Julie Giese - From Farm to Finish Line

From a dairy farm in Colby to the President of the Chicago Street Race, Julie Giese's journey is nothing short of inspirational. Discover how she transitioned from animal studies to revolutionizing NASCAR venues, leading multi-million dollar projects, and bringing championship weekends to life. Learn how her dedication, adaptability, and passion for racing propelled her to success and transformed Phoenix Raceway into a state-of-the-art entertainment hub. Join us in celebrating Julie's remarkable achievements and commitment to diversity in the racing world. Witness the power of perseverance and vision as Julie continues to make a lasting impact on the world of motorsports.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hi, I'm Julie Geese, I'm the president of the Chicago Street Race and this is her table.

(00:05):
Now you see her.
You are magnificent!
Welcome to her table, the podcast that shines a spotlight on the badass women who are redefining
the game.
Join hosts, Kate Foley and Megan Martinez as Pay Unlock the Secrets of Success in the
brightest female pioneers in the industry.

(00:26):
Welcome back to another episode of her table, we have an amazing guest today, my friend
and president of the Chicago Street Race, Julie Geese.
Julie brings a long history of driving results in managing high profile initiatives at
NASCAR venues.
If you have any questions about cars or racing, Julie, she's the girl to talk to.
Julie has been recognized by her peers for having strong leadership skills and her innovative

(00:50):
ideas whether it's with marketing or construction as she rebuilt the Phoenix Raceway here in Phoenix,
Arizona.
I can't wait to learn more about what Julie's done, trading in her hard hat for now taking
the street race to Chicago, so much to get into, so much to learn, pull up a chair, it's
her table.
Welcome, Julie Geese.
Julie, thank you so much for joining us today, we're so excited.

(01:15):
Look at that view, Megan.
I know, it's so nice, I'm literally so jealous, which was there.
You're in Chicago.
You know, on a 60 degrees at 65, yet there.
Yeah, it's, it feels like spring, so I'll take it.
The sun is out.
Hello from Chicago.
Now, you're from Central Wisconsin, grew up on a dairy farm.
It did.

(01:36):
And you are one of the top most powerful women in NASCAR.
I don't know about that, but, you are.
And you talked just a little bit about your journey into racing, so kind of how you've
made that transition from, from the farm life growing up in Central Wisconsin, so now
you're running Chicago race light.

(01:57):
Yeah, so it's funny, because again, growing up on a dairy farm, I went to college for agriculture
because that's what I thought I was going to do.
It's all I really knew and did an internship.
I think it was my sophomore year and realized very quickly, this is not what I want to do.
There are some I like.
So I'm a big advocate of internships, because you learn a lot about yourself and what you

(02:21):
don't enjoy.
So that's when I changed my major.
I still kept agriculture, but really started to look at marketing and what that opportunity
looked like.
And as I was getting ready to graduate, I knew I loved racing.
I grew up a race fan.
My dad's a big race fan, so I sent my resume out to all the race tracks across the country.

(02:43):
Like how hard could it be?
That's when they sent a lot of rejection letters, so I have rejection letters from most of
those race tracks.
And you still like those?
I do.
Do you have like a file?
Is it like a black box?
Is it like a red file?
Like there's got to be something special about where you keep it.
So I wish I could say so it's funny, because I didn't even realize at the time I had saved

(03:05):
them until I moved to when I was moving from Walkins Glen International to Daytona Beach,
Florida.
I found this folder called Jobletters, and I'm like, what in the world is this?
So I opened it up.
And it was the first one on the folder when I opened it was signed by the person that I was
just about to start working for in Daytona.

(03:25):
And he was a Phoenix at the time.
So it was like, again, you can't script those things.
It was crazy.
Like coincidences of it.
So I have those letters signed by most of my peers.
I remind them of that frequently.
So yeah, I started working on an agency and I'm an appellist and just continued to try
to network.

(03:46):
Knowing racing was what I wanted to do.
And a colleague at the agency knew someone who worked at Walkins Glen International in
Upstate New York.
He out of the blue called her about an open position.
And she knew I had that passion and she made the connection for me.
So I interviewed in December of 2000, an upstate New York, and moved there January of 2001.

(04:11):
And it was an entry-level PR coordinator position working at that race track.
And here I am 23 years later, still in the sport and back in the Midwest.
That's so crazy.
I love that you said, you have to find what you don't like, sometimes to find what you
do like.

(04:32):
That's something we've heard a lot.
Sometimes you're a path.
I think a lot of young women think the path has to be super defined.
You have to know what you want to do.
And majority of success or purpose-filled work comes from finding what you don't like to
do, right?
And then you're like, okay, this isn't for me.
I don't want to be behind a microscope.
I'm not going to be on a farm every day.
I don't have life.

(04:53):
But it's such a unique pivot for you to go into racing.
It's a fast-paced, high-energy, high-velocity career.
So when you started, you started kind of at the entry level position.
Skills did you take into that job that you had learned from your previous work that then
allowed you to kind of grow through that program?

(05:14):
I think for me, and I've said this, like looking back, growing up in a dairy farm at the time,
I did not love it at all.
And it was a lot of hard work.
Like, I've never been on family vacations, right?
I mean, you don't, the cows don't take days off.
So for us, it was just about hard work.
And I have two amazing parents that are great role models on, you know, if you're, again,

(05:38):
if you're sick, you don't call in sick, you've got to still do the chores.
And so they taught me the value of hard work and that hard work can pay off.
And I think that's really what has led me through my career journey.
I'm not afraid of the hard work.
I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and just do whatever we need to do to get the job
done.
And I think Watkins Glen was a really great first entry position for me because the Glen

(06:04):
back then, especially very small team, and we hosted so many different events and you
kind of, you got to learn how to do everything.
Even though I was a PR manager, it was like, we all had to learn different things on the
operation side or, you know, race morning, we're all hanging signage around the track because
that's just everybody did whatever needed to get done.

(06:28):
That was, it was just a really good training ground for me and taught me a lot about myself.
And you talk about the path.
I think that's one thing that, you know, I think everybody has, they know what they want.
Maybe in that, like what the destination is, but to get there, it is never a straight road.
It is lots of curves and twists and you just kind of roll with it and that's what, I

(06:51):
think that's what helps get you there in the long run.
I think it builds so much too, right?
Like it builds that grit and that like I might not be prepared or this might be outside
of what I was trained in, but I am confident in myself and I have the basic skills, right?
People's skills, communication skills, problem solving skills.
I think women are uniquely, finitely created with a lot more problem solving skills than

(07:16):
then I think sometimes, which allows us to kind of be that level head in a room, right,
when everything's kind of going crazy, which is just, it's wild.
So you never got a family vacation?
You just, oh, now Julie, are you like, I didn't get this throwing up so now I'm just
on straight making the tree, or just not into it.
No, like I'm not good at sitting still and so, like, yeah, still to this day of not going

(07:40):
on a family vacation.
And which again, I out like a long weekend, but at that point I just start to go a little
stir crazy too.
Oh my God, I need to keep myself busy.
It's crazy.
I know.
I feel like I'm learning so much about NASCAR and just like racing in general.
We had a guest on recently, Jacqueline, like filled me in and we were talking to her and

(08:02):
she was so honest about how she was starting out one of the only women race car drivers.
And so, Julie, when you were getting into the field, were you one of the very few women
that was working with that company?
So with NASCAR, I think, yes and no, I think for us from a management perspective, there's
always been very strong women involved with NASCAR.

