The Jernigans: A Michigan Short Track Family That Races Together

Sponsors And Quick Messages

Melinda Russell 0:48

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Meet Bobby Joe And Riley

Melinda Russell 2:05

Hello everyone. This is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network Podcast. And I have a family of beautiful ladies today, a mom and one of her daughters, and we're missing one, and she'll tell us about that and why. But um, I want to welcome Bobby Joe and Riley Jernigan for the show today. And guys, I follow you on Facebook. I've kind of watched, you know, things that you're doing, but I'm gonna let you do most of the talking today and let our listeners hear all about your racing stories. So, Bobby Joe, why don't we start first and you tell us a little bit about yourself and your family?

SPEAKER_01 2:44

So obviously I'm the mom of the group and I race with both of my daughters. My youngest is 17 and my oldest is 21. And we get to do this as a family and compete and kind of give each other a hard time. Um, I also own my own business and I'm the owner of Journagan Racing as well.

Melinda Russell 3:04

Okay. And do you have any pets?

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Uh we have one dog, three cats, and a turtle.

Melinda Russell 3:12

Oh, that's cool. I love turtles. That's cool. Awesome. And um, and so you own your own business and you own Dernigan Racing. And oh my gosh, you're a busy lady because you've got two girls

Graduation Plans Beyond Racing

Melinda Russell 3:25

that are keeping you hopping as well. So, Riley, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself as far as like maybe where you go to school and are you homeschooled? Do you go to school? That kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

So I recently just finished my senior year on Friday from Morris High School, and I graduate June 4th.

Melinda Russell 3:45

Okay, big exciting day coming up, isn't it? Yes. And then what are your plans for after after the summer? Do you have plans?

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Um, right now I'm just looking into occupational therapy through an online school, just looking at my options right now, because I'm still quite sure 100%.

Melinda Russell 4:04

You know, it's hard to make those choices, it really is. And you know, I hate to say this, I don't know anything about your school, but when my kids were going through that age, they didn't get a lot of structure and help from the high school. There was supposed to be a guidance counselor that wasn't really all that helpful, and so it's hard to make those decisions, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Yeah, for sure. It was also harder being at home most of my senior year due to my surgery. So I feel like it was hard trying to figure out what I wanted to do without being in that school environment for most of my senior year.

Melinda Russell 4:44

Absolutely,

A Bet That Started Racing

Melinda Russell 4:45

yeah. So, Bobby Joe, why don't you start first and tell us how did you get started in racing?

SPEAKER_01 4:52

So I got started in racing by watching my dad, um, who is a fellow racer when I was young. And then I'd always just kind of been a spectator. And then about six years ago, we were at the racetrack um watching, and Ryan Quartz at the time was winning everything in the sport compact division. And Kennedy made a comment, well, if he can do this, I can do this. And a bet started between her and her dad. And I think like within a month, we had her car built and had her out on the track. And after her first season, she got into a really bad wreck and decided to step down. She's like, I need to take some time to just kind of get my head right, make sure my heart's still in this. So in the meantime, I was like, Well, can I climb in your car and give it a whirl? And she's like, sure. And I did the first time, and I absolutely hated it. I come off the track and told my husband, we are the worst parents ever. I cannot believe we let our 14-year-old daughter do this. What were we thinking? And I was like, this isn't for me. We parked the car, and a couple weeks later, I don't know, something just changed. I said, let's give this one more try. And I tried one more time, and something just clicked for me. And from that moment on, I fell in love.

Melinda Russell 6:09

So, did you did you have a hard time the first time? You couldn't ship. What was it that when you get off the track, you're like, no, I hate this?

SPEAKER_01 6:17

I think initially it was just the overload of adrenaline. I just not knowing like how to process all of that, um, not really understanding like all of the things that happen simultaneously while you're out on the track, it just was really overwhelming initially. And I just was like, no, this isn't for me at all. So I don't know. I'm not sure what click that second time I climbed in the car, but whatever it was, I'm glad it happened.

Melinda Russell 6:47

And what kind of car was that that you started in?

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Um, I believe it was a cobalt.

Melinda Russell 6:55

Okay, all right. So a smaller car, a slower car, that's a good good place to start, right? But um, yeah, for sure. So that was six years ago.

Racing Each Other Without Mercy

Melinda Russell 7:05

Um, now we've got a whole family of racers, right? Yes, yeah. So, Riley, what made you want to join and and become a racer?

