Women's Motorsports Network Podcast & Let's Talk Racing LIVE
Women's Motorsports Network Podcast shares the stories of women involved in motorsports from around the world. The first episode was in 2018 and new episodes are added each week. Feel free to suggest potential guests to Melinda at melinda@wmnnation.com.
Let's Talk Racing LIVE airs on Wednesdays at 7pm EASTERN TIME on the Women's Motorsports Network-A Media Company Facebook Page.
https://www.facebook.com/womensmotorsportsnetworkandpodcast
Melinda Russell
Women's Motorsports Network Podcast & Let's Talk Racing LIVE
What Happens When Family, Farming, and Fast Cars Collide?
Racing isn't just a weekend hobby for 17-year-old Dominique Champlin—it's a family legacy that's "wedged its way into her life routine." From the moment she climbed into an alcohol-powered go-kart at age six, motorsports has been her driving passion, leading to her first championship at just seven years old.
What makes Dominique's story remarkable goes beyond her three championships or her current late model racing career. It's her unwavering commitment despite a schedule that would exhaust most adults. She rises at 4:30 AM for a 10-hour workday at a livestock farm, then heads straight to prepare her race car before making the hour drive to Mid-Michigan Raceway Park in Fenwick. When asked how she manages this punishing schedule, her answer is refreshingly honest: "I'm not too sure how I do it, but I do."
The young racer's journey reflects the heart of grassroots motorsports—family support, financial challenges, and the pure joy of competition. Her #87 late model showcases the colors of IBEW, a union that provides her with a rare 10-year sponsorship contract. This financial backing came with an emotional moment when she and her grandfather "had to go out and cry a little bit" after receiving their first check.
While her mother might prefer she sell all the race cars and take up dancing, Dominique finds purpose in inspiring younger girls at the track. She races alongside her 14-year-old brother in what she describes as a "Talladega Nights" dynamic, complete with "shake and bake" moments on the dirt track. Despite blown engines, wrecks, and a currently bent frame, she sits fourth in points—proof of her skill and determination.
Subscribe to hear more stories like Dominique's, where passion meets perseverance and where every woman's racing journey deserves celebration. Whether you're a driver, crew member, or fan, Women's Motorsports Network connects our community one story at a time.
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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.
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Speaker 3:Hello everyone. This is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network podcast, and my guest today is Dominique Camplin. And Dominique. I wanted to tell you that that's not a common name, dominique, but one of my daughter's middle name is Dominique.
Speaker 3:And so yeah, so your name caught my eye when I saw it, because you don't see that name all that often, for sure. So, dominique, I first want to just welcome you to the show and I want to ask you if you wouldn't share a little bit about yourself, where you live, your pets, your family, anything you want to share All right.
Speaker 4:So I live in Stanton. I've lived here my whole life. My family, we all just stay together. I guess they help me on the race cars, they build them for me, sponsor money, so it's kind of a family thing what we do, okay and it's Stanton, michigan, because there's a lot of Stantons around.
Speaker 3:So yeah. Stanton, michigan, yeah, um, yeah. So do you have any pets or siblings, or I have a couple pets.
Speaker 4:I have a German Shepherd. He wants to come into the room right now actually, but I'm sure he's feeling left out. Yeah, I have a little brother. He races late models as well okay, all right, awesome.
Speaker 3:So um, you live in stanton. Are you still in school? Do you work? What do you?
Speaker 4:do? I graduated and I work 10 hours a day.
Speaker 3:Okay, all right, that's a long day to be working for sure. So, dominique, tell me, how did you get started in motorsports? It sounds like your family's been into it, so how did you get started?
Speaker 4:Well, it kind of started from Jean Carson and my grandpa Bill Champlin. They both got into it. They passed it down to my grandpa because they're my greats. They passed it down to my grandpa Mike. He got me into racing at about six years old, I'd say. He helped me win my first championship at like seven. I'd say Somewhere around there Wow, so now I've just gone up and up.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And so what did you start racing when you were six? I had the little alcohol go-karts. Okay yeah, all right, yeah. And then what? What was your? How long did you race?
Speaker 4:those. I raced those until I was 10, and then I switched over to a four cylinder okay, all right.
