Girls Belong in Racing: Zoey Smith Is Proving It Every Weekend

[00:00:00] - [Speaker 0]
Start your engines. This is the Women's Motorsports Network. From dirt track nights to the bright race lights from the garage to victory lane. Women are rising chasing the dream with horsepower running through their veins. Women's motorsports hit work.

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Hear those engines roar. Hey. Hey. Stories of courage, speed, and heart like you never heard before. Her future, fuel her dreams.

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Every lap we celebrate Women's Motorsports Network. Let's hit the track. Let's hit the track. Women's Motorsports Network.

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[00:02:35] - [Speaker 1]
Save the girls, gear up in style. Hello, everyone. This is Belinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network podcast, and my guest today is Zoe Smith. Zoe, I wanna welcome you to the show, and would you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

[00:02:56] - [Speaker 2]
I'm 15 years old, and I race legend cars. I'm currently running the summer shootout. I've been racing since I was eight, but I'm still in school, and I I'm a sophomore this year. And then I'll my younger brother used to race, but it's really all I know is racing. That's all we do.

[00:03:20] - [Speaker 2]
Okay. Do you have any pets? Yeah. I have two. I have a dog named Maeve.

[00:03:27] - [Speaker 2]
She's a Great Dane. And then I have a cat, but she's my mom's cat. She just kinda stays to herself.

[00:03:33] - [Speaker 1]
Okay. Cats are kind of finicky like that, aren't they? Yeah.

[00:03:36] - [Speaker 2]
They are.

[00:03:37] - [Speaker 0]
For

[00:03:37] - [Speaker 1]
sure. And then you said you had one brother? Yeah. Yeah. And you still go to school, so that's good.

[00:03:45] - [Speaker 1]
But right now you're on summer break, so that's even better.

[00:03:48] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah, it is. Yeah.

[00:03:49] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Oh, for sure. Absolutely. So you started when you were eight. So how did that happen?

[00:03:56] - [Speaker 1]
Did somebody in your family race? You you went to the races with a friend. How did you get started being interested?

[00:04:04] - [Speaker 2]
My dad used to race before, like, before I was born. And but he would always take me to racetracks or like, he we were still into it, and we'd watch races every Sunday when NASCAR was on. And Mhmm. Then one of his best friends, his son started racing. And I was like, I was interested in the karts themselves.

[00:04:29] - [Speaker 2]
And I was like, I'd like to do this. And my dad's like, we'll do this if you want to. So he bought me my first kart, and we started racing. But the first season, it was really slow, but it started to pick up pretty quickly after that.

[00:04:41] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. It gets in your blood, doesn't it?

[00:04:45] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. It does. It's hard to get out too.

[00:04:47] - [Speaker 1]
It is hard to get out. And we don't want to. We don't wanna get out. No. For sure.

[00:04:52] - [Speaker 2]
Not at all.

[00:04:54] - [Speaker 1]
No. Not at all. So do you remember the first race that you ever raced?

[00:05:00] - [Speaker 2]
So, yeah, there was only three people in the class, and I finished I finished last, but, like, we didn't have a setup. We were like, this was all so new to me. I've never been in a car, but it was it was pretty cool. I'll always remember it. I was it was really fun.

[00:05:20] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Yeah. It's you know, you can't describe what it's like to somebody.

[00:05:29] - [Speaker 2]
No, you can't. It's so hard to describe to someone who doesn't know.

[00:05:33] - [Speaker 1]
No. And even if they haven't you know, if they've been to a race, it helps, but they still don't really get what it's like to be in a car.

[00:05:43] - [Speaker 2]
No. Not at all.

[00:05:45] - [Speaker 1]
No. So so when you first started racing, what was the hardest thing for you to learn?

[00:05:53] - [Speaker 2]
The hardest thing for me to learn was what to tell my dad, like, how the car was reacting or the cart. Like, I feel like I was so zoned in on what I was doing, and I never really paid attention or, like, I'd remember. And as soon as I got off, I would forget. And he'd be like, well, you have to remember. But I struggled with that until recently.

[00:06:15] - [Speaker 2]
Like, I'm just now getting the hang of it.