(08:26):
I think for me, I had the opportunity to work at Daytona for 14 years and Daytona is obviously
where NASCAR started.
And you hear so many amazing stories about the France family and you hear a lot about
Big Bill France who founded NASCAR, but sometimes you don't always hear about any of the France's
wife who really was making sure that it could continue in his vision, could be realized.

(08:50):
And she was just as instrumental in the development of NASCAR as Big Bill was.
She was just always behind the scenes.
And now with NASCAR, our vice-chairwoman is Lisa Grant's Kennedy and she's just a tremendous
role model.
And so you've, like, I've always seen and heard about these women in the sport, so from a

(09:11):
management perspective.
But definitely when you look at, like, track leadership, when I was named the president
at Phoenix Raceway, I was the only female track president at the time.
I was the second one in NASCAR history, Gillian Zucker, who is now the president of basketball
operations at the LA Clippers.

(09:32):
She was our first female track president and a mentor of mine.
And so I've never really thought about the only female or whatever.
And that was like one of the very first questions.
And for me, it was just like, well, I'm a hard worker.
I'm good at what I do.

(09:52):
Like, I want that to be the lead story, not a woman in the position.
But I also understand the responsibility that comes with it, too, like being a role model
and continuing to be an advocate.
So I think now I'm loved that I'm one of four female track presidents and continue to try

(10:13):
to lift up women and help them get involved in the sport, see the opportunities.
And you see it across a lot of different parts of our sport now, too, whether it's management
and redeeming just behind the wheel with what Hayley Deacon's doing.
And we've got women that go over the wall and change tires now.
We've got lead engineers.

(10:34):
It's just it's fun to see that opportunity and women taking advantage of it.
So when you left New York space, you went to Daytona.
Daytona was about to get like a revamp, like like a $400 million revamp that you were
then going to be in charge of.
That's not just like operations.

(10:56):
That's construction, design, management.
What kind of led you to that?
Like, okay, I'm going to go to Daytona and just kind of blow this up and start all over
and build it better bigger.
How did you feel confident to be able to do that?
Well, it's funny because I had no idea that that was going to happen.
And I really fell into that role.
And it wasn't something that anybody approached me or even a role that was created as we were

(11:21):
going through that renovation of the speedway.
I was the vice president of marketing and so much of the decisions that go into how we
were creating this really tight.
I mean, marketing is like the center of everything, right?
And so like I was just in a lot of conversations and I love the operation side of our business,

(11:43):
even though my background is marketing.
And so that like I was able to kind of I was a translator essentially.
So I kind of fell into this role where I was working with the design team and the construction
team and then with the track team as we were developing Daytona rising and just kind of fell
into this this role with the construction team.

(12:05):
And it was a lot of fun.
It was incredibly challenging because it was something I had never done before.
But that's something that over my career, like those are things that really get me excited.
And like it's new things, blank sheets of paper.
How do we be creative?
How do we develop something new?
And so I embraced it.
Like one of my tasks in with Daytona rising was all the signage around the venue and it's

(12:28):
two and a half mile venue and or track and the grandstands themselves are nine tenths
of a mile long.
So you can actually run a half marathon across all of the grandstands, all the levels believe
it.
Crazy.
So you think about all the signs I have to go into there.
So placement to all the like how they get a fixed and like what's going on them.

(12:50):
And I learned so much during that process.
And I also like I knew that place probably better than almost anybody because we had to
do the signage for it.
And it was over 10,000 signs that we had a like place and write content for.
And so it was just one of the things where I just embraced it and loved the opportunity.
I've learned a lot about myself and that operation side, which then is what led me really

(13:14):
to Phoenix Raceway because we were just getting ready to renovate that facility coming on the
heels of opening Daytona rising.
And so then I traded in the marketing hat for a construction ad and still toe boots, which
was crazy.
That was a shift for me to then join our construction team and really work closely with them on the

(13:38):
construction side as we renovated Phoenix Raceway.
So wild.
Yeah.
So wild.
I can't wrap my head around.
It's funny.
You see these and NASCAR probably is one of the most prominent sports for marketing.
I was actually just watching and I was telling Megan there's the special that has been done
on kind of the behind the scenes, like the hard knocks, what have you, NASCAR and what goes

(14:02):
into like the owner of the team, the driver of the team, right, the crew of the team.
Like they're all independent things, but they all feed into team ownership.
How does one become a team owner?
Like how does that happen?
I know some of it's probably like down the line, right?
You would hear it these things, but it's not like it.

(14:23):
Yeah, but I think so.
You do, like when you look at our team ownership right now, there's a lot of legacy owners that
have been part of our sport for years and years with Mr. Hendrick with Hendrick Motorsports,
Richard Childress with Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs.
But then you see like these newer teams, 2311 Racing is a great example.

(14:47):
So that's a team that is owned by one of our current drivers, Denny Hamlin, as well as
man by the name of Michael Jordan, who is a huge race fan, believe it or not.
And he is, he and Denny own two cars.
And you know, for them, that's, it's a business move, but it's a passion play as well.
And over the last, you know, handful of years, you've seen a lot of new owners come into

(15:14):
this sport.
Trackhouse Racing is another great example.
Trackhouse is a two car team and they're owned by Justin Marx as well as Pippel.
And so again, thinking like he, Pippel's involved pretty heavily with the team.
And you know, for him, it was what I've heard from him is just what NASCAR is doing and

(15:37):
they continued outreach to new fans.
And then the business model with the new cars and you know, there are opportunities to
get into the sport.
There was a new car that was, was rolled out a few years ago called the next gen car, which
was really the start of some of these new teams coming in.

(16:01):
So it's been fun to see like that shift a little bit, but you saw those legacy teams that
are, you know, I've been in the sport for years and years and I think we'll continue to be
in the sport for years and years, coupled then with, you know, teams like 2311 who in
trackhouse.
So when you go to the tracks into the garage area, those two teams definitely approach things

(16:22):
very differently.
Trackhouse has sometimes they'll have somebody playing live music behind the hauler in the garage.
They've got neon on their haulers.
It's just, it's fun to see the different approaches.
What does that work?
In the NBA, you cannot own a team and participate within the league, right?

