She’s got the face of an angel and the foot of a speed demon.
Gorgeous model Maryeve Dufault will become the first Canadian woman to compete in a NASCAR race when she makes her debut in the Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200 in Montreal Saturday.
The 29-year-old Quebec native, who once donned curve-hugging bikinis as Miss Hawaiian Tropic International, is looking forward to hugging the curves of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve racetrack in her Dodge Charger racecar this weekend.
“I am there to race and to give everything I got,” Dufault told The Post during a telephone interview yesterday.
The comely Canadian will be competing against NASCAR stars like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick, who is expected to race full-time in the Nationwide Series in 2012.
But Dufault said she’s not racing for the chance to beat out fellow stockcar sexpot Patrick.
“I am not going there to beat Danica in any way, I am going there to beat competitors,” Dufault said.
Dufault inherited her love of speed from her father, a motorcycle racer in Quebec. She started off racing bikes at age four, then turned to go-kart racing at age 8 before graduating to driving formula cars in competitions like Formula BMW USA.
She started racing in American stock cars’ ARCA Series this year, where she notched a top-10 finish at the Chicagoland Speedway in June.
Dufault, who now lives in California, spends her downtime racing go-karts to feed her need for speed.
“I just never, ever give up,” said Dufault.
She said the money she made from modeling gigs, which include a stint as a “Price Is Right” girl and appearing in commercials for Honda and Dodge, went straight to her racecars.
“I wasn’t buying myself clothes. I was buying tires,” Dufault said. “I am a racer who uses modeling jobs to pay my bills.”
Her experience competing in the “macho” ARCA series – where a few male drivers roughed up her car – toughened her up, she said,
“My skin is getting pretty thick right now.¤.¤. They better not mess with me, that’s for sure,” said Dufault.
As she gears up for her big race, Dufault said she hopes for a feasible outcome.
“If I get top 20, I am going to be really happy,” said Dufalt.