Speaker 3:And then, um, so you had success. It sounds like you had a championship at the age of seven. Yeah, wow, that's amazing. And then, um, where have you? What have you done since then? Get me from age 10 to now well.
Speaker 4:So, age 10, I hopped in the four cylinder. I did that for two years and then I hopped into a straight stock. It wasn't really my thing, so then I bought myself a pro stock at about 15, which is when I won my championship in that Okay, first year ever. Wow, I sold it the next year and now I have a late model.
Speaker 3:Okay, yep, so you did well in the pro stock. What made you want to sell it? I wanted to go faster. Okay, I figured as much. So are you going fast enough now, or you're still wanting to go even faster?
Speaker 4:Well, I'm trying to go faster, but I do motor every week.
Speaker 3:Oh gosh. Well, that's not a good thing to be doing, for sure, no? So tell me about what you're doing now. Where do you race? What track do you?
Speaker 4:race at. I race at Mid-Michigan Raceway Park. Yeah, okay, and where is?
Speaker 3:that.
Speaker 4:That's in.
Speaker 3:Fenwick. Okay, and is that dirt or asphalt? It's dirt. Okay, and is that dirt or asphalt? It's dirt. Yeah, I don't have a lot of dirt tracks around me in Kalamazoo.
Speaker 4:Most of them are asphalt.
Speaker 3:Hartford is dirt but the rest of them are asphalt. But I know in other parts of Michigan there's quite a few dirt tracks for sure, yeah. So, dominique, what is your favorite thing about being in racing? You've been in it now a while.
Speaker 4:I didn't ask you how old you were, but yeah, I'm 17 and my probably the most favorite thing is seeing the little kids smile when you're going around yeah helping you get into it yeah, you know you're inspiring them you're like, if she can do it, I can do it right isn't that kind of how it goes?
Speaker 3:yeah, for sure and then your brother races late models as well, so do you race against him?
Speaker 4:yeah, me and him race together we're kind of like. It's like talladega nights.
Speaker 3:You know the shake and bake yeah, yeah, and so one week he does better and the next week you do better, is that kind of Well he?
Speaker 4:tries, he tries to be better than his sister.
Speaker 3:Oh he tries, but he's younger than you. How old is he? He's 14. Okay, so he's got time to catch up for sure, yes, yeah. Okay, yeah, for sure. So tell me about your car. What color is it, what number? How did you pick the number? Tell me the details of the car you run. Well, it's.
Speaker 4:I have a sponsor that sponsors me. They give me 10 grand every year. Wow, it's a union. I took their colors off their union, put it on the car and the whole side of the cars for them okay, all right.
Speaker 3:And who is that? What's the union?
Speaker 4:ibew, yeah, I'm going to write that down.
Speaker 3:And so what number are you? I'm number 87. I figured yeah, okay, and that's how you chose that. That's amazing that you have a sponsor that does that. You're a very lucky girl. Do you know that?
Speaker 4:Yeah, the first time they asked me to meet up with them and they handed me the check, me and my grandpa both we had to go out and cry a little bit yeah, I'm sure you did.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So how? How did they notice you? Do you think? How did that come about?
Speaker 4:well. So my stepmom, her husband, worked with them for years on years. He sadly passed away and they wanted to stay kind of connected with us. So they gave me a sponsorship on a contract for 10 years wow, wow, dominique, that's amazing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, good for you that more, more people need to uh, more companies need to do that kind of thing where you know the racer knows that for this this long, it's kind of like NASCAR they get a contract thing. Where you know the racer knows that for this this long, it's kind of like NASCAR they get a contract for so long you know, but yeah, but yeah it, it relieves a lot of pressure and it and it gives you the opportunity to have a little bit better equipment to where you can be a little bit better on the racetrack, right Indeed, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3:So you're in your late model. How long have you been driving a late model? This is my second year, yeah, ok. So in that last year was your first, you were a rookie. This year You're a little bit more experienced. Yeah, how have you done? You know what's what's been the hardest thing, I guess, to go from you know the pro stock to this.
Speaker 4:More of the so just figuring out, like the air differentials, how fast I need to hit the corners to turn. It's been a rough ride for sure.
