July 15, 2025 • 42 mins
On this episode of Throttle Therapy, Katherine reviews last weekend’s Sonoma Cup Series Race and answers a listener question about some Indy 500 lore. She’s then joined by the fastest woman alive, Brittany Force, to discuss how she transitioned from being an aspiring teacher to holding the Top Fuel speed record in drag racing at a whopping 341 mph. They talk about the mental and physical training needed for an NHRA driver, the women who inspired them, and the fan who gave Brittany a good luck charm.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Throttle Therapy
with Me, Catherine Legg. I am still sick. I've been
sick all this week. Just when I left for Sonoma.
I think my dad gave it to me.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I think he got.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Whatever it was in Chicago and then he felt the
need to pass it on to me. I thought I'd
beaten it. I was making fun about how strong my
immune system was, and then it got me, and so
I was pretty miserable in Sonoma. The NASCAR medical team
deserve a huge shout out because they took such good
care of me. They got me fixed up well enough
(00:57):
to race. So we have a listener question. I love
listener questions, so if you want to know anything, bring
them on. Thank you very much to Billy h and
Billy says, hey, Kat, I have a question about any
five hundred only, of course, if you're in a place
where you feel comfortable talking about it.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
In twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
You were supposed to do the five hundred with Peretta
when it was Grace Auto Sport. I know Beth didn't
talk about it often, but can you let us in
on what the process was like? What were the main
factors behind you guys being unable to secure a car?
And that was awesome seeing Peretta get off the ground
in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
It was strange they pursued a different driver.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I would say, good question, long time ago now, So yeah,
Beth and I kind of came up with the concept
together with a third person called Adrian, and we were
all all set. She said that she'd found the funding
to do it and that we couldn't get a.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Car or something like that.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I don't really remember the circumstances, but I remember her
going off the grid a little bit and not being
able to get hold of her. So didn't happen, and
then I just completely lost touch with her and we
didn't stay in touch. And then she decided to do
it with Simona, which was great. I mean, Simona had
been doing the IndyCar stuff more recently than I had
(02:15):
at that time, so she was a smart decision, honestly,
and I think there's probably other factors outside of that
that led to that decision, but I'm not mad about it.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
I just kind of wrote it off.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
It's one of those things like people go in different
directions all the time in racing. You know, a driver
might have a sponsor that you need the money for,
or it's a different manufacturer like Beth was linked to
Chevy and I was linked to Honda at the time.
So there's a number of factors that sometimes you don't
even they don't even register. Yeah, what a weekend. So
(02:57):
basically we didn't get to practice or call UI because
we had a break issue. So we we fixed that
overnight and the first stage of the race was practice.
It was like, let's see what we've got car wise
and make some changes and we can go from there.
So first stage I was trying to hold onto the
(03:19):
back of the pack, like literally just surviving, trying to
figure out what I need, trying to figure out the
track because I never raced there before or not in
that configuration. Raced there once in twenty twelve in an
IndyCar in a completely different track configuration, so it doesn't
turn one and two.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
That's about it.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So yeah, we figured out some stuff, and we were
learning through the first stage, made some changes to the car,
and then it gradually got better and we actually had
decent long run pace, but the peak of the tire,
like the ultimate lap time just wasn't there really, So
I don't know what that tells us, but I'm sure
(03:57):
it tells us something and we'll go back and analyze it.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
We did a.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Wacky strategy because we need a track position, so my
team was saying, okay, you're running lap time's around P fifteen,
but we were running p thirty or whatever it was,
so we want a track position. So we thought, okay,
after the second stage, we can make it until the
end if we save fuel and save tires. So I
(04:20):
tried to do both of those things, and the cars
that ended up stopping and putting tires on came past
me like.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I was standing still.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
It was so frustrating, but we did net a few
places and unfortunately I went yellow again, so just unlucky.
On the timing of the yellows, I think we were
around p twenty six ish, I got spun out and
we finished thirty first, so not the best of days.
I got out the car and I felt like absolute
(04:47):
dog poop. I was actually feeling better before I got
in the car, and then I guess, whatever it is
this bug that I have got a hold on me again,
and getting the red Eye back last night was entirely unpleasant.
So when you're not feeling very well, but here I am.
Actually I have a few days to recover. I'm actually
going to New York to meet with the l folks,
(05:08):
which I'm super excited about. I just need to make
sure that I'm healthy again. One of the highlights of
the weekend was meeting at the Driver's Meeting, I met
Britney Force and that is this week's lovely guest, the
fastest woman.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
On the planet, Brittany.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of Throttle Therapy
with me Catherine Legg and this week we are joined
by a legend in the sport of motor racing. It's
not anything I really know anything about, but I know
the name. The name is synonymous with, I don't know,
being a badass, being the fastest person on the planet.
(05:53):
I think pretty much everybody's heard of you, Britney Force.
Welcome one Throttle Therapy.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
So as I was saying, there's like maybe ten women
in the world who have a recognizable name in motor racing,
and you are probably at the top of that list
with all your achievements in drag racing. And you're going
to have to give me an education here because I
(06:21):
turn left, right and break and really know nothing about
your sports. So you got into it in an interesting way.
I believe you started off as a school teacher and
kind of got into racing relatively late, even though you've
got like a superhistoried racing family. So explain you're starting
racing to those of us who don't know.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I mean, I grew up around any trade drag racing.
My entire childhood was traveling across the country with my
mom my sisters to watch my dad. So my dad
is really a legend in the sport. Yeah, you can't
know any trade drag racing without knowing the name John Force.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
You can't know racing without knowing the name John for
it like it's pretty well the fourth name is legendary.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Did your mom ever race?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
She got licensed in a SuperComp dragster, So that's where
we all started, all my sisters and I got started.
I was sixteen and got licensed in a super comp dragster.
It's just straight line. You go about one hundred and
seventy miles per hour to the quarter mile, and that's
where I got started. I competed there for about three years,
and then I moved into the next class app which
(07:24):
was an a field dragster. Drove there for another three
years while I was still going to school trying to
figure out what I wanted to do. I ended up
getting my BA in English, got a secondary education teaching credential,
and then I had the opportunity to test in a
top field dragster through my dad's company, through John First Racing,
and I said, sure, sign me up, Like I'm not
(07:44):
going to say no to that. And then a lot
of work obviously went into that, just building a team,
getting you know, all my gear that I wear.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
So you started at one hundred and seventy miles, Now
that was the baseline. Yes, that's bunkers and half of us.
So you go now like three hundred and fifty or something.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Three hundred and thirty miles per hour. But I actually
hold that. I hold the speed record national speed record,
so three p forty one point five nine. We did
that in Charlotte, just this year, just a month ago.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
So you are the fastest person in the world, legitimately
the fastest person in.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
My class female. Yes, my teammate Austin Prac has me
beat by a freaking hair It makes me so mad.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
We've got to fix that. So yeah, sorry I interrupted you.
You talking about your safety equipment. Tell me tell me
about that, because it does sound like I mean when
you did it three hundred and fifty miles an hour.
It's kind of bunkers. So what do you what do
you have to wear? This different to what we were?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
For example, so were I were about twenty pounds of year.
I have a seat that is fully fitted to my body.
I wear some point harness. My belts are pulled down
so tight. I like to be in there tight. Some
drivers are different. I like to be as tight as
I could get, and my guys helped me pull my
belts down to where I could barely expand my lungs
(09:04):
to take a deep breath. And still when I step
on that throttle pedal, I'm thrown to the back of
my seat. It's like getting the wind knocked out of you,
getting kicked in the chest. But it's for whatever reason,
I still climb back into the seat. I still love it.
There's nothing like it. There really is nothing like it.
(09:24):
When I got license in a top field dractor, it
was two thousand and it was twenty twelve, and I
took a whole year just getting licensed in one. Everybody
does it differently. My dad and I thought it would
be the best Dada, let's get licensed in this top
field dracture. Let's take time doing it. So I worked
my way down the track. I didn't jump in this
car and go, you know, all the way to the
(09:45):
finish line. I worked my way down and it was
when I made my first whole pass. I was I'll
never forget. I was in Las Vegas, first full pass,
all the way to the finish line. I jumped out
on the other end. My mom has pictures. I have
the biggest smile on my face, and I said, I
just knew it. I knew in that moment this is
what I want to do. I know I went to
school to be a teacher, but I've completely changed my
(10:05):
step and this is the direction I want to go.
And then twenty thirteen was my rookie season.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
What does it mean to get licensed? That you have
to prove yourself. I have a series of tests a
bit let you do in NASCAR to get the permissions
that you need to be able to write.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
So getting licensed do you have to have a few
different drivers sign you off and you have to meet
requirements to certain points down the racetrack. And gosh, it's
been so long, I don't know that exact details of it.
I took a whole year, so I had been probably
licensed multiple times over and over. I was so far
beyond being license. But it's just working your way down
(10:41):
the track, going to sixty feet three hundred and thirty
feet half track, and then your full poll has to
meet the requirements of a certain et mile proer.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
It's crazy for me to think about. So I went
to an NHRA event in Indi ones and I think
it is with Lindse and James, and I think I
was stood at the stuff and I will never forget
I felt abused just standing there seeing the tire like
shrink and grow or the rubber come off it, the smell,
(11:13):
the noise, it was like nothing I'd ever experienced before.
