 She has also competed in auto racing.Since the late 1990s, Mandrell has hosted the annual Irlene Mandrell Celebrity Shoot to raise money for Wish Upon a Star, Inc. and the Boy Scouts of America.Ellen Irlene Mandrell was born on January 29, 1956 to Mary Ellen (née McGill; born 1931) and Irby Matthew Mandrell (October 11, 1924 – March 5, 2009) in Corpus Christi, Texas.