Women's Motorsports Network Podcast & Let's Talk Racing LIVE

Presley Hall: What Happens When Dad Sells His Car So You Can Race?

Melinda Russell Season 9 Episode 389

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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, demonstrating remarkable resilience and passion for the sport.

• Racing a Junior Sprint and a cart for two years since age seven
• Inspired by Kyle Larson and introduced to racing by her dad
• Competes primarily at Coles County Speedway and other dirt tracks
• Raced at the prestigious Tulsa Shootout where she met Kyle Larson
• Flipped her car five times during a race but escaped with only minor injuries
• Maintains race day superstitions including not wearing green or eating chicken
• Races with RS12 Motorsports team as the only female driver
• Values the friendships made at the track as one of her favorite aspects of racing
• Has learned patience and forgiveness through her racing experiences
• Currently working on consistency to achieve her first win after coming in second
• Passionate about getting more girls involved in racing with the motto "Get the girls to the front"
• Has an impressive list of sponsors supporting her racing journey


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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Women's Motorsports Network podcast, the show that puts the spotlight on the incredible women who fuel the world of motorsports, from drivers to crew members, engineers to fans and everyone in between. We're here to celebrate the trailblazers, dreamers and doers shaping the sport we love. Each episode we share inspiring stories of females of all ages from every corner of the motorsports universe past, present and future. It's a journey through the seasons of life filled with heartfelt moments, laughter and a whole lot of horsepower. So, whether you're a lifelong fan, a racer yourself or simply curious about the extraordinary women behind the wheel, settle in, relax and enjoy a fun and uplifting ride with us. This is the Women's Motorsports Network podcast, connecting and celebrating women in motorsports, one story at a time. Let's hit the track.

Speaker 1:

If you're looking to buy, sell or trade the stuff that strokes your engine anything from truck parts to classic and muscle cars, rvs to hot rods and everything in between then check out our official classifieds at RacingJunkcom. Racingjunkcom is the world's number one online racing and performance marketplace. Racingjunkcom is the world's number one online racing and performance marketplace, the ultimate one-stop shop where you'll find what you need to rock your ride. If it belongs in your garage, it's for sale on RacingJunkcom. Log on to RacingJunkcom to find the gear you're looking for. Sell your extra stuff, keep up on racing news and tech tips and more. Again, that's Racingjunkcom. Hello everyone, this is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network podcast, and I have a very special guest and, honestly, presley. All my guests are special, but I love talking to the younger kids who race, and so my guest today is Presley Hall and Presley, first I want to welcome you to the show and then I want you to share a little bit about yourself, your family, your pets, whatever you want to share about.

Speaker 2:

Okay, go ahead you want to share about? Okay, go ahead, I have. I'm nine years old. Okay, I live in Deloge, missouri.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I have four dogs. Okay, do you have any brothers or sisters?

Speaker 2:

I have a sister and a brother.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and are you the oldest, the middle or the youngest? The youngest, oh, that's the best. I'm the youngest and I had two older sisters. I think being the youngest is the best for sure, especially Presley. When you get older, you can always say, oh, my sisters are older than me, I'm the youngest. So when you get older, that'll be an even better deal. Do you go to school or are you homeschooled? I go to school, you go to school. And do you have any other sports that you're involved in? Or just racing? Just racing? Okay, that's enough, isn't it? It takes a lot of time and energy, for sure. And what's your favorite subject in school? Reading? Oh, me too, I love to read. You're right up there with me Something you can do the rest of your life, so that's a good thing. Reading and math were my two favorites when I was in school. So, presley, you're nine years old. How many years have you been racing? Two years, two years. So you started when you were seven. How did you get interested in motorsports? So?

Speaker 2:

my dad started racing and then I asked if I could start racing, and then we both started racing. But then he sold his race car so I could race.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's a pretty good dad, isn't it, if he sold his stuff so he could help you. That's what dads do, though I think a lot that's what they do Now. Are your brother and sister interested in racing, or just you?

Speaker 2:

My older sister, but she doesn't race.

Speaker 1:

Okay, all right, and your brother could care less about racing.