Speaker 3:Well, it's a lot to learn, isn't it?
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it doesn't just come easy. Every car is different. Even the same car on the same track can be different every week, and so you have to really get used to driving that car and knowing your car. I know that sounds crazy to people. How?
Speaker 2:do you?
Speaker 3:know your car Well, I know that if I hear a noise, or this or that, it's not right. Yeah, or if it's not turning right or whatever it might be, and so it takes time to feel like you and the car are kind of one person.
Speaker 4:It can take weeks upon weeks to get it done.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely For sure. So what's your normal race day routine, you know? Do you eat a big breakfast or you don't eat at all till you're done racing? You know what's your routine on race day.
Speaker 4:Well, I get up at 430 in the morning, go to work. Now, where do you work at? I work with a farm.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 4:Yep we raise livestock.
Speaker 3:Oh, no wonder you get up so early. Okay, yep, all right, you get up at 4.30.
Speaker 4:All right, I get out about three o'clock and I head straight to the shop to get everything ready.
Speaker 3:Wow, and you race on Saturdays, fridays, on Fridays. Okay, so you race on Fridays, and then how far is it for you to go to the racetrack?
Speaker 4:It's about an hour drive, I'd say Okay.
Speaker 3:So you're pretty committed to this race thing. Yes, yeah, you know to get up at that time of day and get off at three o'clock and it's hot. You're working outside probably most of the time Yeah's been hot and humid and then you go home. What makes you want to go to the racetrack instead of sitting down in the air conditioning and watching netflix?
Speaker 4:it's wedged its way into my life routine yeah, it is.
Speaker 3:It's just what you've known, right? Yeah, so do. Who else races besides you and your brother? Does your dad still race? Or your grandpa Anybody?
Speaker 4:They don't. But my mom's boyfriend, he's racing right now. He has a pro stock.
Speaker 3:Okay, all right, so the whole family goes to the track? Probably the whole family. Yeah, yeah, it's just you know, there's not even a question about it. It, yeah, it's just you know, there's not even a question about it, it's. The question is not are we going racing? It's more. What time are we leaving?
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's how it is, yeah for sure.
Speaker 3:Did you pack the food? Did you pack all the stuff? Yeah, yeah for sure.
Speaker 4:Well, I'm the one most common to leave my fire suit at the house. Oh dear.
Speaker 3:Well, that's a bad thing to forget yeah yeah, yeah, you gotta keep that fire suit, probably in the car or somewhere, so you don't forget it. Yeah for sure. So how has your season gone this year? So far, it's been a, it's been a ride, has it?
Speaker 4:because you're blowing those engines yeah, blowing engines getting wrecked getting wrecked. My frame is bent. I have to go get that fixed, oh gosh.
Speaker 3:And you know late models. It's a different kind of series as far as, or a different class. Lots of experienced drivers, and they don't want to get beat by a girl, that's for sure. Yep, are there any other women that race in your class?
Speaker 4:yeah, we have one other girl she's gonna be this year okay, all right.
Speaker 3:So there's a couple of you to at least hang out with each other. Have you felt welcome, though? I mean, you know, do you feel out of place or do you feel like no, this is fine, everybody's okay with me being that's how it is.
Speaker 3:They all just welcome you right in yeah that's the way it ought to be yeah, dirt tracks are all family. We're all family around yeah, that's true, and really asphalt tracks are too. I mean, it's just, it's the race family, and that's what I hear more often than anything is that's what people love about. It is the people.
Speaker 4:It's the race family for sure.
Speaker 3:So do you work on your car yourself or you have somebody that helps with it? How's that?
Speaker 4:my my group of mike helps with it. He does most of the work actually.
Speaker 3:I have to give him credits, okay okay, but, like, the frame is bent and that is that something you guys will will work on and get. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so you're lucky there, you've got somebody to help you. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So, um, you know a lot of people. Um, go to the track. You've gone probably since you were a little girl and and you still go there. You're 17, so you're still young yeah, is this something you want to do for a while? Are you going to keep?
