The Women Helping to Fuel Motorsport's Growth

As NASCAR prepares to bring stock car racing to Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado June 19-21, thousands of fans are expected to line the streets to watch drivers navigate one of the sport’s newest venues. But while the spotlight often shines on the competitors behind the wheel, another story is unfolding throughout the pit lane.

While women remain underrepresented in many areas of motorsport, recent years have brought increased visibility to women occupying some of the industry’s most important roles. 

Across NASCAR, women are taking on increasingly visible roles as engineers, executives, broadcasters and crew members, helping shape the future of a sport that has long been viewed as one of the most male-dominated in professional athletics. Their contributions may not always be visible when the green flag waves, but many have become essential to the sport’s growth both on and off the track, leading some of the sport’s most ambitious events.

That includes Amy Lupo, president of NASCAR San Diego, who has been tasked with bringing NASCAR’s newest street race to Naval Base Coronado. Before taking on the role, Lupo helped launch NASCAR’s Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles and spent more than two decades helping produce some of ESPN’s most recognizable events, including the X Games. Her appointment reflects NASCAR’s growing emphasis on innovation and fan engagement as the sport expands into new markets.

Behind the scenes, women are also helping ensure events run successfully. Darwin Patterson, NASCAR’s Senior Manager of Series Event Operations, oversees elements of race-weekend execution and fan experiences, playing a key role in turning months of planning into a seamless event. While fans often focus on the drivers and teams, professionals like Patterson help create the atmosphere that defines a NASCAR weekend, from pre-race activities to the celebrations that follow the checkered flag.

Together, Lupo and Patterson represent another side of motorsport’s evolution. Their work demonstrates that opportunities for women in racing extend beyond competition and engineering, reaching into leadership, event operations and business strategy. As NASCAR prepares to make history in Coronado, women will be helping lead it.

The growth is probably the most noticeable in NASCAR’s television coverage. Reporters and broadcasters such as Jamie Little have become familiar faces for fans, providing race analysis and reporting from the pit lane during some of the sport’s biggest events. 

Beyond the camera, women are also helping make critical decisions that affect race day performance. Engineers, strategists and crew members now occupy positions that were once overwhelmingly held by men, contributing to everything from vehicle setup to race strategy. 

Development programs across the country have sought to create more pathways for women interested in racing careers, whether as drivers, mechanics or engineers. Female drivers such as Toni Breidinger, who competes part time in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series, have emerged as some of motorsport’s most recognizable young stars.

Breidinger made history as the first Arab American woman to compete in a NASCAR national series and has helped attract new audiences to the sport through both her racing career and social media presence. In 2025, she competed full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and continues to compete at the national level, providing visibility for women in a discipline where female drivers remain rare. Her rise has shown young racers that there is a place for women in stock car racing. 

Many of today’s drivers are also benefiting from the foundation built by pioneers such as Danica Patrick. Although her career statistics are often debated, Patrick’s influence on motorsport is undeniable. As the first woman to win an IndyCar race and one of the most visible female athletes in racing history, Patrick introduced countless young girls to motorsports and helped prove that women could compete on some of the sport’s biggest stages. Her success opened doors for many of the drivers competing today. 

British racer Katherine Legge has built one of the most diverse careers in motorsport, competing in IndyCar, sports car racing, endurance events and NASCAR. In recent years, Legge became the first woman since Danica Patrick to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race, adding another milestone to a career that has spanned multiple racing disciplines. Her longevity and versatility have demonstrated that women can compete successfully across the highest levels of motorsport. 

Not every future motorsport professional needs to become a driver, however.

With a race scheduled this weekend in Coronado, Southern California fans will have a rare opportunity to see the sport up close while being on an active military base. For women working in motorsport or studying engineering and sports management in the region, the event also serves as a reminder that opportunities within racing continue to expand. 

In recent years, women have begun to occupy some of the industry’s most important roles, especially in Formula 1 racing.