Speaker 2:

He likes football and some other sports.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, that's what brothers like is some of those other sports. So that's good, well-rounded. So you kids, keep your mom and dad hopping, don't you? Between everything that you do for sure, yes, so, presley, what is the first memory you have of like going to a racetrack? Or how did you know that you liked motorsports?

Speaker 2:

Probably Kyle Larson.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, he's a good driver, isn't he? Did you watch him on TV? Yes, so, presley, how did you know that you liked motorsports? What got you interested?

Speaker 2:

Watching Kyle Larson and going to Peveley.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and Peveley is a racetrack close to you, um sort of Okay, all right, and so did you do a try and ride, or what did you do so that you knew that you wanted to drive and not just watch?

Speaker 2:

I just, um, I just started watching and then I just liked it and thought it was cool.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so what do you drive? What kind of a car or cart? What is it that you race?

Speaker 2:

I race a Driven.

Speaker 1:

Okay, you'll have to tell me what that is.

Speaker 1:

A Junior Sprint and a cart okay, a junior sprint and a cart and is driven a series that you race in, or it's the kind of car that you drive, because that's new to me. Uh, the kind of car, okay, okay, so I haven't heard it called that before. That. Is that a missouri thing or is that? I don't know? Maybe, no, not really. Okay, all right, well, I'm gonna learn something new today. So, um, tell me about your car, your cars or what you drive. What color is it? What number is it? Tell me about it.

Speaker 2:

My junior sprint is red, black and white and the number is 25P.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and then what about your cart?

Speaker 2:

My cart is purple, white and black and my number is 25P.

Speaker 1:

Oh, that's good, you kept the same number for both. Now is 25, just your favorite number. Was that your dad's number or how did you choose that it was my dad's number? I figured as much. And P for Presley Mm-hmm, right, okay, yeah. So where do you go to race? Do you go to different tracks or do you always go to pretty much the same track?

Speaker 2:

Mostly we go to different tracks, but we're mostly at Coles.

Speaker 1:

County? Okay, all right that I've heard of Coles County. Yeah, and how often do you race? Do you race every weekend? Yes, about racing. You know there's a lot of little girls that might be playing softball or doing other things, but you go to the racetrack. So what is it about going to the races that makes you want to do that instead?

Speaker 2:

Just hanging out with my friends.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So are they friends that you already knew before you raced, or these are new friends that you made through racing you raced, or these are new friends that you made through racing? Both, both, okay. So there were kids that you already knew that raced at coles county. That probably helped to get you interested. Would you say, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. And are there very many girls that race where you race? Um? Were you race? Um? No, not really. No, it's still mostly boys. Huh, okay. And when you said you wanted to race, I imagine your dad was excited. But what did your mom say? Was she like, oh no, not my little girl.

Speaker 2:

Or was she like or was she?

Speaker 1:

like, yeah, let's do it. Yes, yes, she said yeah, let's do it. Yes, yes. She said yeah, let's do it. So she must love racing too. Yeah, yeah, she does. Well, what are your friends that don't race? What do they think about you going to the racetrack? Do they think that's kind of fun, or they don't understand it or what? Some don't really understand it. Yeah, that's pretty normal, presley, because I hear that a lot, even from teenagers. You know, they say their friends don't really understand what the big draw is to go to the racetrack on the weekends, but maybe they should come and visit. They would see how exciting and fun that it is, for sure. Yeah, so what's your favorite thing other than you know I get about being with your friends, but what else do you love about racing? Why do you want to drive a race car?

Speaker 2:

I'm going fast.

Speaker 1:

You like going fast? Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it? Yeah, you can't do it out on the road, but when you can do it around the track it's pretty fun. Now, do you race dirt or asphalt? Dirt, dirt, okay, do you like that? Have you ever raced on asphalt? No, but my mom did. Oh, your mom raced. Well, you didn't tell me that. So what did she race? Drag race, oh, she drag race. So that's a whole different kind of racing, yeah, yeah. And does she still drag race? Or she quit because you're racing? She quit a long time ago, okay. So she raced when she was younger, like you, probably. Yeah, yeah, okay. And did you ever have any interest in drag racing? Or you always wanted to do carts and I always wanted to race on dirt.

