Abigail Froehlich: The Passenger Princess Who Took the Wheel

When asked about how her life movie trailer would be, it isn’t a montage of podiums. It’s motion. A teenage girl steps away from the dust and drums of barrel racing, stumbles into a kart on a whim, and feels something click. The camera jumps to tighter frames: late-night sponsor decks, a borrowed torque wrench, homework on an airport floor, and the heartbeat thrum of a formation lap. The point isn’t to list achievements—it’s to meet the person who decided to move, and then never stopped.

At seventeen, Abigail “Abby” Froehlich is already one of the most promising young drivers in American motorsport. The Maryland native began karting in 2023 and climbed rapidly through CKNA competition karts into Senior Light LO206 and KA100. By mid-2024, she was testing open-wheel cars and preparing for her rookie Formula 1600 season.

Her rise isn’t fueled by wealth or family legacy—it’s powered by focus, resilience, and the people who believe in her. “I stopped horseback riding when I started high school,” she says. “I was state champion with barrel racing in my state, and it was just kind of like I did all this and got to the top—and then there was really nothing for me to continue doing.”

When she first stepped into a kart, the reaction was immediate. “People were actually impressed by me,” she remembers. “They thought, wow, she’s actually doing well for her first time doing this. That’s when I knew—hey, this wasn’t such a bad idea.”

Racing With a Superpower

Abby’s racing story isn’t just about competition—it’s about turning difference into drive. She’s been open about being neurodivergent, calling ADHD her “superpower behind the wheel.”

“I hope people can use motorsports to help them if they’re neurodivergent,” she explains. “It’s very high-paced, very thrilling, and very immediately gratifying—which is what ADHD is. You need the immediate gratification of ‘you’ve completed something and done well at it.’ You win a race—you’ve won that race.”

She wants that same energy to inspire classrooms. “I hope it can be used for STEM projects—to help kids learn about race craft, the physics, and the math behind it.” For her, motorsport isn’t just a sport; it’s a way to show that fast minds can find focus when they’re given the right road.

Owning Her Story with Passenger Princess Racing

Away from the track, Abby has built her own spotlight through storytelling. Her blog, Passenger Princess Racing, was born from her desire to connect—not as a racer, but as a person.

“Fans always talk about how a driver did in a race,” she says. “But we’re still people—you have to learn the person, not just how they drive.”

The name flips a social stereotype on its head. “Passenger princess means you’re in the passenger seat—but now I’m in the driver’s seat,” she laughs.

Her writing opened doors—both emotional and professional.

Networking and outreach, once daunting, became extensions of her voice. “At first it’s hard,” she admits. “But you just have to go for it. Once I start talking, I forget about being shy.”

That same honesty carries into how she handles sponsors. “Authenticity is definitely a big thing,” she says. “You have to be honest with your sponsors—it’s a two-way street. No driver should have to pay for everything. It should be based on skill level, not how much money you can bring to the team.”

For Abby, authenticity is professionalism. It’s how she turns trust into traction.

Building the Electric Ladies

Abby’s next step is her most ambitious yet: forming an all-female race team for the upcoming VChamp electric series—a program designed to emphasize talent over financial backing. The goal isn’t separation—it’s representation.

“When you’re in the paddock and you’re the only girl, you’re surrounded by testosterone,” she says. “Sometimes you just want another girl there to talk to. We’re here to race, yes, but we’re not enemies. We can be rivals on track and still support each

other.”

Her hope is to lead by example—to show that creating opportunities for women in motorsport means building more than teams; it means building belonging.

The Pit Crew That Matters Most

“If I win a race,” she says, “that first win will definitely be for my dad. Everything I do out there is for him—he’s been my biggest supporter from day one.”

It’s clear her journey isn’t a solo effort; her father’s belief in her became the scaffolding that made her own belief possible.

Her grandfather, a mechanic, helped her get started: “I definitely would not have succeeded a lot in karting without him—to fix stuff that I break.”

And her friends? They’re as much part of her journey as her engineers. “My friends outside of racing are very supportive of me,” she says. “One of them always says, ‘When you win, our money will get me a car.’ He’s been supporting me through a lot. He helps me with schoolwork when I’m out at the track so I don’t fall behind.”

It’s a reminder that even in a sport defined by speed, patience and people matter most.

What’s Next

Abby’s eyes are on the future. She’s preparing for her debut in Formula 1600, while building her all-female team for the VChamp electric series, a program designed to make skill—not funding—the deciding factor. But her ambitions reach beyond podiums. She wants her platform to grow into a bridge for other women and neurodivergent athletes.

“I want to be an inspiration to people to continue,” she says. “An inspiration to drivers so they have the chance and the opportunity to succeed.”

And she’s clear-eyed about how visibility happens. “It’s not just about interviewing one type of person,” she explains. “If you’re a female-led page, that’s great—but not every girl wants to only see another girl interviewed. It’s about variety—co-ed stories, different disciplines—because that’s how you reach more people.”

Her advice to content creators and motorsport advocates is simple but powerful: make the sport bigger by making it broader. “If you cover a soccer player and then a race car driver, it makes people curious—it builds connections.”

That same collaborative spirit shapes her goals. When asked if she’d rather go back and give advice to her younger self or spend five minutes with her future self—the one who’s already made it—Abby doesn’t hesitate. “I’d meet the future,” she says with a grin. “So I’ll know whether or not I’m doing the right thing—and that I’m not wasting my time.”

And if a young girl ever comes up to her, wide-eyed and full of dreams, Abby knows exactly what she’ll say: “Don’t give up. Don’t let the boys pull you around or push you around. Find a good support system—because it’s going to be difficult. But you always need someone there to give you that reassurance.”

Racing for Her Why

Fear, Abby admits, “can be both an ally and something that holds you back.” But her compass remains steady—a line she carries close:

“There are two most important days in your life: the day you are born and the day you find out why.” — Mark Twain

For Abby Froehlich, that why is already clear. It’s written in every lap, every blog post, every risk and recovery. She isn’t just racing to prove herself—she’s racing to remind the world that behind every helmet, there’s the heart of a passenger princess chasing its reason.