SPEAKER_02 7:15

I just loved the environment. Just watching my mom and sister out there all the time. I just kind of like felt like I was just there and I wanted to be involved more. And I was like, well, if you guys are doing this, I want in. And I saw the opportunity that this could make something big for us. So I fell in love with it since that moment.

Melinda Russell 7:36

So are you all three? Either one of you can answer. Are you all three racing in the same division? Do you race against each other?

SPEAKER_01 7:44

We all race in the same division. Um, our class is usually pretty big, so it goes based off time. And I have not yet raced with Riley. Um, she typically is in the B uh feature, and I'm in the A with Kennedy. So Kennedy and I race against each other frequently.

Melinda Russell 8:02

And how does that go?

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Uh, it goes really good. Actually, I love it. Um, I hate being behind her. I don't know how she does it, but she can make her car four wide. Um, but it's fun watching her push herself week in and week out and just watching her grow. Um, I love competing with her.

Melinda Russell 8:21

That's cool. So, Riley, we got to get you up there in the A too.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

I have raced, I think, two times in the A with my sister last season, and it was it was eventful. Me and her are both very we go head to head in a lot of stuff. So it was just kind of funny being out there with her because as soon as we came off the track, I was like, Oh, I did better than you, and she was like, No, no, no, no, it was me.

Melinda Russell 8:50

Mom has to get in in between you and referee once in a while, then, huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, for sure. So, Bobby Joe, what is it about racing or motor sports that keeps you and your family going to the track every weekend when you could be doing so many other things?

SPEAKER_01 9:10

It's the environment, it's the relationships that you build. There's uh nothing like family or family, uh racing families, excuse me. They're just they're a different breed, they're amazing people, and they have your back no matter what. And I mean, you don't find that everywhere. So just the great people, the environment, it's fast-paced, it's horsepower, it's it's just so much fun.

Melinda Russell 9:36

Yeah. I I hear that answer more times than not that it's the people. It's when it's yeah, some people say, Oh, I like to go fast and that, but when it comes down to it, if you really talk to

Why The Track Feels Like Home

Melinda Russell 9:50

them long enough, they're eventually gonna say, I don't know what I'd do without my racing family. And and that's pretty much how it is. So, where do you guys go typically to race? Do you have a home track? Do you travel? Um, tell me how that works.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Owasso Speedway is our home track. We have traveled a little bit. We've been to Birch Run, Corgan Oil, Otto City. Um, but typically we, because of our schedule, we stick to Owasso. We did have hopes to travel this year, and then Riley's um surgery uh unfortunately got moved up. So that kind of botched our uh travel plans for this season.

Knee Surgeries And Mental Comeback

Melinda Russell 10:27

Yeah. Do you want to share about that, Riley, or would you rather not? I can share about it. Okay, because you know, here's the thing. Um, life kind of gives us curveballs and things don't always go like we want. Absolutely. And we have to learn, we we have to learn how to deal with that and adversity and all that. I think it'd be good for you to share a little bit about that and how you're how you deal with it.

SPEAKER_02 10:52

Um, honestly, it was unexpected hearing I needed surgery. The first time it was so overwhelming. I was like, I don't know how anybody can go through this. Like it literally felt like a breaking point for me. And then my second one, I was like, okay, like I've been through this, I got it. And then my third one, which I just recently had, I think three weeks ago, it's just been kind of eye-opening. I kind of just want to push myself more and more. Like the only thing I'm thinking about right now is just getting back into the seat. So I'm pushing myself as much as I'm allowed to be pushing myself right now and just hoping for the best.

Melinda Russell 11:29

So, do you want to share what kind of surgery or would you rather not?

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Um, yeah. So uh from birth, Riley apparently um had had inappropriate or inappropriate amount of blood flow flowing to the knee. So a lot of the bone and cartilage had been deteriorating. So the first surgery, they went in and scraped away all of the deteriorated bone, cleaned it up, put screws into place, um, and thought that she would be good. The second surgery was the screws were backing out, so they had to go in and remove them and clean up scar tissue. And then that surgery um wasn't successful. So the third surgery we knew was going to happen, but we thought it was gonna happen towards the end of summer. And we went in for her MRI, and they told us unfortunately her knee has deteriorated more and it's not stable enough for us to push it out that far. We need to move this up. And we're like, well, how soon? And they're like, in two days. So we're like, okay. So in the third surgery, they did an oats procedure where they actually went in and drilled out all of the bad part of the knee and took um healthy bone and cartilage from above the knee and implanted it into the deteriorated part and then cemented it back into place. So this surgery, they're telling us um recovery time could be anywhere from eight to 12 months just because of all the scar tissue and healing back-to-back surgeries, because she's had all three within nine months. So um she's she's pretty optimistic that she's still going to make a race this season and uh is doing everything in her power to follow directions, but yet push herself as much as she can within limits to make that happen.