Speaker 1:

I didn't really like drag racing okay all right, you know, if I had to choose one kind of racing, I'm kind of an asphalt lover, just because where I grew up that's what we had, we didn't have a dirt track. But after you go to a dirt race or a couple of dirt races, I can see that I would really, really love going to the dirt track. And where I live I live in Kalamazoo, michigan where I live we really only have one dirt track. That's even within an hour of me. The rest are all asphalt and so I've kind of stuck with that, just because of where I live.

Speaker 1:

But I love going to see the sprint cars Like I've been to Kokomo, indiana, and some sprint week races, and then I watch him on flow racing. So, yeah, that's a lot of fun. So I can see why Kyle Larson is probably your favorite driver. Yeah, have you ever met him? Yes, you have. And where did you meet him? At Tulsa, oh, the Tulsa shootout. Yeah, so you raced at the Tulsa Shootout. Or did you go to watch? Yeah, you raced. And how did you do there?

Speaker 2:

My car broke down, but I did good on some of the other races. Oh, that's good.

Speaker 1:

That's one of the places I would really like to go. I want to go to the Tulsa Shootout and what's the other big race? That's that I want to do both of those. They're on my bucket list, so maybe I'll see you there. That would be fun. Are you going to go back and race there again? Yes, yeah, this year you're going to, all right, maybe. Maybe I'll see you there, because I do have that on my list of places. I want to go for sure. Yeah, so there were a lot of girls, I think, at the Tulsa shootout, weren't there?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I interviewed some other girls that were there. I love seeing that that there's a lot more girls getting involved. Do you think motorsports is a good sport for girls to be involved in? Yes, yeah. So when you first started racing, did the boys treat you okay, or the parents, or did you feel like maybe you didn't belong there?

Speaker 2:

They treated everyone the same.

Speaker 1:

That's good. That's good. And you know, a few years ago it wasn't like that. The girls didn't always get treated very well. But I think girls have kind of showed the boys and the men and the parents that they can be just as good on the track as anybody else, right? Yes, yeah, for sure. So when you go to the races, do you have any like superstitions or anything that you always do like? Do you always wear the same socks or the same? You know, I always braid my hair or anything?

Speaker 1:

like that or do you or not.

Speaker 2:

I don't wear green on race day because it means bad look but you got green on today.

Speaker 1:

No, I don't eat, you don't eat peanuts. I don't eat chicken okay, and why is that? What's it? What's about the chicken?

Speaker 2:

I don't eat chicken on race day because?

Speaker 1:

because my dad said your dad said it's not lucky, yeah, and you don't wear green. And somebody told me which I didn't know this, but I now I've heard it more than once that, um, something about peanuts. You don't eat peanuts at a at the racetrack if you're racing. Have you ever heard that? No, I haven't either. I'm gonna have to look that up and see what that whole thing is about, because, yeah, I had never heard that before, but somebody told me that. But I have heard about the green for sure. And you don't ever want to have green on a race car, although, if you look at NASCAR, a lot of times they have green because of their sponsors. So I don't know about that. Yeah, for sure. So does Jason Fager in Turbo? Yeah, right, exactly. So I don't know. We'll see about the green deal. So do you work on the car with your dad? I'm sure your dad's the one that works on it, maybe, yeah, I'm helping yeah so what are some of the things that you've learned?

Speaker 2:

Um, I do some, I do tires sometimes and I put bullets in sometimes.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so that's a start. Yeah, that's good, because you have to start somewhere, and the more you learn about your car, the better race car driver that you're going to be for sure. Yeah, so is racing something you think you're going to want to do for a long time? Yeah, yeah, what's what would be like the most the best thing that could happen as far as like racing. Do you want to race in the world of outlaws or or um high limit, or do you want to be a cup nascar driver? What's your what's kind of your dream about racing?

Speaker 2:

The World of Outlaws Midget.

