Katie Arnold, baby born in NASCAR parking lot, earns family ‘tickets for life’
Katie Arnold, who at five pounds also wins the Lightest NASCAR Fan award. That’s because Katie was born in the parking lot of the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday.
Arnold went into labor Friday and after her water broke, her boyfriend pulled into the Speedway’s front parking lot and ran into the ticket office, asking for help.
Shawna Arnold with her “NASCAR fan for life” baby, Katie, later at the hospital photo supplied
“You can’t panic, so you’re thinking, ‘what do I have to do at that moment to save this baby’s life?'” Arnold said.
“He’s like, ‘I can’t drive any faster, I can’t drive any faster,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not going to make it, I’m not going to make it,'” Shawna Arnold said. “And I had a contraction, and I stood up in the back seat on my knees facing the back, and I said, ‘I’m not going to make it. My water just broke.'”
KSLA details the saga as an event at the speedway provided on-site EMT’s that came as fast as they could.
“There was an EMT there that happened to be wonderful, he’s a great EMT, and he knew what he was doing. He made me feel comfortable, he made me feel safe.”
“We had a motorcycle event on track, and typically we would have a couple of ambulances on property to provide safety for the riders and competitors that come here to enjoy the Magic Mile. So it was timed perfectly for them; they knew where to stop,” Tom Blanchette said, operations director for the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Little Katie Arnold was born, weighing in just over 5 pounds. The Speedway awarded her two tickets to their NASCAR races every year for the rest of her life.
