Linzi Theobald Meserve: From Junior Dragsters To A 1968 Barracuda Legacy

Welcome And Meet Lindsay

Melinda Russell 0:01

Hello, everyone. This is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network podcast. And I am here with Lindsay Meserve. I said that right, didn't I? You got it. Yep. You got it. Okay, awesome. And so uh Lindsay's with me today. I'm excited to have her on the show, and she can tell us her story about how she became a woman in motorsports. But first, Lindsay, please share a little bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

All right. Well, like Melinda said, I'm Lindsay. Um, I live in St. George, Utah, born and raised here. Um, I grew up in a family that drag race. So I've got um, I've got four brothers. I'm the middle child. Um, I'm I've now gotten married, um, and I've got three kids. I've got a nine-year-old son, a five-year-old daughter, and a almost two-year-old daughter. So, and then a dog that's almost two. Um, so yeah, all of that, they all keep me busy, and I don't know. We're just a circus.

Melinda Russell 1:06

Yeah, it's when you've got kids that age, and you'll find that as they get a little bit older and they're all in some kind of sport or dance or whatever. Yes, we're we're starting to learn that. Yeah, so my daughter, one of my daughters, has um his, hers, and theirs. So he had a son who's uh believe a freshman in high school. She had two kids that are uh seventh grade and fifth grade, and then they have a little boy together that's um kindergarten and has autism, but he's very high-functioning, very, very smart kid, and so they're running every which direction on the weekends.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

I can't even imagine. My son's pretty um involved with sports and stuff. My daughter's starting to get there, but my son's been junior drag racing, and so on top of my schedule and his schedule, we've been going for weeks now, and we're we're ready for a break.

Melinda Russell 2:03

Yeah, I mean, you love it, and oh yes, and I think when racing takes their break, it seems like forever until we get started back. But as you're in the thick of it, sometimes it's like, oh, I just need a weekend off.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

It is, it's true. We come home, we unload, we reload, and we hit the road, you know? It's just it's exhausting, but we're enjoying it right now, and I know we'll we'll catch a break here in a in a couple weeks, so yeah, yeah.

Melinda Russell 2:31

And you look at the schedule and it's like, okay, we can manage till then, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:36

I hope so.

Melinda Russell 2:37

Yeah, so Lindsay, you grew up around drag racing, but do you remember when you actually really became interested yourself? Like, I really want to try this myself. Were you a little girl? Not till later.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Yeah, so I don't remember like an exact moment or anything. It's like with my family, um, my dad was my dad grew up in Southern California. He grew up around like Pomona Drag Strip, and he um would go out there and watch the races and stuff for like scouts, and you know, so he was familiar with it. Um, so when my older brothers were, I think they were eight and nine, I don't know. They were around this the age to start junior drag racing. My dad wanted a hobby for the family. So he bought horses, that didn't really work out. Um, so we bought him a junior dragster thinking this is gonna be just a short-lived thing, you know. Well, it ended up expanding way to more to that and we're to where we are now. But um, for me, it was kind of like you're in this family, we drag race, and it's what you're gonna do. Like I was never forced to, but it's like it's all I knew. And so yeah, when I was seven years old, that was my first time going down the drag strip in my little junior dragster, and I've been hooked ever since.

Melinda Russell 3:55

Yeah. And how old were you then? Do you remember? Seven, seven, yeah, yeah. Wow, and seven at seven years old. And isn't that kind of a common a common theme? Is that you know, the dad raced or loved racing, or somehow got the family involved, and it just becomes a lifestyle.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

It is, yeah, that's exactly what happened. I don't think my dad ever imagined that it would turn into what it has now. You know, it started with one car, my brothers actually shared it, and then it got to the point where they couldn't really share anymore, so he had to buy another car, or he actually built another car for them, and now it's just wild. I've got, like I said, I've got um three brothers that do it. My son has a junior dragster, my daughter, she's old enough to have one. We're just not quite ready to put her in one yet. Um, yeah, it's just I've got a niece, I've got two nieces that do it. It's just crazy. It's it's awesome though. We love every minute of it.