Speaker 1:

Okay, the World of Outlaws Midget, that sounds like so much fun. You know, I went to Eldora probably maybe about four years ago now, and I was thinking, oh, I'm going to meet all kinds of women and interested, and when I walked through the pits, the only women that were there were a few wives or girlfriends, nobody working on the cars, nobody driving the cars. And I was really disappointed because I think we need some women in that series. So you need to work hard and get up there so that you can race in that series. Have you ever been to Knoxville to see the races there? Knoxville, iowa Not yet, not yet. That's a great, that's a. That's a great little vacation spot and if you're in Missouri you wouldn't be too awfully far to go to Knoxville and that's a lot of fun. I highly recommend that you talk your parents into going there. That would be that would be pretty fun.

Speaker 1:

For sure, that's my favorite. Yeah, there you go my mom's favorite is it?

Speaker 1:

yeah, yeah, I love, I love that track and all the things and the food and the vendors and just everything about it. It's kind of like a big carnival or a big fair. It's just so fun to go there. So, presley, everybody has a bad night at the racetrack. I'm sure you've had a bad night at the racetrack. Nothing, all nothing, goes perfect. When you do have a bad night, how do you handle that? Do you cry? Do you throw your helmet? Do you just what do you do?

Speaker 2:

What do you say, say, I usually just take a break in my trailer okay, because we know.

Speaker 1:

We know that in racing we're gonna lose more than we're, then we win. That's just how it is. And so going into the sport knowing that that makes it kind of hard and yet that makes winning all the better, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah, when you know that there is just so, so hard to do but yet so rewarding and fun to do. So what's been your best finish as far as racing? Second Second, wow. And was that in your cart? Or your sprint? In junior sprint? My cart, okay, all right. So your goal is to get in the winner's circle, right? Yes, everybody's goal. What is it going to take for you to do that? What are some things that that are hard for you or that maybe have kept you out of there and that you're working on so that you can get in the winner's circle?

Speaker 1:

um consistency oh yeah, that's so hard. One day we're great and the next day we're at the back right, and that's just how. That's just how it goes. So, yeah, trying to do the same things on the track, run the same line, all those things, right, yeah, yeah. Or you know, some girls say, oh, passing was really hard for me to learn, or this, or that everybody has something that they have to work at to learn to be better. So consistency is a, is a, is something that I know you're going to get better at. For sure. The more you race, the better you're going to get at it. So on the weekend, on race day, you said you don't eat chicken. Do you have something that that you always eat, like I always go? I had one girl say we always go to McDonald's drive-thru and I get a sausage biscuit meal, and so do you always like have the same thing that you eat on race day, or or do you like track food?

Speaker 2:

what do you? I usually get um a walking taco from the track okay those are pretty good.

Speaker 1:

And do you eat before you race or not till you're all done, both sometimes Okay. So it doesn't bother you to eat before you race. Some girls can't can't eat till after they race because it makes them too nervous for sure. So you know, when you first started racing and some of the kids you knew, some you didn't, but now you've made friends with, probably the girls and the boys, yeah, you know, and I know you're only nine, so it's hard sometimes when you're nine to figure some of these things out. But what do you think that being involved in racing how has it changed you? Or maybe it hasn't, you know? Has it helped you learn things that maybe you wouldn't have learned if you hadn't been in racing? Do you know? Yeah, yeah, what? Oh, patience.

Speaker 1:

Well, sometimes I have to struggle with patience yeah anything else that you think you've learned from being in motorsports. Forgiveness oh, I love that, presley, that's a great answer. Forgiveness, because people, you know some people might mean to wreck you, but some people don't, and you know things happen on the track, right, and so we have to be willing to give people some grace and say I know, you know, and we're going to race better the next time, right, yeah, yeah for sure. So if somebody came up to you and your mom and dad you were at the track and they said you know, a mom might say to you Presley, my little girl or my little boy wants to race. They want to be just like you. What would you, what? What would you? What advice would you give them about getting involved in motorsports?

Speaker 1:

um would you say oh yeah, you should do it. What would you?