(16:43):
There has to be that clear separation.
But this I think is at the first time that you've had a race.
They're actively racing, but own a different car and different team because it's, I don't
know, how is that not like a conflict of interest?
He's trying to be a guy in the guy's car that you need for.
What is all that work and like, how, you know, how for you guys is it from a track perspective,

(17:08):
is it isolated or is it like, okay, we need to make sure they're together because they're
all, you know, same street, different houses kind of thing.
How does that work?
Because I just can't understand.
Yeah.
I mean, from my perspective, like you still have, it's still very individual groups and teams
that you're working with.
So like in, with Denny's example, like he is racing for Joe Gibbs Racing, but he is the

(17:31):
owner of 2311 and, you know, I'm sure there's a lot that he's learning that he's applied
into what he's doing with 2311.
But, you know, when it'll be the first to say when he's on the race track, like he's a driver
and he's there to win the race.
He's done him well with the field wins already this year.

(17:51):
And so I think from a track perspective, we work with all the race teams that are great
to work with.
And for us, it's just understanding the priorities for them, what's important, what their partners'
priorities are as well.
And then finding the ways to integrate them into our plans and the market.
And Chicago's such a, it's, there's so many opportunities and that's what's been so fun

(18:14):
about this role is, again, it's another blind sheet of paper.
We've never done this before.
We haven't raced in downtown Chicago.
And, you know, being able to work with the race teams and create programs that are important
to their partners or to their drivers.
And just whether it's a community give back, community impact initiative or different sponsorship

(18:35):
programs, it's been a lot of fun.
So I think, you know, that's what's great about our sport is everybody's working together
to make our score better.
And you can, if you need something, be able to pick up the phone and make a phone call.
And everybody is like, absolutely, here's, here's, either it's advice, here's how you
get there.

(18:55):
And you're so and so that can help you out.
And, you know, I had the pleasure of being in this sport for 24 years.
So it's, it's a great family network, honestly.
Wow.
And you, so you mentioned that this is the first time that you guys are going to have a race
in Chicago.
So how exactly like, is it like, how do they set that up?

(19:15):
How does that even happen?
Can you kind of go into detail for that, like with our listeners and everything?
Yeah.
So this is what's been so much fun.
And also, by far, the most challenging project that I've worked on.
And, you know, NASCAR, we've been around this our 76 season.
So last year, as part of the 75 years, we, you know, we're always looking for ways to introduce

(19:40):
our sport to new markets.
And in order to do that, like right now, you know, we race on a lot of fixed tracks.
Well, you don't have a lot of new tracks that are being built.
And so you have to, you want to go to new markets, you have to be really creative about
how you do that.
Several years ago, for the first time in LA, we put a racetrack in the LA Memorial Colosseum.
It was called, it's called the Bush Lake Clash at the Colosseum.

(20:02):
So literally like racing on the football field.
And I remember the first year, we all were just like, this is amazing.
And that was really what started like different conversations about, okay, we can, we truly can
do this.
And during the pandemic, just taking you back to where, like, how Chicago evolved was during

(20:24):
the pandemic, our drivers were able to continue competing essentially virtually on our eye-racing
program.
And so while we weren't racing live, they were staging simulated races on their simulators
that they have at home.
And those were broadcast on Fox.
And it was a great way to stay connected with the sport.

(20:47):
While we couldn't race in person, and it was fun to see that side of our drivers, it took
you into their homes.
And so as part of that, we were looking for different tracks to race on.
And so that led our team to Chicago to talk to the Chicago Sports Commission.
We actually came in and scanned the streets around Grant Park and created a simulation of

(21:10):
the Chicago Street Race that we ran virtually in July of 2021.
Our drivers actually competed on it.
And coming off of that, it was like everyone kind of looked at each other.
It was like, like, this could actually work.
Like we need to see if this can be reality.
And that was both from the NASCAR signing and from the city signing.

(21:31):
And that really is what led to like where we are today being able to race in downtown Chicago.
So we essentially in just a few weeks build a course on the streets around Grant Park,
to Subway Lakeshore Drive and Michigan Avenue to Barry iconic places in downtown Chicago.

(21:53):
The surf finish line is centered on Buckingham Fountain.
And last year at last July, we staged that Barry first street race, first for NASCAR, first
for us, first for Chicago.
And we were met with our challenges.
We got nine inches of rain on Sunday.
And this was really meant to be a music festival as well as a racing event.

(22:17):
And so we weren't able to get the concerts in.
But we were able to get the racing in.
And it was such a great story.
Shane Van Gisbergen, who was in his very first NASCAR race, came over from New Zealand,
won the race on his first start.
And really young, right?
Is he really a really young driver?

(22:37):
I think he's maybe early 30s.
He came over from the V8 supercars.
And so, and he had some, a ton of experience on street racing.
And obviously it was new for our drivers.
And one of the things, one of the big questions leading into the weekend was just how competitive
the street race was going to be.
Because you're not, like, you're racing on streets.
You're not racing on a purpose-built racetrack that leads to passing and competitive on track

(23:03):
action.
And our drivers will tell you, like, it was competitive.
I think Shane actually restarted the race, like, 19th, and had to come through the field
to win.
And, you know, I think for us, like, the location that we're racing in in downtown Chicago
is absolutely spectacular.
The views with the lake and the skyline.

(23:24):
And even with the rain, the broadcast was spectacular.
We drove almost $110 million in economic impact, which is obviously very important to the city
of Chicago.
And so, yeah.
So now we're back for around two here, July 6th and 7th.
And excited to be able to do it all over again.

(23:44):
How does that work for you guys on the street race side?
Because when I went to NASCAR, I saw LaTasha, and I went down, I was telling back in, like,
it's slanted.
Like, until you see this in real life, you really have no idea what you just things are
driving in circles.
It's legit.
Like, I don't think anyone gets it.
How do you do it that in the regular street?
Because I mean, I mean, respectfully every city has its challenges.

(24:06):
But Chicago has harder weather.
How do you ensure that the streets are actually viable and safe?
And the surface is correct.
And it's a much different scenario than a track that's containable, right?
No one else is on that track, except for during races.
As opposed to a street race, people are driving on it until when.

(24:28):
When do you shut the street down?
Because Chicago is in a small city.
So I'm sure it doesn't happen weeks in advance.
No, literally, we will enclose the course just days before the event weekend.
We'll start to put barriers in about a week before.
And for us, it's about making sure we're minimizing the disruptions.
Like you said, where we're racing, we're cognitive.

(24:50):
We have residents and businesses that rely on those streets to be able to move around
the city.
And so keeping that window tight is important to us.
But you talk about, so from a street perspective, so that is one of the things that makes
street racing unique.
And we worked closely with the city of Chicago.
And our drivers were racing on, I think, three different types of pavement.