Melinda Russell 4:53

Well, and the thing that I love about your story is you've got brothers and nieces, and probably girlfriends and wives and whatever, and and that's what your family does. And a lot of families, you know, I interview a lot of girls and a lot of racing people. This is their story, it's a family affair, right? Yeah, but I also know there's a lot of families out there that really have nothing in

Growing Up In Junior Drag Racing

Melinda Russell 5:20

common. I mean, it's kind of sad, yes. Racing, racing brings families together. Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

That's what we've always said. Like, racing is like I hang out with my family at the racetrack. I hang out with them on off weekends because we're working on race cars, but we're always together. People ask my husband all the time, like, do you ever get sick of your in-law in if your wife's family, I guess? And he just knows it's part of it, so yeah, but we love it. We we do, we just love being with each other and everything. So was he into racing before he married you? He was not. Nope, he got sucked into it. Okay, all right.

Melinda Russell 5:58

And has he adapted pretty well to that?

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah, he has. Yep, he's um he's got his self a car now, and he's just he's just one of us.

Melinda Russell 6:07

So okay, all right, that's awesome. So, you know, you started pretty young. There had to be days that you were discouraged, things didn't go right, whatever. Um, a couple questions here. One, how do you handle that even today when things don't go right? Um, and did you ever think about I can't do this anymore, I'm done.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

Yes, actually, quite often. Um, after having kids, it's it's always a question, you know, it's always been a question in my mind after having kids. Like, it's just hard. It's hard to go to the racetrack, it's hard to be a mom, it's hard to race, you know. Like mentally, I feel like I don't want to say I have a disadvantage, but I've got a lot on my mind, you know? And so it's like you try to go to the lanes and leave your kids and your worries behind. And my mom comes to the racetrack and she's a huge help with my kids. Um, but you still like you still have to be a mom, you know. So there's been a lot of days where it's like you have hard days and you're like, is this even worth my time? But like my heart's still there, you know. Like I just I think about quitting, giving it up, and I'm just like, it just breaks my heart. So um, yeah, it it's something, and like you see accidents and you see stuff like that, and it really makes you question like I have kids at home, like yeah, you know, am I putting myself in danger? But all the years we've been doing it, like and in the car, I feel safe, you know, and I know if something were to happen that I'd probably be okay. So, um, but yeah, to answer your question, there are a lot of days I question it, but I'm not ready to be done just yet.

Melinda Russell 7:40

Yeah. So um one of the questions, you know, your kind of takes us right into that. Um, the current role you have, mom, race car driver, do you do you work a job too? Or I mean, not that being a mom isn't a job, believe me, but um, you know, all the things that you do, groceries, laundry, yeah, picking up after your kids when they go to bed, all the stuff, right? You know, um, it's demanding on you, both emotionally, physically, mentally. Yeah, um, how do you balance all of that?

SPEAKER_01 8:15

I I don't know.

Melinda Russell 8:17

I just do.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

I've got a great support system at home. Um, my mom's always willing to help with the kids, and my my older two go to school, so I've just got my baby at home. I just try and plan around her, you know, she's a little trooper, and we just we just hammer down, we power through and we get it done, you know. Whatever needs to be done, we just get it done. And I I am very blessed. I um stay home with my kids. I don't have a job, so um, I've typically got the week to prepare for everything, but it does. It's it's a lot of work, but I'm grateful that I that I can stay home and do it.

Melinda Russell 8:50

Yeah, exactly. That's that's a blessing for sure, especially in the economy and things we have nowadays, right? Yeah, for sure. So um, what about your let's talk about your car for a minute? Um tell me about your car, the number, the colors. Does it have a did they pick the number? Did you tell me about your car?

