Danielle Jones is 17 years old and has never worn high heels.

She prefers pants to skirts, car talk to gossip, and guys to gals for friends.

Jones, a Lawrence High School student, was one of only a few females on the Lawrence Auto Club’s team in the Great Race, the cross-country vintage car race that ended Saturday.

And she likely will continue to stand out. She hopes to join the male-dominated automotive field. Her dream: to own a custom automotive painting and interiors shop.

She is a rarity, said Maureen Sullivan Martin, a spokeswoman for the Automotive Women’s Alliance. Martin sees few women working in body shops and hopes Jones can be a role model for other women.

“I think it’s awesome,” Martin said of Jones’ plans.

Jones was 2 when her parents divorced. She grew up in the care of her father, Tony Jones.

“He was willing to play Barbies,” Jones said, “but it wasn’t my thing.”

Jones preferred Hot Wheels. Instead of dressing dolls and playing house, Jones built villages with roads for her toy cars.

Danielle Jones, 17, a student at Lawrence High School, isn't your typical teen girl. She likes to work on cars and took part in the Great Race. Some see her as a role model for other young women.

And she watched her father. When his car broke down, he would fix it himself because he couldn’t afford to take it to a mechanic. Jones would help. At age 5 or 6, she would hand her father the tools. As she grew, she helped out more. By age 10, she could help put in the water pump or replace her father’s radiator.

She could help, but she didn’t quite understand all the car parts. About two years ago, she took apart her first engine. Last year, she put it back together.

Jones now knows more about cars than her father does. She plans on attending Wyoming Technical Institute after she graduates high school.

Her father is proud.

“She’s bucking the system, so to speak,” he said. “There are still not a lot of women doing that sort of stuff.”

At school, Jones is one of the few women in auto classes.

But she likes being in an environment where men outnumber women. It cuts down on her competition.

“They can say: ‘I’m the best mechanic here,’ and I can say: `I’m the best girl here,'” she said.

Jones prefers to hang out with the guys.

“It’s hard talking to girls, because I don’t think I have anything in common with them,” she said.

Sure, she paints her nails sometimes. And she gets pedicures. But wear a dress? No way.

“About as dressed up as I get is a pair of jeans,” she said. “I’ve never worn a dress. What if you have a problem with a car and you don’t want to fix it in a dress?”