Women's Motorsports Network - A Media Company

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Women's Motorsports Network - A Media Company Melinda Russell founded the Women's Motorsports Network in 2017, to connect and celebrate women involved in motorsports of all kinds, all around the world.

Ava Boundy:
10/10/2026

Ava Boundy:

For Ava Boundy, the dream of becoming a race car driver didn't require years of convincing.It took about one lap.Growing up around motorsports with her father, Ava was familiar with go-karting and oval-track racing from an early age. Her father be...

In this Women’s Motorsports Network episode, Melinda Russell talks with 14-year-old racer Kinzlee Smith about her first ...
10/09/2026

In this Women’s Motorsports Network episode, Melinda Russell talks with 14-year-old racer Kinzlee Smith about her first year behind the wheel, the family support behind her racing and the future she hopes to build in motorsports.
Kinzlee shares how watching racing and becoming friends with young drivers at Millbridge turned interest into determination. She discusses racing Junior Wing at Millbridge and Teen Champ at Woodleaf, and how competing in different equipment is helping her learn smoother hands, precision and car control.
The conversation explores her #37, Project 37, her parents’ roles, sponsors, confidence, handling bad races and the challenges of finding speed. Kinzlee also explains why she wants to move into Bandos and Legends before pursuing late models and why she sees motorsports as a career even if her eventual role is outside the driver’s seat.
The episode closes with a milestone for the Women’s Motorsports Legacy Archive: Kinzlee is the first guest to answer Melinda’s new Legacy Question, leaving future generations a message about patience, persistence and the value of the effort they put into their goals.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2350558/episodes/19872583

10/09/2026

What do you need to stop doing to be more efficient?

Alexis DeJoria:
10/07/2026

Alexis DeJoria:

In this Women’s Motorsports Network conversation, Alexis DeJoria shares the story behind her journey from a motorsports-loving young girl with no family racing background to a professional Nitro Funny Car driver.Alexis discusses beginning in NHRA ...

NEW PODCAST EPISODE: From Dirt Bikes to Off-Road Trucks: Gray Ledbetter's Motorsports JourneyGray Leadbetter, one of the...
10/07/2026

NEW PODCAST EPISODE: From Dirt Bikes to Off-Road Trucks: Gray Ledbetter's Motorsports Journey

Gray Leadbetter, one of the rising stars in off-road racing, joins Melinda Russell on the Women's Motorsports Network Podcast. Gray shares her journey from riding a four-wheeler at just two years old to becoming a Pro-Lite truck racer in the Champ Off-Road series. She talks about growing up in North Carolina, homeschooling with On Track School, running her own race team, and racing alongside icons like Travis Pastrana. Gray opens up about her proudest moments, her goals for the future (including a dream of racing a Porsche 911 GT3 at Daytona), and how she inspires the next generation of girls in motorsports.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2350558/episodes/17602563

Emilee Lewis grew up with Bowman Gray Stadium woven into family life. Her grandfather raced there, and later her father,...
10/03/2026

Emilee Lewis grew up with Bowman Gray Stadium woven into family life. Her grandfather raced there, and later her father, uncles, brother and sister-in-law became part of that same racing tradition. Yet Emilee tried other activities first, including ice hockey and cheerleading, and did not start racing until age 24.
Her entry into the driver’s seat happened quickly. Her father surprised her by buying a race car, took her to Caraway to learn the basics—including shifting—and then put her into her first race at Bowman Gray the next day. She finished 10th and on the lead lap. From there, she began the ongoing work of becoming not merely fast, but skilled at traffic, passing, patience and race craft.
The deepest meaning in Emilee’s racing today is tied to Robbie Brewer. She grew up admiring him, later spotted for him on the night he died after suffering a medical emergency while racing, and now drives the #68 in his honor. The car itself carries history, relationships and memories for Emilee and her team. For her, continuing to race it is a way of keeping a piece of that legacy visible.
Emilee’s story also reflects the community surrounding a local racer. She repeatedly credits her father, family, crew and sponsors for making her racing possible. She talks openly about sponsor relationships as genuine relationships—not just logos—and about the responsibility to represent those partners well.
Her message to girls and women considering motorsports is straightforward: get outside your comfort zone, get behind the wheel if you have the opportunity, race for yourself, and walk away smiling through the good, bad and ugly.

https://pdcn.co/e/www.buzzsprout.com/2350558/episodes/19872476-emilee-lewis-carrying-the-68-her-family-s-racing-roots-and-robbie-brewer-s-legacy.mp3?download=true

Jade Avedisian:
10/02/2026

Jade Avedisian:

Jade Avedisian's racing story began unexpectedly. Her father bought her a quarter midget when she was four, but Jade initially didn't enjoy racing. When she tried again at seven, everything changed.Years of quarter midgets, micros and dirt midgets...

https://pdcn.co/e/www.buzzsprout.com/2350558/episodes/19872650-ellie-leahy-meet-seven-year-old-racer-lightning-ellie.mp3...
10/02/2026

https://pdcn.co/e/www.buzzsprout.com/2350558/episodes/19872650-ellie-leahy-meet-seven-year-old-racer-lightning-ellie.mp3?download=true

In this Women’s Motorsports Network episode, Melinda Russell meets seven-year-old fourth-generation racer Ellie Leahy for Ellie’s very first podcast interview.
Ellie shares how the Cars movies, family racing history and a quarter-midget try-and-ride helped launch her racing journey at age five. She talks about receiving her Lightning McQueen-inspired #95 as a Christmas surprise, racing on asphalt and dirt, collecting trophies, learning race lines and competing in several different cars.
The conversation also includes two memorable rollover stories—including one after which Ellie’s car was repaired and she raced again the same day. Her dad joins the interview to share more of Ellie’s story, including her lifelong fascination with motorsports, her four race cars, her “Lightning Ellie” nickname, season results and the time she spends helping new young drivers learn.
Most importantly for the Storykeeper archive, this episode preserves Ellie at the beginning. She is seven, still learning, surrounded by family and friends, and already able to tell the next little girl that racing is worth trying.

Erica Sietsma and Megan Meyer Lingner with Autofluencers:
09/29/2026

Erica Sietsma and Megan Meyer Lingner with Autofluencers:

Erica Sietsma, Founder and CEO of Autofluencer, and Megan Meyer-Lingner, Head of Motorsports and Creator Strategy, join the Women’s Motorsports Network Podcast to discuss how data, authentic content, and long-term relationships can transform motor...

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