Melinda Russell 13:18

Yeah. So um this one's gonna be the the be all end all, we hope. I hope so. I really do. That's a lot of surgeries, and I I can I can understand a little bit of that, Riley, because in 2018 I had back surgery. I had fallen and cracked my back and it didn't heal. And so they went in and they fused my back from my neck, T3, to T11, which is most of your back, and that was in 2018. Well, uh, about six months ago, I was having a lot of pain, and it just kind of started. Well, guess what? One of my screws was coming loose. I would say I had a I had a screw loose, and everybody makes fun of me for that, but I really did. The bottom screw was loose, and so I had to go back in, and they took that screw out, and then they started the one above it at T10 and went to L3. So my whole back is nothing but rods and screws. So I get what you're going through in the fat. And then I've had knee replacement, so you know I kind of get it. You don't realize all the things you can't do when you can't use your knee.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Yeah, opening for sure.

Melinda Russell 14:33

Yeah. So um, physical therapy, I'm sure, and all that is is your daily, your daily life, probably. Um, but you're good, you're gonna get back at it. And the nice thing is, Bobby Joe, is she's young, and absolutely she'll she'll heal quicker than you or I, especially me. And she's she's got lots of years that she can race. I know it's hard not to be able to do it when your mom and your sister are doing it, but um, you can be the support system this year, and hopefully, by hopefully we'll have a late winter, and by the end of the race season, you'll be able to get in the car.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

We told her this year she's been uh promoted to team boss, so uh she gets the office around a little bit.

Melinda Russell 15:22

Okay, you better take advantage of that while they offer it.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Oh, I am, don't worry.

Melinda Russell 15:28

For sure.

Cars, Classes, And Next Steps

Melinda Russell 15:30

So um tell me about your cars, Bobby Joe. What do you drive?

SPEAKER_01 15:35

So I am actually this year I was supposed to be moving up to a street stock, and a few things just didn't work out for us. So we pulled a car out of the weeds that I raced three or four years ago and have it going, and I will be racing in the sport compact class again this season.

Melinda Russell 15:58

Okay, and what about Kennedy? What is what will she be driving?

SPEAKER_01 16:01

She will be in the sport compact division as well, and so will Riley when she returns.

Melinda Russell 16:06

Okay, all right. So, not a bad thing because it's fun to race against your daughter. You said that, and and um, you know, it's all about timing. When it's right, it'll happen. That's how I look at things. When it's right, it'll happen. So that so that's good. Riley, what do you love about motorsports? Why do you want to work so hard to get back to the racetrack?

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Um, my favorite thing is honestly all the girls that are getting into racing. Like, there's so many times I've been at the racetrack, and I have just like little kids coming up to me and so excited to see me. And it's just like, I want to be someone they can look at and be like, that's who I want to be. Like, I want to grow up and be able to get in a race car and be just like her. So that's why I love being at the racetrack the most, I think.

Melinda Russell 16:54

Yeah, for sure. And I tell you what, I started the I started the Women's Motorsports Network in 2017, in August. And, you know, there were a fair amount of women racing, but now I mean, I get names pretty much every day. Hey, do you know so-and-so? And they're from California to Florida to Washington State and Pennsylvania and right here in Michigan, and it's just amazing to me how many more girls are getting into every type of racing, you know. I I interviewed a really cool gal that does like four-wheeler off-road, you know, dirt and pass and stuff, and that just sounds so fun to do, you know, there's

Sponsors And Building Visibility Online

Melinda Russell 17:45

just so many opportunities out there for girls to race. So, do you have um sponsors that help you guys with your team? How do how do you do that? Or or are you your own sponsor?

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Absolutely not. We have a lot of sponsors and wonderful people that help support us and keep us going. Uh, SB Tools, PFCU Credit Union, Cadets Hardware, MPI, Jason Library with Library Art Studios, Mini Beast, Atomic Apparel and Designs, Fervo Gear, Daily Heating and Air Conditioning, OTTP, High Caliber Carding, Zamp, MS Tire, AFCO, Long Acre Racing, Darker Manufacturing, Traction Concepts, SRC Radios, and Gaffner Towing. And on the side, we also have Eric Spencer and Russell Quartz who help keep our cars on the track along with my husband, JR.

