Brehanna Daniels on the Challenges of Being “First” in NASCAR

STEPPED INTO UNCHARTERED TERRITORY. AT THE TIME, SHE WAS PLAYING COLLEGE BASKETBALL IN VIRGINIA, HOPED TO TURN PRO, BUT THEN NASCAR’S DRIVE FOR DIVERSITY PROGRAM VISITED HER SCHOOL, AND THEY WERE TRYING TO RECRUIT MORE DIVERSE PIT CREWS AND DRIVERS, AND THEY ASKED DANIELS, WHO ADMITTEDLY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT NASCAR, IF SHE JOINED THEM. WELL, DANIELS DID, EVENTUALLY BECOMING NASCAR’S FIRST BLACK FEMALE TIRE CHANGER. SHE’S WITH US IN STUDIO TODAY. SO NICE TO HAVE YOU. WHAT A PLEASURE. I’M A BIG FAN. I LOVE BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. WE APPRECIATE IT. SO WE SAID YOU’RE A TIRE CHANGER, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE INCREDIBLY SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD. BUT THEN YOU WATCH NASCAR AND YOU THINK IT’S KIND OF LIKE ORGANIZED ISH CHAOS, AND THE PACE IS FRANTIC. SO I’M A REAR TIRE CHANGER. I’M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TWO BACK TIRES. THERE’S A FRONT TIRE CHANGER. WE HAVE A JACK MAN, A GAS MAN MAN, AND EVERYTHING IS REALLY, LIKE FAST DURING THIS PIT STOP. SO I HAVE MY IMPACT WRENCH AND I’M LIKE, ZIP, ZIP ZIP ZIP, ZIP, PULLING THE TIRE OFF AND I PRETTY MUCH I CAN TAKE A TIRE OFF IN ABOUT A SECOND, ONE SECOND. YES, IT JUST SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY, UM, CHAOTIC. HOW DOES THAT COORDINATION WORK? THERE’S SO MUCH GOING ON, BUT WE HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, CONTROLLED, AT EASE, POISED, AND OUR DIFFERENT SPORTS BACKGROUNDS ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO JUST COME TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. OH, THAT’S INTERESTING. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF NASCAR, I THINK FROM 2014 THEY DID A STUDY AND THEY FOUND THAT 60% OF NASCAR WAS WHITE. YES, 80% OF NASCAR FANS WERE MALE. AND AND I HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT AS A BLACK WOMAN WORKING IN THE PIT, LIKE THAT’S THOSE ARE NOT YOUR DEMOGRAPHICS REALLY. THAT WAS ALSO TOO LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS HOLDING ME BACK. I’M LIKE, WHY WOULD I JOIN A SPORT WHERE THERE’S NOT THAT MANY PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE ME AND THEN I STARTED THINKING BIGGER. I’M LIKE, THIS IS BIGGER THAN ME. LET ME, YOU KNOW, MAKE THIS HISTORY NOW SO I CAN BE PAVING THE WAY FOR, FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. SOMETIMES BEING THE FIRST, THOUGH, IS IS LONELY AND, UM, AND STRESSFUL, FRANKLY. WAS IT FOR YOU? YES, IT WAS SUPER HARD FOR ME JUST BEING OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, THE GUYS NOT REALLY TAKING YOU SERIOUS. THEY’RE LIKE, OH, SHE SHE DOESN’T WANT TO BE HERE. SHE CAN’T DO THIS. AND IT’S LIKE I’M THINKING IN MY HEAD, LIKE, JUST WATCH ME. MM. WATCH ME. HAVE YOU SEEN THE DEMOGRAPHICS CHANGE BOTH IN THE PIT AND ALSO IN THE AUDIENCE? YES. OH MY GOD. YOU’RE YOU’RE NODDING YOUR HEAD LIKE THAT IS A STUPID QUESTION. SOLEDAD. NO NO NO, IT’S NOT DEFINITELY. AND I LOVE TO SEE THAT CHANGE JUST STARTING LIKE IN 2020 WHEN ALL THAT STUFF WAS GOING ON, YOU KNOW, WITH THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT AND I’VE LITERALLY SEEN MORE PEOPLE OF COLOR WATCHING THE SPORT, PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO ME SAYING LIKE, GIRL, YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY NEVER WATCHED NASCAR, BUT WE WATCHED IT NOW BECAUSE OF YOU. YOU KNOW, I’M SEEING MORE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE STANDS AND IN THE PITS. THERE HAS BEEN A MASSIVE PUSH BACK ON DEI AND DIVERSITY OVERALL. WHEN I SAW THAT, I WAS LIKE, ARE YOU SERIOUS? IT’S JUST CRAZY TO ME. SO YOU’RE NOT GETTING ANY SENSE THAT NASCAR IS STEPPING BACK BECAUSE SOME ORGANIZATIONS ARE. I HOPE NOT. YOU KNOW, I’M STILL HOPING FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE TO BE PRESENTED TO WOMEN. YOU KNOW, ON THE CUP SIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, WOMEN OF COLOR, JUST ALL THOSE THINGS, LIKE, WE REALLY NEED THAT AS SOMEONE WHO’D NEVER EVEN WATCHED NASCAR BEFORE, YOU GOT THE GIG. ORG WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT NASCAR? I LEARNED THAT, YOU KNOW, WELL, A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY DON’T THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, PIT CREW MEMBERS ARE ATHLETES AND. I WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. I GOT TO ADMIT, YOU KNOW, I STILL GET THAT ADRENALINE RUSH, YOU KNOW, THAT I GOT PLAYING BASKETBALL, YOU KNOW, HAVING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FANS WATCHING US WHILE WE’RE PERFORMING, DOING OUR JOBS, RUNNING IN FRONT OF MOVING CARS, JUMPING IN FRONT OF MOVING CARS FOR A LIVING. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A HISTORY MAKER? YEAH, I FEEL LIKE I’VE DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, I PAVED THE WAY FOR OTHERS IN THE SPORT AND, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE I WAS THE PERFECT PERSON TO BE IN THAT POSITION. SOMEBODY WOULD REALLY, REALLY TOUGH SKIN BECAUSE IT IS VERY, VERY TOUGH BEING THE VERY FIRST TO DO SOMETHING. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? JUST INSPIRE CHEERING. YOU KNOW, JUST WHEN PARENTS CONTACT ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SENDING ME VIDEOS OF THEIR DAUGHTER OR THEIR SON, YOU KNOW, AND SITTING IN FRONT OF A TIRE LIKE, LOOK AT MY DAUGHTER TRYING TO CHANGE TIRES LIKE YOU. YOU KNOW, SHE’S SHE WANTS TO BE LIKE YOU WHEN SHE GROWS UP. JUST, JUST IT’S SO REWARDING HEARING THINGS LIKE THAT. I’M REPRESENTING. WELL, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE REPRESENTATION DOES MATTER. YEAH, IT REALLY DOES. BREHANNA DANIELS.