It all started with a simple question: “Would you like to race?”

That’s how Wanda Hopkins, the senior duty officer for the Denton Police Department, ended up trading paint on Saturday nights at Lake Country Speedway in Ardmore, Okla.

Wanda Hopkins

In just her first season, she has broken down barriers by winning two races and becoming the first woman at Lake Country to win a track championship by clinching the Tornado class title.

Her foray into driving was the result of her husband, Joe, getting her involved in the sport. Before becoming a driver, her participation was mainly assisting him in racing his dirt modified.

When Joe’s engine blew after the first race of this season, he decided to take some time to work on his car and suggested Wanda get involved in the Tornado class, making them the first husband-wife drivers at the track.

The Tornado class is designed to be the most economical. Featuring speeds of up to 65 mph, the class relies on factory-made cars with stock parts and street tires. Only a few things can be changed, including the installation of a racing seat, a breakaway steering wheel and a roll cage. Engines can have four, six or eight cylinders.

Racing for the first time in a 2001 Mazda Protegé, Wanda was hesitant about going up against the competition at Lake Country, a 3/8-mile dirt track.

“I was like, ‘I don’t want my car hurt.’ You’re thinking it’s your car you’re driving down the road,” Wanda said. “First time I got a little bit of carnage, I said to myself, ‘That’s kind of cool, I have a hole in my door.’”

With vehicle damage a part of racing, the Denton police officer finds that sponsorship is crucial to keep her car running competitively. During the season, she has had AA Auto Parts in Denton provide new parts, Greg Kruger Concrete Contractors in Pilot Point furnish a racing seat and AP Travel Center in Valley View help cover her part of her gasoline bills. 

In her fifth race, Wanda suffered a setback when she rolled the Mazda. The passenger-side front wheel failed. Avoiding the retaining wall as she tried to regain control, she clipped a set of tractor tires set up for safety.

“[The roll] felt like slow motion — grass, sky, grass, sky … It was awesome,” Wanda said. “I wasn’t hurt. My teeth were hurting because I was grinning so hard. I couldn’t believe I flipped a car.”

Not to be deterred, she was back on the track 30 minutes later and finished second after the track loaned her a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am. The next week, she was honored with a trophy adorned with an upside-down car and the title “Rollover Queen.”

With the Mazda taking significant radiator damage, Wanda purchased a 1994 Saturn SL1. Performance-wise, it was a blessing in disguise as the Saturn had more power, helping her pass more easily and get both of her victories.

Wanda finds her success can be attributed to having an open mind and not getting emotional when she has contact with other drivers. She enjoys the fan support, saying that it’s an “incredible feeling” when the crowd, about half from Texas, is cheering her on.

“Wanda’s nothing short of amazing,” Lake Country track promoter Ronny Gould said. “There’s been a couple guys that really didn’t like her. But she’s tough. She proved she’s a competitor.”

With the track having a points system similar to NASCAR with the top drivers’ points being reset for the final stretch of races, Gould called first-place Wanda on Wednesday to tell her that even with the reset, mathematically she has already clinched this year’s Tornado class track championship.

Now Wanda’s goal shifts to accumulating the most points possible. At the end of the season, the driver with the most points, regardless of class, will win a vacation package worth $1,200, provided by About Travel of Sherman.

With all that being said, Wanda’s greatest joy in racing is the time spent at the track with her family, especially the moments she shares with her 3-year-old daughter, Carson, and 8-year-old stepdaughter, Kylie.

She described the various family activities at the track, including having a stripped-down minivan for kids to ride in for fun and contests like bicycle races. Wanda chronicles each race in detail with her camera and has an extensive photo album.

Looking at a photo of a wrecked Mazda, Wanda smiled when describing how she and her husband had to tell Carson that the vehicle went to a “race car cemetery.” Another memorable moment was when her mother rode in the passenger seat for Mother’s Day.

“There’s nothing like having your family being excited for you,” Wanda said.

TREVOR WILLIAMS can be reached at 940-566-6874. His e-mail address is twilliams@dentonrc.com.