How Barbie’s Quest to Bring Women Into Motorsports Was Blown Away by NASCAR’s Fixation for Stardom

Here’s a question for you all female motorsport enthusiasts. There are two options: Jeff Gordon’s #24 numbered T-shirt, with a DuPont jacket, jeans, and cowboy boots, on one side. On the other side is Dale Earnhardt Jr’s #8 logo minidress, with a red headband and red boots. Which one would you choose? Well, this is not an asking for the dress code of the upcoming Clash at the Coliseum or the Daytona 500, but a choice of Barbie attire.

This revelation might raise the inquisitive eyebrows of many NASCAR fans, while it might leave others scratching their heads, unable to comprehend the flow of the storyline. Before completely raising the curtain and clearing out the air, what if it is told that Barbie is a chiseled NASCAR driver who has raced against drivers like Kyle Petty and Bill Elliott, but eventually succumbed to the demands of the time? Still in disbelief? Well, it’s time to delve deeper.

From Bill Elliott’s competitor to advocating for women: Barbie’s racing journey

It was a dream come true for motorsport driver Toni Breidinger and the creation of history for NASCAR. For the first time Victoria’s Secret, a brand that has been predominantly associated with women’s lingerie and beauty brand, had vowed its allegiance to the driver. To make a long story short, a brand that promotes women was ready to assert its dominance in male-dominated sports. 

However, this was not the first time that NASCAR had witnessed the breaking of the glass ceiling of gender disparity. For that, one has to turn the pages of history and revisit the oval tracks in the late 90s on a trip with Ruth Handler’s timeless creation. The primary image that comes to mind, when the name Barbie comes to mind, is perhaps the iconic honey blonde hair, her doe-shaped eyes with long lashes, and her effortless fashion sense. However, her identity has more than being a fashionista. She is a complete motorhead, like a regular girl next door. 

After dabbling in a plethora of career choices, Barbie was ready to rev up the V8 engines. Her racing career officially began in 1998, when she donned a blue firesuit, along with the name of the sponsors, and also stated her 50th anniversary, where she also marked her championship season. While many find it as a figment of imagination, Barbie’s championship caliber proved that this sport is not gender specific, but satiates the hunger for speed for all individuals. This assertion was reinforced by the box blurb which read:

“This exciting sport has attracted millions of fans. NASCAR racing is the fastest-growing spectator sport in America today[…] and almost half of the fans are women. Barbie doll is no exception. A fan of stock car racing and a big fan of champion Kyle Petty, it had always been her dream to qualify for a race.”

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Nevertheless, after a championship season, a pumped-up Barbie reappeared for the 1999 season alongside Bill Elliott and was ready to put up a brave fight against the Most Popular Driver of NASCAR. The box read her determination. “The thrill of racing is in her blood! Barbie pulls on her helmet and straps herself into her car as the roar of the engine competes with a thunderous applause from thousands of loyal NASCAR fans. Barbie gives a ‘thumbs up’ and screeches on to the track once again.”

The outcome of the race: Yet another championship!

Barbie fails to stand the test of time amidst the growing the popularity of the sport

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Alas! As all good things must come to an end, the 1999 Cup Series season was the last time that Barbie flaunted her firesuit and competed full time in racing. From being a dominant factor on the oval tracks of NASCAR, Barbie eventually returned to a liminal space, only to reappear in 2006-07, but not as a racer but as a spokesperson for Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon.

What initially began as the harbinger of neutralizing the racing arena and alluring women to the tracks, not as mere spectators but as competitors of the sport, eventually failed the test of time. Barbie yielded to the growing sport’s ideologies and eventually became the instrument for the promotion of popular drivers and their stardom, which eventually led to the ousting of the iconic figure from the race tracks. 

Although the iconic creation made frequent appearances in various formats of racing, it reduced her role from an advocate for women racers to a part of the car liveries, as an accessory and the means of business transactions between the giant corporates and racing organizations.

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It’s been a long time since the enigmatic figure has made her appearance, but let that Barbie energy not fool you. With the change in racing narratives, the day is not far when Barbie once again hops in the stock cars and competes in the Daytona 500 or better, the 24hrs of LeMans.