Women's Motorsports Network Podcast
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.
https://www.facebook.com/womensmotorsportsnetworkandpodcast
Melinda Russell
Episodes
414 episodes
If Your Car Likes To Roll Maybe It Is Time To Move Up with Sophie Anderson
A dirt track career can start with a dream, then immediately test you with fire, rollovers, and a rulebook you didn’t know you broke. That’s why our conversation with young Midwest Modified racer Sophie Anderson hits so hard: she’s honest about...
Stefy Bau: She Lost Her Racing Career And Built A New Path For Women In Motorsport
A championship career can disappear in a split second. What happens next is the part nobody trains you for. We sit down with Stefy, an Italian-born motocross world champion who wins three world titles, races against men on some of ...
Kelly Coss: What If Confidence Is The Real Finish Line
You can love racing your whole life and still believe you “missed your chance” to drive. That’s why our conversation with 20-year-old A-class micro sprint driver Kelly Coss hits so hard. Kelly grew up around speed, spent years as a Friday-night...
Brina Seng: How A Dirt Track Meteorologist Turned Haters Into Fans
A weekly weather report filmed in the rain probably should not be a turning point in racing culture, but that is exactly what happens at River Cities Speedway. We talk with Brina Sang, a Grand Forks, North Dakota native who grew up at the track...
Abby Maurer’s Fast Track To A Points Champion in Mini Wedge
A lot of racing careers start with a “real plan.” Abby Maurer’s starts with a dusty car at her dad’s shop and a deal for gas-station ice cream if she’d sit in it for a photo. Abby is 14 now, a mini wedge racer with big trophies behind her and e...
How A 10-Year-Old Builds Speed And Confidence In Mini Wedge Racing with Kate Maurer
A lot of people say they love racing. Kate Maurer is 10 years old and proves it by showing up, learning fast, and winning in a mini wedge.I sit down with Kate to hear how she got started after watching her sister race, what it’s like ru...
Racing, College, and Life: How Chelsea Martin Balances It All
Race nights look effortless from the grandstands, but the real story is what it takes to keep showing up week after week. I’m joined by Chelsea Martin, a 19-year-old Sport Compact racer from Shepherd, Michigan, and she brings the kind of ground...
Jasmine Salinas: She Didn’t Start Racing Young… Now She’s Driving 300+ MPH
A lot of people picture an NHRA Top Fuel driver as someone who grew up with unlimited passes and a polished pipeline to the pros. Our conversation with Jasmine Salinas tells a different story, one built on work boots, family pressure, and a scr...
I Learn More From Bad Nights Than Trophies with Memarie Ashcraft
Dirt racing doesn’t reward the same lap twice, and that’s exactly why this conversation with 15-year-old micro sprint racer Memarie “Mem” Ashcraft is so gripping. She walks us through what it really takes to move up classes, stay calm when the ...
Fallon Tucker Constantino: What An IMSA Safety Dispatcher Really Does
You can love racing and still have no idea how it actually works. That’s why we sat down with Fallon Constantino, an IMSA race control safety dispatcher who lives in the space most fans never see: the radios, the response plan, and the split-se...
Mini Wedges Keep Racing Alive with Kenny Head
A lot of racers retire and finally take it easy. Kenny Head went the other direction and built a youth racing pipeline that’s helping keep short track racing alive in Michigan. Melinda Russell sits down with Kenny to talk about the Kalamazoo Sp...
Kendra Sommer: She Quit Her Reporting Job To Build A Motorsports Media Career
She got told “nobody really cares about motorsports” and made a decision that changed everything. We’re talking with Kendra Sommer, a former TV news reporter who quits her job, flies to the SEMA Show with no network, and turns that leap into re...
Jessica Trout: A Lubrication Consultant Shows What Really Improves Engine Life
Horsepower isn’t only built with parts and talent, it’s protected by the choices you make between rebuilds. We’re joined by Jessica Trout of Schaeffer Oil to talk about what happens when you treat lubricants like performance equipment instead o...
What If A Pageant Made You Braver with Caitlyn Vogel
Air horns, a packed arena, and a mom who never thought she’d wear a swimsuit on stage, then did it anyway. We’re joined by Caitlyn Vogel, a racer from Pennsylvania and a powerhouse in the women in motorsports community, to unpack what the Motor...
Mallory Kutz Shares How Advocacy, Grit, And Community Turned A Pageant Title Into Real Trackside Change
We trace Mallory Kutz's year from Miss Motorama win to a full-throttle campaign that connected drivers, packed a seminar, funded scholarships, and reframed what a motorsports pageant can be. Along the way, she kept racing, took her first featur...
Shelby Thurman’s Full-Throttle Journey
What happens when a racer grows up trackside and turns childhood laps into a signature streak that few ever touch? We invited 20-year-old bracket sensation Shelby Thurman to share the real story behind her rise—from a junior dragster at seven t...
How A Chicago Community Leader Helped Bring NASCAR Home with Jacque Herrera
NASCAR doesn’t just show up with race cars and a schedule, it shows up with road closures, noise fears, neighborhood questions, and a whole lot of logistics. That’s why my conversation with Jacque Herrera is so timely. Jacque grew up in Chicago...
Mckaylee Meyerhofer: Snow, Speed, And Grit
The throttle snaps, the snow flies, and a 21-year-old rider decides to trust herself over the voice of doubt. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with Mckaylee, a snowcross racer who started at five years old and climbed from 120s to 600s,...
Dystany Spurlock: What Changes When Women Stop Waiting For Permission To Race
Dystany Spurlock doesn’t talk like someone waiting to be picked. She talks like a driver who decided to learn the game, earn the seat, and bring other women with her.We sit down with Dystany to trace a journey that starts with childhood...
Karen Bailey-Chapman: Inside SEMA and PRI: Protecting Tracks, Growing Access, Elevating Women
Karen Bailey-Chapman, Senior VP of Public & Government Affairs for SEMA and PRI, joins Melinda to talk about the “Right to Race” campaign, protecting local racetracks from nuisance laws, tax policy impacting track operators, and why grassro...
Avery Hemmer: How A 14-Year-Old Became A Six-Time Champion In Snowcross
At just 14 years old, Avery Hemmer is already a six-time champion and currently leading the Pro Women Snowcross points standings. From racing at age six in Minnesota to flying across North America for national competitions, Avery shares what it...
Racing Through The Noise with Taylor Reimer
A single bad clip can turn into a full-blown verdict online, and Taylor Reimer knows that pressure firsthand. From her first ARCA Menards Series DNF at Phoenix to the wave of commentary that followed, she breaks down what fans rarely understand...
From Dirt To Daytona: Sonya Lloyd On Speed, Grit, And Breaking Barriers
Sonya Lloyd is a 23-year-old professional motorcycle racer balancing a full-time engineering career at Siemens with competing in MotoAmerica. From hitting 161 mph at Daytona to racing in six countries in the Women’s World Championship, Sonya sh...