It is a totally different sport to what I do.
It's just it's brutal, right, Like it's just aggressive, and
I don't think that people understand what your body must
go through to do that.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Like we have a lot more.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
G forces in the breaking and turning, and it's kind
of coming at us from every angle. But yeah, when
you say when you describe it as being kicked in
the chest, like, I can't imagine going from not to
three hundred and fifty miles an hour or three hundred
and forty miles an hour in like that amount of
time is just mind blowing to me being in the car.
(11:54):
I would love to experience something like that, but even
doing it one hundred and seventy seems like to the
average person, it seems crazy. So is it reaction time?
Is it minor corrections and the steering? Like what makes
you one of the best in the world? Like, what
is it to be a drag race so that you
need to do better than everybody else?
Speaker 2 (12:15):
It's so difficult for me. My biggest struggle area is
reaction time. It's something I've always struggled with. It's it's
I'm always going to be working at it. It's never
come easy to me. And I train, you know, away
from the track, I do everything I can just to
you know, help me. And reaction time because now these cars,
these races have been one because of reaction times, and
(12:36):
if you look back ten years ago, it really wasn't
like that. And it's like the speeds that we're gaining now,
the ets that we're putting on the board a drag race.
I mean, it comes down to a lot of the races,
Like I said, reaction time, So a lot plays into it.
Obviously a majority of it is crew chief and the
team and what they put into the car, prepping it
for the racetrack, the conditions that we're in. But then
(12:58):
it also comes down to the driver trying to be
as perfect as they can every single one, reaction time
off the line, listening to the car, feeling the car,
depending on what happens on a run. If it's just
a smooth run down the track, that's more simple. Then
you know, if it smokes the tires, if it goes
into shake, and reacting and pedaling the car and getting
it down there to the finish line first. But yes,
(13:19):
a lot of it does come down to reaction time.
Like I said, it's something I'll always be working on.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
So it's a bit like racing in that you need
a good car and then the driver can make the difference.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yes, correct, I mean it's parts, it's everything which John
first race and we build everything in house in our
indie shop. You can't really pinpoint one thing. It's a
combination of all the pieces being brought together and bringing
it to the line perfectly every single time, which is
so difficult to do.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
How many times do you get out of the car
and think, oh, way, should it done this differently? Or
I could have done that better? Or how many times
do you get out and think I nailed that. Nobody
could have done that any better than I.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Yeah, all the time. I mean I have the good
days and I have bad days. Love the good days
where you know, I did my job as a driver,
couldn't have driven any better, peddled the car reaction times,
you know, turned on four wind lights with my team.
And then there's days where I look at my reaction time,
or I peddled the car too slow, or I got
out of the groove, dropped cylinders and it, you know,
(14:16):
darted towards the wall and I let it take me there.
Like I said, good days and bad days. Some days
come easier than others.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Isn't that the truth? I think that's the same in
any school, they're not just racing and not just drag racing.
For me, the same you relish the good days, but
unfortunately the bad days are more prevalent at times. What
(14:46):
do you do on a day to day basis to
make you as good a race cut driver as.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
You can be?
Speaker 2 (14:51):
For me, it's staying consistent in my workouts, and I
guess i'd call it cock pit training. I try to
work out four times a week. I get bored these
so for me, changing my surroundings, changing my workouts help
me stay motivated. I have a big love for hot yoga.
I've been doing it for probably fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Do you like you?
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Are you a yoga person?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I am terrible at yoga. I like it.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
I don't like hot yoga, I have to say, because
I just feel like it's oppressive. I just committed to
doing more of it because these cars are so hot.
I think it would be very beneficial, but I'm terrible
at it, so kudos to you. I like picking up
everythings and putting them down again and being in competition,
so I like cross it and high rocks and crazy things.
Like that, but I need to be more stretchy, so
(15:36):
I will follow in your footsteps and do more hot Yoah.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
That's really impressive though.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
For me hot yoga, I mean yeah, the heat. I
feel like that helps me in a hot yoga class.
It teaches you how to quiet the noise in your
mind and focus on what you need to accomplish. And
for me, I've kind of carried that over in the seat.
A quiet mind is key when it comes to driving,
and that is so quiteing the noise is so difficult
for me. It's one of my biggest challenges. And you
(16:01):
can't you know, when you're up on the starting line,
you can't be thinking about cutting the light or pedaling
the car the bump at sixty feet.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You know.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
The goal is to not be thinking but reacting to
getting that where you're on auto pilot, You're you're in
the zone subconscious. Yes, yes, So for me, I feel
like that translates in a way the hot yoga does.
I don't know, I believe, but I also do. I
do hit workouts, I do strength training workouts for I
really try to focus on lower body more like explosive movements,
(16:29):
so building leg strength for quickness and power for stepping
on the throttle pedal. I also I work out with
the martial arts instructor. We work on eye hand coordination
exercises and reaction training. I've always had to put in
just extra extra work just to see the slightest of improvement.
But I believe that, you know, just that slightest of
improvement really adds up in the end, So I put
(16:52):
it in everywhere. I also have a I wouldn't really
call it a stimulator, but I prepare, you know, practice
going into the weeks. I have like a pit in
my home, in my lounge that you just sit in,
and I have a Christmas tree where I could practice
reaction times off the starting line, but also going through
the motions as if I were making it run, just
repetition of her team. It helps me by reacting again,
(17:15):
not thinking, and it kind of, you know, helps me
build confidence on the racetrack. It's just sitting in there
going through the motions. If I've been out of the seat,
you know for a couple of weeks and I climb
back in, doing that makes me feel just more prepared,
like Okay, I've already kind of done it. I've gone
to the motions and not that I need to, it's
just race day nerves all that. It's just it definitely helps.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, and the conditions change so much as well, Like
how do you train for that?
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Honestly, I'll usually, you know, we have a guy that
goes out and looks at our track, so we know
where every single bump is on the racetrack. We know
if it pulls to the center line, if it pulls out.
We talk about that before going into the weekend and
then just qualifying you get a couple passes in each lane,
so you get more familiar with it before race day.
(18:04):
So typically you know, and like on race date, if
I'm watching, if we're a few pairs back and I'm
watching the cars constantly aren't making it down the racetrack.
They're smoking the tires sixty feet out, They're peddling the
thing to get down there. I don't. I'm not trying
to focus on that. I'm still positively thinking our car
is going to go down there. But in the back
of my mind, okay, I might need a pedal to thing,
(18:25):
so figure it out, roll into it, get it down
there again. Overthinking for me is it's reacting. I mean,
I'm sure you know that.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Yeah, slightly different, but same premise, Like I don't have
a problem necessarily quietening my mind. I've done a lot
of work on it, but I do think that, especially
with transitioning to NASCAR, I'm not doing it subconsciously, and
the guys that are doing it subconsciously, like your subconscious
mind is so more efficient and just better at doing
(18:56):
things than your conscious mind is. Like if you have
to think about it, you're too slow. So it's the
same in racing too. But I worked with a mental coach, Gloria,
especially at the beginning, like a lot to figure out
how to program my thinking right, like on the run
up till weekend, how to quiet your mind, how to
get rid of the negt thoughts, how to be confident,
(19:19):
how to do all the things like do you have
mental coaches in drag racing as well, or did your
dad do that with you? Or how does that work?
Speaker 2 (19:28):
I talked to my dad a lot. He's my biggest hero,
he's my biggest supporter, and he's been in these cars,
you know, he knows everything. So I go to him
a lot. I go to I have two teammates right now,
Austin proc in the Funny Car and Jack Beckman. So
on weekends i'm struggling, I'll go and sit in their
lounge and they just give me a pep talk. But
I actually worked with somebody years ago, Scott Garwood. He's
(19:51):
pretty known in any trade drag racing. I see him
a lot of the time working with other drivers. But
again it's we call him everyone at the race track,
we call them the mind freaked. So it helps you,
and it's and again it's just figuring out how to
build confidence. Quite the noise. It's all mental training. When
you have a terrible around you screw up, how do
you leave that behind because you cannot carry that into
(20:13):
the seat with you or you're done, You're done.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah, no, I agree.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
And it's the same in racing, you and stuff to
fake it until you make it and believe in it.
I believe that this sport, well, my sport is I
don't know eighty percent at least mental. I would assume
yours is the same. Speaking of how do you think that,
I mean, technically we're both race god drivers, we're in racing,
(20:40):
but they're so vastly different. Like, did you ever have
any want to do any circuit racing, any oval racing.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Was it all.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
NHR because of your dad? Like, is it a totally
different sport. Would you be open to driving a open
worker or a NASCAR or something like that.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Well, I did a ride Wroong with Kurt but years ago,
and I'll never forget it was the craziest thing. To me.
I got out of the car and I thought, I'm like,
you were trying to kill me? Were you that was
any No? Like that was you know, our standard thing.