Melinda Russell 18:40

You need a bigger car to fit all those names and things on there, don't you? That's awesome. That's awesome. And I know a wasa is a great track. In fact, I have it on my bucket list to get to. So I've got to print their schedule and see if there's a time that I can come up and because I've interviewed and have met a few people from up that way. So I'd like to come and visit that track. So um that's kind of on my bucket list for sure. Um, do you use social media to promote yourselves, or how how do you let people know where you're gonna be, what you're gonna be racing, then how you did?

SPEAKER_01 19:20

Yeah, so we do use social media to the full advantage. Uh, we have Facebook, Instagram, um, we are trying to get our YouTube channel up. Um, we're also trying to get our podcast going. And then outside of our team pages, we all individually have our own pages that we also push all of our information out on as well.

Melinda Russell 19:41

Okay. And have you tried TikTok? Oh, we are on TikTok. I did forget TikTok. We are on TikTok. You know, I um I'm I'm not a huge TikTok person at the moment, but I um I just think racing is a great sport for TikTok because it's just, you know, as they go by, you can have a short little video. And and I just think it's a great, it's a great medium to share about racing. And it's so here's the problem. If you get started on TikTok and you start scrolling, it's hard to stop, right? Hard to stop, yeah. So anyway, so um what's good about social media as far as your racing? How has that helped you?

SPEAKER_01 20:32

It helps put our team front and center in front of other possible sponsoring opportunities. It puts us out in front of other individuals, rather, that's other women, children who are looking at racing. We get a lot of women who have wrote us, and especially parents saying, Hey, my child seen you at the track, they fell in love with you. Um, can we get hero cards? Can you know, and we'll do hero cards, we'll send them t-shirts, little packages and stuff. So being able to bond with them that way as well is huge for us. But we try to make sure that we level leverage our social media as far as we can.

Melinda Russell 21:16

Yeah. I just think, you know, people say, oh, and and you know this too, there's a lot of keyboard warriors and bashing and everything. And it, and it, you know, it's it's hard on the racetracks because one person can get upset and can, you know, start a whole thing going. But those of us that don't appreciate those kind of keyboard warriors have to put out the positive, the good that's happening. Hey, myself and my daughters are racing at a Wassau. Come out and watch us, bring your family, you know, come into the pits and meet us and let your let your kids sit in the car. All those things encourage people to come and support not only the track. But you're racing as well because you know they want to come and see that family of women that's racing. And that that's not normal. Let's face it. That's that's you know, you're unique in that you've got three uh ladies in your family and you're racing against each other. A lot of times it's the dad and the daughter, right? And so I love I love knowing that it's the mom and the daughters in this case for sure. Yeah.

How A Racing Family Juggles Life

Melinda Russell 22:30

So Bobby Joe, how do you manage? Okay, you said you own your own business, you've got a 21-year-old, a 17-year-old, and you are the boss. Well, for a little while, she's the boss, but you were the boss of the race team. And then I'm sure you still have to go to the grocery store and do laundry and clean and all those things. How do you manage all that?

SPEAKER_01 22:53

And I throw a full-time job in there on top of it all.

Melinda Russell 22:57

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

I I'm very busy, uh, don't sleep much, but I have a great support system between the girls and my husband, and somehow we just make it work. They, you know, they always have my back and we're willing to shift stuff when I need to pass it off. Um, but for the most part, like I don't know, we just make it work. It's it's a priority for us. Um so we do whatever we have to do.

Melinda Russell 23:26

Yeah. And it's it can be exhausting at times, you know. What a lot of people don't think about when they see a woman on the racetrack, and especially a woman of maybe younger kids, for her to race, she not only has to balance all those things that you just mentioned, but also how to get her, you know, she's got a pack of bag for her kids. Who's gonna watch her kids? Who, you know, what's she gonna do? And all those things, because um, there's a lot of of women who have little kids. And, you know, six years ago, your girls probably didn't sit in the stands by themselves. So, you know, you have and and nowadays it's not safe either to let your kids sit anywhere by themselves. So I I always am amazed, more so I guess, at women who manage all those things than men. You know, I I don't try to knock them in, but they don't do all the things that the women do. But if you have a good support system, it makes it so much easier. And you said your husband's a good help, and I know he works on your car. So um what is what is his role in your race team?

