Women Take The Wheel

01/09/2025

If you are looking to start a career in the NHRA series, check out their website for multiple openings within their organization and with some of the teams. They have a wide variety of positions that include crew work, hospitality and show jobs. Check it out to see if there is a career for you!

NHRA LAUNCH MOTORSPORTS CAREERS® is a motorsports career platform dedicated to providing career opportunities to those with a passion for motorsports.

01/07/2025

Big News today: Alexis DeJoria Racing is joining JCM Racing in 2025! Competition Plus has all the details. We wish Alexis the best of luck!

The silly season is far from over as Alexis DeJoria joins JCM Racing for 2025.
FULL STORY - https://competitionplus.com/alexis-dejoria-joins-jcm-racing-for-2025-nhra-season/

12/31/2024

New Podcast Alert 🚨 At Performance Racing Industry I was able to have a great conversation with Cindy Sisson of Women in Motorsports NA in the PRI Podcast booth. Take a listen to learn about her incredible career and the impact she has made on women in racing and other sports. Plus, she shares one of her top tips for expanding your network.

You can find wherever you get your podcasts and also at the link below!
https://www.wishtv.com/podcast-episode/in-the-pri-podcast-booth-with-cindy-sisson-from-women-in-motorsports-north-america/

12/18/2024

Another Performance Racing Industry show is in the books! What a great - be it exhausting - week. I was able to catch up with past guests and network with women for upcoming podcasts. Thank you to everyone who stopped and said hi to me. I also recorded a podcast with Cindy Sisson of Women in Motorsports NA that should be dropping soon. I also caught up with the friends at Della Penna Foundation to talk big events coming up in 2025.
Also a shout out to pistonsandpeonies for the great meet-up she puts together every year!

12/03/2024

Who's coming to Performance Racing Industry show next week?! Women Take The Wheel podcast will be back in the PRI Podcast booth! You can catch me live interview with Cindy Sisson of Women in Motorsports NA Thursday, at 11a.
I can't wait to catch up with former podcast guests, and meet new friends who I can record a podcast with in the future!
When I am not in the podcast booth, you can catch me running around the show or in the Clark Copper Head Gaskets booth - 1908.

11/18/2024

Congrats to Julie Nataas Racing for winning her final TAD race with Randy Meyer Racing. We cannot wait to see Julie embark on her next racing adventure!!

11/13/2024

This sweepstakes is for "The Indy Era" helmet a part of the series created by Bell Racing Helmets inspired by the Taylor Swift Era's Tour.

11/01/2024

Here is an amazing opportunity for college students, to get their foot in the door if they are thinking about a career in motorsports!

‼️‼️‼️INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES‼️‼️‼️

If you are or know a college student who is interested in an internship at IndyCar or Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 2025. PLEASE make sure you share this post, or send them the link below! While this isn't an internship opportunity for our normal youth or High School Girls we KNOW our community has incredible reach and that this could help change somebody's whole career trajectory.

https://recruiting.ultipro.com/PEN1024PMCO/JobBoard/5ad6ac0e-0d86-4154-b9b5-d663b091efca/?q=&o=postedDateDesc&w=&wc=&we=&wpst=&f5=yhtoWz7YckG1IAUNUQleEA

#500 #2025

10/25/2024

Are you ready for it? Taylor Swift is headed to Indianapolis next week and thousands of Swifties will be flooding into downtown! On this week's podcast, hear how Bell Racing is having some fun with this and teaching all those fans about famous women in motorsports. Listen to find out where the helmets will be and how you can get one of those helmets to benefit Women in Motorsports NA.

https://www.wishtv.com/podcast-episode/are-you-ready-for-it-swifties-learn-about-great-female-drivers-thanks-to-bell-racing-helmets/

10/10/2024

Big congrats to past guest - and friend of - Dystany Spurlock Racing for her XDA win over the weekend! Way to go! Hard work pays off!

First I have to give all Glory, Honor and Praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I am nothing without God!
This weekend was by far more than anything I could’ve ever imagined and dreamed of.

I’m going to start with the week leading up to the race. I was struggling mentally with somethings. I felt unaligned, unable to focus and just not myself. I then realized I had to go inward. It was time to get back to myself and purpose. I decided to do a 3 day fast. Coming out of my fast the layers started to come off and I started to see myself a little more each day.

As the race weekend approached my only focus was to do everything within my power to control only what I could control and let the rest be what it was supposed to be. Then I told myself I would like to Win this race so I had to give it my all.

My amazing team GForce Race Engines ( Landon Ingram, Courtlan Whiting, Wade Ingram, Richie Brotherton, Mike, Joey) came ready to take on the world. Friday night before Qualifier 1 we tested the bike. Then came an issue when I proceeded to do my burnout. So I stopped and we took the bike back to the trailer. Come to find out we had a bad channel in our ECU. Steve Nichols saved the day, he had a MaxxECU on hand for us! Once we got that taken care of we went out for Q1 and everything worked smoothly.