[00:06:17] - [Speaker 1]
I think that would be really hard. You know, they talk all the time on TV and that about it's loose, it's tight, it it doesn't do this or that. And and even I kinda, you know, I've been a race fan for a long time. I've never been a driver, but I I still think, well, what does that mean exactly? Is it the when you turn the wheel, it's it's loose or, you know, it's just hard to explain.

[00:06:44] - [Speaker 1]
And especially if you're just a fan and you hear them talking about it, you don't always know what that's like. So I would think that would be hard hard to explain. So who was your yeah. Who was your biggest encourager when you first started racing?

[00:07:00] - [Speaker 2]
It was definitely definitely my dad. Like, he would always encourage me and, like, even if we'd finish bad, like, he'd be like, we'll just get him next week or he would try my try his best to introduce me to new tracks, and we'd go on trips together. Like, he would always encourage me and never like, later on, he would definitely start to become harder on me, but, like, I started to realize he would become harder on me not to bring me down, but he he saw potential in me that he knew I could get more out of me. So he's always been on my side and always, like, lifted me up.

[00:07:36] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. So how old were you when you realized that racing was something that you were gonna do for a while? Was it when you first started or recently?

[00:07:50] - [Speaker 2]
I would say it was definitely when I first started. Like, I just I always knew. It's just yeah.

[00:07:59] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Just felt it inside. Yeah. Yeah. For sure.

[00:08:03] - [Speaker 1]
That's that's happens so often to people. So when you fur that first race, were you scared? Were you excited? Can you remember how you felt when you were

[00:08:16] - [Speaker 2]
eight years old? I was so excited. I was like, I was so happy to be there, and I was happy to finally get in it because I like, we'd spent we set it up a little bit, but it wasn't, like, the best. But I was just happy. The environment was nice.

[00:08:35] - [Speaker 2]
I had a great time.

[00:08:37] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That's good. You know, everybody doesn't start off the best on their first race, and and sometimes it's discouraging to someone. And but more times than not, when I hear somebody, you know, I interview somebody, they're like, oh, soon as I got in that car, I knew this was for me. So that was kind of fun.

[00:08:57] - [Speaker 1]
Would you have any advice for somebody who's just, like, starting out or maybe they're gonna go to a try

[00:09:03] - [Speaker 2]
and ride or something like that? And, what kind of advice would you give to them? I would definitely say, like, the first time you got there, you're not gonna do good. And if you do, then definitely, like, keep pushing. But if you don't do good, don't let it bring you down.

[00:09:21] - [Speaker 2]
That's what I've done several times, and it does not help you whatsoever. So you just have to, like, see the potential in yourself. And even if you do that, you like, you have potential. Everybody has potential.

[00:09:35] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That's true of anything we try. Most of the times, if you try to make your first meal or sew or eat anything, the first time out, it's not usually very successful, but it gets better. Yeah.

[00:09:51] - [Speaker 2]
It does.

[00:09:52] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Do you have one race that you'll never forget?

[00:09:58] - [Speaker 2]
We went so I can't maybe it was even I think it was it was 2022. We traveled all the way to Knoxville, Iowa. We spent the week up there for the Wing Cart Nationals at English Creek. Mhmm. I've been there.

[00:10:13] - [Speaker 2]
Out we started out rough, and, like, we didn't do very good in qualifying. And my heat race, I didn't do very good. And I started in the b main. And my dad's like, alright. We traveled sixteen hours for this.

[00:10:27] - [Speaker 2]
You gotta make it. Uh-huh. And I finished second, and I transferred. So in the a man, I started twelfth, and I made it all the way up to fifth. And I still I got a plaque for it, and I was so happy once I got that plaque.

[00:10:41] - [Speaker 2]
Mhmm. But it was Do you remember what year what year that was? 2022.

[00:10:48] - [Speaker 1]
Okay. I may have been there, Zoe. I was there in 2021 and 2022 at English Creek. We also went I didn't know you there.

[00:11:01] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. We went in 2023, but it did not. We made we did a lot better. I think we qualified, like, fifth. We qualified well, and we won our heat race, and that put us starting sixth in the a main.

[00:11:16] - [Speaker 2]
And then first or coming out of turn two on the first lap, I someone spun in front of me, and I knocked him back straight. And but it spun me out, and I had to go to the back. And then my chain ended up coming coming off, and I did finish the race.