And to me, I mean, it was so different than
the world that I was used to. I thought, oh
my gosh, this is where it's done for me. This
(21:21):
is I'm not going to make it out of this
car again. It was so terrifying to me. And it's
because I'm not used to that, But for me, it's
it's I grew up in any try drag racing. Like
I said, my childhood was, you know, traveling across the
country with my mom and my sister sitting in the
stands watching my dad. And I got licensed at sixteen.
I competed in the Sportsman division for six years. I
(21:43):
did an entire year just testing in the top field car.
The car that I drive now before I actually went pro.
So I mean I'm completely dedicated really the last thirteen
years of my life to the sport. So no, I
can't see myself changing my career.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Doing a different time.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
I just can't. Yeah, and I know that's more common.
I feel like with what you do, like drivers do
move around a little bit more. But no, but I
think you guys are crazy.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I think you guys are crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
I think it would be the same as asking me
if I would try and h wright, would I would
I try one hundred and seventy mile an hour one slowly?
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Maybe? Would I do what you do? Hell?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
No, Like I wouldn't even begin to imagine what that takes.
And I don't have the physicality to do it anyway
at the moment. It's a bit like telling you to
go and do three hours in one hundred and forty
degree boiling race car.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
It just it would be it would be brutal.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Did your family ever have any interest in racing outside
of NHLR, Like when you're on the road with your dad,
was he like, hey, Jimmy Johnson just won this race
or was it just just different sports?
Speaker 2 (22:48):
So he's driven a funny cars whole life, which I've
actually I've got licensed in both the funny car and
a top field car, completely different animals. But for years
I'd always joke to my dad, why don't you get
in top field car try it out? And him It's
absolutely not like funny car, is it. I will not
leave the sport. I've dedicated my life to the sport,
so I guess it kind of just runs in the family.
(23:08):
That's you know, I feel the same way. I've just
dedicated so much time to it that no, I wouldn't
go anywhere else. I mean maybe for hobby, but not
career wise specializing.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
You're like laser focused.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
So I know your sister a little bit Courtney more
because she's in the IndyCar paddock sometimes. And I know
when I was coming up through the junior ranks, I
heard her name a lot.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Before we heard your So was she.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Helping you?
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Did you help her?
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Like?
Speaker 1 (23:39):
What was that dynamic? Are you close? So you're not
like I love my sister, but I'm not close with her.
She's in England, Like, how's that family dynamico?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
I missed having my sister out there. It really was nice.
I mean I'm surrounded by all males on the road.
I'm the Yeah, I'm the only female. I compete against
only one other female, and it's just yeah, a world
of all boys, which all the guys that I work
with are incredible, their brothers to me, their family. You know.
We go to Team Dinners, we go body when we
(24:10):
get into town early. We do spend a lot of
time together, which I feel is another key to why
we have success on the racetrack, because we are all
so close and we really do enjoy being around each other.
But the one thing I really do miss is having
my sister out there. So everyone thinks she is older
than me, She's actually younger. I just really spent more time. Yeah,
(24:30):
I spent more time in school. I planned to be
a teacher, was my original plan. So because I know
took some extra time in school. She actually got into
the seat before me. We both got licensed in super
comp and I feel at the same time we kind
of did everything together. Honestly, we're best friends. My older
sister Ashley as well. She drove funny car. She did
it out ahead of us, so we kind of watched
(24:52):
her as much as we were watching my dad. It
was really when she got into the seat because for us,
it was it was all men out there, that's what
dad does. And it really didn't wasn't when until Ashley
got in the car, my older sister, where we're like,
oh okay, girls could do this too. We were a
lot younger at the time, so that's what we kind
of followed in her footsteps. We did it together. She
(25:13):
got started a year ahead of me, but drove the
funny car, which, like I said, I've driven both those
things are freaking insane. I don't know how she drove
that thing, but I loved having her out there, just
a female perspective on it. The good weekends, the bad weekends,
just driving out in the morning, stopping and getting breakfast
on the way to the racetrack, just those simple things.
I've really missed having her out there. But she stepped
(25:35):
out to have children. That was and it was a
tough transitional year for her because for me, it's you
dedicate your life to racing, or you dedicate your life
to you know, I think I want to start a family.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Family.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah, that was what she did, both my sisters, you know,
before the season started, stepped out. I'm going to focus
this year on having a kid, and it was tough
because she diting get pregnant for a year and a
half later. So she always looks at that one year
and she's like, I could.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
Have judged her race.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Yeah, but you know, it wasn't in God's timy, and
it just it wasn't meant to happen that way. Now
she's two beautiful little girls and they're pregnant. They have
a third one on the way.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Congrats, So you are an auntie, you're going to be
an answer. It's like five kids.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Yes, I have a lots of nieces and nephews. We've
been we're on vacation right now up in Lake Tahoe,
so all the little girls and I we've been painting
our nails and making bracelets every single day.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Oh see, I wish my sister had had girls. That
would have been That would have been nice and I could
have done the same thing. She had boys, and they're
they're almost fully grown now, they pretty much are. And
they actually are both looking at motorsport engineering as careers.
The old one has done like an internship with the
F one team. They're both back in England. But I
(26:51):
missed out on all of that. I'm like you. I
I didn't have kids, you still have time.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
I didn't want tea because I focused on racing and
I was far too selfish to give up something that
I was so passionate about. I know it's so hard.
It's it's so much easier for the boys.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
I know, I know, it truly is. It's it's something
you know, I get asked a lot about, you know,
having kids, especially I just got married last November, and
thank you. It's it's something that is difficult. But I
you know, a lot of my friends growing up, a
lot of my girlfriends I remember back in elementary school.
I just want to have kids. I want a big
family for me. I never said that. I was kind
(27:35):
of on the fence. I'm more open to it now
that I'm married, but again, I don't know. I can
go either way. But for me, I'm not one of
those people that's all I want in life. I want kids.
I definitely wanted a career. I wanted to focus on that,
and that's where I've been, you know, the last you know,
thirteen years.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Well, I mean you've done a really good job at it,
so it's been worth it. Do you have any aspirations
like down the road to take over Joe Fullish Racing
(28:12):
or do the next generation and you know, get involved
in that way or do you think once you've scratched
the itch of the racing, whenever you decide to step
out the seat, you'll just be done.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
I don't know. Both My Courtney completely stepped out, removed
herself from it again. She has two little girls she
goes on the road with. She does still come to
our races, but goes to most a lot of Graham's racings. Yeah,
and Ashley, she when she stepped out, she has two
little boys. She stayed involved in Drum Forst Racing, so
she builds, does a lot of our social media staff,
(28:44):
a lot of our sponsor videos, our YouTube videos. So
she really loves that. She doesn't do the filming part,
more the editing part, and she loves that. So she
stayed involved. But it is something you know, we all
kind of talk about. They both removed themselves from the seat.
Down the road one of my to do that. And yes,
it's definitely been a topic of conversation, especially most recently,
(29:06):
but we're not there yet. We don't know.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, by the way, like you should be able to
decide when you step out the seat. I have the
same thing, like, oh, you're getting older, have you thought
about retiring? And I'm like no, because as soon as
I think about that, I think that's the beginning of
the end for me. But I do have I do
have a want and a desire to help the next
generation of girls, because I think there's so few of
(29:28):
us that have grown up in that environment where we're
just we are surrounded by boys and we feel a
little bit like an outcast, and we've had to battle
all those mental issues that we've had to go through,
and so I would love to see so many people help.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
Me on the way.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I would love to do that for the next generation.
And so I'd love to phase that in like we
had Janet Guthrie and Linton James and Sarah Fisher and
Danik get to a certain extent, you had Shirley mule
Downy from right.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
She was badass. Did you know her?
Speaker 2 (30:01):
No, I've never met her briefly over the years, but
for me, it was watching my sister. It was a
big role model. Shelley Payne was another one. I mean
when I was really little, and it was only because
I knew well. My family ended up being close friends
with her, Shelley Anderson now Shelley Payne watching her, but
she had I'm pretty sure she had a hot pink car,
and it was like, oh, she's got a pink car.
(30:21):
That's a girl driving that thing. And that's what my
sisters and I were rooting for, right And then there
was a few girls that came only for a short while.
I remember that, you know that came out and again
for me, I was rooting for them, and that's still
how I am. I always root for the girls, even
if they're you know, competing next to me. To me,
it's not like work against them, you know they're the enemy.
(30:42):
It's you know, there's only so few of us out here, like,
let's team up. Like I always root for the girls.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
I'm the same. I think there's two kinds of women
out there. I think there's like girls girls, and then
there's the ones who see other girls as competition.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
Yeah, I'm the same.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Until you've wronged me, and then I can be vindict
to I will always root for the girl too, because
I remember when I was nine years old and wanting
to be and I was driving go cuts and wanting
to be a race car driver. Like I saw this
girl Louise and she was racing go cuts and I
just thought that was the coolest thing, and I thought
she can do it. And I think representation matters, and
(31:18):
so like I'll always root for you in the NHRA
and Leah, I don't know her either, but I think
that it's important. And I think I've had the same
experience with my pink car at Indye. With ELF sponsorship,
it's more visible and then you get like this whole
girl power movement and it feels special to me.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, for sure. I mean girls that see your race
car go by and then they're in Target or wherever
they are and they connect the dots of oh, and
that's such an incredible sponsor. That's so awesome for especially
your position and everything.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
I love them so much, Like it's been miraculous, honestly,
and it's been everything that I'd hoped and dream But
you must have the same thing, like all the little
girls coming up to you racetrack saying that they want
to be a race car driver when they're older, and
it's so rewarding and.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
I done, Yes, I have. I have so many little
kids and yeah, like you said, a lot of them
are little girls, and they come up and I want
to be a race car driver because of you, and
it's it for me. That's a win in itself, you know,
just if I you know, obviously we want to win
races and you know, set records and ultimate goals championships.