Speaker 2:

say it takes time and you should do it yeah, it takes learning, doesn't it?

Speaker 1:

yeah, yeah, we call that seat time. Have you ever heard that? Yeah, yeah, take seat time. Somebody told me one time it takes 10 000 hours of, or 10 000 laps, maybe in racing to really get your seat time, and so that's pretty interesting you know, that we think of it that way. So do you have a favorite memory from all of your racing? Could be good or bad.

Speaker 2:

Getting back in my car whenever I flipped.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, you flipped. Tell me about that whenever I flipped.

Speaker 2:

Oh my gosh, you flipped. Tell me about that. So me and my friend were right next to each other. We were going down the straightaway, and then we it was green, and then my friend, he came right down on me, and then I slipped.

Speaker 1:

Oh, how many times. Five times. And were you hurt at all?

Speaker 2:

Um no, my knee kind of hurt though.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but you didn't break an arm or really get hurt at all. No, isn't that something that you could flip five times and not get hurt? What does that say about your safety equipment? Okay?

Speaker 2:

A lot.

Speaker 1:

It worked pretty good, didn't it? Yeah, yeah, wow, five times. That's amazing to me.

Speaker 2:

And it was on Dirt Vision.

Speaker 1:

It was on Dirt Vision, oh gosh. So people, all kinds of people, saw it happen, yeah, yeah. And how long did it take for you to say, okay, I'm ready to get back in the car?

Speaker 2:

the next week. That you right see.

Speaker 1:

So you're pretty brave. So when I say you have a bad night, you kind of, you kind of overcome those obstacles pretty quickly, don't you?

Speaker 2:

yeah, yeah Quickly don't you?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, for sure. So do you think that race car driving is entertaining? I mean, I know it's entertaining for us because we love racing, but do you think it's something that you could invite some people who've never been to a race and they would think that it's entertaining? Probably, yeah, we always. We always say that if you can get somebody to the track once they'll come back, and especially especially when, like a younger person like you, invite somebody to the track, you know a sponsor or you know your teachers or whatever. Once they come and see what you're doing, then they're more likely to come back. And that's how we grow.

Speaker 1:

The sport, too is inviting people who aren't already fans for sure. So do you use social media, or does your mom use social media to help promote you in your racing? Yeah, and what does she use? Or does your mom do it? Yeah, okay, and our where? What social media are you on? Do you know facebook and tiktok? Okay, and is it under your name or how would we find it? Presley hall motorsports? Okay, so if we look that up on Facebook or TikTok, we'll be able to find where you're racing, how you're racing ended up, all those things, right? Yeah, okay, so tell me about the background. Do you always have it set up like that, or is that special for the podcast? It's special for the podcast. Well, I appreciate that because that is just so cool. It looks like there's a trophy, a helmet, your race suits hanging there. You did a really, really good job of putting everything back there. That's super cool. Is there anything special you want to tell me about?

Speaker 2:

This is my wing whenever I flipped.

Speaker 1:

Okay, that's your wing from when you flip looks like you got a t-shirt very, very cool, so you saved that to remind you that you walked away from it. Everything was good, and you're going to be back racing and and you're going to go to the top. I know you're going to get that first place finish really, really soon. I just know you are for sure. So who would you say are your biggest fans? Do you have anybody that always comes? Now, I know mom and dad, so we can't count them. Do you have any other really big fans that you want to say hello to or thank you to?

Speaker 2:

big fans that you want to say hello to or thank you to. I want to say thank you to my Aunt Shannon and my Uncle Wimp, and I also want to say thank you to my friend, my friends Lincoln and Hattie. They drove three hours to watch me race.

Speaker 1:

Wow, now that's some good friends that did that for sure.

Speaker 2:

Wow, now that's some good friends?

Speaker 1:

that did that for sure. Yeah, and do you have sponsors that you have on your car or not? So much A big list. Okay, do you want to mention a couple, or are you afraid you'll leave somebody out? I want to mention all of them.

