We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Leilani Munter to ask her a few questions. We discussed everything from the Greatful Dead to Drifting.. If you aren’t familar with Ms Munter (shame on you!) you can check out her website here. She is currently seeking sponsors for the remainder of the ACRA series events.

Photo Credit: Phil Cavali, TheHotLap.com

FRN: FemaleRacingNews’ purpose is to promote women in racing.. How did you get your start?

Leilani: I started racing in 2001 in the Allison Legacy Series and continued on to late models, super late models, then I did some open wheel racing in the Indy Pro Series, which is now called Indy Lights, and now I am back in stock cars in the ARCA Series presented by Menards.

FRN: Then and Now, what was/is your motivation?

Leilani: Ever since I got into a race car, I was in love with it. But I am also using my voice as a driver to talk about some of the environmental issues that our generation is facing. My background is in science, I hold a degree in biology from the University of California, so I am trying to spread awareness about some of those issues including renewable energy and alternative fuels.

FRN: So many women and girls look up to you for your driving and your work with the environment, who do you look up to? (if not someone in motorsports, do you have someone in Motorsports that you look up to?)

I can’t forget the female pioneers in racing who came before us. They fought a tough battle for their place on the starting grid, and in doing so, they fought for mine. Women like Shirley Muldowney, Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James, and Shawna Robinson among others. Women who no doubt, like me, have been the brunt of many jokes when they walked through a garage that had in the past, only allowed men to race. Women who, like me, held their head high despite the fact that there were (and still are) people in our sport who don’t want us to be there.

And beyond the racetrack there were many brave women who paved the way in
sports. Women like aviator Amelia Earhart, who proved that women can fly too.
Professional golfer Annika Sorenstam, who earned her right to tee off with the boys. And no one could forget tennis champion Billie Jean King, who in 1973 beat Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” in front of 90 million television viewers and no doubt, inspired millions of little girls to think “If she can do it, maybe I can too!”

FRN: Do you have a favorite track to race? Is it different for Indy and NASCAR?

Leilani: With stock cars, Daytona is an amazing place to race at, just because of all the history there. Every time I go to Texas Motor Speedway I seem to do well, I have a fourth and seventh place finish there. I also like tracks with lots of banking, Madison International Speedway was a fun place to go.

For open wheel, I only have ever raced at Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland
Speedway and I must say, they were both a blast. I would have loved to run more
open wheel, my primary sponsor was SMART Papers and they were only in it for
two races. I would have continued but the sponsorship just wasn’t there for me. In
2007 our races aired on ESPN2, but it became more difficult after Indy Lights stopped getting television exposure which can make it difficult to find sponsors.

Photo Credit: Alan Moore

 

FRN: Is there a track you haven’t drove at yet that you would like to? Different for Indy and NASCAR?

Leilani: For open wheel I would have to say Indianapolis of course! When I was running Indy Lights in 2007 Rick Mears took me and the other rookie Indy Lights drivers around Indy in a van. Like Daytona, there is just so much history there. I tried to find sponsorship to run the Freedom 100 after I got my Indy license but I didn’t find sponsorship in time so I ended up running my first Indy Lights race at Kentucky Speedway and was having a hell of a race, I think I would have had a top five no problem, but a guy cut a tire down in front of me and I got caught up in it and that was it.

For NASCAR, I would have to say Bristol. I haven’t raced at there yet, but I’ve been around the track a couple times and I would love to race there someday, talk about banking!

FRN: Have you ever considered trying the motorsports that are growing in popularity like, Drifting or Rally Racing?

Leilani: Sure, I love driving anything! I’d love to try those types of motorsports, but have never had the opportunity and since stock car racing is where most of my background is, that is what I have been pursuing for the most part. That being said, I’d jump back into open wheel as well, should the sponsorship come along. They did just announce that Indy Lights will air on VERSUS this year, so that should be helpful for sponsorship. And of course ARCA airs on SPEED. For the sponsors, obviously exposure is very important so television really helps when drivers like myself are searching for sponsorship.

FRN: We all know that racing is a very physically demanding sport, do you have a fitness regiment?

Leilani: I enjoy playing sports or doing things outside much more than going to the gym and just working out on machines. I like snowboarding, scuba diving, swimming, tennis, hiking and recently have been doing a lot of ice skating. I have to be having fun while I am exercising. Getting on a treadmill just doesn’t do it for me, I get so bored. Life is short so you best have as much fun as you can while you’re here.

FRN: What advice would you give to a woman/girl who wants to race?

Leilani: The best advice I could give is to just never give up and believe in yourself. There will be naysayers and negativity around you, but just keep working towards your goal and if you do, you will get there. You never know when you are going to get your opportunity so you just have to do the best you can. I love the Michael Jordan quote, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is precisely why I succeed.”

Photo Credit: Douglas E Murray

 

FRN: What do you drive as your daily driver?

Leilani: For the past 14 years I have been driving a Volkswagon VR6 GTI, but it is on it’s last legs. My next car will either be a plug in electric or a car that runs on an alternative fuel like biodiesel. I don’t want to have to stop at gas stations ever again, particularly after being to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. I mean there was a moment about ten days after the Deepwater Horizon sank to the bottom of the ocean when I was in a boat and could see nothing but crude oil from horizon to horizon. It was horrific, it knocked the wind out of me and everyone who was with me. It’s something that is very hard to describe, but experiencing it in person changed me. Not to mention the fact that we spend $1 billion a day on foreign oil in this country. I want my car to run on something that either grows here or can get plugged into an electric outlet.

FRN: Do you have pets? If so, what kind?

Lelani: I have a cat named Pushkin that has been my constant companion for nineteen years now. She has been by my side for so long, I can’t imagine my life without her. I am not looking forward to the day when I have to say goodbye, but I guess is true of everything in life when you think about it.

FRN: Outside of racing and the environment, what are your hobbies?

Leilani: I love scuba diving and snowboarding and I used to surf when I lived in California but it’s been so long I doubt I can even do it anymore. It makes me sad to think about that, I love the ocean and want to live near it again.

FRN: Do you have any Guilty Pleasures?

Leilani: I would have to say my race car is my guiltiest pleasure, of course! Obviously because of my environmental work, I don’t like burning lots of fuel but that is why since 2007 every time I run a race or even test my race car, I adopt an acre of rainforest to offset the carbon footprint of that fuel I am burning.

FRN: Your sister is married to a member of the Grateful Dead, what kind of music do you listen to?

Leilani: I go to a lot of the concerts that my brother in law Bob Weir plays, so that would be Ratdog or Furthur or The Dead. I like Jack Johnson, he is a very cool person and is also very concerned about our environment and he is using his fame to bring attention to those issues. He gave me permission to use one of his songs on my website, it’s called “Never Know,” and they lyrics fit quite perfectly into my message with regards to the environment. You can watch it here http://leilanimunter.com/EcoDreamNeverKnow.html I listen to older stuff like The Beatles and Traveling Wilburys but I also listen to some heavier stuff like Primus, Alice in Chains and Tool. Lately I have been listening to a lot of movie soundtracks, I love the soundtrack to “127 Hours” (great movie) and “Into the Wild”, which was done by Eddie Vedder. And the soundtrack to “The Cove” is beautiful. I do a lot of volunteer work with Ric O’Barry, the activist in “The Cove” which won the Academy Award for best documentary last year. If you haven’t seen it, you should rent it.