Racing Made Me Confident Even When I Was Shy with Jillian Cole

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SPEAKER_01 0:46

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Melinda Russell 0:48

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Meet Jillian Cole

Melinda Russell 2:46

Hello everyone, this is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network podcast. And my guest today is Gillian Cole. And Jillian, I want to welcome you to the show. And first, as we always do, let's hear a little bit more about you personally.

SPEAKER_02 3:02

Well, um I have four cats. I'm a senior in high school. I'm graduating um next month, so I'm excited. Uh can't think of anything.

Melinda Russell 3:19

Where do you live, Jillian? Where are you from?

SPEAKER_02 3:21

I live uh in Rio Linda, California.

Melinda Russell 3:25

Okay, all right. Warm and sunny California compared to cloudy and cool Michigan. So there you go. Yeah now, yeah. And do you have any siblings?

SPEAKER_02 3:36

I have a brother.

Melinda Russell 3:38

Okay, is he older or younger?

SPEAKER_02 3:41

He's older by a minute. We're twins.

Melinda Russell 3:44

Oh, I remember that now. I think I had forgotten that. I remembered now that you're you're a twin. Yeah, so he's the oldest by a minute, yeah. Yeah, so you can always, you know, defer to him that he's the older brother. That's fun, yeah, for sure. So,

Family Roots In Youth Racing

Melinda Russell 4:01

Julian, tell me how you got interested in motorsports.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

Well, um pretty much my that's sorry, that's all my family has been in. So every Saturday we would go to like a local asphalt track, and they started like doing power wheels races. So we did a race in like a little power wheels quad. We really liked it, and then they stopped doing those. So I think like a year later or so, my mom found um a Facebook post about an arrival and drive for quarter midgets. So we went, we both really liked it, and we raced quarter midgets for a good seven years.

Melinda Russell 4:48

Okay, all right, and so you and your brother both raced. Yep. Who was the most competitive? You or him?

SPEAKER_02 4:56

I would definitely say I was.

Melinda Russell 4:59

Yeah, I've got to show that brother who's boss, right? Yeah, yeah, and so you were in quarter midgets for seven years, and then what what did you do after that?

SPEAKER_02 5:10

I am currently racing a 250 outlaw cart.

Melinda Russell 5:14

Okay, all right. And what do you just race at one track or do you travel around?

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Right now, we currently have only raced at a private track that we live close by to. We are working on uh racing at Cycle and Speedway. We've been having a lot of like collar problems, okay. All right, yeah, taking the big drive up there has been we've been scared to do, but we're gonna plan to show up to their next race.

Melinda Russell 5:49

Yeah, you just gotta take a leap of faith and say, we're gonna do it.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

Yep, everything should be fine now.

Melinda Russell 5:56

So crossing our fingers. That's good, that's good. And how far will that be for you to drive to go?

SPEAKER_02 6:03

I think an hour and 30 minutes. Okay, depending on traffic.

Melinda Russell 6:09

Yeah, yeah. So it's a little ways to go, but some people go, you know, like is that me or you? It might be me. I'm sorry. No, that's okay. You drive an hour and a half, you'll drive an hour and a half, and yet um, you know, some people I know drive three hours or more on a weekend, so really an hour and a half doesn't sound too bad, but you know, Gillian, I'm spoiled because I have racetracks within 15-20 minutes that I can go watch, so yeah. But I know California's different, usually you have to drive a little ways to go to the years have you been racing the outlaw cart?

SPEAKER_02 6:48

This would be my second full year last year. I only raced for like uh half of the year.

Melinda Russell 6:57

Okay, all right. And what about your brother? Is he doing the same thing?

SPEAKER_02 7:02

He is, he's racing a uh cage clone.

Melinda Russell 7:05

Okay, all right. And does anybody else in your family did they race? Like, did your parents race or they just liked racing and went to watch?