Speaker 3:racing yeah, and late models are what you love to do. Yes, yeah. So you're going to just get better and better and at 17, you know you got you've got a lot of years ahead of you yeah, that you can race and and get championships and all that kind of thing.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure. Do you feel like you are a role model for other little girls, or even little boys, but mostly little girls?
Speaker 4:Yep, I've walked into the stands a few times and I ran out of hoodies and hats and stuff and they all came running up so I took the hat off my head and gave it to them yeah, oh, that was nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because you know if they're, if they're fans, they they want to wear your t-shirt or or whatever, and and cheer you on about how many cars does the track get on a weekend, do you know?
Speaker 4:we get about 12 late models, probably about 100 cars, because it's not that big of a track.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, that's still a lot of cars, you know For sure, uh-huh. So what's your favorite memory from racing?
Speaker 4:It was probably when I won my first championship.
Speaker 3:At the age of seven.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, what do you remember about that? I mean, were you so much better that you kind of knew it was going to happen, or was it?
Speaker 1:a surprise.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I kind of knew, you kind of knew, yeah, and at seven it's kind of hard to process really what that means. So how many other championships have you won?
Speaker 4:I've only won three.
Speaker 3:Oh, only three.
Speaker 4:Yeah, only three.
Speaker 3:So like the carts, and then what are the? Other two.
Speaker 4:The pro stock. I got two. Oh, you got two in the pro stock.
Speaker 3:Okay, all right, they were glad to see you get out of that that class, weren't?
Speaker 2:they.
Speaker 3:Yes, they were like, yeah, you need to go, you need to go somewhere else. Oh gosh, so you know, know you, did you just graduate from high school or will you be? Yeah, I just graduated. Yeah, what does your friends think about you racing?
Speaker 4:they don't like it they don't like it?
Speaker 3:no, and is it because you don't have time to spend with them, like on the weekends?
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I hear that. I hear that more often than you would think, or they just don't understand it. You know they don't understand the draw of you going to the racetrack instead of going to the movie or wherever it might be, yeah, do they ever have?
Speaker 3:have they ever come to watch? They do be. Yeah, do they ever have? Have they ever come to watch? They do sometimes, yeah, but they still don't really get it. Nope, you know, either you have the passion for it or you don't. There's really not much middle ground when it comes to racing and passion. It's it either gets in your blood or you just don't get it. One one or the other for sure, yeah. So how do you think motorsports has changed you? Is there anything that you've like learned from being in it personally? Or or, um, you know, you think if I hadn't been in motorsports, I wouldn't know this, or?
Speaker 4:It's taught me a lot more patience, mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm sure of that. On and off the track.
Speaker 4:Yep.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, for sure. That's interesting. A lot of girls tell me that it teaches them patience. Or you know, girls who weren't very outgoing or didn't were more like introverts, become extroverts because they learn that they have to speak up and they learn to talk and they get interviewed and so they have to, you know, talk about those kinds of things. Yeah, exactly so. Do you do anything else in the off season? Do you play basketball or did you, or anything? Or I ride horses, you ride horses. Okay, so horsepower, one way or the other, is what you're all about. Oh goodness, how do you, how do you balance? You know you work a lot of hours and it would be easy for you to just, I said, just get home on that Friday night and just be like I am just too tired well, this is my first day off in about three weeks, so I lost you, I lost you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'll cut, I'll, I'll cut that. So you work a lot of hours and then on Friday night, friday afternoon, you get home and, like I said, it would be so easy to just be like I'm just too tired, I can't do this. So how do you balance enough rest? You eat, right, I know, you live, live at home, but you still have to probably have chores at home to help and that. How do you, how do you manage all that and still have the energy to go to the race track?
Speaker 4:I'm not too sure how I do it, but I do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I usually just make my grandpa might drive to the track and I just nap okay, yeah, yeah, because you know it's been really hot here and that takes a lot out of you. And then to get in a hot car in a race suit doesn't make it any easier. No, it doesn't. Do you think that motorsports is a good sport for girls to be involved in?
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, 100%. And why? Why is that? Because then we can just show the boys that we can do better than them or at least hold our own.
