DUNCAN COULD BE NEXT PHENOM.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

Remember the name Allison Duncan.

She may be NASCAR's answer to Danica Patrick.

Duncan, a NASCAR Late Model driver from San Rafael, won her first race Saturday night at Stockton 99 Speedway.

In a few years she may be doing the same at the NASCAR Nextel Cup level.

The time is coming when a female driver will win a NASCAR race at the national level. Veteran drivers such as Mark Martin know it's coming.

When that time comes, it's likely to surpass anything racing has seen thus far.

``I think it's going to happen,'' said Martin, driver of the No. 6 Ford Taurus for Roush Racing. ``I just don't know when and where. You know, obviously Danica has been able to breathe new life into IndyCar racing. I think that's fantastic. Although NASCAR's not gasping for air right now, you know, when it happens in NASCAR, it's going to breathe some more life into NASCAR, too.''

Will it ever.

Martin has been able to seen first-hand how the landscape of auto racing is changing. His son Matt is racing at the go-kart and quarter-midget levels, against some of the best 12- and 13-year-old racers in the country.

Boys and girls at that level have to prove themselves by winning, and no one is getting any favors.

``When you're Danica Patrick and you're 10 years old and are standing next to another 10-year-old and you're go-kart racing or quarter midget racing, that's your opportunity,'' Martin said.

``And if you go out there and you win, win, win, you have to do that. Every boy that is in NASCAR today did that. The same goes for females. You know, they have to do the same thing.''

Then why hasn't NASCAR produced its own Danica Patrick already?

There are a couple of reasons. First, it wasn't until recently that NASCAR began focusing its efforts on producing a quality female driver with its Drive for Diversity program. Women and minorities are being given unprecedented opportunities to not only drive for NASCAR teams, but work on their crews as mechanics and engineers.

Second, drivers are getting opportunities to race for top teams at an earlier age.

``In the old days, they had to race till they were 30 before you'd ever get a shot at NASCAR,'' Martin said. ``Now you're getting a shot at late teens or early 20s, and people are taking notice.''

Whether they stick around is another story.

Drivers such as Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray and Jimmie Johnson, they have already shown tremendous staying power.

Will Allison Duncan provide the same rewards?

``There's no physical reason why it can't happen, and there's no reason why it won't happen,'' Martin said. ``It just takes the right person with the right tools, with the right drive, with no distractions, being in the right place at the right time to get the opportunity and, bam - it could happen.''

Duncan is off to a great start, but other women who have preceded her have had great starts to their NASCAR careers. Shawna Robinson, Deborah Renshaw, Tammy Jo Kirk and Kelly Sutton have all worked their ways through the NASCAR ranks - but none of them have won at the national level.

Duncan may be the first, and if that day comes, people shouldn't be surprised. Among her other achievements, Duncan became the first female driver involved in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program to win a race. She's also the first woman to win a race at Stockton 99 Speedway.

``We've been close earlier in the season, but we finally did it,'' Duncan said in a release.

``Our success on the track is due to the great driver-development program between Bill McAnally Racing and Richard Childress Racing and their joint commitment to the Drive for Diversity initiative. This is great and we can't wait to do it again.''

She's not alone.

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BY TIM HADDOCK