SPEAKER_01 24:45

So he is our engineer for the cars. He honestly he's coming up with all of the setups, he's you know, making sure the cars are running and up top performance. He also helps us with our social media. Um, he's helping us with prepare our uh marketing decks and helping us like get that pushed out to potential sponsors. So like we don't really have certain tasks that are assigned to just one person. We're really all hands-on deck throughout the entire family, and wherever we see something that needs done or gaps aren't being filled, we all just jump in and do it.

Melinda Russell 25:23

Yeah, that's the best way. That's the best way. Everybody, and then everybody kind of knows what's going on and they can make suggestions. Hey, we should try this or we should do that. And and that's always that's always helpful too, as well. Yeah, I I love that the husbands are helping. And then you said you had another guy that was helping, and so he has to be super proud of his women.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

He says he is, and he gets all the time from people. Why don't you race? And he's he has no interest in racing, he he did that in his younger years, and he says now it's he's gonna do whatever it takes to keep uh me and the girls happy and have everything that we need to be able to keep competing, and that is what his goal is. And as long as he can do that, he's thrilled.

SPEAKER_02 26:12

Uh he's probably our biggest supporter.

Melinda Russell 26:15

It sounds like it, and I'd say he's a keeper.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

Oh, absolutely.

Melinda Russell 26:21

Yeah, he's the keeper for sure.

Owosso Speedway And Watching Remotely

Melinda Russell 26:24

So tell me a little bit about Owasso for people who maybe haven't ever been there. Uh, what kind of a track is it? Where, you know, Owasso, how far would that be from where you live?

SPEAKER_01 26:34

So Awasso is about 15 minutes from Morris. And it's a 3.8 high-banked um oval track asphalt. And it recently, within the last three years, was purchased by Rex Wheeler, who has put in an enormous amount of work and effort to make it the premier track. Um, and he's done an amazing job. The track has been pretty much completely rebuilt. The track was resurfaced, new wall put all the way around, new grandstands. Um, it's an amazing track, a great facility um with high um competitive racing. It's I I love Owaso because of the speed and the environment and the people that are there.

Melinda Russell 27:22

And I, if I'm not mistaken, there's people that come there to race from quite a ways away.

SPEAKER_01 27:29

Yeah, the furthest I've heard, I believe, is Canada. Canada. I know we have a lot of people that come in from Canada, and there was some elf somewhere else that was pretty far away, but I can't remember where. But yeah, people are coming from all over the place to race here. And and it's it's pretty amazing because the more people that come, the more people learn about this track and the more things that can happen there.

Melinda Russell 27:57

Yeah, absolutely. So is uh Awaso on race my race pass or any of those places that people could kind of follow along if they couldn't come? Yeah, they are on my race pass. Yeah, I thought so. So for those of us that can't come every weekend, we can still keep track because I even do that. If I can't go to Kalamazoo to the to the race, then I get on my race pass and and follow, you know, my my uh he calls it he calls himself my favorite grandson, but he's really not blood to me yet, unless he asks my granddaughter to marry him, and then he might be more in the family, but I always have to tease Brock Gannis. He's um he calls himself my favorite grandson. My other grandkids don't know that, but now I guess now they do. And um, he races a lot at Kalamazoo, and so I love to if I if I can't go, I love to be able to get on there and and see how he does. And then, you know, we know a lot of people that race there, and you know, I think it also some people think that it takes away from the gate, um, you know, for your track, but I really don't think so because for me it's put it on the bucket list of where I want to try to visit. And I think without you know, knowing that it's on some of these platforms, I wouldn't know anything about a wasso. So I think I think the streaming is not a bad thing.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

No, I think it's a good idea. I like it. Um, and it's it's nice for you know when they do the you know, the additional streamings and stuff that family members who, you know, you might have elderly grandparents who can't make it. You want them to be able to see that. So it's nice for them to be able to tune in and watch from the comforter comfort of their own homes. So I like it.

Melinda Russell 29:49

Yeah, I do too. And sometimes I'll text my daughter or whatever, if there's a yellow and it's a long yellow be, what happened? Why is there such a long yellow? And so I make the most of it, and I'm a huge flow racing fan. I watch races from all over the country, and that you know, young girls like you, Riley, that I've met and interviewed, and I know where they race, then I try to kind of keep track and and watch them on flow racing, which is so fun because I I can't get to all those tracks, but I can watch them on flow and I can watch the reruns, and so I I appreciate those platforms myself. So um tell me about your um successes.