(32:25):
But at the end of a weekend, at the end
of the day, if a little girl comes up to
me and she, you know, I inspire her to you know,
chase a dream or step outside her comfort zone or
you know, go after what she wants, then that for
me is a win in itself. And yes, a couple
of weeks ago, oh, we were in Ohio. We're racing
them Norwalk, Ohio. This little girl came up to me.
(32:46):
I get little gifts all the time. Little girls make
me bracelets, and it's the and I treasure them. I
hang on to them. So I put the bracelet on
and I wore it all week and long, and then
I guess her dad had came back. Our teammate once
we were in the winter circle and her dad came
out and he was like, is that the bracelet my
daughter gave you? And I didn't remember him I would
have remembered the little girl. He goes, she's sick. He's like, oh,
(33:06):
my gosh, that's the bracelet she made. You Can I
take a picture of it? So he took I held
my hand up. I'm like, I've been taken it off.
I've been wearing it all weekend. It's my good luck term.
And he took a picture. He's like, oh, she's sick,
she couldn't come today, but I'm going to send this
to her. And I was just I thought it was
so sweet.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
That is so sweet.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
It's things like that that you realize that you're making
a difference and it kind of keeps you motivated. What's
this season look like for you? Does it go like
March through October? How many races is it?
Speaker 2 (33:32):
We used to do twenty four, and after COVID we
lost some, so we do twenty events in our season.
Now we start in March and we end in November.
So it's a long it's a long.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Season, yeah, and it's all across the US and anything
outside of the US.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
No, we stay inside the US.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
So we just did a race in Mexico and I
think a race in Canada predominantly US based. I would say,
but I don't know of any other countries that have
big drag racing scene, Like I remember drag racing in England,
but it's nothing like the enormity of the sport here,
like the amount of brands and OEMs and fans and
(34:16):
TV numbers that you get and everything is I guess,
I guess it's the same as like baseball or hockey
or something like that.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Like America just trumps at all.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah, I mean there are race tracks, you know, outside
of the US. They are all over And my dad
actually raced Australia years ago and I think I only
think he went once. But we've for years been pushing
like we should go back to Australia. They you know,
they keep asking us to head there. But I mean,
with the rigs that we it would be a lot
(34:48):
of work. I don't know how we would do it.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
You could go raise somebody else's car out there.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
How does that work though?
Speaker 1 (34:55):
Like is it that you need to have one hundred
percent confidence in your car and and you know that
what you're getting is like talk ut.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
Yeah, yeah, that would be strange just to climb into
somebody else's car. Yeah, especially I'm sure outside of you know,
the United States. I'm sure there were requirements maybe different
than what ours are, specs and all that. So for me, yeah,
jumping into somebody else's car would definitely make me nervous.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Yeah, I think it's more normal for us to drive
for different teams and different manufacturers and different things across
the board.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
But I love Australia.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
I race there in Chamka like back in the day,
but one of the races that I really want to
do is Baptist So I have the same want to
go back out there, if just to take it off
the bucket list. Right, So what's next for Brittany. You're
going to finish out the season. Where are you in
the championship? How does that look?
Speaker 2 (35:48):
You know, we've had we came off of really our
last two seasons were really tough, and coming into this
season we're way ahead of ourselves. We got to win
an epping and you know we're halfway. We're at the
mid way, we're midpoints, so we're halfway through the season
and we already have a win under our belts. But
you know, the ultimate goal is we want to move
(36:09):
up in points. We want to be top three when
the points reset. And we can go into the countdown
and we want to chase down another championship. We won
one back in twenty twenty two and twenty seventeen, so
that's obviously the ultimate goal.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
So how does the countdown we're explain that to me?
Is it like the player?
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Yeah, so you have to be the final six points
reset and you have to make that top ten and
then all the points get pulled from you, and everyone
now is now crunch much tighter one to ten, and
now it's those top ten that are chasing that number
one spot. So I've you know, drivers have one from
(36:50):
I mean the number ten spot. My teammate Robert Hype
one from the ten spot years ago. I mean, you
could win from any position because now I've very points
are so crunched. Now you're so close together. I mean
one weekend, everyone could flip slop from where they were standing.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
So yeah, one good one or one bad one. I
guess you can't.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
It's going to be. That's tough.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
That's a lot of pressure, but it makes it more interesting,
I guess for the fans too.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Yeah. Actually I wanted to ask you. You were talking
about swapping from you know, different cars, do you have
the same team, the same group of people around you
or is it that different.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
No, it's different teams. So you'd have like a couple
of people, your core people who go with you, but
for the most part, it's a completely different team. The
team and the driver are much more much less integrated,
I guess, and especially in something like sports car racing
where you got more than one driver that you could
do a race for one team one week and then
be in a different car in a different class the
(37:47):
next week. So it's like in NASCAR Cup, I'm doing
a different team to NASCAR Exfinity, and so it's different.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
It's very different.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
But we do also have to have a certain confidence
in the car being especially in an Indy car, I
would say the car being safe and well prepared, because
if you're trusting somebody at twohndred and thirty, I mean
it's not three hundred and forty, but it's still two
hundred and thirty miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
You want to know that that.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Car is underneath you and it's not going to do
anything crazy, and.
Speaker 2 (38:20):
That make you nervous, like different people.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
Ye, sometimes it depends on the team. Like some of
the teams, like I can't wait to strive for these guys.
These guys are awesome and they're invested and they're behind you.
And then other times you're like, this is sketchy.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
What am I doing? Is this the right thing to do?
Speaker 1 (38:38):
So I guess it depends, but I've had to kind
of drive for some less than ideal teams just to
get the opportunities and the sponsors to move forward. I
would love to be based like if you're a Penske driver,
if you're a ray haul driver and you're with the
same team and you can kind of like develop that team,
then there's a level of trust and familiar that definitely
(39:01):
would help your your results. I believe I haven't been
in that position yet. One day, maybe Rogenski will call
me and say, here's a ten year contract, Catherine, then
I'll be there.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
No, no, no, I asked you that because it reminds
me of you're talking about, you know, swapping cars, which
made me think of it. And for me, I told
you my team, like I'm so close to him, and
you know, over the years, some guys swap to different teams.
We get new guys, but it's usually never a full team.
It's you know, a majority of those guys are still
there crew chiefs. But in it was twenty nineteen, we
(39:34):
did a big sponsor swap and a whole new team
came in and I'll never forget. We're getting ready to go,
you know, preseason testing in February or whatever month it was.
And I flew out to Indy where our shops were,
and it was I was fine out there to get
fitted for the car before testing and meet the team.
It was a whole new team, and so I walked
(39:54):
into our kit, our setup area, and I looked at
nine guys walked up to me, and I didn't know anything.
They were all just new faces, and you know, met
them all and I went up in my lounge and
I about burst into tears. And for me, it was like,
I don't recognize any of these people. I don't know
any of them. Like my whole team that I've been
with for the last few years, you know, you know,
(40:15):
we parted ways good terms, just things changed, and I'm like,
I don't know any of these people. Now I have
to trust them, like trust that they're going to build
this car, you know, as best they can, and safety
reasons and belt me incorrectly and not miss you know,
a belt loop, and yes, it freaked me out. And
(40:36):
now I've been with I'm still with most of those guys,
and I warmed up to them, you know, very quickly.
But it's definitely something I wanted to ask you because
for me, that was so difficult.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
It's overwhelming, it is.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
And also I get into this place where I'm like,
I don't remember any of that names even though they
just told me.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
Is that Hi, I'm Steve.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
I'm like, yeah, I've relsted that.
Speaker 3 (40:58):
But you get used to it either.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
Anyway, Brittany, I will let you go now because I
know I've taken up enough of your time, but it
was actually fascinating talking to you. Thank you so much
for taking the time to chat with me and introduce
my viewers.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
To drag racing a little bit.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Thank you. I don't know how much crossover there is
with the fans, but hopefully we'll change that and now
my fans are your fans and vice versa.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Thank you. I love that. Thank you so much. You
were wonderful and you're now one of my role models'll
be following you and looking at your track and I
heard you came out of a great weekend, I think
in Chicago. So congratulations to you and your career.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
Thank you, I will I will be following and sharing
for you. So say hi to your sister and say
hi to Gram for me and the kidders, and take
care and have a lovely VAKA.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
Thank you Mane.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
Thanks for listening to Throttle Therapy. We'll be back next
week with more updates and more overtakes.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
We want to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Leave us a review in Apple Podcasts and tell us
what you want to talk about. It might just be
the topic for our next show. Throttle Therapy is hosted
by Katherine Legg. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz, and
our supervising producer is Grace Fuse.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
Listen to Throttle
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Therapy on America's number one podcast network, iHeart, open your
free iHeart app and search throttle Therapy with Katherine Legg
and start listening.
Throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Throttle Therapy
with Me, Catherine Legg. I am still sick. I've been
sick all this week. Just when I left for Sonoma.
I think my dad gave it to me.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I think he got.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Whatever it was in Chicago and then he felt the
need to pass it on to me. I thought I'd
beaten it. I was making fun about how strong my
immune system was, and then it got me, and so
I was pretty miserable in Sonoma. The NASCAR medical team
deserve a huge shout out because they took such good
care of me. They got me fixed up well enough
(00:57):
to race. So we have a listener question. I love
listener questions, so if you want to know anything, bring
them on. Thank you very much to Billy h and
Billy says, hey, Kat, I have a question about any
five hundred only, of course, if you're in a place
where you feel comfortable talking about it.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
In twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
You were supposed to do the five hundred with Peretta
when it was Grace Auto Sport. I know Beth didn't
talk about it often, but can you let us in
on what the process was like? What were the main
factors behind you guys being unable to secure a car?
And that was awesome seeing Peretta get off the ground
in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
It was strange they pursued a different driver.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I would say, good question, long time ago now, So yeah,
Beth and I kind of came up with the concept
together with a third person called Adrian, and we were
all all set. She said that she'd found the funding
to do it and that we couldn't get a.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Car or something like that.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I don't really remember the circumstances, but I remember her
going off the grid a little bit and not being
able to get hold of her. So didn't happen, and
then I just completely lost touch with her and we
didn't stay in touch. And then she decided to do
it with Simona, which was great. I mean, Simona had
been doing the IndyCar stuff more recently than I had
(02:15):
at that time, so she was a smart decision, honestly,
and I think there's probably other factors outside of that
that led to that decision, but I'm not mad about it.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
I just kind of wrote it off.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
It's one of those things like people go in different
directions all the time in racing. You know, a driver
might have a sponsor that you need the money for,
or it's a different manufacturer like Beth was linked to
Chevy and I was linked to Honda at the time.
So there's a number of factors that sometimes you don't
even they don't even register. Yeah, what a weekend. So
(02:57):
basically we didn't get to practice or call UI because
we had a break issue. So we we fixed that
overnight and the first stage of the race was practice.
It was like, let's see what we've got car wise
and make some changes and we can go from there.
So first stage I was trying to hold onto the
(03:19):
back of the pack, like literally just surviving, trying to
figure out what I need, trying to figure out the
track because I never raced there before or not in
that configuration. Raced there once in twenty twelve in an
IndyCar in a completely different track configuration, so it doesn't
turn one and two.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
That's about it.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So yeah, we figured out some stuff, and we were
learning through the first stage, made some changes to the car,
and then it gradually got better and we actually had
decent long run pace, but the peak of the tire,
like the ultimate lap time just wasn't there really, So
I don't know what that tells us, but I'm sure
(03:57):
it tells us something and we'll go back and analyze it.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
We did a.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Wacky strategy because we need a track position, so my
team was saying, okay, you're running lap time's around P fifteen,
but we were running p thirty or whatever it was,
so we want a track position. So we thought, okay,
after the second stage, we can make it until the
end if we save fuel and save tires. So I
(04:20):
tried to do both of those things, and the cars
that ended up stopping and putting tires on came past
me like.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I was standing still.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
It was so frustrating, but we did net a few
places and unfortunately I went yellow again, so just unlucky.
On the timing of the yellows, I think we were
around p twenty six ish, I got spun out and
we finished thirty first, so not the best of days.
I got out the car and I felt like absolute
(04:47):
dog poop. I was actually feeling better before I got
in the car, and then I guess, whatever it is
this bug that I have got a hold on me again,
and getting the red Eye back last night was entirely unpleasant.
So when you're not feeling very well, but here I am.
Actually I have a few days to recover. I'm actually
going to New York to meet with the l folks,
(05:08):
which I'm super excited about. I just need to make
sure that I'm healthy again. One of the highlights of
the weekend was meeting at the Driver's Meeting, I met
Britney Force and that is this week's lovely guest, the
fastest woman.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
On the planet, Brittany.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of Throttle Therapy
with me Catherine Legg and this week we are joined
by a legend in the sport of motor racing. It's
not anything I really know anything about, but I know
the name. The name is synonymous with, I don't know,
being a badass, being the fastest person on the planet.
(05:53):
I think pretty much everybody's heard of you, Britney Force.
Welcome one Throttle Therapy.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
So as I was saying, there's like maybe ten women
in the world who have a recognizable name in motor racing,
and you are probably at the top of that list
with all your achievements in drag racing. And you're going
to have to give me an education here because I
(06:21):
turn left, right and break and really know nothing about
your sports. So you got into it in an interesting way.
I believe you started off as a school teacher and
kind of got into racing relatively late, even though you've
got like a superhistoried racing family. So explain you're starting
racing to those of us who don't know.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I mean, I grew up around any trade drag racing.
My entire childhood was traveling across the country with my
mom my sisters to watch my dad. So my dad
is really a legend in the sport. Yeah, you can't
know any trade drag racing without knowing the name John Force.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
You can't know racing without knowing the name John for
it like it's pretty well the fourth name is legendary.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Did your mom ever race?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
She got licensed in a SuperComp dragster, So that's where
we all started, all my sisters and I got started.
I was sixteen and got licensed in a super comp dragster.
It's just straight line. You go about one hundred and
seventy miles per hour to the quarter mile, and that's
where I got started. I competed there for about three years,
and then I moved into the next class app which
(07:24):
was an a field dragster. Drove there for another three
years while I was still going to school trying to
figure out what I wanted to do. I ended up
getting my BA in English, got a secondary education teaching credential,
and then I had the opportunity to test in a
top field dragster through my dad's company, through John First Racing,
and I said, sure, sign me up, Like I'm not
(07:44):
going to say no to that. And then a lot
of work obviously went into that, just building a team,
getting you know, all my gear that I wear.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
So you started at one hundred and seventy miles, Now
that was the baseline. Yes, that's bunkers and half of us.
So you go now like three hundred and fifty or something.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Three hundred and thirty miles per hour. But I actually
hold that. I hold the speed record national speed record,
so three p forty one point five nine. We did
that in Charlotte, just this year, just a month ago.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
So you are the fastest person in the world, legitimately
the fastest person in.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
My class female. Yes, my teammate Austin Prac has me
beat by a freaking hair It makes me so mad.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
We've got to fix that. So yeah, sorry I interrupted you.
You talking about your safety equipment. Tell me tell me
about that, because it does sound like I mean when
you did it three hundred and fifty miles an hour.
It's kind of bunkers. So what do you what do
you have to wear? This different to what we were?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
For example, so were I were about twenty pounds of year.
I have a seat that is fully fitted to my body.
I wear some point harness. My belts are pulled down
so tight. I like to be in there tight. Some
drivers are different. I like to be as tight as
I could get, and my guys helped me pull my
belts down to where I could barely expand my lungs
(09:04):
to take a deep breath. And still when I step
on that throttle pedal, I'm thrown to the back of
my seat. It's like getting the wind knocked out of you,
getting kicked in the chest. But it's for whatever reason,
I still climb back into the seat. I still love it.
There's nothing like it. There really is nothing like it.
(09:24):
When I got license in a top field dractor, it
was two thousand and it was twenty twelve, and I
took a whole year just getting licensed in one. Everybody
does it differently. My dad and I thought it would
be the best Dada, let's get licensed in this top
field dracture. Let's take time doing it. So I worked
my way down the track. I didn't jump in this
car and go, you know, all the way to the
(09:45):
finish line. I worked my way down and it was
when I made my first whole pass. I was I'll
never forget. I was in Las Vegas, first full pass,
all the way to the finish line. I jumped out
on the other end. My mom has pictures. I have
the biggest smile on my face, and I said, I
just knew it. I knew in that moment this is
what I want to do. I know I went to
school to be a teacher, but I've completely changed my
(10:05):
step and this is the direction I want to go.
And then twenty thirteen was my rookie season.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
What does it mean to get licensed? That you have
to prove yourself. I have a series of tests a
bit let you do in NASCAR to get the permissions
that you need to be able to write.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
So getting licensed do you have to have a few
different drivers sign you off and you have to meet
requirements to certain points down the racetrack. And gosh, it's
been so long, I don't know that exact details of it.
I took a whole year, so I had been probably
licensed multiple times over and over. I was so far
beyond being license. But it's just working your way down
(10:41):
the track, going to sixty feet three hundred and thirty
feet half track, and then your full poll has to
meet the requirements of a certain et mile proer.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
It's crazy for me to think about. So I went
to an NHRA event in Indi ones and I think
it is with Lindse and James, and I think I
was stood at the stuff and I will never forget
I felt abused just standing there seeing the tire like
shrink and grow or the rubber come off it, the smell,
(11:13):
the noise, it was like nothing I'd ever experienced before.
It is a totally different sport to what I do.
