Roxali Kamper began dreaming of racing from a young age. With a love for all things fast, she hopes to make it to the highest level of NASCAR someday. On any given race day, you will find this Rock’n racer eating cucumbers with ranch, and hanging out with her friends around the track.

Hometown: Saratoga Springs, Utah

Division: Semi Pro

Number: 14

Team: Kamper Racing Team

1. How did you get into racing?

Well, the short version of the story is that my parents are awesome and they helped me get to every opportunity I could which brought me here today. The longer version of the story is that when I was around five, we went to a car show in Road Island. There was a Mini Cup practice event going on and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. At that time, you had to be ten to be able to race so every day after that I would always tell my parents that I couldn’t wait to be ten. We moved to Utah when I was around seven, and I got into electric Go-Karts and Quarter Midgets. From there I just kept racing and eventually moved my way up to the Legend Car.

2. What has been your favorite racing memory?

I have two major racing memories. My first one was the first time I ever won a race in a Quarter Midget. I actually gave that trophy to my grandfather because he really loves racing, so it was super special. The second memory that comes to mind is just all the time spent hanging out at the track with all the different people I’ve met over the years. It doesn’t really apply to a specific event, but just in general it is a really important aspect of racing that I enjoy.

3. What is your favorite road course track?

I’d say my favorite is either the Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in Oklahoma or Sandia Speedway in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sandia is a great track, and I like that most of it can be seen from the stands. That is not common for a road course track, but it makes it more fun for the spectators. I also did a large part of my training at that track, so I definitely have learned a lot there. For Hallett, I’d say I like it because of all the twists and turns. There is one corner where you feel like you are going to take off flying. It’s just amazing.

4. What is your favorite oval track?

My favorite track I currently race at is the Meridian Speedway, also known as the “Concrete Jungle.” It’s just a great track with interesting lines. You can either race on the high line or low line and there is always amazing competition there with close racing. The fans there are also amazing. They always come back after the racing is over, and it’s a really great community.

5. Who is your role model in racing?

As a kid I always looked up to Tony Stewart. But now I’d say in one way or another I look up to the majority of my fellow competitors. We are all friends at the track, I don’t really know how to explain it but it’s just fun to hang out with them all and they are all awesome people. You can learn a lot by just talking to and hanging out with people.

6. Do you have any ultimate racing goals?

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to get to the highest level of NASCAR. Everyone talks about it and the fans love it. When I was a kid, I wanted to be in entertainment in some way. But I recently realized that racing is a form of entertainment, not just for the fans but for the other racers as well. So, racing became even more awesome to me than it already was. I also hope to race for the rest of my life. I mean, it’s a racecar, how could you not want to be in it!

7. How do you get focused or in the zone before you race?

When I’m at home before a race, I will sometimes drive a race or two on this simulator that I have. I also like to visualize the layout of the track. I’ll mentally go through it in my head a few times and just think about how I’m going to drive it. Visualization is huge for me. Something else I do is I will eat cucumbers with ranch before or during the driver’s meeting. It’s the weirdest thing but I’ve found that I have more confidence going into the race when I do that. That is probably because I have done that since I was a kid.

8. Do you prefer road course or oval racing?

See, that is quite a dilemma. For oval it’s a lot more of that tight close racing, but I’d still pick road course over oval because there’s more for the driver to do. I find it to be much more entertaining as a driver. You have to shift and turn different ways, accelerate draft, and lots more. One corner can change the race much more than you would expect it to. There are lots of places to lose ground, but also places to gain it as well. It’s more of a test of driving ability I think, so I enjoy it a lot.

9. The Bonneville Salt Flats are often used for breaking land speed records. As a native to Utah, do you have any desire to give that a shot one day?

Any shot for driving a fast car is a great one. If the opportunity presented itself, I might give it a try. I am definitely an adrenaline junkie. I always want to go on the biggest rollercoasters and can’t wait to go skydiving and bungee jumping one day when I’m old enough.

10. There is a big field of semi pros signed up for nationals, what is your mindset going into it?

Firstly, I think that this is going to be amazing and super fun. The second thought that goes through my head is that we have a good shot at winning. We are going to put forth our best efforts, and we are going to walk away from the track happy no matter the outcome. We have lots of confidence going into it though, and we are going maintain that confidence coming out.

11. What is the biggest lesson racing has taught you?

That is an incredibly difficult question, but I’d say patience and consistency are the two biggest lessons. You must practice a lot to find what works, and when you do you have to stay consistent with it until it becomes better, because there is always room for improvement. Patience also applies to everything in my life. On the track you can’t start making your move too early or else you will get blocked and run out of momentum. You have to be patient and wait for the right moment. There is just a lot of patience involved in racing but also with school and with my brother at home too.

12. Do you have any hobbies outside of racing?

When I’m not racing, I’ll usually be studying for school. I go to the Utah County Academy of Sciences, which is a high school that basically does everything with Utah Valley University. We will graduate with our associates degree before our high school diploma. So, it takes up a lot of my time. But when I’m doing fun things that aren’t school related, I’ll read or write. I’ve been working on a few stories. I also like to cosplay. I enjoy sewing and crafting so I’ll make fun costumes. I have a giant wolf costume in the garage and one inspired by a character from Five Nights at Freddy’s.

13. Is there a significance to the number 14?

When I was younger, my racing idol was Tony Stewart. At the time that was the number that he was driving so I wanted to be like him and have his number.  

14. Obviously, your car is bright pink… is pink your favorite color?

Pink has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. Specifically, I would call it hot pink. I don’t know if that’s the exact name for the color but that’s always what I’ve called it as a kid. It has gone from magenta to more of a neon type pink but in my mind, it’s always hot pink. It’s just whatever I think hot pink looks like at the time.

15. How did your “Rock’n Roxali” nickname come to be?

That’s actually a really fun story. I was driving Quarter Midgets at the time, and it was the end of the season in Boulder City, Nevada. The guy running the races would do a mega podium at the end of the season, not just the small ones after a race. He called me up to the podium for the championship that season, and I was dubbed "Rock’n Roxali Kamper." The name just kind of stuck after that, and I love it. It’s kind of like a stage name or call sign for me today.