[00:11:32] - [Speaker 1]
That's too bad. But that's a long like you said, it's a long way to go. But isn't that an amazing place to race? It's out in the middle of nowhere. The cars and the trailers, the haulers, they're just parked everywhere.

[00:11:47] - [Speaker 1]
On the hill, in the field. It's you can't explain that to anybody either. It's just a really cool place Yeah. To go

[00:11:58] - [Speaker 2]
So what are you racing right now? I'm racing legend cars.

[00:12:03] - [Speaker 1]
Oh yeah. You said that legend cars. So they don't race at English Creek, right? Those are just the carts or whatever.

[00:12:11] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. We so we switched. I made a big jump. We were racing dirt, and then we went to asphalt, which was totally new for me. Mhmm.

[00:12:21] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. So do you like it? Like it better? You you like dirt better? Which is your favorite?

[00:12:28] - [Speaker 2]
I think dirt will always have a place in my heart no matter what I race. Like, the racing is just it's so high, and it's so action packed. Like, you don't know what will happen, especially once you start watching the sprint cars and late models. You just really it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

[00:12:48] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. It does. I mean, there's it's people who don't know racing just think, oh, you know, what's the big deal? But it it's so different. Yeah.

[00:12:59] - [Speaker 2]
It is. Yeah.

[00:13:01] - [Speaker 1]
It is. I love I love watching dirt, but I don't like going home after when I'm so dirty and dusty.

[00:13:07] - [Speaker 2]
That's my favorite part. Like, you go in a gas station or even, like, Waffle House, and you'll go in there after and it's like, you definitely been to the dirt track. You can tell.

[00:13:18] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm. Yeah. Absolutely. Have you ever had a race that you had, like, really a big challenge or maybe even a season, you know, some challenge, like, a big challenge that just time after time, you were struggling to get better at it, and then you finally overcame it.

[00:13:37] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I had a lot of those seasons, I think. Let's see. There was there was a stretch where, like, I didn't win a race, and I actually was thinking about, like, maybe this just isn't for me. But then I was like, well, I'm gonna give it one more season.

[00:13:58] - [Speaker 2]
And if not, then I might try something else. And that next season, we won three races, and we actually won a point championship. Mhmm. So then I was like, this is for me.

[00:14:10] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, you're gonna lose more than your win than you win. That's everybody in motorsports. That's not just you.

[00:14:21] - [Speaker 1]
There's not one person who wins more than they lose when they're a race car driver. And it teaches you, I think, so many things, especially as a kid. You started when you were eight. You know? Typically, the girls I in interview that are, let's say, under 18 have really matured more at an earlier age because of all the things they've learned.

[00:14:53] - [Speaker 1]
So, yeah, can you think of some things that maybe had you not been involved in racing that you've learned, like, you know, patience, confidence, all those different kinds of things? What would you say would be yours?

[00:15:07] - [Speaker 2]
I definitely it definitely gave me confidence. And especially as a girl, like, I felt like I was just it was just awesome. Like, I had the chance to driving. Like, it helped a lot with driving. And but it gave me, yeah, it gave me a lot of confidence, and I definitely learned, like, a lot of patience when to when to do what I need to do and when to hold back a little bit.

[00:15:37] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. And yeah. So it def it teaches you a lot.

[00:15:42] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. And I think as you get older, you'll it'll teach you even more, you know, disappointment when things don't go right and how to handle adversity and and how to, you know, how to interact with adults when you're a kid. Just so many things for sure. Mhmm. So what do you think is something that fans have no clue about when it comes to racing?

[00:16:06] - [Speaker 1]
I don't they don't

[00:16:08] - [Speaker 2]
I think they don't have any idea of how much work actually gets put into the car. Like, not only at the track, but at the shop. Like, there are so many late nights. Me and my dad's been in the shop just working or trying to find the little thing that will make us just a bit faster, and that can help us get the edge on some people. But Mhmm.

[00:16:29] - [Speaker 2]
They're just so hard to explain, like, all the stuff that goes into it.

[00:16:34] - [Speaker 1]
It really it really is. They almost have to come and spend a night with you in the shop to understand that. Yeah. I say that too about even race day. You know?

