A black-and-white photo taken in the 1950s showing four dusty men and an equally dusty hot rod with a fresh “20” painted on the side is something that Robbie Pritchett carries with him on the racetrack for his daughter Kayla.

Kayla Pritchett, a graduate of Travelers Rest High School and currently a hairdresser, has big dreams of doing something that has yet to be accomplished in her family.

“I want to make it to NASCAR,” she said.

She plans to get there by winning, and moving up to compete on a NASCAR-affiliated track. She is helped by her two sponsors, Burdette Services and Bruce Tally Machines.

Her career started by complete accident, when father Robbie discovered a dirt track near their home that was unused.

“I had never even noticed the track until one day we just came across it,” he said. “I saw that look in her eyes when she saw the track, and she was hooked.”

But he wasn’t surprised by his daughter’s fascination with racing.

“It is in her blood. Her grandfather raced, I raced. Neither of us made it to NASCAR, and now I’m trying to really help her get there.”

Kayla Pritchett’s first car was a go-cart that her father bought for $100 and fixed up to race on a dirt track.

“She won her first race,” her father said, adding she was 9 years old.

Now 19, Pritchett is in second place in the C-Mini Stock series at Anderson Motor Speedway with 10 races left in the season. She is also ranked 10th in the World Karting Association (WKA).

But with the successes and wins also comes prejudice. She’s a female in a sport dominated by males.

“I get a lot of that. Guys give me a lot of dirty looks, try to tear me down, and try to intimidate me on the track because I am a girl,” she said.

But it is the overall atmosphere that keeps Kayla coming back to the racetrack, along with her drive to make it to NASCAR and to prove that female drivers can be just as good as their male counterparts.

“I’m a social animal and just love to hang out with the guys. Practicing together, racing together — just the competitiveness of racing in general.”

Pritchett also says that even though that there is prejudice, it is slowly getting better.

“There are a lot more girls in the sport than there were when I was younger.”

If she makes it to NASCAR, Pritchett wants not only to be competitive, but also to try and encourage more girls to get into racing.

“If I get there I want to give it all I got and try to be the best. I try to be the best at everything I do.”

Pritchett is not only a competitor in race car driving, she is also a fan. And like most fans, she has a favorite driver.

“Tony Stewart all the way,” she said.

Coincidently, Stewart drives under the same number Pritchett’s grandfather did — 20.