It's just it's brutal, right, Like it's just aggressive, and
I don't think that people understand what your body must
go through to do that.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Like we have a lot more.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
G forces in the breaking and turning, and it's kind
of coming at us from every angle. But yeah, when
you say when you describe it as being kicked in
the chest, like, I can't imagine going from not to
three hundred and fifty miles an hour or three hundred
and forty miles an hour in like that amount of
time is just mind blowing to me being in the car.
(11:54):
I would love to experience something like that, but even
doing it one hundred and seventy seems like to the
average person, it seems crazy. So is it reaction time?
Is it minor corrections and the steering? Like what makes
you one of the best in the world? Like, what
is it to be a drag race so that you
need to do better than everybody else?
Speaker 2 (12:15):
It's so difficult for me. My biggest struggle area is
reaction time. It's something I've always struggled with. It's it's
I'm always going to be working at it. It's never
come easy to me. And I train, you know, away
from the track, I do everything I can just to
you know, help me. And reaction time because now these cars,
these races have been one because of reaction times, and
(12:36):
if you look back ten years ago, it really wasn't
like that. And it's like the speeds that we're gaining now,
the ets that we're putting on the board a drag race.
I mean, it comes down to a lot of the races,
Like I said, reaction time, So a lot plays into it.
Obviously a majority of it is crew chief and the
team and what they put into the car, prepping it
for the racetrack, the conditions that we're in. But then
(12:58):
it also comes down to the driver trying to be
as perfect as they can every single one, reaction time
off the line, listening to the car, feeling the car,
depending on what happens on a run. If it's just
a smooth run down the track, that's more simple. Then
you know, if it smokes the tires, if it goes
into shake, and reacting and pedaling the car and getting
it down there to the finish line first. But yes,
(13:19):
a lot of it does come down to reaction time.
Like I said, it's something I'll always be working on.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
So it's a bit like racing in that you need
a good car and then the driver can make the difference.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yes, correct, I mean it's parts, it's everything which John
first race and we build everything in house in our
indie shop. You can't really pinpoint one thing. It's a
combination of all the pieces being brought together and bringing
it to the line perfectly every single time, which is
so difficult to do.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
How many times do you get out of the car
and think, oh, way, should it done this differently? Or
I could have done that better? Or how many times
do you get out and think I nailed that. Nobody
could have done that any better than I.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Yeah, all the time. I mean I have the good
days and I have bad days. Love the good days
where you know, I did my job as a driver,
couldn't have driven any better, peddled the car reaction times,
you know, turned on four wind lights with my team.
And then there's days where I look at my reaction time,
or I peddled the car too slow, or I got
out of the groove, dropped cylinders and it, you know,
(14:16):
darted towards the wall and I let it take me there.
Like I said, good days and bad days. Some days
come easier than others.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Isn't that the truth? I think that's the same in
any school, they're not just racing and not just drag racing.
For me, the same you relish the good days, but
unfortunately the bad days are more prevalent at times. What
(14:46):
do you do on a day to day basis to
make you as good a race cut driver as.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
You can be?
Speaker 2 (14:51):
For me, it's staying consistent in my workouts, and I
guess i'd call it cock pit training. I try to
work out four times a week. I get bored these
so for me, changing my surroundings, changing my workouts help
me stay motivated. I have a big love for hot yoga.
I've been doing it for probably fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Do you like you?
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Are you a yoga person?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I am terrible at yoga. I like it.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
I don't like hot yoga, I have to say, because
I just feel like it's oppressive. I just committed to
doing more of it because these cars are so hot.
I think it would be very beneficial, but I'm terrible
at it, so kudos to you. I like picking up
everythings and putting them down again and being in competition,
so I like cross it and high rocks and crazy things.
Like that, but I need to be more stretchy, so
(15:36):
I will follow in your footsteps and do more hot Yoah.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
That's really impressive though.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
For me hot yoga, I mean yeah, the heat. I
feel like that helps me in a hot yoga class.
It teaches you how to quiet the noise in your
mind and focus on what you need to accomplish. And
for me, I've kind of carried that over in the seat.
A quiet mind is key when it comes to driving,
and that is so quiteing the noise is so difficult
for me. It's one of my biggest challenges. And you
(16:01):
can't you know, when you're up on the starting line,
you can't be thinking about cutting the light or pedaling
the car the bump at sixty feet.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You know.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
The goal is to not be thinking but reacting to
getting that where you're on auto pilot, You're you're in
the zone subconscious. Yes, yes, So for me, I feel
like that translates in a way the hot yoga does.
I don't know, I believe, but I also do. I
do hit workouts, I do strength training workouts for I
really try to focus on lower body more like explosive movements,
(16:29):
so building leg strength for quickness and power for stepping
on the throttle pedal. I also I work out with
the martial arts instructor. We work on eye hand coordination
exercises and reaction training. I've always had to put in
just extra extra work just to see the slightest of improvement.
But I believe that, you know, just that slightest of
improvement really adds up in the end, So I put
(16:52):
it in everywhere. I also have a I wouldn't really
call it a stimulator, but I prepare, you know, practice
going into the weeks. I have like a pit in
my home, in my lounge that you just sit in,
and I have a Christmas tree where I could practice
reaction times off the starting line, but also going through
the motions as if I were making it run, just
repetition of her team. It helps me by reacting again,
(17:15):
not thinking, and it kind of, you know, helps me
build confidence on the racetrack. It's just sitting in there
going through the motions. If I've been out of the seat,
you know for a couple of weeks and I climb
back in, doing that makes me feel just more prepared,
like Okay, I've already kind of done it. I've gone
to the motions and not that I need to, it's
just race day nerves all that. It's just it definitely helps.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, and the conditions change so much as well, Like
how do you train for that?
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Honestly, I'll usually, you know, we have a guy that
goes out and looks at our track, so we know
where every single bump is on the racetrack. We know
if it pulls to the center line, if it pulls out.
We talk about that before going into the weekend and
then just qualifying you get a couple passes in each lane,
so you get more familiar with it before race day.
(18:04):
So typically you know, and like on race date, if
I'm watching, if we're a few pairs back and I'm
watching the cars constantly aren't making it down the racetrack.
They're smoking the tires sixty feet out, They're peddling the
thing to get down there. I don't. I'm not trying
to focus on that. I'm still positively thinking our car
is going to go down there. But in the back
of my mind, okay, I might need a pedal to thing,
(18:25):
so figure it out, roll into it, get it down
there again. Overthinking for me is it's reacting. I mean,
I'm sure you know that.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Yeah, slightly different, but same premise, Like I don't have
a problem necessarily quietening my mind. I've done a lot
of work on it, but I do think that, especially
with transitioning to NASCAR, I'm not doing it subconsciously, and
the guys that are doing it subconsciously, like your subconscious
mind is so more efficient and just better at doing
(18:56):
things than your conscious mind is. Like if you have
to think about it, you're too slow. So it's the
same in racing too. But I worked with a mental coach, Gloria,
especially at the beginning, like a lot to figure out
how to program my thinking right, like on the run
up till weekend, how to quiet your mind, how to
get rid of the negt thoughts, how to be confident,
(19:19):
how to do all the things like do you have
mental coaches in drag racing as well, or did your
dad do that with you? Or how does that work?
Speaker 2 (19:28):
I talked to my dad a lot. He's my biggest hero,
he's my biggest supporter, and he's been in these cars,
you know, he knows everything. So I go to him
a lot. I go to I have two teammates right now,
Austin proc in the Funny Car and Jack Beckman. So
on weekends i'm struggling, I'll go and sit in their
lounge and they just give me a pep talk. But
I actually worked with somebody years ago, Scott Garwood. He's
(19:51):
pretty known in any trade drag racing. I see him
a lot of the time working with other drivers. But
again it's we call him everyone at the race track,
we call them the mind freaked. So it helps you,
and it's and again it's just figuring out how to
build confidence. Quite the noise. It's all mental training. When
you have a terrible around you screw up, how do
you leave that behind because you cannot carry that into
(20:13):
the seat with you or you're done, You're done.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah, no, I agree.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
And it's the same in racing, you and stuff to
fake it until you make it and believe in it.
I believe that this sport, well, my sport is I
don't know eighty percent at least mental. I would assume
yours is the same. Speaking of how do you think that,
I mean, technically we're both race god drivers, we're in racing,
(20:40):
but they're so vastly different. Like, did you ever have
any want to do any circuit racing, any oval racing.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Was it all.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
NHR because of your dad? Like, is it a totally
different sport. Would you be open to driving a open
worker or a NASCAR or something like that.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Well, I did a ride Wroong with Kurt but years ago,
and I'll never forget it was the craziest thing. To me.
I got out of the car and I thought, I'm like,
you were trying to kill me? Were you that was
any No? Like that was you know, our standard thing.
And to me, I mean, it was so different than
the world that I was used to. I thought, oh
my gosh, this is where it's done for me. This
(21:21):
is I'm not going to make it out of this
car again. It was so terrifying to me. And it's
because I'm not used to that, But for me, it's
it's I grew up in any try drag racing. Like
I said, my childhood was, you know, traveling across the
country with my mom and my sister sitting in the
stands watching my dad. And I got licensed at sixteen.