[00:16:46] - [Speaker 1]
Fans show up a half hour before the races start, and they sit down. They're eating their popcorn, and they don't realize that the drivers have been there since noon or whatever. And, you know, all the things that you've had to do to get ready for the race and and fans don't understand. And I always encourage people, you know, ask your favorite driver if you can come and spend one race day with them from the time they are at the track. And it really opens people's eyes about the work, how much tires cost, all the different things that go into

[00:17:20] - [Speaker 2]
it. There's a lot that goes into it.

[00:17:23] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. There is. So how do you prepare yourself for, like, a a race? Like, let's say you're gonna be racing tomorrow. What do you do besides getting your stuff ready, you know, your shoes and all those things?

[00:17:40] - [Speaker 1]
How do you prepare mentally to be in your best frame of mind when you go to race?

[00:17:47] - [Speaker 2]
Sometimes I actually don't really do anything differently. Like, I definitely try not to stress about the little things. If we forget something, it's not a big deal. We can improvise. I try to keep as as much off my mind as I can and or I might play a little eye racing before to give me some confidence.

[00:18:09] - [Speaker 2]
But I really I kinda keep it simple. Like, it's just a regular day. There's I try not to draw any more attention to it, and I take stuff off my mind that could mess me up in the car.

[00:18:23] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That's that's a good plan because sometimes your mind is your worst enemy. It it just gets you you're thinking about this and this and this, and then you you're just like, oh, I need to take a breath and and not be stressing about all this stuff for sure. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:18:43] - [Speaker 1]
So being a girl in motor sports, have you ever had any any other kids, other boys, or parents, or anybody ever give you any trouble about, you know, oh, girls don't belong in racing, or are they pretty accepting of you?

[00:19:01] - [Speaker 2]
I think they're pretty accepting. Mhmm. I don't really think I've had, like, a situation of that. But even if I did, I don't think it would let me tear it wouldn't tear me down because I know I belong in it. Everyone should have a chance.

[00:19:16] - [Speaker 2]
And I feel, yeah, I feel like no one should. Everyone deserves a chance in racing if they think they do.

[00:19:25] - [Speaker 1]
I believe I believe that too. I personally think it's important that other girls see girls like you racing. If you had some advice or if somebody came up to you and said, my little girl wants to race like you, what would you share with them?

[00:19:44] - [Speaker 2]
I would definitely tell them to give it a shot. Like, you need to try it. And once you try it, you're not gonna wanna stop. And it feels so good once you finally at the end of the night and you beat everybody and you beat all the boys. It's the best feeling.

[00:20:00] - [Speaker 2]
Like, everyone's like, oh, well, since you're a girl, you probably aren't gonna beat them. But once you do, it is the best feeling. It's so hard to describe.

[00:20:10] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm. Yeah. Exactly. So have you someone other than your dad maybe that that you've looked up to or that's given you some advice, whether it's someone you've met or someone you watch, you know?

[00:20:30] - [Speaker 2]
I I don't really know. I feel like I really just I look up to my dad mostly just because I know the most about him.

[00:20:41] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Yeah. So what's been the toughest part of your career so

[00:20:47] - [Speaker 2]
far? I would say I would definitely say getting into the legend cars. It it was such a big jump, and it was it's just different racing and atmospheres and just different tracks Mhmm. That there's so much different stuff about it. But that has definitely been a challenging part.

[00:21:15] - [Speaker 1]
But are you glad you made the move?

[00:21:18] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I am. I'm I was unsure about it at first because I wasn't very good. But then I got to thinking about it. I'm like, well, no one's gonna be good their first time.

[00:21:27] - [Speaker 2]
And my dad kept telling me this because he could see that I was upset when I didn't do good, but I stuck with it. And I got that out of my mind that I should be good the first time. Right. Right.

[00:21:41] - [Speaker 1]
So when things get tough, what does keep you motivated? I know you said you had, you know, a couple tough seasons there that you were thinking maybe this isn't for me, but you didn't quit. You kept going. So what what was behind that? How did that, you know I think

[00:22:01] - [Speaker 2]
what or my like, the amount of time my dad would put into it, it showed me that, like, he didn't think I was bad, and he saw that I should keep going. So definitely, like, all the late nights and all the extra work he's done on my car or carts Mhmm. It showed me that, like, I could do it. Someone believes in me and Yeah. Someone I look up to believes in me.

