Episodios

  • Breaking the Grid: The Five Women Who Entered Formula 1

    Breaking the Grid: The Five Women Who Entered Formula 1
    Apr 17 2026

    For more than 70 years, Formula 1 has been one of the most exclusive — and challenging — arenas in global sport. And while over 1,000 drivers have entered a Grand Prix, only five of them have been women.


    But who were these women? How did they get to F1? And what barriers stood in their way?


    Join award-winning motorsport historian Elizabeth Blackstock for an exploration into the fascinating lives of F1’s fastest women. Among them are Olympians, kidnapping victims, and LGBTQ+ trailblazers who all had one goal in mind: racing on the world’s biggest stage.


    This audio is a recording of a public talk given at the San Antonio Library System during March 2026 in honor of Women's History Month.


    #womeninmotorsport #womeninhistory #womenracing #f1 #formula1 #lellalombardi #mariateresadefilippis #desirewilson #giovannaamati #divinagalica

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    47 m
  • Breaking the Ban: How Women Fought for the Right to Race

    Breaking the Ban: How Women Fought for the Right to Race
    Apr 7 2026

    From Formula 1 to the Indianapolis 500, motorsport often presents itself as a meritocracy, but for much of racing history, women were explicitly and systematically banned from competition. From formal rules to informal “gentlemen’s agreements,” the exclusion of women from the world of speed lasted for decades, shaping who was allowed to compete and who could only watch from the sidelines.

    Join award-winning motorsport historian Elizabeth Blackstock for a fascinating look at the ways women were barred from competing in races — and how those women fought back.

    We’ll explore everything from national federation bans, license denials, moral refusal, and political climates in order to understand why and how women were discouraged from racing. More importantly, though, we’ll also take a deep look at the persistence and organization required to revoke those bans in order to allow women to get behind the wheel.


    #womeninmotorsport #womeninhistory #womenracing #f1 #formula1 #lellalombardi #mariateresadefilippis #janetguthrie #camilledugast #odettesiko #lemans #24hlemans #indycar #indy500

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    43 m
  • Changing Gears: The Women Who Redefined What a Racing Driver Could Be

    Changing Gears: The Women Who Redefined What a Racing Driver Could Be
    Mar 31 2026

    While motorsport is often perceived as a man’s world, the history of racing is littered with trailblazing women who refused to accept the rules — both formal and informal — that prevented them from racing. And thanks to them, we’ve transformed the definition of what a racing driver can be.

    Join award-winning motorsport historian Elizabeth Blackstock as she highlights some of the most influential women who transformed their respective sports throughout racing’s past. From Camille du Gast in early-1900s city-to-city racing to Danica Patrick in NASCAR, each of these women competed under different rules and expectations, yet all faced similar pushback from the male-heavy institutions of motorsport. But more importantly, they all carved a space for themselves and for the women who followed.

    Rather than presenting a simple list of achievements, this session explores why these drivers mattered: how their successes challenged entrenched norms, changed media narratives, opened doors for those who followed, and, in some cases, forced rulebooks and institutions to evolve. It also examines the limits of progress, asking why individual breakthroughs have not always translated into lasting structural change. Finally, we’ll take a look at the future of women in motorsport, and how these pioneers paved the way for a more diverse future.



    #womeninmotorsport #womeninhistory #womenracing #f1 #formula1 #lellalombardi #mariateresadefilippis #janetguthrie #michelemouton #shirleymuldowney #wrc #worldrallychampionship #danicapatrick #indycar #indy500

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    51 m
  • Murder of a Speed King: The fast life and shocking death of Mickey Thompson

    Murder of a Speed King: The fast life and shocking death of Mickey Thompson
    Mar 17 2026

    Some men are born to set land speed records. Others feel their calling is creating ever more technologically advanced machines for the Indianapolis 500. Still others succumb to the siren song of long-distance desert racing. And some prefer to work behind the scenes, where they can transform the world of racing via promotion.

    But Mickey Thompson was no normal man, because Mickey Thompson attacked all of those goals with gusto.

    Yet for all of his accomplishments across various forms of motorsport, Thompson's legacy has since been defined by his death. In 1988, he and his wife Trudy were gunned down in the driveway of their own home. The killers have never been caught, and it took almost two decades to put the mastermind of the plot in jail.

    This month on “Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys,” we'll be talking about that murder, yes. But more than that, I want to focus on the ways Mickey Thompson transformed the world of American motorsport while he was alive, because that is the truly unbelievable part of this story.