SPEAKER_02 7:15

My uh grandma on my mom's side, she raced. My okay, and my grandpa on my mom's side did, and my uh grandparents on my dad's side, they both race not okay, but my grandpa races a drag car.

Melinda Russell 7:31

Okay, well, that's cool. So it's kind of in your blood, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, for sure. So, what keeps you guys, your family, going to the track every weekend when you could be doing so many other things in California besides going to the racetrack?

SPEAKER_02 7:47

I think it's just watching it and the interacting with the people there and just having fun, yeah.

Melinda Russell 7:56

And you've you've made so many friends, I know, at the racetrack. Yeah, that it's like it's like spending the weekend with your family, isn't it? It is, yeah, it really is. So, what was the hardest thing for you to transition from quarter midgets to outlaw carts?

SPEAKER_02 8:14

The speed,

The Jump To Faster Outlaw Carts

SPEAKER_02 8:15

definitely, and honestly, how much more aggressive everybody else is, and quarter midgets, they kind of control that a lot more, yeah. But the outlaw carts you like race through the caution and like yeah, one screw up and you're in the back.

Melinda Russell 8:36

Every man for himself, too. It's not there's not a lot of um politeness when you race outlaw carts more. So when you're younger, the kids are younger, they like you said, they kind of try to control some of that because you we don't want little kids to think that being aggressive and running into people and stuff is the right thing to do, no, and so they're trying to teach the littler kids when they race how to do it right, and then hopefully they remember that when they get to uh uh you know, step up to a bigger series for sure. So, what is the number of your cart and how did you pick it?

SPEAKER_02 9:12

It's 18. It was my the past car owner's number. We just kept it because that's like on all our stuff now, yeah.

Melinda Russell 9:22

Okay, yeah, all right. And what about your brother? What's his number?

SPEAKER_02 9:25

His number is oh one. He's a big general lee fan, so okay. Cars bring the chat.

Melinda Russell 9:32

Is it orange? Yes, okay, all right. Well, that's a good thing. That's a good way to to know who that you know who that is. You recognize it right away for sure.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Melinda Russell 9:44

So do you you don't race against each other now because you're in different classes, right? Right, yeah. So are there very many girls in your class that race? There, yeah, there's quite a few. Okay, good. That's good to hear. And um, what about your brother's class? I mean, overall, and when you go, are there quite a few girls?

SPEAKER_02 10:09

Uh I don't think so in his class. His class is more like uh adults.

Melinda Russell 10:16

Okay, all right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Yeah.

Melinda Russell 10:20

So when

What Race Day Actually Looks Like

Melinda Russell 10:21

you go to the when you go to the races on the weekend, what does your what does your weekend look like? Do you race on Friday, Saturday? What do you do? What does race day look like? You get up, you eat breakfast. Tell me what your day looks like.

SPEAKER_02 10:33

My day, uh, for one of the tracks we race, uh it races on Sunday. I pretty much get up, eat breakfast, get everything together, grab my bag, we load up the cars, and we just go.

Melinda Russell 10:50

And does your do your parents go? Are they kind of your pet crew?

SPEAKER_02 10:54

Yes, yeah.

Melinda Russell 10:56

I figured, do you have anybody else that comes and helps you when you're racing?

SPEAKER_02 11:00

Not anymore. The car owner last year he used to haul the car down and that he would help us out. He wanted to retire this year, so now it's just all us.

Melinda Russell 11:13

Okay, all right. So you've got a trailer or some kind of hauler that you take the cars on and away you go. Yeah, for sure. So that's that's fun though. Do you see yourself racing for you know a long time? Is it something you want to keep doing at you know, after you graduate? And are you gonna go to school? Are you gonna work? What's your plan for the future?

SPEAKER_02 11:34

I definitely plan to race pretty much as long as I can. I really enjoy it. Going to school after high school, I'm still thinking about that. I don't really have sorry, I don't have all my plans together at the moment.