(25:14):
There was concrete.
There was some fresh asphalt.
There was some older asphalt.
And they'll tell you, like you can tell.
And you know, as you're driving the car around that.
But where we are and what we were doing, really, the streets lent itself to the race.
There was some minor work that was needed leading into the weekend, but really minimal.

(25:39):
We weren't coming in and custom building this new course.
Like again, if that's part of the lore of a being a street race, is that the pavement
that you're racing on is part of the challenge.
And so I think that was one of the things, too.
You just didn't know.
Our drivers, they didn't get any ton of practice.
I think they got maybe 50 minutes of practice on Saturday before the race.

(26:02):
And so they're only way for them to really prepare is on these simulations.
And it's amazing how sophisticated these simulations can be.
They know, like they can model in all of the dynamics of the street, the type of pavement.
So that when they get here in the car, this comes off the hauler.
Like it's already kind of set up for what they think the course is going to be like.

(26:25):
So they can come practice.
They can make some final tweaks knowing that there's not a lot of time really to practice.
Like you get a short window and you're racing.
Well, I know.
I can't watch.
Like we have, I really wanted to and in and just to see it.
Like I'm assuming it'll be like on box.
It'll be on NBC.

(26:45):
Yeah.
So and that's what I'll tell you what, NBC's been such amazing partners to us on this event.
And, you know, to do a street race, like we wanted to make sure it was really important
that we were in an iconic location.
And I think where we are racing in Chicago is absolutely beautiful.
And around the park with again, that skyline and the lake, like there's really nothing better.

(27:09):
And so NBC really leaned in and embraced that and wanted to show the beauty of this city.
And that's one thing that I consistently hear from residents that maybe they didn't attend
or maybe they were just skeptical going into the event and was like, how is this going
to work?
Like why are we doing this?
And then they watched it on television and they were like, man, our city looked amazing.

(27:32):
And you know, it just like for us, we wanted to make sure that it was done to the highest
levels that it was fitting of the location that we're racing in.
And I think it did.
The broadcast was just spectacular.
Even with the wet weather, we were able to get the track dry enough for them to start

(27:52):
the race.
Sunday evening, like as the sun was setting and it was coming through the skyline.
I mean, it was just spectacular.
Oh my gosh, that's exciting.
Okay, I want to jump back to you left Phoenix to go to Chicago.
What was the hardest part of that transition for you from going from a standardized track,

(28:13):
something that you knew you built, right?
You knew the ins and outs of to really like 180 degree switch to not, you know, I don't
want to get it wrong.
Julie, is it a circle in oval?
I'm not trying to have them come from me and say the wrongs, which is it?
So I get it right.
It's noble.
Okay.
See, Megan, this is why I ask because I'm going to be like, well, circle.

(28:35):
I'm like, it's just round.
I don't know.
I know.
You go from a big track to street racing.
You hadn't done that before.
But I feel like every part of your career has been bring Julian because we're going to
do something new.
We're going to rebuild something.
We're going to do something new.
And we're going to do something new and we're going to rebuild this.
And then, okay, you mastered this.

(28:57):
Let's, I feel like you have a unique finite skill of being able to take something that's
unknown and create a space that allows for execution.
What was that like for you transitioning from Phoenix to Chicago?
First of all, the weather's a thousand times different.
I can do this with a weather count.
The weather counts, traffic counts.
I'm sure that, you know, being in Glendale, you know, way out where the race track is is

(29:20):
outside the city.
So it's very finite to it's not around a lot of things to now you're in the middle of
the city.
What was that transition for you like personally and professionally?
So personally, it was a, it was a great transition, honestly.
It was really hard to leave Phoenix.
I really, if you would have asked me in 2021, 2022, like even like I'm not sure I would

(29:46):
have ever thought I would leave Phoenix.
I loved it out there.
We had an amazing team at Phoenix Raceway.
But for me personally, it was, that was a big reason to make the move.
So I grew up in Wisconsin.
I have not lived close enough to my family to drive.
I can, but it would take days.
So, you know, and just getting a little closer to family was something that was becoming more

(30:12):
important to me.
Now I'm a car ride away a few hours.
It's wonderful.
And so I think aside from the weather, but we've been blessed with two very mild winters in
Chicago.
So I feel like it's easing me into it.
I'll take it in the summers in Chicago.
It really can't be beat.
I mean, it's like, it's like that springtime in Phoenix, like probably right now as you all

(30:34):
are experiencing.
You mean it's just, it's like the best time of year, right?
And that's what summertime is in Chicago.
Yeah.
So personally, while it was hard to leave Phoenix, like I was really excited because of family.
And then professionally, and say first, I am surrounded by an amazing team of people that
worked and continued to work on this event day in and day out.

(30:54):
It is, it is no small feat again.
We are building a racetrack in a downtown area, Chicago, nonetheless, like what third biggest
market in the country.
And we're doing it in downtown.
So for us, it was really about making sure that we did it the right way.

(31:16):
I mentioned some of the France family members, like we approach it.
Like we are representing a family.
At the end of the day, NASCAR is a family-run organization.
And they've taught us the importance of being good members of the community.
And so that's why when we decided we were going to run in Chicago, like we need to set up
an office, we need to have a team, we have to be in the market 365 days a year, and we have

(31:40):
to be present.
Like we can't come in, shut down the streets, run a race, and leave because it's just not
going to work.
And so that was the smell.
They're like, yeah, who should we send the complaint to?
You're like, not gone.
You can't send the complaint, I'm not.
I know.
Well that's the thing.
It was like, I spent, and like I spent the first year just having conversations and

(32:03):
listening and being able to educate people.
Because again, this was new.
It's never been done before.
So it's like, how is this going to happen?
Like what does it look like?
And so spent a lot of time talking just to residents and having that dialogue, understanding
what their concerns, where what their questions are.
And I think that has definitely helped us, even leading into the weekend, I think, like

(32:28):
sound was a big question mark.
Like how loud is this going to be?
And it was a question mark for us too.
Our cars were running mufflers for the first time in, or the second time in competition.
So we knew that there was going to be sound reduction.
But again, we've never run in this environment before with buildings and everything else.
And the first text I got from a resident Saturday after the cars were on track, I was

(32:53):
like curious what everyone was going to think was, is this all the louder it gets?
And I was like, OK, good.
Here we go.
Yeah.
And then everyone was like, this is amazing.
And just to see those cars coming through.
So yeah, I mean, I love, I said it really.
I love blind sheets of paper.
I love, I love, you know, being able to kind of put puzzle pieces together.

(33:14):
You talked to you earlier about women being problem solvers.
I mean, that's what this role has been.
It's just continuing to try to like work through any and all challenges.
And just do it the right way.
That was really important to us, that, you know, everyone, no matter what, we know what we're
doing is different.

