The Grind, Presented by Bank of Clarendon: Madison L'Huillier enjoying young career at Sumter Speedway

Madison Lhuillier has been around racing as long as she can remember.

Her stepmother, Chelsea, has been driving at Sumter Speedway for years. Madison's dad, Brian, was always there working on the car. Since Madison was 5 or 6, she spent her weekends at Sumter Speedway, watching her stepmom race. It didn't take long for her to want in on the fun.

"I was always joking about racing out here since I was 11 or 10 years old, and (my dad) said, 'Maybe in the future,'" Madison said. "So, for my 13th birthday, I said, 'Dad, I want a race car.' And he said OK."

The result was the two got to work on her car together.Brian had a car that was bought to serve as Chelsea's backup. When the two split up, the car became Madison's. They spent a year tearing out the interior and the windshield. They brought the car down to Brian's friend Spencer Harp in Georgia, who was tasked with putting in the roll cage.

Those are all the basic requirements to get the car into racing shape, but there were a few modifications needed to accommodate a small 14-year-old.

"We have the seat up as far as it'll go in the car," Madison said. "And I have a booster seat."

When Madison's 14th birthday rolled around, the car was ready to race.

Madison didn't even have a learner's permit at that point, but dirt track racing has different requirements than the main roads.

"As long as your parents sign your life away, you're good," Madison joked.

LEARING TO DRIVE

Last November, Madison was ready for her first race. They spent a few weeks making sure the car was in working order and prepared to take part in the final race of the season. The only hitch? Madison still had to learn how to drive the car.

The Lhuilliers decided to cross that bridge just two days before her first race.

"We came out here to the parking lot, and he taught me how to drive a stick," Madison said. "It clicked pretty fast, but it was still pretty confusing to me.

"We were out here for 30 minutes or so, and the next day we had practice for the first time, so I was actually out there with other people on the track."

Madison was surrounded by other cars for her first proper practice run at Sumter Speedway. She wanted to make sure it wasn't a massive shock when she made the jump from practice to competing.

"I wanted to feel comfortable with people on the track at all times," Madison said. "People could guide me the way I actually needed to go instead of me trying to slop all over the track."

While practicing against other racers was the plan, that doesn't mean it was easy.

"Definitely a lot of nerves and trying to make sure I didn't stall out the entire time," Madison said. "It was terrifying, but I got used to it after a little bit."

TAKING TO THE TRACK FOR REAL

Then came the quick jump to an actual race. After years of watching from the stands, Madison was in the driver's seat.

"Terrifying. I would say it is absolutely terrifying," Madison said of her first race. "Your whole life is on the line. If one of these guys or you mess up, you can end up dying. It was very nerve wracking, but it was kind of easy."

Madison finished second to last in her first race, but she wasn't overly concerned with the result. She just wanted to get used to racing, which was going to take some time.

"Whenever I hit VTEC, it scared me a little bit so I backed down for a little bit because I'd never heard that noise before," Madison said of her roaring engine. "I crossed the finish line and said thank God that's over, it was absolutely terrifying."

After that sigh of relief, came a frustrating realization. Madison's first race was the last of the season, which meant she had to wait six months for her next chance on the track.

Madison and Brian spent the ensuing six months working on the car and watching film of her first race. The spring eventually rolled around, which meant Madison was going to be back at Sumter Speedway. That was suddenly very intimidating, as Madison hadn't been able to drive for the entire offseason.

"We came back for my second race, my dad and I parked in the outfield and I look at him and say, 'This is terrifying, I don't know if I want to race anymore,'" Madison recalls. "He said, 'We don't have to race if you don't want to. We can come out tomorrow night and practice in the parking lot.'

"I said, 'No, I have to do this. This is my second race, I'm not backing down.' So I took circles around so I could figure out the clutch and everything again. It was all refreshing my brain."

There was one major difference between Madison's first and second race. Madison's career began with a season finale, which meant that the pool of racers was a lot smaller. The season opener had a bit more excitement surrounding it.

"It was really scary coming back for the second time," Madison said. "There were a lot of people here that weren't the first time because everyone's car is basically totaled by the last race of the year."