SPEAKER_01 9:11

So um I drive a 68 Barracuda in um the class super gas. Um, cool story behind this car is it's funny. Um, my husband tells me I love it more than I love him. It's like my it's like my firstborn, you know, but um it's kind of got a history with it. My grandpa bought it off the showroom floor in 68. My dad ended up buying it off of him and um started saving parts to make it into a hemicar. And my grandpa found out, kind of got mad at him. So my dad lost interest in the car. Um, he let his little sister borrow it, and she ended up crashing it into like a telephone pole or a pole of some sort, you know. So went to the junkyard. And my dad was always like, Oh man, I wish I had my Barracuda. I turned it into a race car, and you know, and the junkyard um owner was real, he was just not nice. And he would um like

Motherhood, Risk, And Not Quitting

SPEAKER_01 10:05

if he knew you wanted something, he'd just intentionally crush it. And somehow my mom sweet talked him into getting the car out. Um, so she got it out for my dad for Christmas one year, and he started working on it just, you know, in his free time. And um I was coming up on turning 16. I'm like, dad, what am I gonna drive? You know, all my brothers have cars, like I need something. And so um he me turning 16 kind of forced him to finish the car. So nine years, it took him nine years to build it. Um, and then I was the lucky, the lucky one that got to drive it, and I still get to drive it. And so it's um, I don't know. It's just got a good history, family history, and it's something that I just I just love it. It's it's my baby.

Melinda Russell 10:49

And how does your grandpa feel about that?

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Um, my grandpa since passed away. Um, I don't know that he I don't know. I've never actually honestly I never really talked to him about it.

Melinda Russell 11:00

Never but did he know before he passed, did he know your mom got it?

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Yeah, no, it was it was um I was racing it by the time he had passed.

Melinda Russell 11:10

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Yeah, yeah, and then um I've also got uh dragster. I don't know if you're familiar, a long skinny car. Yeah, absolutely. But I that I um I don't run it all the time. My barracuda is my main car. Um I bracket race my dragster and stuff. It's pink, it's cute, it's fun, but um yeah, I've raced top dragster with that. I've won uh two wallies in that. I'm still working on a walley in my barracuda. That's my that's my biggest dream is to get a wally in my barracuda. So okay, when I do that, I can retire.

Melinda Russell 11:46

So have you gotten close?

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Yeah, I've been to a few final rounds. Um just last year I was in the semis in Texas. I I just get so close and then I just can't finish it off.

Melinda Russell 12:00

Okay, well, this year is the year. I'm hoping and praying. Yeah, for sure. So who who helps you or is totally essential to what you do with racing that you couldn't do without my my whole family, like my dad got us here, my dad um gets us there, you know, um, with the motorhome, fuel, and all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

My mom comes, my mom cooks for us, she takes care of the kids. Um, my husband, obviously, he helps fund all of it. Um my my brothers, I've got the three that race to, and my one, my young, my youngest brother Parker's really taken me under his wing and gotten my car straightened out for me. And he's all of my brothers have really tried to help me just become a better driver and everything, and I really couldn't do it without them. They're they're just always there and always willing to work on my problems.

Melinda Russell 12:57

Yeah, that's nice. And you're the only girl, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Yeah, yeah.

Melinda Russell 13:01

Well, of course, they gotta take care of your sister, right? Come on, come on, guys, you gotta take care of your sister.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Yeah, they're they're pretty good at it, so I'm I'm really lucky.

Melinda Russell 13:10

Yeah, you it sounds like you are very lucky. So if I ask you what's a good night at the race track, what's the answer to that question?

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Oh, good night at the racetrack. Um, finishing a little bit early and just being able to hang out, you know, till in the lawn chair for a bit and just hang out with your friends and family and just take it easy, you know. Or or celebrating a win. But usually once the races are over, if there's a win, we're packing up and on the road. Don't have a lot of time to celebrate.

Melinda Russell 13:39

But and how far do you you normally travel to race?

SPEAKER_01 13:44

Um, it just depends on the year. Um, we typically stay like western United States. Um, the last, let's see, last year we went out to Texas. There's uh uh the all-star race that my brothers have qualified for. So we've gone out to Texas a little bit, which has been really fun. Um, but other than that, we're mostly West Coast.

Melinda Russell 14:05

Okay. Have you um I have a friend that owns a race track in Alaska. Oh my gosh, that is my bucket list track.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

Yes, so funny story. My little brother does a podcast, and they had is it a woman? Yeah, yeah, okay. I don't remember her name, but she was just she was just on my brother's show, and um we're we're trying to plan a fun family trip out there to race rental cars.