(33:35):
We are disrupting normal behaviors, like by closing streets.
And you know, for us, like making sure everyone knew that we didn't take that lightly, that
we were trying to minimize all those disruptions and just being present and having those conversations
and answering emails and text messages and phone calls from residents and businesses,

(33:57):
just to make sure if they needed anything, they knew that we were going to be responsive
and be a partner.
Do you just collect people like I do that?
Like I find a good person like, oh, you can come with me and you're going to come with
me.
And as you go on this journey, right, you're kind of like, okay, when you get a new task,
you're like, I know someone that would be great for it.
Does that happen in NASCAR?
Do you go take me to hand pick your team of like, okay, you're going to send me here,

(34:19):
but I'm going to take my little, you know, my entourage and army that I know I can rely
on, they're good, or you're giving it to you when you are excellent.
So we've definitely, we built the team here in Chicago and it was, one thing that was important
was that we had a number of Chicagoans on the team just because again, this was our,
like, we weren't familiar with the city and we needed that knowledge base of this city

(34:44):
and it's a very prideful city and, you know, making sure that we're representing the
city the right way.
And then we were, you know, there's a few people that we, that work from other parts of
NASCAR that joined us here.
And so it's a nice blend.
But yeah, I mean, I, I collect people, I would say, not always am I able to like, do the

(35:06):
stars align where we can, you know, be all in the same team at the same place or, but, you
know, when you need to, when you need help with something, you know who to call.
And that's one thing.
And this, this race, I mean, we have a team here in Chicago, but we're small, we're less than
a couple dozen people.
And so it really took the entire industry coming together to bring this event to life.

(35:29):
So tapping into those experts and to that knowledge base and the areas that we needed support
in, like, you know, who those individuals are and that's what's great about NASCAR.
We got, we got so many of those amazing people that you can tap into.
Oh, that's incredible.
I'll appear in that too and that makes such a good question because you think about like,

(35:49):
what goes into it.
I think for me, like, listening and seeing where you are is like this president of a huge race
track racing event and then you're with NASCAR.
What advice would you get some woman want to get into racing and then kind of have the
role that you have today?
I'd say, I think, and this was something that I had to learn is raise your hand.

(36:12):
Nobody's going to raise it for you.
And again, Julie, raise your hand.
Lean in.
Step forward.
Yes.
No one's going to do it for you.
I mean, I, like, the first few years in my career, like I was waiting for someone to just
pick me.
And I'm like, no, no, no.
I have to put myself in that position to be to be selected and to be at the table to

(36:33):
be in the room.
And that's up to you.
And I think that's hard.
Sometimes I still sometimes struggle with that.
But I think you're your biggest advocate.
And if you're not advocating for yourself, you can't expect others to do that for you.
And so I think, you know, leading by example, that way is really important to me.

(36:54):
And I think, again, it's not always easy to do that.
The other thing I'd say is, you know, sports in general is a very tight knit, small industry
at the end of the day.
And NASCAR is no different.
And, you know, networking and making those connections.
And, you know, finding people that have that passion, that want to be part of this sport.

(37:14):
Like, you know, I am, someone connects with me on LinkedIn and wants to have a conversation
if they're a college student or a high school student or just somebody that's been trying
to break in.
Like, I love those conversations because that was me.
That was me 20 some years ago, just wanting an opportunity to get my foot in the door
and show what I can do.

(37:35):
And so, like, I love just being able to have those conversations and then hearing some amazing
stories.
Like, you know, we talked a little bit about Latasha, Phoenix Raceway.
Like, Latasha was somebody, I think, again, if you asked her four years ago, she'd be working
and racing.
She would be like, where?
And now, like, she was one of the first people I met when I moved to Phoenix and she became

(37:59):
really intrigued by what we were doing in NASCAR.
And when I was moving to Chicago, she was my friend.
And I was like, hey, I want you to think about the role of Phoenix Raceway.
And so it's fun to see, to me, that's important to me.
I want to make sure I'm paying it back and paying it forward because somebody did that for

(38:19):
me.
Now, I think it's so important, too.
And I think, you know, it's easy to, and I always say in my team last night, sometimes
the women get tagged with this word.
Emotional, it's no one gets along and it's this whole thing.
That is true.
But what is also true is that you can champion for other women.
There's enough room for everybody, but you also have to be willing to let someone champion

(38:41):
for you, right?
You can't be afraid of someone else saying you're good at something or you can do this or
do you want to do this.
And I think, you know, one of the things I've seen NASCAR do and I think you're completely
instrumental in is the diversity and inclusion shift that is happening in NASCAR as far as
reaching a different consumer base because for me, when I go to NASCAR, there's what's

(39:05):
your target demographic, Julie?
Like what is NASCAR's target demographic?
Like what is the age range for that?
And say, I mean, traditionally, it's been 25 to 54.
I think it's 18 to 34.
I mean, it's that sweet spot that everybody wants right now.
Right.
Well, and I think that's what's interesting is you get younger and I think that's when
everything's getting younger.
It's just a social media and digital and footprints and things like that where it's

(39:28):
like, okay, we can reach them younger, but how do you have them have a positive experience
so that they come back?
Because it's not about coming once.
It's about coming back twice and three times and following along.
And especially, you know, it's, it's funny because a lot of teams, people follow teams based
upon where they live.
And I do not feel like that is true for NASCAR, which is different in sports.

(39:50):
Are you live in LA?
You love the Lakers, right?
You just, I thought you love the Lakers.
But when it's NASCAR, you love a driver, right?
And they drive in a bunch of different cities.
So it's not necessarily tied to where you live.
How have you guys navigated that as you've tried to grow the industry and make different
outreach with diverse inclusion?

(40:10):
So it's a great question and something is you, like, it's, it's continues to be a priority
for us.
And I think if you look at what we're doing in Chicago, so last year for our street race,
85% of our attendees were other very first NASCAR race.
And so that's, that's what this is about.
It's about introducing them to sport.
And I've spent some time with those first time fans since the race.

(40:33):
Just one, I want to hear about their experience.
What did they enjoy?
Why did they decide that they wanted to go to the race?
And then, you know, so now it's about the education and helping them understand the sport.
Because I think that's again, if you don't, like, you don't, very different from other
sports, like basketball or baseball.
You don't grow up.
Very.
You're not, you're not, you're not, you're not your backyard of your bed.

(40:59):
It's not something you're going to just pick up a ball and do.
And so, um, and so that's something that has been really fun for me in talking to all
these first time fans, it's just hearing the questions that they have.
And, you know, why does this happen or how does this happen or, um, and so for us, that's
really what we've been doing in Chicago.
It's just how do we like start from start from square one on what the sport is.

