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That Colon is positioned as she is in the sport might have a direct link to the late, great Dale Earnhardt, the seven-time NASCAR Cup series champion known as “The Intimidator.”

The turning point of her career might have come in 1994 during a test at Talladega Superspeedway. At the time Colon, now 41, was involved in data acquisitions, which then was fairly new to the sport.

And at that time, Earnhardt wasn’t a big believer in Colon.

He told her at the test, “I give you a year. You’re not going to make it here.”

Colon was taken aback but ready to prove him wrong.

“More than anything, it was a challenge — he challenged me,” said Colon, who lives in Royal Oak with her husband. “He made me work harder.”

The two eventually became friends. Many months before Earnhardt’s 2001 death, he gave Colon the ultimate in validation.

“He told me, ‘Oh, I knew you were going to make it,’ ” she said.

GM hired Colon in 1995 after working four years as an engineer on a Formula SAE car. The young woman whose dream was to be an astronaut, apparently, always had the need for speed.

She admits she was apprehensive when joining the company.

“There were not too many engineers in the sport,” said Colon, who speaks with a heavy accent. “At the same time, add the whole female deal, and add the whole Hispanic deal it was just everything at the same time. There are some funny stories, like people asking me, ‘Hey we are waiting for the GM engineer,’ and I would be like, ‘Hellloooo, it’s me.’ ”

Throughout the garage Colon has earned her stripes.

Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, the two-time defending Sprint Cup series champion, said he most appreciates Colon’s frankness.

“For anybody to walk into this garage area in this day and age and be welcome by everybody is very difficult,” Knaus said, “and that’s something she has done.”