I competed in the Sportsman division for six years. I
(21:43):
did an entire year just testing in the top field car.
The car that I drive now before I actually went pro.
So I mean I'm completely dedicated really the last thirteen
years of my life to the sport. So no, I
can't see myself changing my career.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Doing a different time.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
I just can't. Yeah, and I know that's more common.
I feel like with what you do, like drivers do
move around a little bit more. But no, but I
think you guys are crazy.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I think you guys are crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
I think it would be the same as asking me
if I would try and h wright, would I would
I try one hundred and seventy mile an hour one slowly?
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Maybe? Would I do what you do? Hell?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
No, Like I wouldn't even begin to imagine what that takes.
And I don't have the physicality to do it anyway
at the moment. It's a bit like telling you to
go and do three hours in one hundred and forty
degree boiling race car.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
It just it would be it would be brutal.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Did your family ever have any interest in racing outside
of NHLR, Like when you're on the road with your dad,
was he like, hey, Jimmy Johnson just won this race
or was it just just different sports?
Speaker 2 (22:48):
So he's driven a funny cars whole life, which I've
actually I've got licensed in both the funny car and
a top field car, completely different animals. But for years
I'd always joke to my dad, why don't you get
in top field car try it out? And him It's
absolutely not like funny car, is it. I will not
leave the sport. I've dedicated my life to the sport,
so I guess it kind of just runs in the family.
(23:08):
That's you know, I feel the same way. I've just
dedicated so much time to it that no, I wouldn't
go anywhere else. I mean maybe for hobby, but not
career wise specializing.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
You're like laser focused.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
So I know your sister a little bit Courtney more
because she's in the IndyCar paddock sometimes. And I know
when I was coming up through the junior ranks, I
heard her name a lot.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Before we heard your So was she.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Helping you?
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Did you help her?
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Like?
Speaker 1 (23:39):
What was that dynamic? Are you close? So you're not
like I love my sister, but I'm not close with her.
She's in England, Like, how's that family dynamico?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
I missed having my sister out there. It really was nice.
I mean I'm surrounded by all males on the road.
I'm the Yeah, I'm the only female. I compete against
only one other female, and it's just yeah, a world
of all boys, which all the guys that I work
with are incredible, their brothers to me, their family. You know.
We go to Team Dinners, we go body when we
(24:10):
get into town early. We do spend a lot of
time together, which I feel is another key to why
we have success on the racetrack, because we are all
so close and we really do enjoy being around each other.
But the one thing I really do miss is having
my sister out there. So everyone thinks she is older
than me, She's actually younger. I just really spent more time. Yeah,
(24:30):
I spent more time in school. I planned to be
a teacher, was my original plan. So because I know
took some extra time in school. She actually got into
the seat before me. We both got licensed in super
comp and I feel at the same time we kind
of did everything together. Honestly, we're best friends. My older
sister Ashley as well. She drove funny car. She did
it out ahead of us, so we kind of watched
(24:52):
her as much as we were watching my dad. It
was really when she got into the seat because for us,
it was it was all men out there, that's what
dad does. And it really didn't wasn't when until Ashley
got in the car, my older sister, where we're like,
oh okay, girls could do this too. We were a
lot younger at the time, so that's what we kind
of followed in her footsteps. We did it together. She
(25:13):
got started a year ahead of me, but drove the
funny car, which, like I said, I've driven both those
things are freaking insane. I don't know how she drove
that thing, but I loved having her out there, just
a female perspective on it. The good weekends, the bad weekends,
just driving out in the morning, stopping and getting breakfast
on the way to the racetrack, just those simple things.
I've really missed having her out there. But she stepped
(25:35):
out to have children. That was and it was a
tough transitional year for her because for me, it's you
dedicate your life to racing, or you dedicate your life
to you know, I think I want to start a family.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Family.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah, that was what she did, both my sisters, you know,
before the season started, stepped out. I'm going to focus
this year on having a kid, and it was tough
because she diting get pregnant for a year and a
half later. So she always looks at that one year
and she's like, I could.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
Have judged her race.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Yeah, but you know, it wasn't in God's timy, and
it just it wasn't meant to happen that way. Now
she's two beautiful little girls and they're pregnant. They have
a third one on the way.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Congrats, So you are an auntie, you're going to be
an answer. It's like five kids.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Yes, I have a lots of nieces and nephews. We've
been we're on vacation right now up in Lake Tahoe,
so all the little girls and I we've been painting
our nails and making bracelets every single day.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Oh see, I wish my sister had had girls. That
would have been That would have been nice and I could
have done the same thing. She had boys, and they're
they're almost fully grown now, they pretty much are. And
they actually are both looking at motorsport engineering as careers.
The old one has done like an internship with the
F one team. They're both back in England. But I
(26:51):
missed out on all of that. I'm like you. I
I didn't have kids, you still have time.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
I didn't want tea because I focused on racing and
I was far too selfish to give up something that
I was so passionate about. I know it's so hard.
It's it's so much easier for the boys.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
I know, I know, it truly is. It's it's something
you know, I get asked a lot about, you know,
having kids, especially I just got married last November, and
thank you. It's it's something that is difficult. But I
you know, a lot of my friends growing up, a
lot of my girlfriends I remember back in elementary school.
I just want to have kids. I want a big
family for me. I never said that. I was kind
(27:35):
of on the fence. I'm more open to it now
that I'm married, but again, I don't know. I can
go either way. But for me, I'm not one of
those people that's all I want in life. I want kids.
I definitely wanted a career. I wanted to focus on that,
and that's where I've been, you know, the last you know,
thirteen years.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Well, I mean you've done a really good job at it,
so it's been worth it. Do you have any aspirations
like down the road to take over Joe Fullish Racing
(28:12):
or do the next generation and you know, get involved
in that way or do you think once you've scratched
the itch of the racing, whenever you decide to step
out the seat, you'll just be done.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
I don't know. Both My Courtney completely stepped out, removed
herself from it again. She has two little girls she
goes on the road with. She does still come to
our races, but goes to most a lot of Graham's racings. Yeah,
and Ashley, she when she stepped out, she has two
little boys. She stayed involved in Drum Forst Racing, so
she builds, does a lot of our social media staff,
(28:44):
a lot of our sponsor videos, our YouTube videos. So
she really loves that. She doesn't do the filming part,
more the editing part, and she loves that. So she
stayed involved. But it is something you know, we all
kind of talk about. They both removed themselves from the seat.
Down the road one of my to do that. And yes,
it's definitely been a topic of conversation, especially most recently,
(29:06):
but we're not there yet. We don't know.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, by the way, like you should be able to
decide when you step out the seat. I have the
same thing, like, oh, you're getting older, have you thought
about retiring? And I'm like no, because as soon as
I think about that, I think that's the beginning of
the end for me. But I do have I do
have a want and a desire to help the next
generation of girls, because I think there's so few of
(29:28):
us that have grown up in that environment where we're
just we are surrounded by boys and we feel a
little bit like an outcast, and we've had to battle
all those mental issues that we've had to go through,
and so I would love to see so many people help.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
Me on the way.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I would love to do that for the next generation.
And so I'd love to phase that in like we
had Janet Guthrie and Linton James and Sarah Fisher and
Danik get to a certain extent, you had Shirley mule
Downy from right.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
She was badass. Did you know her?
Speaker 2 (30:01):
No, I've never met her briefly over the years, but
for me, it was watching my sister. It was a
big role model. Shelley Payne was another one. I mean
when I was really little, and it was only because
I knew well. My family ended up being close friends
with her, Shelley Anderson now Shelley Payne watching her, but
she had I'm pretty sure she had a hot pink car,
and it was like, oh, she's got a pink car.
(30:21):
That's a girl driving that thing. And that's what my
sisters and I were rooting for, right And then there
was a few girls that came only for a short while.
I remember that, you know that came out and again
for me, I was rooting for them, and that's still
how I am. I always root for the girls, even
if they're you know, competing next to me. To me,
it's not like work against them, you know they're the enemy.
(30:42):
It's you know, there's only so few of us out here, like,
let's team up. Like I always root for the girls.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
I'm the same. I think there's two kinds of women
out there. I think there's like girls girls, and then
there's the ones who see other girls as competition.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
Yeah, I'm the same.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Until you've wronged me, and then I can be vindict
to I will always root for the girl too, because
I remember when I was nine years old and wanting
to be and I was driving go cuts and wanting
to be a race car driver. Like I saw this
girl Louise and she was racing go cuts and I
just thought that was the coolest thing, and I thought
she can do it. And I think representation matters, and
(31:18):
so like I'll always root for you in the NHRA
and Leah, I don't know her either, but I think
that it's important. And I think I've had the same
experience with my pink car at Indye. With ELF sponsorship,
it's more visible and then you get like this whole
girl power movement and it feels special to me.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, for sure. I mean girls that see your race
car go by and then they're in Target or wherever
they are and they connect the dots of oh, and
that's such an incredible sponsor. That's so awesome for especially
your position and everything.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
I love them so much, Like it's been miraculous, honestly,
and it's been everything that I'd hoped and dream But
you must have the same thing, like all the little
girls coming up to you racetrack saying that they want
to be a race car driver when they're older, and
it's so rewarding and.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
I done, Yes, I have. I have so many little
kids and yeah, like you said, a lot of them
are little girls, and they come up and I want
to be a race car driver because of you, and
it's it for me. That's a win in itself, you know,
just if I you know, obviously we want to win
races and you know, set records and ultimate goals championships.