Melinda Russell 11:51

Okay, it's hard, isn't it? It's a it's a hard decision, yeah. And there's so many opportunities out there, and you know, sometimes you think you know what you want to do, and then you get started and you find out it's not how you thought it was, and and so um, yeah, I get that. That's that's a hard decision to know what's really the right thing to do down the line for sure. Do you work anywhere? I uh help my mom with her job. Okay, yeah, all right. So she keeps you busy, right? She does. Yeah, that's good. So, what do your friends think about you racing?

SPEAKER_02 12:31

My friends, they uh they like it. One of my really good friends, she races too. So we both just kind of sit there and talk about that.

Melinda Russell 12:40

Okay, and do other kids are other kids kind of like they don't understand it or they they don't get it, or are they pretty or you know, is racing kind of a common thing that they understand?

SPEAKER_02 12:52

I'd say it's pretty common. I don't really talk to any other kids that like aren't in racing.

Melinda Russell 12:58

Okay, all right. A lot of times I hear girls say that girls and boys don't really understand what racing is all about, you know, or how it works, and they think it's just turning left and driving, and then that is super easy, and they don't really understand all the things you have to do. Yeah, so do you help?

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Sorry, no, go ahead. It was like that for me in school because I went to public school for my going into oh my god, when I was in elementary school, I went to public school, and a lot of the kids they always said quarter measure racing is easy, and I was just bullied for it a lot.

Melinda Russell 13:43

Yeah, they had no idea, yeah. They have no idea how how much goes into it, and and they just think, yeah, they think it's easy. If it was easy, everybody would do it, right? Isn't that what they say? Right, yeah, yeah. So, do you help work on the car?

SPEAKER_02 14:04

I have just been cleaning the car at the moment. I'm nervous to really help with the motor because I don't know that much about it yet. When we race quarter midgets, I would change the oil and clean the car. Okay, that's kind of all I did.

Melinda Russell 14:20

Yeah, well, that's okay. Your dad does most of the maintenance and that on the cart. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's that's pretty normal. That's you know, that's that's how a lot of a lot of times it goes for sure. So, what's

Favorite Moments And Season Goals

Melinda Russell 14:33

been your most favorite memory from driving either quarter midgets or the cart?

SPEAKER_02 14:40

It would have to be um in 2024. I raced a light world formula, I was leading in the heat race, and coming out of turn four, going for the checkered, my one of my rear tires flies off. Yeah, and I uh go backwards across the finish line, winning by my rear tire only crossing it.

Melinda Russell 15:06

That's pretty fun. Wow, that's a memory for sure. It is so you I just saw a replay of a NASCAR race, and I don't even remember who the driver was, but that's kind of what happened to him. He got he got wrecked going to the finish line, and he was going backwards, but he ended up finishing and he went across first, but he he went across backwards as well. So, you know, I think it happens, but not very often for sure. Yeah, so what are your goals for racing this year? Do you have any? Like, are you want to win a heat race, you want to win a feature? Are you are you running for points?

SPEAKER_02 15:46

This year, I just hope to honestly do better than I did last year. I my finishes were very like in the back, last, the kind of pretty much slowest qualifier. Anything better than that would just be good, yeah.

Melinda Russell 16:03

And that's and that's really what we you know what we want. We just want to keep getting better. You don't you don't go from quarter midgets to you know finishing in the top three or whatever in a new class overnight? It takes time to learn all those things, and the carts are different and and the drivers are different, so it does take time for all of that.

Social Media For A Growing Race Team

Melinda Russell 16:29

Yeah. So Jillian, um, are you on social media? And if so, what what do you use on social media to promote what you're doing?

SPEAKER_02 16:38

Uh I we're both on we're on Instagram and Facebook. I just kind of post our results and like pictures of our cars. We try to like, oh, we also on YouTube too. That's where we post all our like long form videos.

Melinda Russell 16:55

Oh yeah, okay. And is it is it Cole Racing, or what's the name of it? How could we find it and watch?

