights, but it’s worth it to me and I know it is important to get it all done.
14. What advice would you give someone just starting out in their racing career?
I would probably tell them not to give up. I have seen, especially in the younger kids, that they start out very passionate. But if they spin out during a race or get in a wreck, they get scared and lose their enthusiasm. But just like with riding a horse, it is super important to get back out there right away and to keep going. Things aren’t always going to work out or go your way, but you can’t give up and you have to keep trying.