Melinda Russell 14:33

I'm telling you what, I love her. I met her through you know, racing, yeah. She's been on my podcast a couple of times. It you know how you meet somebody and you just click together, and that was her and I, and uh so yeah, and you know, living in Michigan would be a little bit of a trip, but honestly, I I have a handful of

The 1968 Barracuda’s Wild History

Melinda Russell 14:55

tracks on my bucket list, other than the NASCAR tracks. I'd love to go to every NASCAR track, and I've been to quite a few, quite a few, but there's a handful of other tracks that I want to get to, and hers is more not just for the track, but because she runs it and owns it, and the and the views of the mountains and stuff. I know, I have to go and see it.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

Yeah, well, maybe you can join us on our family trip.

Melinda Russell 15:21

There we go.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

So I'll let you know when we get a plan.

Melinda Russell 15:24

Yeah, you let me know when you get that plan because that would be wonderful. I would love to do that. Yeah, yeah, that would be sometimes you have to have a reason for a certain date, and so that would be a that would be a great reason. Yep, I agree, yeah, for sure. So um, you know, a lot of people think they know what racing's about, whether it be short track or drag racing or whatever it is. What do you think is the most common misconception about racing? You know, like general public thinks this, and it's really not true.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

Um, so my biggest thing with drag racing is everybody thinks it's first to the finish line, you know, it's go your fastest, get to the finish line. Where the racing we do, you know, the sportsman stuff, it's more um it's not that way. You know, we have an index or we pick a dial in, and um, it's everything but first to the finish line. We just um it's a lot more complicated and yeah, way more like mathematical, I guess you could say.

Melinda Russell 16:30

It is so yeah, and you know, the thing, especially for kids who maybe aren't as big of school, you know, my kids all were great in school. I was so lucky, but every kid is not. But if you can show them how math and geometry and all the different things tie into something that they love, which might be racing, yeah. Um, you know, that'd be huge. It'd be huge. Yeah, my son. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Oh, go ahead. I was gonna say my son's fairly smart with math, and he's starting to figure that out too. Like, I math was not my strong subject at all. So when it comes to the math part, I'm always looking for help, but um, yeah, I'm hoping that my son one day it'll it'll pay off and he'll you know it'll click with him.

Melinda Russell 17:19

Oh, it will. I I was gonna share with you. So I have a friend, Steffi, Steffi Boss, she owns In It Esports. Um, it's sim, you know, it's like iRacing, whatever. But anyway, um, she's got a great story. Her podcast is gonna drop I think the second week of May. So you should listen to it because she has a program that she and the people she has on her team developed for high schools, and it's it's revolves around racing, but it also revolves around math, science, and all that. And it's an it's an amazing program. I think every high school should adopt it, honestly. Um, because kids don't understand when they're in school how important school is.

SPEAKER_01 18:09

Yeah, yeah, you're right, especially when it comes like, yeah, I understand there's probably stuff you're taking that doesn't really pertain to life, but but yeah, like the math and stuff of it for sure. I kind of wish that I would have paid a little bit more attention, but yeah, I don't know. It just wasn't my thing.

Melinda Russell 18:24

Yeah, see, I loved math, and so you know, that's but I hated history and science, yeah. I you know, everybody has their thing, you know, Lindsay. Everybody has their thing, so so when you when you go down the track and things haven't your car's not running like it should, or whatever, do you feel pressure, especially as a woman, that you need to really perform better? I mean, uh you've got so many brothers, you probably don't have as much, um, as many people that kind of say, well, you know, girls don't belong in racing, and we still hear it, even though there's so many women in drag racing. Right. So many.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Honestly, I have never felt um, I don't know, I feel no different being a woman in drag racing. Like, I I don't know, a lot of people think it's a big deal, you know, especially people that don't know drag racing, but those people don't realize how many women there are in drag racing. Right. Um, my dad's always called me his fifth son. So I I don't know. I just say like I don't as being a woman in dracing feels no different than probably being a man. I mean, I want to do well because I love to see women do well, and I like I want to be one of them, you know. Um, but I don't I don't feel any pressure to go out there and be good at it.