(41:23):
And then, um, we have so many amazing stories to tell you talk like from a diversity inclusion
perspective, you look at like our pay crews, I think are in a story that just we can't tell
enough about.
They are, um, they are college athletes.
We have an Olympic swimmer on one of our teams.
Like, they are, um, they put a football, they play basketball, like, they are now going

(41:46):
over the wall, changing four tires and refilling the car in under 10 seconds.
I mean, these, the stories on, um, on pit road are absolutely amazing.
And it's been fun if anyone that watches the broadcasts lately, um, Fox right now on Sundays
leading in or during the NASCAR Cup series race, they do a profile on, um, the pay crews and

(42:07):
they have them introduce themselves very similar to like when you watch the NFL and they have
the, you know, they have the, the offense introduced themselves and tell their schools,
like, you know, the pay crews that talk about, and this again, these things are like, they're
amazing.
They are all in the NFL.
They played, um, at division one and see the football and like, the stories are amazing.
Um, and so I think that's, those are things that are unexpected that, um, when you show people

(42:32):
and talk to people about, um, it's, it's fun to see and there's just so many of those.
What would you say for you, Jolly?
You know, you're obviously a woman in a male dominated industry, right?
Very happily.
And it's changing.
It's growing.
How do you overcome or have you ever had it overcome the stigma of like, you said you traded

(42:53):
in your marketing hat for, you know, a hard hat?
Like, do you ever have a couple heads, bombed of like, oh, she's here.
It's, it's you know, you're shit.
Not just you're here because have you ever had those moments and you've had to kind of
rewind people that you can actually know what you're doing?
Yeah.
I mean, I think we all come across that on occasion.
I think again, for me, I experienced that more when I did join the construction world, um,

(43:21):
just because again, that was so different.
And I was in like way over my end.
I'm not going to lie.
Like I didn't like, I'm all of a sudden now having to learn how to read construction drawings
and and I'll remember, forget the very first meeting I was in with the architects and the
general contractor along with our team.
There were so many acronyms being thrown out that I was like, I don't know what any of this

(43:43):
is.
And I left that meeting like my head was spinning and I'm just like, what have I got myself
into?
Like, this is crazy.
And but those are things that I like their motivation for me.
I'm like, I'm not going to be the, I don't want to be the person in the room that knows
the least.
I want to be able to have the conversation and contribute.

(44:03):
And so after that first meeting, the next meeting I sat there and literally just wrote
down all the acronyms as they were talking and spent a lot of time with Google and you
know, took a few online courses on how to read construction drawings.
So then the next time a meeting happened, I can just begin to contribute.
And I think, you know, I'm not afraid, again, I'm not afraid to do the hard work.

(44:24):
And that's what I, again, goes back to my roots on the dairy farm and I'll put that time
in.
And you know, sometimes it takes a little bit longer and then maybe it should.
But I feel like, you know, I'm not afraid to prove myself.
And you know, I think for me in the NASCAR space, I really didn't never feel that.

(44:48):
I didn't, like, I don't never feel like I'm in that situation.
I'm sure there's been situations like that where I just chalked it up to, well, I just
got to work harder.
But the construction space was the first time where I was just like, okay, gay man.
That's incredible too.
I feel like a lot of people would see that task and then be like, I can't do it or kind
of give up or just like, help in that extra work.

(45:10):
And that just like shows how hard working you are and like how passionate you are about
what you do.
And yeah, that's incredible.
So I love that.
I'm actually lead a team now, like, right?
Like you're learning and you're having to lead a team from a place of knowledge.
I think there's something really special about a leader that can say, hey, I don't know,
but I'm going to find out and then make sure that next one knows.

(45:31):
I think it comes up with a lot of our guests, right?
Women have to be over prepared.
You have to be somebody said, I don't remember who said it.
I'm going to be like, every day's a pop quiz.
It's coming.
Like just be ready for it because I think sometimes there's opportunities for people to
try and expose you of what you don't know, right?
And instead of taking it as like a challenge, it's just like, I'm actually supposed to be

(45:53):
here.
And you're not meant to know everything.
Like I'm so tired of everyone be like, you should know this.
It's like, well, I won't wait.
You didn't know this.
Like, be real about it.
How do you see sports continuing to evolve specifically in NASCAR when it comes to, you
know, we talked about diversity and inclusion from a fan, right?
But diversity and inclusion from within NASCAR's old roots.

(46:17):
It's what I, it's between the NBA.
We have the old hats and the new hats is what we call them.
We have, you know, the guys that have been doing in the NBA for 20, 30 years to guys
that are just up and coming in the shift that's changing.
But sometimes that doesn't always work nicely in a room of people wanting to change and
evolve.
How do you manage that from a leadership position and what tools do you have to have to

(46:39):
be able to do that?
I think for me, the way I've always approached any of those situations and no matter what the
topic is, like, how would I want to be treated in those spaces?
And I feel like if I can walk away from a meeting or a conversation or just whatever happened
on a day feeling good about how I handled it, that's all I, that's what I can control.

(47:02):
And that's something that I, I talked to our team about a lot is just worry about the things
that you can control and control the things that you worry about.
And so like, I can control how I react to things.
And I think then that's, you know, being a leader in that way, just by example and showing

(47:23):
people how to, like, if you are met with adversity, well, here's how Julie handled it.
And you know, again, I always feel, I remind myself, I'm representing a lot of people in the
NASCAR industry.
And so I want to make sure I do right by them.
But I think, you know, I think the other side of it is just continuing to push ourselves.

(47:44):
And when there is opportunity to live someone up or put a spotlight on an area where that
needs some additional focus, like here's something we need to be doing.
Let's work through it.
The great thing about our leadership team is they love those conversations and they are
open to those conversations.
And so I think it always, for me, when you look at what's happening with NASCAR, it starts

(48:07):
with our leadership team and with the France family and Steve Alps and Steve O'Donnell.
And I think, you know, they, they, they want to have those conversations they want to know
where they can lean in and support as well.
And that's been helpful for me just in Chicago again, because we're new in Chicago, like,
again, talking about the education side of NASCAR.

