Amber Balcaen Bio
Amber Balcaen (born March 7, 1992) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. She last competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 70 Toyota Camry for Nitro Motorsports. Over the course of her career, Balcaen has built a reputation as a versatile racer, transitioning from dirt tracks in her home province of Manitoba to national stock car events across the United States.
Early Life and Background
Amber Balcaen was born on March 7, 1992, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Growing up in the Canadian Prairies, she was surrounded by a strong local racing culture, with short tracks and dirt ovals scattered throughout the region. Her early years were shaped by a curiosity for speed and machinery, traits that would soon push her toward motorsports.
Balcaen began racing at ten years old, driving go-karts on several dirt tracks around North Dakota. The experience gave her a solid foundation in car control and race craft at a young age. By the time she was sixteen, she had saved enough to buy her first lightning sprint car, marking a major step in her development as a competitive driver.
Path to NASCAR
In 2014, Balcaen made her Northern Outlaw Sprint Association debut, running a full-time schedule. She won Rookie of the Year that season and became the highest finishing female in Northern Outlaw Sprint Association history. The success on dirt soon caught the attention of larger stock car programs south of the border.
Her profile grew further when she entered the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program and drove in the 2016 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. That year, she became the first female Canadian driver to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States, taking the checkered flag at Motor Mile Speedway. She earned eleven top fives in her first season, earning Rookie of the Year honors and laying the groundwork for her move into national touring series competition.
Amber Balcaen Career
Early Career (2015–2019)
Balcaen competed in the 2015 Chili Bowl Nationals, one of the most prestigious indoor midget events in North America. In 2017, she made her NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut at New Smyrna Speedway, driving for Martin-McClure Racing. Although her first series start ended early due to a late-race wreck, the appearance signaled her growing presence in NASCAR’s development ladder.
She expanded into late model competition in 2018, making her first CARS Super Late Model Tour start for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Hickory Motor Speedway. In 2019, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Balcaen would drive two late model races, including a Pro All Star Series event at Hickory and a CARS Super Late Model Tour race at Motor Mile Speedway, where she started 22nd and finished 14th. These outings helped sharpen her skills on pavement before she stepped into higher-profile national series.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2021–2024)
Balcaen made her first ARCA Menards Series West start in 2021, running three races for Bill McAnally Racing, with a best finish of 11th at Irwindale Speedway. The experience prepared her for a full season on the national ARCA Menards Series tour in 2022, when Rette Jones Racing announced on January 3, 2022, that she would run the full schedule. She earned six top-ten finishes that year and ended the season seventh in the final point standings.
On January 12, 2023, it was announced that Balcaen would join Venturini Motorsports for the 2023 season, running the races at Daytona, Talladega, and Kansas. She earned a career-best finish of sixth at Daytona International Speedway. On January 9, 2024, she was confirmed to run full-time for Venturini Motorsports in 2024, driving the No. 22 car. She tied her career-best finish of sixth in the Reese’s 150 and ended the year sixth in the final standings, despite a scary crash at Dover that left her with a non-displaced fracture in her left foot.
Nitro Motorsports Era (2025–Present)
On January 9, 2025, it was announced that Balcaen would compete part-time for Nitro Motorsports in the 2025 ARCA Menards Series season, beginning with the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Driving the No. 70 Toyota Camry, she set the fastest time in the annual pre-practice, signaling a strong start to the new chapter of her career. The switch to Nitro Motorsports marked a fresh opportunity to chase her first series victory.
Driving Style and Strengths
Balcaen’s background on dirt gives her strong car control in traffic, particularly on slick surfaces and tight ovals. She has shown a knack for restrictor-plate and superspeedway racing, highlighted by her career-best sixth-place finish at Daytona. Her willingness to push through injury, including racing at Dover with a carbon fiber plate in her left shoe, has reinforced her reputation as a determined and resilient competitor.
Notable Races and Milestones
One of her most historic moments came in 2016, when she became the first female Canadian driver to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States at Motor Mile Speedway. Other signature performances include a sixth-place run in the 2023 ARCA opener at Daytona and a matching sixth-place finish in the 2024 Reese’s 150. Her return to action after the Dover crash added another chapter to her list of dramatic comebacks.
Amber Balcaen Career Wins
Amber Balcaen’s career wins include verified victories in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, where she became the first female Canadian to win a NASCAR-sanctioned event in the United States. She also captured Rookie of the Year honors in the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association in 2014, along with a landmark championship win on Manitoba dirt tracks as a teenager.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Highlights
Balcaen made her biggest national headlines in 2016, winning at Motor Mile Speedway to become the first female Canadian driver to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States. She followed that with eleven top-five finishes, earning Rookie of the Year honors. She returned to win at the same track the following year, securing her second career series victory.
Other Wins and Performances
On dirt, Balcaen became the first female driver to win in a dirt track racing championship in Manitoba as a teenager. She followed that with a Rookie of the Year title in the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association in 2014. In 2025, she opened her part-time ARCA Menards Series schedule with Nitro Motorsports by posting the fastest time in pre-practice at Daytona, putting her in position to chase her first national touring series victory.
Amber Balcaen Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Amber Balcaen grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the local racing community played a significant role in her early development. Her introduction to the sport came through the regional karting and dirt track scene, where she quickly stood out as a talented young driver.
Personal Life
Outside of racing, Balcaen has appeared on television as a co-host of the series Cars That Rock with AC/DC band member Brian Johnson. In 2019, she was a main cast member of the NASCAR reality show Racing Wives on CMT. She has also worked as a motivational speaker and served as a spokesperson for Kal Tire during a winter campaign, using her platform to encourage others to pursue their goals.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 ARCA Menards Series season represents a new direction for Amber Balcaen, who joined Nitro Motorsports for a part-time schedule driving the No. 70 Toyota Camry. The team announced the deal on January 9, 2025, confirming that she would begin her season at the Daytona opener. Her early momentum was strong, as she set the fastest time in the annual pre-practice session, signaling competitive pace right out of the gate.
With a partial schedule focused on select races, Balcaen has positioned herself as a dark horse capable of posting strong results on superspeedways and intermediate tracks. Her prior experience with Venturini Motorsports, including two career-best sixth-place finishes, gives her a solid benchmark heading into 2025. The partnership with Nitro Motorsports offers new technical resources as she works to convert strong practice speed into her first ARCA Menards Series victory.