Speaker 2:

Okay, you for it, I want to hear them. Rs12 motorsports coles county speedway, spartan transportation driven midwest. High caliber graphics plus power wfo tv. Dirt dirty right rear. Dirty Right Rear Podcast. Chemstream 37 World of Dirt. 357. World of Dirt Xello Addicted to Dirt Resinwork. Demon Racing Chassis, kirby Lost Photos. Extreme Fabrication.

Speaker 1:

Wow, you do have a long list. That's awesome. You mentioned, yeah, that's awesome. And so how did you get those sponsors? Did you go visit them? Are they friends and family? Did they see you race and reach out and say I want to sponsor that little girl? How did you get so many sponsors? All of the above, All of that, yeah. I raced for a team. Oh, you raced for a team, so what's the name of your team?

Speaker 2:

RS12 Motorsports.

Speaker 1:

RS12 Motorsports. Okay, and so who else is on your team?

Speaker 2:

Xander LaRose, and the person that wraps my cars is High Caliber Graphics. Okay, so is it just you and Xander on the team together and Harrison Robards and Cruise Person.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so there's four of you. Yes, and you're the only girl, mm-hmm. Okay, so Xander is an unusual name, but my grandson's name is Xander, so that's interesting that Xander is a race car driver as well. So, presley, what have I not asked you about that you want to share, about your racing, or anything at all? Is there anything that we haven't talked about that we should?

Speaker 2:

have who's my favorite race car driver.

Speaker 1:

Oh, okay, go ahead, tell me.

Speaker 2:

Ricky Thornton Jr. Oh okay, go ahead, tell me, ricky Thornton Jr. Oh yeah, jade, avedisci, avedisci, yeah. Zach Whaley, my dad, Rob Neubauer, turbo and Jason Fager.

Speaker 1:

Okay, yeah, so on Plow I can watch Ricky Thornton Jr. He's on a lot and some of those others I maybe haven't heard of, but maybe it's because I wasn't paying attention. I'll have to look those names up and see if I can follow some of those. For sure, one of these days somebody's going to ask Ricky Thornton Jr who his favorite driver is, and he's going to say Presley Hall, at least I think he will Ask Ricky Thornton Jr who his favorite driver is, and he's going to say Presley Hall, at least I think he will have you met him before.

Speaker 2:

Yes, Multiple times.

Speaker 1:

Okay, we've raced at the same track. That's another reason. Okay, all right, so that's a good reason to be you know, to be a fan of his when you race at the same track, for sure. So, presley, anything else that you want to share?

Speaker 2:

I want to get more girls into racing.

Speaker 1:

Oh, that's a good idea. How are we going to do that? What should we do to get more girls into racing?

Speaker 2:

My mom said put girls up front.

Speaker 1:

I lost. You Say that again. Get the girls to the front. Get the girls to the front.

Speaker 2:

Get the girls to the front.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's right, it gets more exposure. And when you race, do the announcers give you any special attention? Or just the same as everybody, emma, they do, emma, they do Because you know you're the minority there's not as many of you girls and so a lot of times the girls get more attention just because of that and and that also then will get more girls interested to do that for sure. And you know, sometimes there's other things you can do, like take your car to your school you know, have permission on whatever day and take your car and let kids sit in it and talk to them about racing. You know there's a lot of things that we can do to encourage girls and boys really, but we're all about the girls, aren't? We get the girls involved in racing this podcast is great for that, presley.

Speaker 1:

I don't have any other questions. Unless you want to share anything else, I don't have anything, okay.

Speaker 1:

No, okay, well, I want to thank you for being on the show. You're welcome, and if you just hang on until the recording's over, I have a couple questions for you at the end. Okay, that's it for this episode of the Women's Motorsports Network podcast. We hope you've been inspired by the stories I shared today and feel more connected to the amazing community of women in motorsports. Remember, whether you're behind the wheel, in the pits or cheering from the stands, your story matters and together we're driving change and celebrating every milestone. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review and share it with someone who loves motorsports as much as you do, and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, behind the scenes content and more incredible stories. So until next time, stay inspired, stay connected and keep racing through life. This is the Women's Motorsports Network podcast, where every woman's story is worth celebrating.