SPEAKER_02 17:02

Uh J and L Racing.

Melinda Russell 17:05

J and L Racing, okay. All right. So people can get on and and watch your YouTube and that. So do you share prior to going to the races? Like we're gonna be at such and such track this weekend, come out and watch, or anything like that, or mostly just the results?

SPEAKER_02 17:21

I'm working on doing that. It's I'm still kind of new to the adding social media stuff in that.

Melinda Russell 17:28

Yeah, yeah. It's really helpful though, you know, to do that, more so the results, you know. Um, it's nice though, if you can put out put where you're gonna be and encourage people that follow you on social media to know that you're gonna be racing. Maybe they'd come out and watch. And so those things, you know, and it's hard. You're trying to finish up your senior year of school, so we got to get you out of high school first, and then we can get you um okay. My husband left me, gave me a message. Um, so you know, it's important for you to get your school done and graduate, and then you can focus on some other things, right? Right, right, okay, awesome.

Confidence Gains And Handling Bullies

Melinda Russell 18:15

So, do you think uh motorsports is is a good sport for girls to be involved in?

SPEAKER_02 18:22

I do, yes.

Melinda Russell 18:23

For me, it's sorry, no good.

SPEAKER_02 18:27

It helped me be more confident in myself. My when I was younger, I was just very shy. My self-esteem was very low. I just was genuinely not happy, and then I started doing better in quarter midgets, and then moving on to outlock arts. I have been so much better. Like doing interviews right now, I would be so anxious, and my mom would be answering for me instead of myself.

Melinda Russell 18:53

So and look at today, you're you're confident and you're answering all the questions and with a huge smile on your face. So, you know, that's yeah, you've come a long way, haven't you, Jillian? Yeah, I have, yeah, you have. So, um, you know, if if somebody came up to you at the track and said, My little girl wants to, you know, start in quarter midgets or or whatever and be like you, what would you say? What kind of advice or encouragement would you give them?

SPEAKER_02 19:25

Uh just like don't beat yourself up. Everybody has it's hard for everyone. You'll just keep practicing. Eventually, you'll be leading the race and driving away from people.

Melinda Russell 19:44

Yeah, good advice because, like we said, it doesn't you don't go to the winner's circle on the first race, usually. So you just have to get in and do your best and practice, and yeah, for sure. So um, oh, I just lost my train of thought what I was gonna ask you. Now, when you when you go to the racetrack, have you ever had any difficulty like being accepted by the boys um even when you were younger, or has that pretty much changed over the years?

SPEAKER_02 20:17

When I was younger, I was actually bullied by this one kid a lot in action at the track. It came to a point where I just like you're not funny, you're not like I pretty much he was like so much shorter than me, too. Yeah, like I had to bend over my car and was like, dude, just stop, yeah, and like he stopped after that.

Melinda Russell 20:44

Good for you. Well, if they know you're not gonna take it, then it's no fun for them. They, you know, they people want to get under your skin, and if they think they can, they will. If they think you're not gonna put up with it anymore, they don't. And maybe he had short man syndrome or short person syndrome, you know how what they say about that he has to act big because he's not very tall. I don't know. I don't know the kid, but you know, sometimes that happens for sure. Yeah, so um, so your mom was all on board about you guys racing, huh? From a young age, she was, yeah. Yeah, that sometimes that's surprising. A lot of times it's the dad that gets the kids involved, and the and the mom is sitting in the stands with her hands over her eyes because she doesn't want to see what's happening. But your mom was was involved, and so um how does that make you feel knowing that your parents are really a hundred percent behind what you're doing?

SPEAKER_02 21:46

It just it makes me feel better. I don't have to be worried that if I screw up or if I like just don't have fun anymore, that they'll just stop. I like having a good support system. By me.

