Episodes
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…
Things I Want My Kids to Know
Send us a text A Lifestyle Post - Things I want My Kids To Know 1. Happiness is a lot of work. You can’t be lazy or entitled to achieve it. 2. You will make mistakes, and they will only define you if you give it that kind of power. If the lesson is learned, the mistake is worth it. It’s your choice…
Granfluences - Redefining Influence at Any Age
Send us a text Granfluencers — Redefining Influence at Any Age Welcome back to the show! Today, we’re diving into a powerful and inspiring trend that's flipping the script on social media marketing — Granfluencers. So, who are Granfluencers? Granfluencers are social media stars typically aged 60 an…
Bouncing Back: How to Handle Setbacks Like A Champion
Send us a text How do you handle setbacks at the racetrack? Support the show
From the Kitchen to the Cockpit: Carolyn Fitzgerald’s Formula 4 Journ…
Send us a text In this episode, Melinda Russell sits down with 22-year-old Carolyn Fitzgerald, a rising star in the Formula 4 West Coast Pro Series. Carolyn shares her unique path into motorsports, beginning with indoor karting and quickly progressing through racing school, licensing, and now compe…
Mara Henderson – A Legacy of Speed and Student Success
Send us a text On this episode of the Women's Motorsports Network Podcast, host Melinda Russell sits down with Mara Henderson—a third-generation racer, UNOH alum, and current admissions representative for the University of Northwestern Ohio. From her childhood days racing modified go-karts in Michi…