Insider Claims “Its Not as Scary” as NASCAR’s Inclusivity Tears Down “Male Dominant” Image

Since the beginning of racing history, the motorsport world has been majorly dominated by male drivers and team members. However, NASCAR, in recent times, has strived to achieve equality and has even provided both males and females with ample opportunities. That being said, male team members still continue to outnumber their female counterparts. This might make one wonder what it’s like inside the race shop. Is there any animosity or unwelcomed feeling anybody has to face?

Well, it seems like there isn’t. And that’s exactly what a female Vehicle Systems Engineer at NASCAR, Andrea aka Andie Preacher, recently revealed. She claimed that the environment in the NASCAR engineering department, which is mostly male-dominated, is not scary at all, but quite friendly, where everyone is open to new challenges.

Andie Preacher claims that NASCAR has something for everyone to explore

When Andrea decided to pursue a career in motorsports, especially as a woman, she knew it wasn’t the norm. Despite this, her fascination with racing, sparked by IMSA and Formula 1, persisted through her early years as a mechanical engineer. The rise of female racers in NASCAR is inspiring, but Andrea’s story as a female engineer proves that racing isn’t only a male-dominated industry. She recently spoke up openly about why she chose NASCAR, and what this business is looking for.

Highlighting NASCAR’s efforts to increase diversity off the track by encouraging high school and engineering students to apply for internships and jobs with the organization, Andrea said, “You wouldn’t necessarily think that these kind of industries where it is male-dominated, they would be pushing their women to be out on like the front line going and asking all these questions. Young female students, if they want to be an engineer, they can come in. And you’ve got five female engineers sitting right here working on the projects.”

For Andie, working with New-Gen muscle cars is something she’s really looking forward to. Andrea was confident in her statement that NASCAR offers something for everyone, and she hoped they would find it too. She said, “It’s not as scary as a thing for them. I like to think that I am excited about my job and excited about motorsport. I think it comes off sometimes when I talk about it to people that aren’t necessarily in it. So I hope that by being excited about something that other people are interested enough to look into it.”

This demonstrates NASCAR’s openness to diversity and its desire to build relationships with people from all walks of life. Historically, female NASCAR drivers have faced challenges attracting spectators and sponsors compared to their male counterparts. While NASCAR is making efforts to address this diversity gap, a global fanbase for female racing is slowly but surely on the rise.

Already, Natalie Decker and Hailie Deegan are two NASCAR drivers who are making noise and changing the way the sport has traditionally been perceived.

Star power of Hailie Deegan & Natalie Decker on NASCAR’s famous racetrack

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Even though NASCAR has always been a male-dominated sport, more and more women are rising to the occasion. Hailie Deegan and Natalie Decker are just two of several female drivers who have recently made waves at NASCAR’s Xfinity oval. For the first time since 2014, two women participated in the same race, and their presence in Daytona was a watershed event. 

Despite starting the race in a dead heat, Deegan and Decker both showed their potential. Due to an accident, Deegan couldn’t finish, but Decker made history by leading an Xfinity Series race with 18th position. Looking back on her path, Decker reminded people to keep going for what they want out of life and to celebrate every victory, no matter how little. 

Speaking of three years of struggle, she said to Daytona’s crowd, “All I need to say for anyone watching this right now, when things are going wrong, and you want to give up, don’t give up. Because the last three years were really hard on me, and tonight was a turnaround.”

Read More: NASCAR’s Hailie Deegan Oversight on Women’s Day Triggers Backlash From Natalie Decker & Racing Fandom

These two icons have gained a huge amount of prominence and a larger following for female NASCAR drivers thanks to their participation in Daytona, which bodes well for the future of diversity in the sport. Hopefully, one day, we will pick a female champion to write a new chapter in the history of racing.