Episodes
Bryce Bozell: The 14-Year-Old Record Breaker Taking on Racing Legends
Send us a text The roar of engines returns with "Let's Talk Racing Wise," where host Melinda Russell reignites her passion project dedicated to shining a spotlight on overlooked local racetracks across Michigan and Indiana. This premiere episode arrives just in time for the Fourth of July racing fe…
Waving Shirts in the Front Yard: How a Boy's Dream Became Reality wit…
Send us a text When Tony Eldridge decided to wave colored shirts on hangers in his front yard as a child, pretending to be a flagman, he never imagined it would lead to a 20-year career in motorsports that would touch countless lives. His journey from those humble beginnings to becoming one of the …
Building relationships drives the National Compact Touring Series wit…
Send us a text Behind every racing series lies a story of passion, perseverance, and the relentless pursuit of building something meaningful. Drew Jack's 12-year journey with the National Compact Touring Series reveals exactly that—a tale that began in the grandstands of Kalamazoo Speedway where hi…
Wrenches, Wins, and Winchester Dreams with Tyler Roahrig
Send us a text Racing isn't just what Tyler Roering does—it's who he is. From his earliest memories of causing ruckus in his dad's race shop to becoming a multi-discipline champion, Tyler's life revolves entirely around motorsports. As a third-generation racer from Plymouth, Indiana, his racing lin…
Gina Kolevar: Family, Food, and Fast Cars: Building Motorsport Commun…
Send us a text Gina Culliver shares her journey as the "Nissan Queen" of Whittemore Speedway, starting her racing career at 43 after losing her father and best friend to cancer. Now at 51, she balances her nursing career with her passion for motorsports, community service, and creating a welcoming …
Let's Talk Racing LIVE: The Van Avery Family Story
Send us a text The heart and soul of local racing lies in its family legacies, and few families embody this spirit more than the Van Averys. In this candid and heartfelt conversation, Jesse Van Avery Sr. and his son Jesse Jr. open up about their multi-generational racing journey at Galesburg Speedw…
Ashley Winslett: Smooth is Fast: Life Lessons from a Capsule Boat
Send us a text Ashley Winslet balances her day job as an assistant manager working with elephants at the Dallas Zoo with her passion for high-speed flat bottom boat racing, reaching speeds up to 142 mph on water. As one of only three female flat bottom drivers in the country, she's making waves in …
Presley Hall: What Happens When Dad Sells His Car So You Can Race?
Send us a text Nine-year-old racer Presley Hall shares her journey in motorsports, from her father selling his race car so she could race to her dreams of competing in World of Outlaws Midget series. Despite flipping her car five times in one race, she was back behind the wheel the next week, demon…
Kate Turner: Brake Pedals and Broken Egos: Tales from a Track Instruc…
Send us a text Kate Turner's journey into motorsports breaks every conventional rule in the racing handbook. At 21 years old, this track instructor from Leicestershire discovered her passion for racing not as a child karting prodigy, but as a 17-year-old who simply woke up one day and decided she w…
Little Racer, Big Impact: Lizzy Vogel's Inspiring Journey
Send us a text Lizzy Vogel, an eight-year-old fourth-generation quarter midget racer, shares her inspiring journey from beginning in go-karts at age five to becoming a Hoosier Hero award winner while managing multiple surgeries for her cleft palate and lip. Her remarkable story encompasses the high…
Finding Your Lane: Balancing School, Racing, and Growing Up with Ella…
Send us a text When Ella Wu Heilman climbed onto her first PW50 motorcycle at just two years old, no one could have predicted the remarkable journey ahead. Now fifteen and speaking with the wisdom of a veteran racer, Ella shares her extraordinary thirteen-year motorsports journey that's taken her f…
Racing Beyond Limits: Lena Chin's Journey in Gridlife