Melinda Russell 19:55

So uh do you consider so is your you and your brothers, you have a race team, do you have a name for the race team, or are you kind of each do your own thing?

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Yeah, so we just go Theobald Motorsports. Theobald is my maiden name. So um Theobald Motorsports, that's what my dad named us back when we first got started, and it's just stuck with us, so yeah, good name.

Melinda Russell 20:18

So if we looked on social media and looked up Theobald, Theobald racing, we'd find where you're racing, what you're doing, and how you did, and all that stuff, right? Yeah, yep, yeah. And are you mostly Facebook, Instagram, where would we find you?

SPEAKER_01 20:34

Um, I don't do much social media, I'm not big on that. Um, my little brother does a really good job um representing us and um Parker Theobald, he posts a lot of reels and pictures, and he's really good at all of that. So um, but he usually tags all of us. So if you look on Instagram or Facebook, you'll probably find something.

Melinda Russell 20:53

And he's the one that does the podcast. Yeah, yep. And what is his podcast about?

SPEAKER_01 21:00

Um West Coast racing. There wasn't really much coverage on all that. So him and his buddy Troy from Oregon um kind of started this podcast to cover all the racing on the West Coast.

Melinda Russell 21:13

That's cool. I love that. I'm gonna have to I'm gonna have to find it and um find him and follow him because I'm always listening to podcasts all the time.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

It's good, they're a hoot.

Melinda Russell 21:25

I bet they are, and those are the best time, best ones, you know, for sure. Yeah, yep. So when you get to the line and you're ready to race, do you ever have any thoughts creep in that are negative?

Drag Racing Misconceptions And The Math

Melinda Russell 21:40

And if so, how do you quiet them? Or are you a pretty confident person?

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Um, I try to be confident.

Melinda Russell 21:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:50

I'm I'm not very good at it, but I try. My brothers are really good at pushing to be confident. Um, I don't know. Sometimes you do go up to the line and you have things going through your Head that like now's not the time for that. And you just kind of have to be like, all right, like we're here to race, like, focus up and you know, do your thing. Yeah. Yeah. So just kind of push them to the side.

Melinda Russell 22:11

Right. And you know, you have to it's easy to get down on yourself. And that's and and so that's the thing that we have to make sure that we don't do that, that we stay focused and and just do our best. And it and when it stops being fun, then it's time to stop. Yeah. Right. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

I kind of had a little pity party for myself. We were racing in Vegas this last weekend, and it was a double. So there's two races. And the first race, I just I lost first round, and I was mad and honored. And I ended up bringing my daughter home for a soccer game. And it was the best thing for me. Just kind of cleared my head, and you know, came back and had a fresh start for the second race. And we won a few rounds. And so it just, I think that's what you need sometimes.

Melinda Russell 22:58

You just need the mental break from it. Right. And that's true. That's a life, that's a life thing, right? You know, there's days that you're just like, somebody needs to come and get these kids. I just need a break. Or, or you know, I've had I've had way too many soccer games this week. You take her to the soccer game, yeah, or whatever it is.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

Yep.

Melinda Russell 23:18

Yeah, mental breaks. Yeah, absolutely. That's that's for sure. So drag racing is one thing that I was surprised when I started the Women's Motorsports Network in 2017. I knew a lot about asphalt short track racing, but I didn't know a lot about drag racing or dirt racing. I mean, I knew some, but not a lot. Drag racing, especially not, because where I grew up, there wasn't a place to do that. Well, when I moved to Michigan in 1999, I wasn't into racing right away, but obviously I am now. We have a wonderful track in Martin, Michigan called US 131 Motorsports Park. Okay, yeah, it's a it's a great track, and they hold amazing races. And so when I first started this, I went up there on a Saturday, and they you know said, Oh, here's your media, this is where you can go, and whatever. And you can pretty much go anywhere at a dry race. Yeah, you know, you can almost you know sit inside the motorhome of the people. I mean, there's there's just not a lot to stop you, but anyway. Um, so I went up there and it and it there was campers as far as you could see, and I have never seen so many little girls, yeah, in junior dragsters. It was I I was just like blown away. I was shocked. I went there to see a gal who used to race motorcycles, and and she's like, Oh Melinda, there are so many little girls in drag racing, and now you're seeing as they get a little older, we're starting to see them a little bit more. But you go to a drag race, there's a lot of girls and women, aren't they?