For example, at Oracle Red Bull Racing, Hannah Schmitz serves as the team’s head of race strategy, making split-second decisions that can determine the outcome of a race. Her strategic calls have played a key role in multiple championship-winning campaigns, placing her among the most respected strategists in Formula 1. Schmitz has also become one of the sport’s most visible female engineers, using her platform to encourage more women to pursue careers in motorsport and engineering. 

In 2025, Laura Müller became Formula 1’s first full-time female race engineer when she joined Haas as Esteban Ocon’s race engineer. Race engineers serve as the primary link between driver and team during a race weekend, communicating strategy, performance updates and critical information during competition. Müller’s promotion represented a significant breakthrough in one of motorsport's most technically demanding positions. 

The impact of Schmitz and Müller has been recognized throughout the racing community. Earlier this year, organizers of the Australian Grand Prix dedicated a corner of the Albert Park Circuit to the two engineers, making them the first women to receive such recognition at a Formula 1 circuit. 

While engineers are helping shape race outcomes, others are working to create opportunities for the next generation of female drivers. 

Former racing driver, Susie Wolff has become one of the leading advocates for women in motorsport. After competing professionally and becoming the first woman in more than two decades to participate in a Formula 1 race weekend, Wolff shifted her focus toward increasing opportunities for young female racers. Today, she serves as managing director of F1 Academy, a series launched in 2023 to develop and support women drivers as they progress through the motorsport ladder. 

The academy has already produced rising stars, including French driver Doriane Pin. 

Pin has emerged as one of the most promising young talents in motorsport and has credited F1 Academy with helping accelerate her development. As one of the series’ standout competitors, she has become a visible example of the opportunities available to young women pursuing professional racing careers. Pin has repeatedly emphasized the importance of confidence and representation, encouraging girls interested in racing to believe they belong in the sport. 

Broadcasters and journalists play a critical role in shaping how fans experience racing. Among them is Laura Winter, who has become one of the most recognizable presenters in Formula E and international motorsport coverage. Through race broadcasts, interviews and feature reporting, journalists like Winter help bring the sport to new audiences and provide visibility to stories that might otherwise go untold. 

Other influential women continue to leave their mark across the industry. Former team principal Monisha Kaltenborn became the first woman to lead a Formula 1 team, while Claire Williams helped guide Williams Racing during one of the most challenging periods in the organization’s history. Their leadership demonstrated that women could succeed at the highest levels of motorsport management.

The progress remains gradual, but the landscape looks far different than it did a decade ago. Women are making strategic decisions on championship-winning teams, engineering race cars, leading development programs and competing in professional series around the world. Their contributions may not always be the most visible part of race weekend, but they are helping reshape perceptions about who belongs in motorsport. 

While Formula 1 has become one of the most visible motorsport platforms in the world, women are making an impact across a variety of racing series. Organizations such as F1 Academy have also worked to make the sport more accessible by creating development pathways specifically designed for young women. Combined with growing visibility from women working throughout motorsport, those initiatives are helping demonstrate that opportunities in racing extend far beyond the driver’s seat.

While NASCAR still has work to do in creating greater representation throughout the sport and its drivers, the progress made over the past decade has helped broaden perceptions about who belongs in racing. For many attending the Coronado event, the focus will understandably be on the drivers competing for position on the track. 

For young girls in San Diego inspired by women in NASCAR, the path into motorsport may be closer than it appears.

Many professional drivers begin their careers in karting, a discipline often viewed as the first step on the motorsport ladder. Southern California is home to several karting tracks and racing organizations that allow young drivers to develop racing skills, compete against their peers and gain experience behind the wheel from an early age. Programs throughout the region offer opportunities for children and teenagers to participate in recreational and competitive racing, creating an entry point into a sport that can otherwise seem inaccessible.

For girls attending the Coronado race weekend, the event may offer more than an opportunity to watch professional competitors. It could provide a glimpse into a future career, whether that’s driving a race car, developing race strategy, engineering a championship-winning vehicle or telling the stories that bring the sport to fans around the world.

Top photo: Photo courtesy of Driver61