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    Bibliography

    • Mickey Thompson: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of a Racing Legend by Erik Arneson

    • Mickey Thompson: The Lost Story of the Original Speed King in His Own Words by Tom Madigan

    • Black Noon: The Year They Stopped the Indy 500 by Art Garner

    • City of Speed: Los Angeles and the Rise of American Racing by Joe Scalzo
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    1 h y 6 m
  • From man to myth: How Dale Earnhardt became immortal

    From man to myth: How Dale Earnhardt became immortal
    Feb 10 2026

    Twenty-five years ago, the racing world lost Dale Earnhardt at Turn 4 on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, but while the man may not be here physically, his legacy remains an integral element of NASCAR — and American motorsport as a whole — to this day.

    But how exactly did that happen? How did Earnhardt — who started his career during an era where stock-car racing was still a niche sport — evolve into a cultural phenomenon and a household name still regularly evoked decades after his death? How did Dale Earnhardt: The Man become Dale Earnhardt: The Myth?

    That's exactly what we're going to find out on this month's episode of “Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys”. We'll start at the very beginning, with the racing legacy of Ralph Earnhardt followed by Dale Earnhardt's fitful early career and the professional polish applied by his third wife Teresa, which transformed one man's life into a myth that has withstood the test of time.

    #daleearnhardt #earnhardt #nascar #nascarcupseries #motorsport #motorsporthistory #doitfordale

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    Episode Bibliography:

    Earnhardt Nation: The Full-Throttle Saga of NASCAR's First Family by Jay Busbee

    Dale Earnhardt: Rearview Mirror, collated by The Charlotte Observer

    The Earnhardt Collection

    The Search for Meaning by Dennis Ford

    Earnhardt (2025, Amazon Prime Video)

    Becoming Earnhardt Series (YouTube; Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Dirty Mo Media)

    https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/nascar-dale-earnhardt-business-marketing-savvy-empire-stars

    https://www.earnhardtchevy.com/about-us/

    https://www.jacksonville.com/story/sports/motorsports/2011/02/12/ten-after-3-dale-earnhardt-built-incredible-marketing-machine/112235368/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z114401v114401d--44--b--44--&gca-ft=217&gca-ds=sophi

    https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=121597

    https://www.hagerty.com/media/people/auto-anthro-dale-earnhardt-and-the-myth-of-the-american-west/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-2025/34/dale-earnhardts-nascar-legacy-the-long-shadow-of-the-man-in-black/

    https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/30823393/dale-earnhardt-death-daytona-500-legacy-intimidator

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/business/dale-earnhardt-jr-docuseries-amazon.html
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    59 m
  • Jochen Rindt: The tragedy of Formula 1's only posthumous World Champion

    Jochen Rindt: The tragedy of Formula 1's only posthumous World Champion
    Sep 16 2025

    In 75 years of Formula 1 history, only one driver has been crowned World Champion after his death. In 1970, Austrian racer Jochen Rindt was so dominant behind the wheel of an exceptional car built by Colin Chapman of Team Lotus that no driver could bridge the gap to his place on the top of the championship standings despite there being four races remaining in the season after Rindt's death.

    Most F1 fans with any interest in the history of the sport know this — but fewer know the cloud of tragedy that followed Rindt throughout his life, casting dark, dramatic shadows over his every move.

    Orphaned at just over a year old, and seemingly powerless against his team bosses when it came time to advocate for greater safety, Rindt was a prickly competitor who was nevertheless fondly remembered by so many of his competitors, and who completely changed the name of the game when it came to professionalizing motorsport. Today on Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys, we're going to dig into the ill-fated story of Jochen Rindt's life, the shock of his death, and the legacy he left in his wake.

    To find out more about Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys: https://linktr.ee/deadlypassionsterriblejoys

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    Episode Bibliography:

    Jochen Rindt: The Uncrowned King by David Tremayne

    https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-f1-driver-who-didnt-want-to-be-champion-5114105/5114105/


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    1 h y 7 m
  • The death of Mark Donohue and the fall of Penske Racing in Formula 1