Send us a text When six-year-old Lena Chin attended her first race at Sebring, something clicked—the sights, sounds, and energy of motorsport captured her imagination completely. Nearly two decades later, she's become a competitive force in the Gridlife Touring Cup Series, piloting her Honda S2000 …
Beyond the Finish Line: Finding Balance in Speed and Life with Karyl …
Send us a text Karyl Bell's motorsports journey is the perfect blend of family legacy, entrepreneurial spirit, and unwavering determination. From her earliest memories at Lebanon Valley Dragway in upstate New York, where her mother serves as assistant track manager and her father races, Karyl has t…
From Music Studio to Dragstrip: Nancy Matter's Remarkable Journey
Send us a text Nancy Matter's resilience burns brighter than nitromethane in this powerful conversation about perseverance, passion, and breaking barriers in motorsports. From her childhood days at San Fernando Raceway to becoming the first female owner-driver of a Top Fuel Funny Car in this centur…
The Middle Child Who Chose Ground Over Air with Charlotte Traynor
Send us a text What happens when you're born into a family of aviators but feel drawn to conquer the ground instead? For 18-year-old Charlotte Traynor, the answer came through motorsports, sparked simply by watching in-car camera footage on television that ignited something within her. Charlotte ta…
Fast Lane Futures: Baylea Kronseder's Racing Journey
Send us a text Baylea Kronseder shares her journey from racing RC cars to competing in quarter midget nationals at just 11 years old, discussing how motorsports has transformed her from shy kid to confident racer and mentor. • Began racing at age 9 after previously racing RC cars, following a famil…
From Figure Skater to Drag Racing Champion: Dina Parisi's Journey
Send us a text Former IHRA Pro Mod World Champion Dina Parisi shares her journey from professional figure skater to drag racer and advocates for prioritizing safety in motorsports. • Dina discusses her unusual career path from Ice Capades figure skater to drag racer, noting surprising parallels bet…
From Recovery to Racing: How Motorsports Changed Everything
Send us a text Kelly Anderson shares her extraordinary journey from a 51-year-old grandmother to a wheelie-popping drag racer with a mission to help foster children through motorsports. Her passion for racing ignited when she scribbled "I want to drag race" on a napkin at a coaching event, leading …
“Never Give Up”: Angie Parrish’s Racing Philosophy
Send us a text In this week’s Women’s Motorsports Network podcast, we sit down with Angie Parrish — a true motorsports trailblazer from Tennessee. Angie’s journey takes us from working on her first car at 16 to becoming an in...
Laura Butcher’s Mission to Build Off-Road Racing’s Future
Send us a text In this inspiring episode, Melinda Russell interviews Laura Butcher, an off-road motorsports leader from northern Nevada whose journey into racing was deeply influenced by her late brother, Mike, an off-road ra...
How Sabre Cook Built Her Racing Career One Opportunity at a Time
Send us a text In this inspiring episode of the Women's Motorsports Network Podcast , host Melinda Russell welcomes professional race car driver and mechanical engineer Sabre Cook. Based in Indianapolis, Sabre currently compe...
MaKenna Long’s Path from Little Kalamazoo Speedway to ARCA Pit Road
Send us a text In this inspiring episode, host Melinda Russell interviews MaKenna Long, a young woman who grew up in the racing world and is now building her career in motorsports. MaKenna started racing quarter midgets at se...
Racing, Rebranding & Rising Together – Haily Unferdorfer’s Story
Send us a text In this inspiring episode, host Melinda Russell sits down with Haily Unferdorfer, a dynamic force in motorsports marketing and a passionate advocate for women in racing. Haily shares her journey from growing up in a motorsports family to working behind the scenes with Lucas Oil, MAVT…
Racing at Age 8: Meet NHRA Fan and Drag Racer Karter Platt
Send us a text In this episode, host Melinda Russell interviews 8-year-old junior dragster racer Karter Platt, who shares her early start and growing passion for motorsports. Karter, from Texas, began racing at just 4 years old after attending the Amarillo Dragway with her Gigi and Papa. Racing qui…