SPEAKER_01 25:06

Oh, yeah, it's not uncommon, uncommon at all to see women in every class, you know. Right, they participate in everything, yeah.

Melinda Russell 25:15

And so I it makes me wonder then. You go to a sprint car race, there's no women, yeah. There's really no women.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

I'm not super familiar with that stuff.

Melinda Russell 25:25

Okay, so you know, sprint cars. Um, they of course I live in the Midwest, so you know they're popular, especially in Iowa and whatever, but you don't see any. So I went to um oh shoot. Anyway, I can't think of the track, it's a very well-known track. Tony Stewart owns it. I went there for a race on weekend, and I thought, oh, I'm gonna meet women and that are involved in sprint car racing, and it was just the opposite. There was there was no women, so I I've never figured out really why. Why, yeah, there's so many in junior dragsters and moving up, and no one in the bigger things of sprint car. Now they're starting to come around some, but um I I guess I just why what do you think is the draw for drag racing? Is it because their parents did it? I mean, what what would be the draw for people who maybe don't know about racing to be a drag racer?

SPEAKER_01 26:25

Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what I mean. I don't understand how people we've always wondered how do people get involved that like weren't raised in or you know, um we raced with some friends in Las Vegas and um we laughed because they have some neighbors that they sucked into it, and so like I guess it's just knowing somebody that you know kind of brings you in. But I don't know, the same could be with sprint cars, like it just takes knowing somebody. I don't know if like the cost, I don't know. I don't I don't either. I don't know.

Melinda Russell 26:59

I've asked a few people that question, and none of us can figure it out. So I that's like the the racing mystery.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

Drag racing's just where it's at, I guess.

Melinda Russell 27:09

Oh, I guess it is. That's just it, Lindsay. You nailed it. That's exactly for sure what it is.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

Uh at least I like to think so.

Melinda Russell 27:17

Yeah, for sure. So you're a mom, you got a lot going on, but do you see yourself racing for a while?

SPEAKER_01 27:24

Yeah, I hope. I hope I'm an old lady, still having the time of my life, you know. Yeah, that's that's my dream. I know, like, I don't know when my kids my kids are involved in it now, but as they get more and more involved, I may have to step back. But I just hope that that I don't know, we can just make it work out that I can keep racing or

Confidence, Favorite Tracks, And Pride

SPEAKER_01 27:45

take a break and come back or you know, yeah. But I plan I plan to do it for a long time.

Melinda Russell 27:50

That's good. That's good. I like hearing that. So um do you have a favorite track?

SPEAKER_01 27:58

I really, really like racing in Sonoma, California. Um, I don't know, it's just it's just different, it's really cool. Um, I like Pomona. I like to race in Pomona. Um, it's just it's a different feel there for sure, just like with the history and everything of it. Um, you pull around, pull up, pull into the burnout box, you know, there's planes flying over, and I don't know. I just really like the feeling of Pomona. Um so those two are probably my top two.

Melinda Russell 28:28

And what track do you race at most often?

SPEAKER_01 28:32

Um, so Vegas is our local track, um, but we don't do a lot of their local series. Every now and then I'll take my dragster down, but um we don't, I don't know. We just race like the NHRA event, so it's kind of all over.

Melinda Russell 28:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

So you travel.

Melinda Russell 28:50

Yeah, lots of travel. So um what's been your proudest moment? Ooh.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

Um, I don't know. As for me, for me would be probably winning um my first divisional event in my dragster. I won taught dragster. Um, that was pretty big because like the WALL E is our goal, you know, like that's what we want. And so for me that was big. But like being a mom, my son picked up a WALL-E. Uh, let's see, was it last year or the year before? And it's I don't know. It's just something about seeing your kids do it too. And you know, the the um the desire for them to win, like yeah, you know, I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I want him to win more for more than I want myself to win, but um, I don't know.