(32:25):
But at the end of a weekend, at the end
of the day, if a little girl comes up to
me and she, you know, I inspire her to you know,
chase a dream or step outside her comfort zone or
you know, go after what she wants, then that for
me is a win in itself. And yes, a couple
of weeks ago, oh, we were in Ohio. We're racing
them Norwalk, Ohio. This little girl came up to me.
(32:46):
I get little gifts all the time. Little girls make
me bracelets, and it's the and I treasure them. I
hang on to them. So I put the bracelet on
and I wore it all week and long, and then
I guess her dad had came back. Our teammate once
we were in the winter circle and her dad came
out and he was like, is that the bracelet my
daughter gave you? And I didn't remember him I would
have remembered the little girl. He goes, she's sick. He's like, oh,
(33:06):
my gosh, that's the bracelet she made. You Can I
take a picture of it? So he took I held
my hand up. I'm like, I've been taken it off.
I've been wearing it all weekend. It's my good luck term.
And he took a picture. He's like, oh, she's sick,
she couldn't come today, but I'm going to send this
to her. And I was just I thought it was
so sweet.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
That is so sweet.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
It's things like that that you realize that you're making
a difference and it kind of keeps you motivated. What's
this season look like for you? Does it go like
March through October? How many races is it?
Speaker 2 (33:32):
We used to do twenty four, and after COVID we
lost some, so we do twenty events in our season.
Now we start in March and we end in November.
So it's a long it's a long.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Season, yeah, and it's all across the US and anything
outside of the US.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
No, we stay inside the US.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
So we just did a race in Mexico and I
think a race in Canada predominantly US based. I would say,
but I don't know of any other countries that have
big drag racing scene, Like I remember drag racing in England,
but it's nothing like the enormity of the sport here,
like the amount of brands and OEMs and fans and
(34:16):
TV numbers that you get and everything is I guess,
I guess it's the same as like baseball or hockey
or something like that.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Like America just trumps at all.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah, I mean there are race tracks, you know, outside
of the US. They are all over And my dad
actually raced Australia years ago and I think I only
think he went once. But we've for years been pushing
like we should go back to Australia. They you know,
they keep asking us to head there. But I mean,
with the rigs that we it would be a lot
(34:48):
of work. I don't know how we would do it.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
You could go raise somebody else's car out there.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
How does that work though?
Speaker 1 (34:55):
Like is it that you need to have one hundred
percent confidence in your car and and you know that
what you're getting is like talk ut.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
Yeah, yeah, that would be strange just to climb into
somebody else's car. Yeah, especially I'm sure outside of you know,
the United States. I'm sure there were requirements maybe different
than what ours are, specs and all that. So for me, yeah,
jumping into somebody else's car would definitely make me nervous.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Yeah, I think it's more normal for us to drive
for different teams and different manufacturers and different things across
the board.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
But I love Australia.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
I race there in Chamka like back in the day,
but one of the races that I really want to
do is Baptist So I have the same want to
go back out there, if just to take it off
the bucket list. Right, So what's next for Brittany. You're
going to finish out the season. Where are you in
the championship? How does that look?
Speaker 2 (35:48):
You know, we've had we came off of really our
last two seasons were really tough, and coming into this
season we're way ahead of ourselves. We got to win
an epping and you know we're halfway. We're at the
mid way, we're midpoints, so we're halfway through the season
and we already have a win under our belts. But
you know, the ultimate goal is we want to move
(36:09):
up in points. We want to be top three when
the points reset. And we can go into the countdown
and we want to chase down another championship. We won
one back in twenty twenty two and twenty seventeen, so
that's obviously the ultimate goal.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
So how does the countdown we're explain that to me?
Is it like the player?
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Yeah, so you have to be the final six points
reset and you have to make that top ten and
then all the points get pulled from you, and everyone
now is now crunch much tighter one to ten, and
now it's those top ten that are chasing that number
one spot. So I've you know, drivers have one from
(36:50):
I mean the number ten spot. My teammate Robert Hype
one from the ten spot years ago. I mean, you
could win from any position because now I've very points
are so crunched. Now you're so close together. I mean
one weekend, everyone could flip slop from where they were standing.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
So yeah, one good one or one bad one. I
guess you can't.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
It's going to be. That's tough.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
That's a lot of pressure, but it makes it more interesting,
I guess for the fans too.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Yeah. Actually I wanted to ask you. You were talking
about swapping from you know, different cars, do you have
the same team, the same group of people around you
or is it that different.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
No, it's different teams. So you'd have like a couple
of people, your core people who go with you, but
for the most part, it's a completely different team. The
team and the driver are much more much less integrated,
I guess, and especially in something like sports car racing
where you got more than one driver that you could
do a race for one team one week and then
be in a different car in a different class the
(37:47):
next week. So it's like in NASCAR Cup, I'm doing
a different team to NASCAR Exfinity, and so it's different.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
It's very different.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
But we do also have to have a certain confidence
in the car being especially in an Indy car, I
would say the car being safe and well prepared, because
if you're trusting somebody at twohndred and thirty, I mean
it's not three hundred and forty, but it's still two
hundred and thirty miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
You want to know that that.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Car is underneath you and it's not going to do
anything crazy, and.
Speaker 2 (38:20):
That make you nervous, like different people.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
Ye, sometimes it depends on the team. Like some of
the teams, like I can't wait to strive for these guys.
These guys are awesome and they're invested and they're behind you.
And then other times you're like, this is sketchy.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
What am I doing? Is this the right thing to do?
Speaker 1 (38:38):
So I guess it depends, but I've had to kind
of drive for some less than ideal teams just to
get the opportunities and the sponsors to move forward. I
would love to be based like if you're a Penske driver,
if you're a ray haul driver and you're with the
same team and you can kind of like develop that team,
then there's a level of trust and familiar that definitely
(39:01):
would help your your results. I believe I haven't been
in that position yet. One day, maybe Rogenski will call
me and say, here's a ten year contract, Catherine, then
I'll be there.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
No, no, no, I asked you that because it reminds
me of you're talking about, you know, swapping cars, which
made me think of it. And for me, I told
you my team, like I'm so close to him, and
you know, over the years, some guys swap to different teams.
We get new guys, but it's usually never a full team.
It's you know, a majority of those guys are still
there crew chiefs. But in it was twenty nineteen, we
(39:34):
did a big sponsor swap and a whole new team
came in and I'll never forget. We're getting ready to go,
you know, preseason testing in February or whatever month it was.
And I flew out to Indy where our shops were,
and it was I was fine out there to get
fitted for the car before testing and meet the team.
It was a whole new team, and so I walked
(39:54):
into our kit, our setup area, and I looked at
nine guys walked up to me, and I didn't know anything.
They were all just new faces, and you know, met
them all and I went up in my lounge and
I about burst into tears. And for me, it was like,
I don't recognize any of these people. I don't know
any of them. Like my whole team that I've been
with for the last few years, you know, you know,
(40:15):
we parted ways good terms, just things changed, and I'm like,
I don't know any of these people. Now I have
to trust them, like trust that they're going to build
this car, you know, as best they can, and safety
reasons and belt me incorrectly and not miss you know,
a belt loop, and yes, it freaked me out. And
(40:36):
now I've been with I'm still with most of those guys,
and I warmed up to them, you know, very quickly.
But it's definitely something I wanted to ask you because
for me, that was so difficult.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
It's overwhelming, it is.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
And also I get into this place where I'm like,
I don't remember any of that names even though they
just told me.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
Is that Hi, I'm Steve.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
I'm like, yeah, I've relsted that.
Speaker 3 (40:58):
But you get used to it either.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
Anyway, Brittany, I will let you go now because I
know I've taken up enough of your time, but it
was actually fascinating talking to you. Thank you so much
for taking the time to chat with me and introduce
my viewers.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
To drag racing a little bit.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Thank you. I don't know how much crossover there is
with the fans, but hopefully we'll change that and now
my fans are your fans and vice versa.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Thank you. I love that. Thank you so much. You
were wonderful and you're now one of my role models'll
be following you and looking at your track and I
heard you came out of a great weekend, I think
in Chicago. So congratulations to you and your career.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
Thank you, I will I will be following and sharing
for you. So say hi to your sister and say
hi to Gram for me and the kidders, and take
care and have a lovely VAKA.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
Thank you Mane.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
Thanks for listening to Throttle Therapy. We'll be back next
week with more updates and more overtakes.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
We want to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Leave us a review in Apple Podcasts and tell us
what you want to talk about. It might just be
the topic for our next show. Throttle Therapy is hosted
by Katherine Legg. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz, and
our supervising producer is Grace Fuse.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
Listen to Throttle
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Therapy on America's number one podcast network, iHeart, open your
free iHeart app and search throttle Therapy with Katherine Legg
and start listening.
Host
Katherine Legge
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