By Ben Deatherage
FARMINGTON, N.M. (Oct. 27, 2025) — Mylee JoAnn Rhames, known across the pits as “Mylee JoAnn,” became the 2025 Lady Eagle champion, marking the first time a driver from New Mexico has claimed the honor and just the second from the American Southwest, following Shelby Alves, who lived in Arizona at the time, in 2022. The pilot of the Gasco/O’Reilly Auto Parts/KFR Graphics no. 7MJ entry joins Leah Wroten and Tiffany Bittner as the only Hobby Stock drivers to earn the title, Wroten being the last to do so in 2018.
“It’s super cool to win this for New Mexico,” she said. “A lot of the other winners have come from Iowa or the Midwest.”
Mylee’s season began at the IMCA TV Winter Nationals in Arizona, where she built early momentum with a string of strong finishes before settling into a dominant summer rhythm at Desert Thunder Raceway in Price, Utah — her home track away from home in 2025, located 301 miles from her hometown of Farmington.
“Our season was different. We weren’t planning on running for points originally, so our main track was Desert Thunder Raceway, and we raced there the most. We got one win there this year but had a ton of second-place finishes,” she said. “Hunter Ferrell raced there, and I got second to him at pretty much every race.”
That consistency became her calling card. In 32 starts, Mylee recorded 29 top-five finishes and a single win. From mid-May through late September, she never finished worse than fifth, stringing together long streaks of podiums at both Desert Thunder and Cortez Fairgrounds Speedway. Her composure behind the wheel — remarkable for a 17-year-old — kept her steady through pressure-packed weekends and long hauls far from home.
She also made the haul to Boone Speedway for the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, where she turned adversity into one of her most memorable moments.
“One of my big highlights this year wouldn’t be one for anyone else,” she said. “I messed up in my heat race at Super Nationals and came back that night and won my B Main. I know it’s just a B Main, but to do that with the amount of cars and the level of competition is something that I’ll never forget.”
Her determination, consistency, and poise behind the wheel defined a season that began as an afterthought and ended as a championship.
“I want to thank my dad for all that he does for me to be able to race, our chassis builder ‘Grumpy’ Dennis Spencer, and just all the other race teams that came over to help us whenever we needed it,” she said. “This class is one big family and always willing to help.”
Feature Wins 1
Total Top Five’s 29
Total Starts 32
Her Pit Crew: dad Curtis Rhames, Dennis Spencer
Her Sponsors: Gasco, O’Reilly Auto Parts, KFR Graphics, Rock N’ Roll Lincoln Holliday Farms, NASCAR MARK, Basin Tire, Basin Pump, Raymond P. Frieri, Steve Harger, Sharon McFall, Gene McFall, Linda Burgett, Stan Burgett