Speaker 3:Yes, right, because you know, I just read an article about um. Motorsports is the only sport, or at least at this time, where women and men compete equally on the same track. Whereas women's basketball is, there's no women in the NBA. They have their own league. You know softball, all the sports, even football. They have women's football teams, they have volleyball, and it's all separated men and women, but not in motorsports. So it takes a different kind of woman to excel for sure and to even be involved.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because it's hard yeah. I wrestle with guys about 30 years older than me, so I got some competition you do, and they could be your dad and some of them could be your grandpa yeah right well, I don't know if you heard of him, but Steve Hilliker yeah
Speaker 3:yep, I race with him okay, all right, so you do have some good competition yes, yeah oh yeah, it's fun though, because you know, you know that when you get to the track you're going to be very competitive with all those guys and yet, um, they accept you and it's just. It's just a fun thing to do on the weekend, keeps you busy out of trouble that's a good way to put it.
Speaker 3:Keeps you busy. Now trouble. So how does your mom feel? Mom and dad feel about your racing more so your mom? I think moms are a little more protective of their daughters.
Speaker 4:She wants us to sell all the race cars and get over oh, she does okay.
Speaker 3:Have you ever gotten hurt driving?
Speaker 4:I broke my wrist okay, just once I had my drive shaft come out of my floor and whack me all the hell.
Speaker 3:Oh, really, ow, that's not good. Oh, my goodness. So I can see why she wants her daughter to to find dancing or something right. She wanted you to be a dancer instead of a race car driver. Pretty much, yeah, that's. That's a typical mom, for sure. So do you have a favorite memory from your racing career?
Speaker 4:they're all my favorites.
Speaker 3:I can't pick one okay, they just the all of the all of the memories add up to your story, don't they? Yep uh-huh, yeah, and you've got. You've got a lot of years ahead of you to make an even better story. Yeah, for sure. So I know you use social media, so how do you use it? What platforms on your are you on and how do you think it helps you or hurts you?
Speaker 4:so I only type of social media I have is facebook okay I don't like any other type too much drama, so my facebook it helps me get some.
Speaker 3:It helps me get really good thoughts and choices from other racers yeah, so you follow a lot of other people, probably, for sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, there's a lot of. There's a lot of good people on Facebook, a lot of good women that you can follow and look up to yes, from all all around the United States and outside of it too, for sure. But, um, I don't like the drama either and I try to stay out of the drama, and you know some people I think just, um, buy into the whole thing, drama or not, and you have a choice whether you want to do that. And if you stay positive, that shows not only your sponsor but maybe potential sponsors, that you're there to promote them, to promote positivity, promote your racetrack, all those things, things, and not get involved in all of the icky stuff. Yeah, yeah, ok, yeah, for sure. So, dominique, is there anything that we haven't talked about that I should have asked you about, shared, about you or your racing?
Speaker 4:Not really. You've asked me pretty much all.
Speaker 3:OK, and so you're in the middle of the season, yeah, and do you know are? Do you run for points there? Yes, I run for points, and do you know where you sit?
Speaker 4:in points right now. I sit in fourth right now because that's pretty good. I don't have a good motor enough to finish races, yeah but for blowing motors, and you're still in fourth, that's pretty good.
Speaker 3:That's pretty good. You can catch up in no time, I'm thinking for sure.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, I hope you get those motors straightened out to where they can keep up with you. It sounds like the motors just can't keep up with you. I got a lead foot. You got a lead foot. As long as it's on the racetrack, dominique, and not on the street, yeah that's all good.
Speaker 2:No, not on the street.
Speaker 3:No, that would not be good for sure. So I just want to thank you for being on. You know it's always fun for me to interview and talk to new drivers that I hadn't met before, and I love being able to share other tracks, especially here in Michigan, and drivers here in Michigan, so hopefully you have a great rest of the season. I want you to stay in touch. Let me know when you get that motor figured out and get your win. I know it's coming.
Speaker 1:It's coming for sure it is.
Speaker 3:Any last words that you would like to share with my?
Speaker 4:listeners. I just want to thank you for letting me be on here and taking time out of your day, sure.
Speaker 3:No problem, I enjoy telling, telling stories and I love being able to share what you're doing and and good luck to you the rest of the season and, as I said, please stay in touch.
Speaker 4:Okay, thank you, all right.
Speaker 1: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.