[00:22:28] - [Speaker 2]
So that definitely helped me out a lot.

[00:22:30] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I'm sure that's probably right. So what kind of goals do you have for your racing career?

[00:22:37] - [Speaker 2]
I definitely wanna continue racing. But if later on, if it just doesn't work out, I def I wanna find a job in racing and just work around racing. That's what I've always wanted to do since I was young.

[00:22:51] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. And there's so many opportunities really in Yeah. There is. Everything you can think of from being the makeup person for the TV people, which I interviewed a lady that did that, and I had no idea there was makeup person that did their hair and makeup. And then after I thought about it, it's like, well, they're on TV.

[00:23:10] - [Speaker 1]
You know? But but she's employed by NASCAR, and you just don't ever think about that or, you know, PR or the person that makes arranges all the travel. There's just so many things that you can do in motorsports, and everybody's part of the team. So, yeah, everybody can't race forever, but they can certainly be involved in some way with motorsports. So what kind of an impact do you hope to make?

[00:23:41] - [Speaker 1]
I mean, little girls are probably watching you when you're racing at a track where there's other kids and that. What would you want them to say about Zoe?

[00:23:51] - [Speaker 2]
I want them I want them to say that she's the one who got me into racing. Like, I want I want more girls to get into racing, and I just I feel like there's just not enough of them. But I just want one to or a lot of them to just step out and be like, I can do this and just Yeah. They need to do it. Yeah.

[00:24:14] - [Speaker 1]
So what's your favorite track?

[00:24:17] - [Speaker 2]
My favorite track, I think I think Charlotte's my favorite track for now, but that's the track I've raced at most. Charlotte is just so fun, and there's so many people that come out to watch. And, like, it's so close to home for me, so all my family and my friends, they can come out and see me race. Yeah.

[00:24:40] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. So if you could be part of any series racing any kind of car in the future, what would be your ideal thing to do?

[00:24:53] - [Speaker 2]
I've always wanted to race a dirt late model or, like, a dirt sprint car. So either the high limit series or the Lucas Oil late models because those they're, like, they're just so awesome to see in person.

[00:25:08] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Yeah. They are. I the high limit, my friend, is the chaplain for the high limit series. So she travels all over with them.

[00:25:19] - [Speaker 1]
She works for Racers for Christ, and then her husband is one of the, like, medic medical people. They they just travel all over the country in their in their van and stuff. And they they are just love it. Absolutely love it. And the people that run and work the high limit series are amazing people.

[00:25:38] - [Speaker 1]
So, yeah, that that would be awesome. And there's no girls running in it, so you need to get busy and get up there. Yeah. Yeah. For sure.

[00:25:50] - [Speaker 1]
So what is your favorite racing memory? Maybe outside of the car. Something that that's happened that you got to do because you were a racer or somebody you met, anything at all that's not related to driving.

[00:26:09] - [Speaker 2]
My favorite racing memories are when we go every year, we go to the dirt track at Charlotte to see the world finals and all the big big blocks and the late models and sprint cars come out. And, like, we have our little camping square where we have campers, and I think there's, like, five or six of us, but we're just all enclosed. But Mhmm. We always have a good time there, and the racing's good, and it's it's a great time.

[00:26:39] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That sounds like a lot of fun. So what I'm hearing you say is because you wouldn't be racing that weekend, Some of the people, it's the people that you meet. Tell me about how that's how that's affected you as as a you know, you could be hanging out with your high school friends. Right?

[00:27:02] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm. But you go to the track on the weekends and hang out with all age people probably, from littler ones to people that could be your grandparents. What's what keeps you going back to the track on the weekends?

[00:27:18] - [Speaker 2]
It's just the atmosphere of it. Like, no sporting event has ever felt the same as a racetrack does. And, like, everyone's just so friendly. Like, you can come you'll go up to someone and you'll have a conversation with them. And it's just great to hear all the stories that they have to tell and what it was like when they maybe raced or what it's like when they still race.

[00:27:42] - [Speaker 2]
It's just it's the atmosphere for me. Yeah.

[00:27:45] - [Speaker 1]
So do you have any traditions or superstitions on race day?