Defining Success Beyond Trophies

Melinda Russell 30:32

And success doesn't necessarily mean a trophy, although of course that is success. But what would you say your team's successes have been?

SPEAKER_01 30:43

I think even when things don't go according to plan or the way that we anticipate or think they should happen, we always use the outcomes as learning experiences to keep learning and progressing and moving forward in our program. Um, outside, I think our successes have been personally for me, any track that I've ever traveled to to race at, I've won the first time I've been there. Um after being told, oh, well, you only race a wasa, you can't race anywhere else. Going to these other tracks and proving, no, I can was huge for me. Um Riley, last year she got rookie of the year. Um Kennedy, she's you know, she she's winning heat races, she's improving every year. She overcame her really bad accident and was able to get back in the car. Those are all successes for us. And every year we get better and better and better, and we're building more relationships and partnerships. And we're just at the beginning. There's so much more that you know we want to do, and we're at the bottom still, but we're working our way up.

Melinda Russell 31:57

Yeah, absolutely. And Riley, you're gonna be successful as soon as you get that knee recovered, and you're gonna have success uh back on the track as well because it just takes time and you want to make sure one, your knee is completely healed before you push yourself to get out there. That's the grandma in me talking to you. And um, get yourself healed. Racing's not going anywhere, it's gonna be there. You boss those, you boss your mom and your sister all you want this season because next year when you're racing, that that's gonna be over, they're not gonna let that happen. So you you enjoy your summer for sure. And I I hope, ladies, you have a lot of success. Tell Kennedy we missed her today, and uh we'd love to have her on at some point if she wants to. And um, I sure hope I can get up there to watch you guys. That would be so fun.

SPEAKER_01 32:49

Thank you so much. If you happen to come out, send me a message and let me know when we'll come find you and say hi.

Melinda Russell 32:55

Oh, I will for sure. I'll find you, no problem. Anything that we haven't talked about that you want to make sure you share with my listeners.

SPEAKER_01 33:06

Um for the women out there and the kids who might be tuning tuning in, don't think that there's not a spot in this sport for you because there is. Um put your foot

Earning Respect As Women Racers

SPEAKER_01 33:20

in, make your name known, claim your space, and give it everything you got because you have every right to be here. And we want you here.

Melinda Russell 33:29

So don't give up, keep pushing. Good advice. Yeah. The the thing that I've noticed that has improved a lot, and I won't say everywhere, but overall the women have become really accepted at the racetracks. You know, it's it's so much more common now for there to be one, two, three women in a in a class racing against the guys, and hopefully, you know, at your track it's the same. But I hear more and more that they just treat me like everybody else, and that's what I want to hear.

SPEAKER_01 34:04

Yeah, no, it it has gotten like that more recently over the past couple of years. Um, when I first started competing out of the gate, I was competing with the guys, you know, I was getting fast qualifier, I was winning, um, that ruffled a few feathers initially, and I would hear comments like, oh, I thought I could just beat and bang on her. And because she's a woman, I would scare her, intimidate her, and she'd get out of my way and move to the back. Um, and as long as I held my ground and I didn't let them push me around, um, I think one, it showed that I demanded respect. I was showing that I was staying here whether you wanted me to or not. Um, but over the course of time, I mean, I've I have been accepted by pretty much all all of the racing community that we race with. And I feel like my girls have been accepted as well. And I do agree with you. I think across the board for the most part, it has gotten better. Um, I still think there's room for some improvement and some more educating and stuff like that. But I think it's getting better and it's moving in the

Encouragement, Gratitude, And Closing

SPEAKER_01 35:10

right direction.

Melinda Russell 35:11

Absolutely. I agree 100% with you on that. So, ladies, thank you for being on tonight. I really appreciate getting you to talk one-on-one instead of just reading about you on social media. So this is great. I I definitely will let you know when I make my trip to Awaso because that's on the bucket list. And so I want I'm hoping the gas prices come down so that gosh, putting gas in the race car and going to the track and all that, it's just it's hard. It's hard for race families to do all that the way things are. So we've got to keep praying that things get figured out and that we get those gas prices down for all of us. And and so I'll be I'll be watching on uh my race pass and know that you've got somebody cheering for you here in Kalamazoo. Thank you so much. Oh, you're welcome.

SPEAKER_06 36:11

And this is the women's mode of fun.