Growing up as a young Catholic girl in Puerto Rico, Alba Colon wanted to be an altar boy.

"I loved the church," she recalled. "I watched my brother do it every Sunday, but I couldn't. I said 'someone needs to explain this to me.'

There was no good reason, Colon explained. This incensed her further and would become a fire inside her to burn down any and every obstacle potentially standing in the way of Colon's goals.

In Colon's world, "no you can't" was always countered with, "yes I can."

It's an attitude that has made the 40-year-old engineer one of the most powerful women in the NASCAR garage, a place where until 1972 women were not allowed to enter. But in 1994, she entered, conquered and has the accolades on her mantle to prove it.

Now a top engineer for GM Racing -- the only female to hold such a position -- Colon ensures the Chevy cars have the speed to win races and the crew chiefs have the tools they need to win championships.

Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Alan Gustafson said Colon's knowledge and dedication has really shined through this season and last, evident by the successful transition Chevy teams made with NASCAR's new, more safety-conscience car.

"We were lucky to have her, she was a great help pushing for the support we needed whether if it was the wind tunnel or parts, her help showed up because Chevrolet has had great success with the [new car] program," he said.

And as NASCAR's Race to the Chase nears, Colon's support for the Chevy teams in the garage becomes more crucial; she is looking to add another Sprint Cup championship to the four already notched under her command.

It's a resume Jeff Gordon's crew chief Steve Letarte depends on heavily.

"Having Alba as a contact has really helped us expedite things, she's good at cutting through the corporate red tape and when you need stuff to go faster she always seems to find it," Letarte said. "She understands all the teams' goals in the garage and is a major contributor to Chevy's success over the years."

So it may come as a surprise to know that Colon's first day on the job working as a data acquisition engineer for GM, one of its biggest players and proven champion told her she wouldn't last a year.

"It was Dale Earnhardt. He told me I wasn't going to make it here," recalled Colon, who would go on to prove the "Intimidator" wrong and earn his respect.

After all, Colon was very much a rarity in the garage. Not only was she female, but she also spoke with a heavy Puerto Rican accent to mostly men with even heavier Southern drawls. And most times when Colon arrived to the garage, NASCAR officials glared at her and asked if she was there to see her boyfriend or if she was a driver's wife.

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I think racing will continue to embrace talent in whatever package it comes in. Issues of equality still need champions and still need to be advanced in our society, but I do think it's better now than it has ever been.

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ALBA COLON

"One time they wouldn't even let me in," said Colon, who along with a gender barrier had cultural barriers to overcome as well.

She remembers her first meeting with Kyle Petty, who at a test session in Talladega asked her if she wanted some "maters and taters" during the lunch break.

"I did not understand, so I just said no thank you sir," Colon said. "I had no idea and after that I went to go get some potatoes and he looked at me like I was being rude. Later I realized what I did. There have been a lot of embarrassing moments, but I just kept going. For me it was a big culture shock."

Once she learned the idiosyncrasies of NASCAR and silenced her critics, Colon was left to focus on the importance of her job.

In 2001, she was named GM Racing's Chevrolet program manager for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, the only top female engineer in such a position.

And with great responsibility comes great expectations. After a dominant 2007 season and manufacturers championship, Chevy knows that Toyota, among other manufactures, is fast on Chevy's heels in engine power and technology. Toyota currently leads the manufactures championship standings by 16 points.

Those 16 points is what drives Colon to stay ahead of the competition, perform additional testing and spend the extra hours pouring over data.

"Let me tell you one thing, that's what makes me wake up every morning and meet the challenge of the day is to beat them at the track," she said.

The track, a place where she once felt like an outsider is now a comfortable home for Colon. We've been told that NASCAR is no longer a good ole' boys sport and women have a place on and off the track. Colon is evidence of that and few have blazed a trail quite like hers.

"I think racing will continue to embrace talent in whatever package it comes in," Colon said. "Issues of equality still need champions and still need to be advanced in our society, but I do think it's better now than it has ever been. It's important to be an agent of change as well. I do feel a responsibility to help and encourage other women to achieve their dreams, but that is something I truly enjoy doing."