(48:29):
And, you know, we've had to really start from scratch to build that up.
And the leadership team has been incredibly supportive, just helping us work through that.
It's crazy.
I have a really fun question.
I want to know the answer too.
So I've seen sometimes there's disagreements as a good word between drivers on the track,

(48:52):
right?
Like, yeah, well, sometimes they throw down, sometimes there's words given and everyone's
very possessive, right?
It is a competition.
At the end of the day, it is a competition.
So how do you, like, when that happens, do you have to call someone and say, hey, that's
not acceptable behavior?
Do you have that?
You know what I'm saying?
Like, how does that get managed?
Because in our world, right?
There's GMs, there's owners, there's presidents, there's people that have to have these conversations

(49:17):
with athletes of like, this is not how we want to be represented or it's unbecoming behavior.
You have that in NASCAR.
I mean, you're at the top.
So somebody's got to call you and say, "Jolly, handle this."
Or you like, I don't.
So that's one thing, again, I am focused on the Chicago street race.
And so things like from a league perspective, like, that's really managed by the NASCAR

(49:39):
leadership team.
And to also say, like, when you have those disagreements from a driver perspective, I'm
sure there are conversations that happen with their teams and their team owners and probably
with their sponsors.
I have not been in the room for those conversations.
I'm good with that.
I'm just going to continue for some selling tickets.
And, you know, I think a little controversy is never a bad thing either.

(50:00):
So, like, you know, there's always that balance.
Like, and, you know, managing it.
I think, hopefully, I've not had to have those conversations.
That's wild.
That's about how much do you interface with the city?
You talked a lot about when you moved there.
You had it.
Like, are you in the office?
Are you meeting with governors, Senate leaders?

(50:20):
Like, are you meeting with governmental organizations within the city?
And if so, how did you prepare for that with it being so intricately designed within
the city of Chicago that oftentimes has a lot of unrest and unsettlement within
the city and the suburbs of Chicago sometimes?
So I do.
The city of Chicago is essentially a partner with us on this event.

(50:44):
And in conjunction with the Chicago Sports Commission and the Chicago Park District.
So we do work hand in hand with the team at the city of Chicago.
And that's across all city agencies.
So we have, I don't know how many planning meetings and just prep meetings leading into
the weekend.
And then coming out of it, just again, what works, where can we improve?

(51:04):
How do we get better?
So we've got just a number of conversations.
I probably, there's probably not a day that goes by where I don't have multiple conversations
with someone affiliated with any of those entities I just mentioned.
And I think the thing that, again, the city's been incredibly wonderful to work with.

(51:25):
And this is a city that knows how to put on big events.
And that's the thing that I picked up on in my very first meeting with the city agencies,
whether it's big festivals or the marathon or the air and water show.
I mean, there are so many events that this group hosts and put on every day.
That what we were doing, definitely, is different.

(51:47):
But there's a model in place that, and some really amazing people in place that really helped
us navigate and learn and just helped us understand where we plug in with what they're
already doing and what does that look like.
So from a preparation perspective, my role in Phoenix definitely was helpful in that.

(52:09):
Just because, again, leading a track property in a city, like having those conversations
with the city leadership and city council.
And I think really just the difference is just the scale.
And what I'm doing here in Phoenix with whether it's the mayor's office or just all the city
agencies, city council.

(52:30):
It's just the scales a little different.
But at the end of the day, what we're doing is in partnership with them and they've been
great advocates for us.
That's really cool.
I feel like too, like you've done so much in your career and where you are today.
What are you most proud of or what's your biggest accomplishment in your career?

(52:51):
I mean, it's hard to talk.
This very first street race and ask our history.
And it's something that I, again, that first year for us, the unknowns and there's obviously
a lot of stress and you just want to do right by our industry and right by the city.
But I think you look back at what we were doing truly was we were making history and I wanted

(53:14):
the team as we were leading into it just despite all the long hours and just conversations
and things that went into getting that event done.
We were truly part of something that had never been done before and that's incredibly special.
And it's humbling to think about it.
I've goosebumps just like the fact that I had a role in that and that the team here pulled

(53:38):
that off and it was as amazing as it was even with the rain that we had.
It's special.
So it's hard for me to top that honestly.
It's pretty awesome.
What are the three biggest scale sets somebody that wants to be in your shoes needs to have?
Hard work, not being afraid of doing the work.

(54:01):
Patience.
I have learned patience.
Patience is not my best event.
But patience is incredibly important and I think like especially with Chicago and what
we're doing, it's hard, I'm going to give you for it being innovative and by pushing
yourself to think outside the box but also being a really good listener because the city,

(54:23):
again they know how to put on big events and for us to be successful we needed to listen
to whether it was the city agencies who have planned these events or the residents around
the footprint to the businesses that we were working with, being a good listener and taking
that information is incredibly important to apply to the event.

(54:44):
It's wild because I feel and we say all the time too, right?
The skills that you learn in college, a lot of what you have in order to advance or grow,
you have to be willing to learn later in life.
You don't come to the job with all the tools.
You have to be willing to say I don't know but I'm willing to learn instead of why I only
know how to do X and that's all I'm going to do and I think as something an event like this

(55:07):
that you're building and creating, right in Chicago, you have to be willing to say I
don't, we've never done this before.
There's no, there's no standard for it.
There's no book, there's no list of things that kind of the list probably fluxes here and
there.
What would you say is one of the biggest opportunities for you as you transition through your career
that you talk that you might not have been ready for?

(55:30):
You know, I'd say like for me taking on more of the operations and trying to learn that
side of the business, I, at the time it was just curiosity and just something that I
had an interest in, I had no idea that it would lead me to where I am today and whether
it was the construction space which was truly due to my intrigue on the upside and then

(55:53):
to what we're doing here in Chicago, like having the general knowledge of the operation
side of the business was incredibly important for me and again, very unexpected.
I was not like, I'd never, again, you would have asked me 10 years ago, well someone asked
me when I left Daytona to go work for the construction team, if I wanted to be a track resident, actually

(56:13):
a HR department did and I said, no, no, I'm good.
Then that was in 2016 and two years later I was named the president of Phoenix Raceway
and I raised my hand then.
So it's just fun to see, you talk about learning about yourself, that was like those two
years with the construction team, I learned more about myself than I have the rest of my

(56:33):
career.
Yeah, that's why I'll sometimes it's not why me, it's why not me.
And you have to be okay.
And like it's weird because I do feel like as women, we talk about this, you're afraid to
say me, I can do this, raise your hand because you're like, am I looking like I'm trying
too hard?
Am I trying to impress someone?
Are they going to think I'm not qualified?
But that's their judgments and their assessment.

(56:55):
You have to just walk with confidence and know that, you know, what's for you is for you
and if it's meant to be, it will be.
But oftentimes the opportunity is there for you to take, not for you to wait.
You know, if you don't take those, because what's the worst thing that happens?
You're like, okay, didn't do a good job, don't know what I'm doing.
This isn't for me.
You're still gaining something from that.

(57:16):
If you're just constantly scared and afraid to raise your hand lean in or step up, you're
not going to progress.
And I think that's one thing that you've shown us on this show today is like you have to
be willing to step outside your comfort zone.
And it's not an easy thing to do, Julie.
Like it is not.
It's so scary.
And you're like, I don't know.
But once you do it once and you come out the other side, you're like, okay, next.