While there were some nerves, Madison settled right back into place.

"When I came back, I finished eighth out of 12 cars and ran faster than I did the first time," said the 15-year-old. "I stopped getting scared of everything. It was easy to relearn."

Madison may be young at 15, but she's not the youngest competitor at Sumter Speedway. That made the transition a lot easier, because competitors in the ECONO 4 series are used to racing against newcomers.

"They're probably used to it by now because were other kids in the cars," Madison said of the veteran drivers. "They're used to kids being in the cars and they've always been pretty gentle with me, knowing it's my first time racing."

HITTING A WALL

Most drivers have been careful with Madison, but not all.

On May 14, Madison was racing a new driver to Sumter Speedway clipped her from behind. She went careening into the wall after the collision. Madison was done for the night and her car was done for the season.

"If you look at the GoPro videos, it looks like he did it on purpose. I was down low, I left the whole top of the track open for him, but he came down low and hit me," Madison recounted. "He ended up getting his nose under the back end of me, so I went from 50 miles an hour and I turned, and I hit the post and the guard rail, so it was a sudden stop.

"I didn't know what my dad wanted me to do, should I hit the wall instead of fighting back and hitting the outside wall instead? I just hit the wall. I thought I flipped the car at first."

Luckily, Madison walked away with just a couple of bruises, but she was without a car.

THE NEW RIDE

One day, someone reached out to Brian on Facebook with a car for sale. It was not love at first sight for Madison.

"My dad looked at the pictures and it was very ugly on the pictures," Madison said. "I told him, 'If my car doesn't survive, we can get it. Other than that, I don't want that ugly car.'"

When Madison and Brian got her car back, the news wasn't great. The Lhuilliers still hope to be able to repair it, but it's a long way away from being in racing shape. The loss didn't make the new hatchback any prettier.

"He brought it home and said, 'This was uglier than it looked in the pictures.' I said, 'I tried to tell you,'" Madison said.

Madison would be forced to transition from a coop to a hatchback. She's still getting used to the feel of a new ride.

"There's a lot more space inside (the hatchback) and it doesn't feel safe to me," Madison said.

"When I was in the coop, I felt like I was safe, but in the hatchback, I feel like I'm going to roll over any minute. I don't know what it is about the car, I just don't like it."

Part of the reason she doesn't like it, naturally, is the emotion of losing her first car.

Madison took great pride in building that coop with her dad. Losing it was more painful than the crash itself.

"It is very special to me," Madison said. "The first car I wrecked was sentimental because it was the first car I made with my dad. When I wrecked it, I was very upset."

She wishes they were still working on the coop, but Madison still enjoyed the process of getting the new hatchback in racing shape. She appreciates having a great bonding activity with her dad.

"The fact that my dad gets to have a child to do that with him is probably nice to have so he's not doing it all by himself," Madison said. "It is a cool experience to do with my dad, but (I'm still doing) a lot of learning."

The new hatchback was set to make its debut on Saturday, but Mother Nature had other ideas.

A brief but hard rain right before the race did some minor damage to the engine. She could hear it knocking during the qualifying race and the car went limp on the third lap. She'll be back up and running for the next race. While it was frustrating not to race, it was good to get back in the car and get a feel for the new vehicle.

"I'm a little nervous because I was moving it today and I stalled out a couple of times because I haven't raced in a while," Madison said just before the qualifier. "It was a little different. I'm not a huge fan of the car, but it's the only one we've got right now, so I'm going to race it."

WOMEN IN RACING

Madison takes great pride in being one of the female drivers at Sumter Speedway. The ladies of the racetrack have formed a strong bond over the years.

"If they see you in a racing suit, they'll approach you asking what car you drive, what class you're in," Madison said. "It is cool."

Madison has a great role model as a female in racing with Chelsea. Brian and Chelsea split up, but the two female drivers have remained close. Madison loves watching Chelsea race and appreciates the support of an experienced driver.

"She's my inspiration as a lady driver," Madison said of her stepmom. "Following in her footsteps is cool for me because all these guys are out here doing their stuff and there's girls out here racing against them and beating them."