[00:27:50] - [Speaker 2]
So I always put my left shoe, my left sock, and my left arm on first. And I also put my left, like, ear in for my earbuds. And then I have this little car. I put it in my left pocket when I go out. And I'm trying to I have, like, a lot of them.

[00:28:17] - [Speaker 1]
So are you right handed? Yeah. Yeah. That's what I figured. Yeah.

[00:28:25] - [Speaker 1]
That's you know, there's a lot of girls that say, oh, I have special socks or I always braid my hair or, you know, every not everybody, but a lot of girls have certain things they do a certain way.

[00:28:37] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I used to I would wear like, one night, we'd have a really good night, and I'd wear this necklace and my earring, but I wouldn't take them off the next night. Or, like, the next time we race, I'd wear the same exact things. And then finally, once we did bad, I'm like, I have to switch it up. Those are wind out or there's no more good in them.

[00:28:57] - [Speaker 2]
Guess

[00:28:57] - [Speaker 1]
There's no more luck in these earrings. No. Yeah. That's cute. So do you have a favorite track food?

[00:29:06] - [Speaker 2]
Walking tacos. We used to race at Millbridge and walking, like, that's what I would get every single time was a walking taco. Okay.

[00:29:17] - [Speaker 1]
You did you have and when you were, like, at Millbridge or whatever, do you have somebody you race against that's kind of your rival or maybe somebody that you really enjoy racing with?

[00:29:33] - [Speaker 2]
I wouldn't say so. Like, I I enjoyed racing with everybody, but there was a couple people that race you a little bit harder or

[00:29:45] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah.

[00:29:45] - [Speaker 2]
They just wouldn't give you any room. They're kinda dirty, but so I didn't, like, enjoy being around them. But

[00:29:52] - [Speaker 1]
Okay.

[00:29:52] - [Speaker 2]
I mostly enjoyed racing everybody.

[00:29:54] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Yeah. There's all and that's I don't care what racetrack you're at. There's those people. That's for sure.

[00:30:01] - [Speaker 1]
You know? Sometimes it makes you feel like, is that the only way you can win is to race somebody dirty, but they'll learn at some point for sure.

[00:30:12] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Yeah.

[00:30:13] - [Speaker 1]
Do you listen to music before you race?

[00:30:16] - [Speaker 2]
Sometimes, but sometimes I forget to. I've I do enjoy listening to music before though.

[00:30:23] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. What's your favorite kind of music? Some I'll

[00:30:29] - [Speaker 2]
I'll listen to country or if I'm trying to, like, get into or I don't know. I listen to rap too. I mostly listen to rap before I go out.

[00:30:40] - [Speaker 1]
Get pumped up. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So when you're racing, would you rather start at the front, the middle, or the back?

[00:30:52] - [Speaker 2]
I would say the middle because the back, there's it's hard there's more wrecks, and it's just sometimes hard to avoid them. And the front well, I feel like the front and the middle for me. Sometimes the front can get kind of boring just because it's, like, either battling the same cars or there's just not much action in the front. But the middle, there's always some action going on. Yeah.

[00:31:20] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Yeah. That's I I can see that. Everybody has their favorite. One one little girl said, I wanna race I wanna start from the back because when the cars in the middle crash, then I can pass everybody.

[00:31:35] - [Speaker 2]
That's what I used to that's what I used to think, and then I started it'd be harder to avoid them. And I was like, it's not the place for me.

[00:31:43] - [Speaker 1]
No. So tell me about your your your car. What color is it? What number is it? Did you choose the number?

[00:31:52] - [Speaker 2]
So my car is it's currently white, and we're gonna get a wrap made for it. But for now, it's white, and it's got a couple of our sponsors on it. But my number's 44 because my dad used to be 44. He said that he was like, well, if you're gonna race this car, you're either gonna be 44 or you're not gonna race. That's what

[00:32:15] - [Speaker 1]
he told

[00:32:15] - [Speaker 2]
my brother too. Yeah. But I wouldn't I wouldn't wanna be any other number anyway.

[00:32:21] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Keep it going in the family. Right? Yeah. Yeah.

[00:32:27] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. So is there anything, Zoe, that we haven't talked about? Like, do you wanna share about, like, your wins? What, you know, what kind of wins or what your careers look like, and then maybe your sponsors?