Melinda Russell 22:01

That's important. It's really important because everybody doesn't have that. And you know, I love that a lot of times, and this is in all sports, not just racing. Sometimes the parents get a little bit wound up, I guess I'll say, when their kids are racing or playing basketball or whatever they might be doing. And they take the fun out of it. And so when a sport stops being fun, then it's time to stop. But as long as your parents are supportive, they don't expect you to win every race. They want you to have fun. They want you to do your best. And you are learning a lot of things by being involved in motorsports that you wouldn't have learned had you not been involved, right? So you said confidence. Yeah. What else have you learned about yourself or others by being involved in motorsports?

SPEAKER_02 22:56

I'm a I learned that I'm a very competitive person. I can't even play a game of Mario Kart without getting a little too competitive over it. Somebody hits me with a shell, I'm just annoyed.

Melinda Russell 23:15

Oh, that's funny. Well, that's okay. You know, being competitive is good as long as you're not bullying and that. And I know you're not because that's not who you are. But um no, but that's that's fun that you you learned that about yourself because you know you may not have ever known that had you not been involved in a sport that you know where it's you, um, as opposed to like a team sport. That sometimes that's makes a little bit of a difference for sure. Yeah. So have you had any races this year yet?

New Tracks And Summer Racing Plans

SPEAKER_02 23:47

Well, we oh my goodness, we have had uh I think three races at the private track we've been going to, uh High Banks.

Melinda Russell 23:58

Okay, and then you've got and how often do they race? Once a week?

SPEAKER_02 24:03

They race, I think it was like once or twice a month. They really tried to space out the races and not coincide with others.

Melinda Russell 24:14

Okay, well, that's good, and then you're gonna go to the other track. What was the name of the track that you're gonna go to? Cycle Land Speedway, Cycland Speedway, yeah. And do you know what town that's in? Where is that? It's I think right outside of Chico. Okay, all right, yeah, okay, so that's coming up. You're gonna be excited about that. Are you preparing differently for going to that track, or you're you've not ever been there, I don't think. So, you know, are you like do you are you able to see the track like so you kind of know how it is, or you're just gonna go and give it your best shot?

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Yeah, I raced there uh last year. Okay, yeah, we did a big adjustment to the car, we raised the wing and a whole bunch. So I'm just really wanting to see the difference of last year compared to this year.

Melinda Russell 25:10

Yeah, that sounds fun. Well, I hope you have a really good weekend when you go there, and your brother's gonna race there as well.

SPEAKER_02 25:18

Next season, this season he's had some um health problems, so he's been kind of trying to find the words. Uh he took a couple seasons off, so he's just getting back into racing. Okay, all right.

Melinda Russell 25:37

Health, your health is yeah, your health is more important than racing, that's for sure. So, yeah, good for him. He needs to take care of himself first, yeah. And um, so you're gonna go and you're gonna race uh at that track. And what other things do you have planned for the summer? Are you gonna go there more often to race? Are you gonna race at the private track?

SPEAKER_02 26:00

What's your plan just race, just those two tracks, try whenever we can to go out there?

Melinda Russell 26:09

Okay, all right. Sounds like a busy summer, I I think, and I know it's gonna be a lot of fun. So, Jillian, is there anything we haven't talked about about you or your racing or anything that's coming up that you want to make sure that we share? Um no, no, we've talked about everything, pretty much covered it all, huh? Yeah, yep, yeah. Well, I'm glad we could have you on the show again and talk about what you're doing now, moving up and graduating and becoming an adult and all those fun things, you know, in life. So um, I really appreciate that you took time to be on the show with me. Any final words that you want to share before we go?

SPEAKER_02 27:00

Uh just uh thank you for having me and I'm I really appreciate the opportunity.

Melinda Russell 27:09

Oh, yeah, no problem. I enjoy talking to you. That's great. All right. Um, you take care, you have a great summer, and please stay in touch so that I know how you're doing, okay? Okay. All right, sounds good.

Final Thanks And Sponsor Message

Melinda Russell 27:25

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