Melinda Russell 29:41

That's normal. Yeah, that's normal for a parent. Yeah, you know, I I just I just heard somebody say that they were happier for their driver. It was a team owner, he was happier to see his driver win than he ever was when he won himself.

SPEAKER_01 30:01

Yeah, and I can say that too. My husband, um, just this last weekend, he's still pretty, I'd say he's pretty fresh in the drag racing. He's raced before, um, but never consistent. And we're getting more consistent now. And he went four rounds last week, and I don't think I was like, I was stoked, you know. I just love seeing those wind lights turn on. And um, like you say, I'd probably enjoyed that more than seeing my own wind lights. Yeah, yeah.

Melinda Russell 30:26

And I think, and you know, we shouldn't we shouldn't think that men are one way and women are another, but they are, and I think and I think women have a tendency because of the mothering instinct, yeah, to feel that way, right? More so maybe than a man, than a man, yeah. That's probably not a fair statement, but I'm gonna make it anyway. We'll make it fair.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

That's what I think.

Melinda Russell 30:51

I'll agree with you, yeah. That's what I think. So so have you ever been given some advice that has really stuck with you?

SPEAKER_01 31:02

Yeah, I've been given lots of advice. Um gosh, nothing off the top of my head. Just okay, just be yourself and do your best, you know? Like, yeah, it doesn't matter, man, woman, anything, just go out there and give it your all. And and like you say, if you're not having fun, then something's wrong, something needs to change. So just make sure you're having fun, that's the biggest thing, and just go out there and enjoy it.

Melinda Russell 31:27

Yeah, so Lindsay, do you have like marketing partners on your car that you want to mention, or it's your family that takes care of things?

SPEAKER_01 31:36

Just my family. My husband's a huge, huge supporter. Um, so yeah, just him and then my dad.

Melinda Russell 31:42

Yeah, yeah, and that's common, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is for sure. So is there anything that we haven't talked about that I just was an obvious miss about your story? Anything that you would like to share that I did not ask you about? No, I think you did a really good job. I've done a few of them. I think your number 4, maybe 443 or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

Oh my god. You've got it down packed now.

Melinda Russell 32:21

Well, I used to when I first started, I had uh cheat sheets of questions and I tweaked them over the years, yeah. And every once in a while, uh, I mean, I have them where I could grab them if like once in a while you'll get somebody that's not very talkative. So you have to ask a lot more questions, right? Yeah, so I keep them handy just in case that happens, but I really rarely ever use my questions.

SPEAKER_01 32:55

Well, it's nice, it's just like a casual conversation.

Melinda Russell 32:58

It is, it is, and that's how I want people to feel. I want them to feel like we just had a great conversation, you were able to share your story and why you love racing, and that's my goal is for you to be able to tell your story. And so if we accomplished that today, then I did my job.

SPEAKER_01 33:16

Yeah, you did. I think I think we did all right. What do you think?

Melinda Russell 33:19

I think so too, Lindsay. So I passed you passed with flying colors for sure. Um, so let me know when you're gonna go to Alaska. Okay, yes, I will.

SPEAKER_01 33:31

We gotta get that planned.

Melinda Russell 33:33

Gotta have to get it on the calendar if it's ever gonna happen.

SPEAKER_01 33:36

Exactly.

Melinda Russell 33:37

Um, yeah, and I will find your brother's podcast. Yes, and uh yeah, and I just hope you have a fun summer. Yes, it's about winning, that's why we race. We don't race to come in last, but right when we also race because it's fun and it's what your family does, and so yeah, I hope you have a great, a great race season this year.

SPEAKER_01 34:04

Well, thank you so much. I appreciate that, and thanks for having me on. It's been fun.

Melinda Russell 34:09

You're welcome. All right, well, you hang on here just for a second. Okay.