(57:39):
You know, I mean, like, and I did that.
What do you want to see for the sport of NASCAR as we bring this to a close?
What do you want to see this sport of NASCAR do in the next 10 years?
I just want to see the momentum continue.
I mean, we've got so much momentum right now and there's just a lot of energy and interest
around our sport.

(58:00):
And I think we're doing it the right way.
And, you know, again, thinking about 85% of new fans at our race, we've had a Netflix series
come out this year, which has led to even more new fans.
So it's proud.
Like I've always been proud to be part of NASCAR.
I'm very proud to this day to be part of this sport.

(58:20):
And I think for me, just continuing to push ourselves, be bold and innovative.
That's something that our leadership team tells us every day.
And that's fun for me.
Because I don't, at every point, it shouldn't never be.
Well, this is what we've always done.
It's like what else can we do and push ourselves to be creative.
And I think sometimes you say, you talk about being afraid to try things new or step outside

(58:44):
the comfort zone.
Like you have the great thing at NASCAR.
You have leadership that's pushing you to do that and they want you to do that.
And sometimes it may not work.
Like we know that it's not, you're not going to hit every one idea.
But if you don't try it, how do you know?
Yeah.
So true.
That's so true.
Well, Megan and I feel like we're going to go on a NASCAR tour.

(59:05):
Because that's a lot of it.
Now it's just one little NASCAR tour and see it from all the different perspectives.
Although I do not think Megan and I would succeed at the jumping over the wall and doing all
of that.
I feel like neither, nor would I.
That would be a show in itself of the level of work that that would take.
I don't know.
We had to train for that, Megan.

(59:26):
I think I might have to like train to be on it.
We're coming to what the Olympics swimmers NFL players.
Oh, my God.
I'm good.
And we're like, I had to ask them, like, there's a method to how they get over the wall.
Megan, like, there's like a, it's not just like, I'm here and it's my right.
Like, sometimes my left, but sometimes it's, it's just mechanically in their brain how
to get over the wall.

(59:47):
And I had to cross it when I was there.
And I was like, do I go this way?
Or do I want to go that way?
Or like, I was like, in my head, because I didn't want to fall and embarrass myself.
And I'm like, these guys do it with a car coming 100 miles an hour out of the window.
You're like, no fear.
Like what scares those people?
That's what I want to know.
What scared, what is the pick her scared of?
Because a lot of what are scared of goes on right in there.

(01:00:08):
Right.
That's a very good question.
Like, it's probably like a grasshopper.
It's something like so simple.
And they're thinking it's a big thing.
And they're like, I just don't like ladybugs.
And you're like, what?
You do all this, but it's something so, so simple.
It's so crazy.
Oh, okay.
Well, we're going to have to come to Phoenix.
We want to go to the Vegas race.

(01:00:28):
I feel like Megan wears a sick.
But we need to get a little motor home, you know, the tour bus for her table and road trip.
It's the road trip.
It's amazing.
I love it.
I think that'd be awesome.
Well, thank you so much for joining us today.
I loved, you know, you just being able to share your story and your passion because there
are so many amazing stories in NASCAR.

(01:00:50):
And yours is one of those.
There's just a testament to like true grit, hard work, but also just being really confident
in yourself to be able to tackle anything.
And thank you because we need more people like you at the top because I look up to you.
So I want to make sure that you know that because I'm going to challenge myself today for
you, Julie.
Well, I appreciate it.
Thank you for having me.

(01:01:10):
This has been fun.
Awesome.
Okay.
We're coming to Chicago.
So get ready for us.
Love it.
Megan, that was so amazing.
I mean, honestly, Julie is so inspiring to me.
She started entry level in NASCAR.
She actually came from the dairy farm, but for her to be able to tie growing up on a dairy
farm in Wisconsin into her hard work in dedication now as to kind of what built her in that solid

(01:01:35):
foundation of how hard she wants to work for things.
It's a true testament of God's plan and what he has for you and why he's giving you tools
or challenges because you might need them later in life.
Right.
I love the fact that she kept all of her rejection letters that she received from people that
now she's working with and her call it.
Like that is so cool.
Like just to look back at where you started to where you are now and she mentioned she

(01:01:57):
started like in PR and now she's running to what went to Daytona.
She went to the Phoenix Open and was running bad.
The president there and now she's in Chicago street racing.
Like, that is incredible.
What a great accomplishment and like such a great leader for like somebody like me, somebody
like you to look up to as well.
I wish she like kept the letters.
I would frame them.
I would totally frame them.

(01:02:18):
So when they those people that rejected me had to come with me in Chicago for that series.
They'd come into my office and see them framed on the wall and be like, remember, I don't
have anything.
It's just there.
You can read your letter.
It's fine.
Welcome to my office.
Maybe that's too much.
But now she, honestly, she, it's funny to listening to the care and concern that she has

(01:02:40):
as she's building this in Chicago, right?
It never been done before in making sure that whether it's with city officials, the residents,
the racers, the drivers, just the community and how she's able to bring an experience with
NASCAR to someone that might not have had that experience.
But learning the ins and the outs of it, it's unlikely that you get someone in a leadership

(01:03:02):
position that cares so much about the details and the experience for the people that's impacting.
Not the racers, not the drivers, not the team, not the company, but the community and the
citizens that's impacting.
And it's an opportunity for them to get to experience the sport that Chicago probably had
never experienced before.
Yeah.
And I love like she mentioned to you like being in Chicago where it's like there were

(01:03:24):
even so much revenue there.
People are seeing the city of Chicago.
But the first thing I thought of when she was telling me about this race is like, what
about the sound?
And so it's so interesting.
She touched on that too.
Like where they put mufflers on the cars to make sure that the citizens of Chicago were
like comfortable in like their living spaces.
Yeah, it's very rare you get somebody in a leadership position that is up at the top

(01:03:47):
but worried about the little tiny details at the bottom.
But her just resilience and drive, you know, every challenge it's put in front of her,
whether it's, you know, putting on the hard hat and building a new raceway and learning
that.
I loved that she's like, I was just taking notes and riding down the construction slang
and then I would go Google it.
So I was educated next time when they were talking and I could understand and her ability to

(01:04:09):
kind of adapt and grow and challenge herself throughout her career is special.
It takes a special person to do that.
So she owes us a ride on the track in Chicago.
I can't wait to do that.
And I'm we're going to go find Latasha because Latasha is going to be up next.
She passed the baton to another woman at Phoenix Raceway, which is just that is a hero.

(01:04:31):
Again, fabulous hero, well done because she wants to see more women in places of leadership
power and diversity and inclusion.
So Latasha, the Phoenix Raceway, you're up next on her table.
But thank you guys so much for joining.
We'll see you guys next week.
Make sure you like, subscribe and let us know who you want to see next.
We'll see you guys soon.
[BELL RINGING]

(01:04:52):
(bell rings)