(Radio Iowaa) – The face of a missing central Iowa girl will be featured on the side of one of the stock cars competing in tonight’s (Friday) ARCA race at the Iowa Speedway in Newton. The driver of the number-31 Chevy is Rita Goulet, who’s also a full-time police officer near Charlotte, North Carolina. Goulet says the goal of placing the large sticker on both sides of her car is to give visibility to this missing girl and awareness to the plight of missing children nationwide.

“It’s actually going to be on every race sponsored by the National Police Association going forward. So after this race, it’ll be three more races,” Goulet says. “We’re going to pick a missing child from every state that we’re going to be racing in, preferably one closest to the track. Hopefully that’ll have the most impact.” The missing girl is 17-year-old Alejandra Tejeda  of Des Moines, who’s been missing since February 4th. She is five-foot-one, weighing 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Goulet hopes someone will spot her.

Alejandra Tejeda Picture

“There is a phone number on the side of our car, 1-800-THE LOST, that they can call for more information or they can call their local police department,” Goulet says. “That actually probably would be the best option is to call their local police department and let them know where they saw her.” Goulet says her dual role as a law enforcement officer and as a race car driver puts her in the unique position of being able to leverage the reach of motorsports to promote public safety.

“We have the opportunity to use our cars as billboards for so many things, advertising companies, advertising nonprofits, helping to raise money, and it’s like, why don’t we put a missing kid on the side of the car?” Goulet says. “Being cops, our first mission is to protect and to serve, and this is a great way to do that.” Tonight’s race starts at 7 o’clock and will be broadcast live on the cable channel F-S-1.