Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop. I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! This week we have a special interview with a spontaneous, fun loving woman in the motorsports industry. Amanda Speed describes herself as an average, laid-back girl who can be a bit of a firecracker. She's a newlywed, and her daily life revolves around raising her 8-year old son Rex and of course her need for speed. Amanda has always had a passion for motorsports. It could be drag racing with her father or NASCAR races with her husband. No matter what she's always at a track!
Amanda was born and raised in King, North Carolina. She grew up in a drag 
racing family watching her father, Rickie Smith, and brother, Matt Smith, compete. Always having had the passion for motorsports in her blood she began doing public relations for her family in college and fell in love with that aspect of the sport. Amanda went on to make a name for herself in the stock car world managing the entire Jim Beam account for NASCAR and eventually handling public relations for Bill Davis Racing. Having excelled in the field of public relations and marketing, Amanda now controls the master schedule of a Sprint Cup Series driver who happens to be her husband - Scott Speed. "I went from handling lots of events with different companies and different media members, now I just handle Scott, which in itself is a challenge!" Amanda laughed.
Amanda was gracious enough to lend some of her rare spare time to answer a few questions for all of our GirlRacer followers. Let's take a speedy look into the life of Amanda Speed...
CAITLIN: How has your role changed from handling public relations to now managing a driver in addition to raising a family and being a wife in the garage area?
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop. I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! This week I'm going to take a trip to I-25 Speedway to meet two women that bring immense character to the Pueblo, Colorado track. Spotter, Shelby Wilson, and driver, Rachelle Lewis, compete at the track alongside their teams each week. Local competitors like Shelby and Rachelle make up a large majority of the motorsports industry. Females are impacting the industry one checkered flag at a time and hometown tracks are continuing to breed the future of our professional series.
I-25 Speedway is located in southern Colorado. It is on the front range of the famous Rocky Mountains. The track facility would receive five stars for it's lighting, concessions and grandstands. It is a fast lpaced 1/4 mile track with high banking and fast straight-aways. Now, let's get to the GirlRacers!
Rachelle has been competing as a driver at I-25 Speedway this year in the Grand American Modified series. She not only drives the car on race day she is also the owner, spotter and a mechanic. She works 30-hour weeks in addition to her racing schedule. Rachelle claims at times it is tough to balance everything out in her life especially because she is the general contractor on her new home, but in the end it is worth it to strap into the driver's seat.
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly Pit Stop! I'm your driver - Caitlin Shaw! This week I'm exploring a group of women who often get lost in the fast pace of the racing industry. Motorsport moms are there for each crew member, official and driver every step of the way. They are a driving force behind the success of most racing professionals. Over the past week, I talked with a few different mothers in the racing community including my own mother. Sit back, strap yourself in and be prepared to meet some of these miraculous moms.
The dictionary describes a mother as, "someone that gives rise to or exercises protecting care over something else". However, motorsport moms realize their children are in a rapid-paced, potentially dangerous sport, and their maternal instinct to protect is much harder to do at high-speeds! Some moms get nervous and some don't, but each one realizes the risks, sacrifices and work it takes to have their child succeed at the track.
My mom is someone who despite many hardships in her life has risen to each occasion with determination and a smile. When I began to pursue motorsports as a career my dad and I left frequently throughout the school year and all summer long to race across the United States. My mom was the force behind us. She lived at least six months at a time away from my dad and me for the past five years. This year he left five months ago to help me run in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series and this week is his first time home. However, she takes everything in stride and while she has never been racing fan, she is a fan of our family and supports me in my dreams like motorsport moms across the globe support their children.
I received the opportunity to talk with multiple motorsport mother's this past week and I chose the following short interviews from just four of these inspirational women. The first interview is with my GirlRacer mom - Leslie Shaw.