[00:32:44] - [Speaker 2]
So I've gotten I don't have that many wins in the legend cars. I have one at Franklin County. Mhmm. And then I have one b main win at Charlotte. Okay.

[00:32:57] - [Speaker 2]
But my sponsors, I have Anderson and Sons and their shirt printing company, then I have Warrant Warrant Trucking Equipment, Harps Access Control, Superior Industrial, Lacey's Transmission. And then my momma and papa, they help out a good bit too. Okay.

[00:33:18] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Do they come watch a race?

[00:33:21] - [Speaker 2]
When they can. Yeah. But sometimes either the races are just too far away or it's just it's not they're just too busy to get to

[00:33:30] - [Speaker 1]
them. Yeah. Because you travel with the series. Right? That series travels?

[00:33:36] - [Speaker 2]
Sometimes we're trying to, like, keep it more local now.

[00:33:41] - [Speaker 1]
Okay.

[00:33:41] - [Speaker 2]
And since the shootout's running, we're not really, like, focusing on any other track except Charlotte. Yeah. So for now, we're just kinda staying here.

[00:33:51] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. And that's on, flow racing because I've been able to watch that. Yeah. Yeah. That's been a lot of fun.

[00:33:58] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That that I can watch that. That's pretty cool. Yeah. Mhmm.

[00:34:03] - [Speaker 1]
There anything that we haven't talked about that you wanna make sure that you share about? Like, how would somebody find you on Facebook? Or is that what you use Facebook, Instagram? Where where can we find you?

[00:34:16] - [Speaker 2]
My Facebook page is Zoe Smith Racing, and I think we're gonna start we have an Instagram, but it's just not very updated. So we're gonna start using Instagram too, but it's also Zoe Smith Racing.

[00:34:31] - [Speaker 1]
Okay. Alright. And then the summer shootout's still going on.

[00:34:37] - [Speaker 2]
Mhmm. If there's a race well, we're gonna race tomorrow, and then there's a practice tonight.

[00:34:43] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Tuesday nights, I think, is when it's on flow. And how many more of those will there be? Do you know?

[00:34:49] - [Speaker 2]
I think maybe two more weeks. Okay.

[00:34:55] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Okay. Because, you know, it's the middle of July already, so it'll be time to, unfortunately, time to go back to school here pretty soon. So gotta get those races in. Yeah.

[00:35:06] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm. Is there is there somewhere that a track or that you'd really love to go race at that, you know?

[00:35:17] - [Speaker 2]
I will. I guess for my dirt background, I've always wanted to race it, like, the Chili Bowl or the Tulsa Shootout. Or if we can't race them, I've I would always love to go watch them.

[00:35:29] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. They're on my bucket list too, Zoe. Obviously, I won't be driving, but I really would like to go to both of those. I think that would and I've interviewed so many gals that have raced those that, you know, I just really would love to go to do those as well. So maybe we'll see each other there.

[00:35:48] - [Speaker 1]
That's a bucket list for me as well. Yeah. Yeah. Anything else that you wanna share, Zoey, before we go?

[00:35:59] - [Speaker 2]
I don't think so.

[00:36:00] - [Speaker 1]
Okay. Alright. Well, you're gonna be racing it'll be on Flow. She's gonna she's racing the summer shootout. I think that is sponsored by Cookout, if I remember correctly.

[00:36:12] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah.

[00:36:12] - [Speaker 1]
And and so that's been a big deal. I've been watching it every week on flow. So I encourage you if you're listening to watch and watch for Zoe and and cheer her on from wherever you're at. And then, Zoe, I wanna wish you the best of luck. I'll be watching for sure.

[00:36:28] - [Speaker 1]
And if there's ever anything that, you wanna share or you wanna come back on or if you post something that you want me to share, just tag Women's Motorsports Network. And that way I'll see your post and keep up a little bit better with what your season's looking like.

[00:36:46] - [Speaker 2]
Okay.

[00:36:47] - [Speaker 1]
Alright. Well, thanks for being on, Zoey. I really appreciate it.

[00:36:51] - [Speaker 2]
Thank you. This was this was an honor to be on here.

[00:36:55] - [Speaker 1]
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[00:37:28] - [Speaker 1]
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