Day 2 of the race weekend was here. The team started the bike and guess what… more gremlins. Big Mama (that’s what I named the bike lol) was running on 3 cylinders. So the team did what they do! They found the problem and we were back up and running! When I say I can’t give enough praise to these guys I mean that!

Well we didn’t know what was about to happen… we set the New Real Street all motor record in qualifying and then grabbed the #1 Qualifying position! I was excited but I was focused on winning the race! I had to take it one round at a time.

Sunday Race Day. I was ready to get to the goal. I won first round but then came second round. Ugh oh Big Mama got a little excited and decided she wanted to be a rocket and the front wheel came up Sky high. Thankfully I corrected it without losing too much momentum. Then came the Semifinals where I would meet Courtlan. The race that the entire race community has been waiting for through our entire time together. We would always get asked “so who’s faster? Have you two ever raced each other?” Well now the time had arrived. We have always said if and when that time comes we will race each other fair and square. I was able to somehow win that round, even though Courtlan left me sitting at the tree I got him at the finish line.

At that point I told myself “ok Dystany you have now made it to your THIRD FINALS, you have to make this count!” And I did just that I WON. But not only did I win I lowered the Real Street Record, Series Record, and Track Record with a 7.32 at 178mph all while also becoming the first woman to win a pro class final!

I am forever grateful for this weekend. It truly means the world to me. I missed two races and came into the Real Street Class in the middle of the year and finished 2nd in points overall.

Heads up racing has always been my favorite type of drag racing. I’m thankful for Courtlan Whiting for providing me the opportunity to race in this class he asked me if I wanted to race in the class. I looked at him as said “you know I’m not going to say no lol” he set up his 2017 Suzuki GSXR 1000 unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. When I say he takes pride in every bike he has ever built I mean just that! He will do whatever it takes to research and learn about each part, nut and bolt to perfection to set his bike up to its highest potential. I’m so thankful that I was able to put this bike in the winner circle! All the long nights hard work and dedication that he put into the bike didn’t go unnoticed.

Thank you Landon and team for all of your hard work, patience, and development with me as I became one with the bike! The many phone calls that you and Courtlan had to get everything together for me was everything!

Thank you to my family, friends and supporters for being there with me every step of the way!

Thank you XDA and Staff for all that you do and giving us Motorcycle Racers a great place to race.

My SPONSORS!!! I thank you with all of my being! Without each of you I could not live out my passion of racing without your support! Pure Fuel Sport VP Racing Fuels Vanson Leathers Inc. Bell Helmets Northern Tool + Equipment Primal GFX, Dave Conforti African American Automotive Association

10/10/2024

Check it out: THREE women up for NHRA Rookie of the Year drivers! Among them, guests and friends Ida Zetterström & Jasmine Salinas! Both proved themselves worthy of the honor with their on-track performance, and off-track involvement with fans and sponsors! Good Luck!

NHRA has officially announced the eight NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competitors in contention for the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year award.

09/30/2024

How cool is this?! FOUR women competed in Top Fuel yesterday at the NHRA - Julie Nataas Racing, Ida Zetterström, Jasmine Salinas and Brittany Force. I am lucky enough to have had 3 of those 4 drivers on Podcast! So happy to see their smiling faces at pre-race ceremonies yesterday! (And bonus - Jianna Salinas!) Scrappers Racing

https://www.nhra.com/news/2024/top-fuel-field-boasts-four-females-historic-sunday-start-st-louis

09/19/2024

So excited for Julie Nataas Racing who will be making her Top Fuel Dragster Debut next week with Scrappers Racing! We got together in the podcast booth to talk about her decision to move up, her longtime connection with the Salinas family and defending her Top Alcohol Dragster Championship.

New this week: You can listen OR watch! Click on the link below or download the our interview wherever you listen to podcasts!

https://www.wishtv.com/podcast-episode/julie-nataas-is-ready-to-go-faster-and-making-her-top-fuel-dragster-debut-next-week/

09/17/2024

Just out today, NHRA worked with females drivers and doctors for several month to address policies for when a women steps out of the driver's seat to start a family. What do you think about what they came up with?

For more than seven decades, the NHRA has been at the forefront of championing women in motorsports, and that mission continues with the introduction of a groundbreaking policy — the first of its kind in motor racing — designed to support female racers who are starting a family.

09/16/2024

Okay, the Scrappers Racing team aren't the only ones excited for this! We cannot wait to watch Julie Nataas Racing in her Top Fuel Debut at World Wide Technology Raceway! Good Luck Julie!

09/11/2024

For young women who want to explore a career in motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing has an incredible internship opportunity, thanks in part to PNC. The application window is now open! Apply at the link below!

https://chipganassiracing.com/wim2025

09/06/2024

09/06/2024

For all the women I have talked to who are interested in a motorsports career - this is a MUST ATTEND event in Indianapolis on September 26th! Businesses Attending: IndyCar, Penske Entertainment, NHRA, race teams, IMS productions and much more.

Join us for a Career Fair this September at Indianapolis Motor Speedway! Don’t miss this unique opportunity.