    The death of Mark Donohue and the fall of Penske Racing in Formula 1
    Aug 19 2025
    August 17, 1975. In warm-up for the Austrian Grand Prix, American icon Mark Donohue loses control of his March 751 after a tire fails. He careens through a metal Armco barrier and trackside signage and is knocked briefly unconscious in the wreckage. Against all odds, Donohue seems fine and heads back to the garage — where he begins to complain of a worsening headache. He's rushed to a local hospital, doctors urgent to operate on what has been diagnosed as a brain hemorrhage. It's not enough. Two days later, on August 19, Mark Donohue dies from injuries he sustained driving a Formula 1 car run by his longtime friend and racing team partner Roger Penske.For many motorsport fans here in the United States. Penske Racing's foray into Formula 1 remains one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ of all time, for so many reasons. What if Mark Donohue hadn't come out of retirement to race and develop the F1 car? What if Donohue had won Penske's first race? What if John Watson had been able to win more, to entice more sponsors, to give the team a reason to continue? What would Formula 1 look like today with a stronger American presence back in the late 1970s?We won't ever know. But this week on “Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys,” we're going to dig into what we do know about Penske Racing in Formula 1, Mark Donohue's death, and John Watson's triumph — which remains the most recent Grand Prix win by an American team.To find out more about Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys: https://linktr.ee/deadlypassionsterriblejoys Subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deadlypassionsterriblejoysSubscribe on Substack: https://deadlypassionsterriblejoys.substack.com/ Follow DPTJ on BlueSky: @deadlypassions-pod.bsky.socialFollow DPTJ on Instagram: @deadlypassionsterriblejoysFollow DPTJ on Twitter/X: @terriblejoy_podWatch on YouTube: @eliz_blackstockFollow Elizabeth Blackstock on BlueSky: @elizablackstock.bsky.socialFollow Elizabeth Blackstock on Instagram: @elizablackstockFollow Elizabeth Blackstock on Twitter/X: @eliz_blackstockOrder Racing with Rich Energy: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/racing-with-rich-energyEpisode Bibliography: The Unfair Advantage by Mark DonohueInterview with John Watsonhttps://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/04/09/Settlement-reached-in-Donohue-case/7324513406800/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1998/73/professional/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1975/35/austrian-grand-prix-16/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=a61VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=J-ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6311%2C5102237https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/20/archives/donohue-38-dead-of-racing-injuries-mark-donohue-is-dead-of-racing.htmlhttps://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=2759https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/may-2005/16/nigel-roebucks-legends-7/ https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-2021/51/roger-penske-the-motor-sport-interview/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-1974/42/canadian-grand-prix-13/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-1975/26/the-formula-one-situation/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/398676916/?match=1&terms=%22eden%20donohue%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/115605105/?match=1&terms=eden%20donohue%2C%20goodyear&_gl=1%2abwy9fu%2a_up%2aMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAqrG9BhAVEiwAaPu5zinarN6sTwRXIAG8BQ7n5kyw7AKyBsnsc1bFahJmRyS6Uh9Oub71ohoCHcgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.dshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/622389810/?match=1&terms=%22eden%20donohue%22%2C%20goodyear&_gl=1%2a2uh6x%2a_up%2aMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAqrG9BhAVEiwAaPu5zinarN6sTwRXIAG8BQ7n5kyw7AKyBsnsc1bFahJmRyS6Uh9Oub71ohoCHcgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.dshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/437277431/?match=1&terms=%22eden%20donohue%22%2C%20goodyear&_gl=1%2a2uh6x%2a_up%2aMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAqrG9BhAVEiwAaPu5zinarN6sTwRXIAG8BQ7n5kyw7AKyBsnsc1bFahJmRyS6Uh9Oub71ohoCHcgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
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    1 h y 8 m
  • Big Bill vs. the Brotherhood: NASCAR’s War on Unions

    Big Bill vs. the Brotherhood: NASCAR’s War on Unions
    Aug 5 2025
    Unlike the NFL, MLB, or even Formula 1, NASCAR has never had a drivers’ union, but not for lack of trying. In the early 1960s, Hall of Famer Curtis Turner joined forces with the Teamsters in a bold push to organize the garage area — a move that got him blacklisted by the sport he helped build. Over the years, similar efforts were quietly floated and just as quickly shut down.Why has unionization never gained a foothold in stock car racing? What were the drivers asking for — and what is NASCAR so afraid of?In this episode, we’ll trace the roots of NASCAR’s labor resistance, and unpack how the sport’s Southern identity, family-owned governance, and rapid commercialization combined to make organizing nearly impossible.This is the story of the union that never was.To find out more about Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys: https://linktr.ee/deadlypassionsterriblejoys Subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deadlypassionsterriblejoysSubscribe on Substack: https://deadlypassionsterriblejoys.substack.com/ Follow DPTJ on BlueSky: @deadlypassions-pod.bsky.socialFollow DPTJ on Instagram: @deadlypassionsterriblejoysFollow DPTJ on Twitter/X: @terriblejoy_podWatch on YouTube: @eliz_blackstockFollow Elizabeth Blackstock on BlueSky: @elizablackstock.bsky.socialFollow Elizabeth Blackstock on Instagram: @elizablackstockFollow Elizabeth Blackstock on Twitter/X: @eliz_blackstockOrder Racing with Rich Energy: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/racing-with-rich-energyEpisode Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcB2WLxDdk8https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregengle/2021/07/24/nascar-reacts-differently-as-talk-of-drivers-organizing-surfaces-once-more/https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/curtis-turner-from-nascar-banishment-to-celebrated-hall-of-famer https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/1998/04/16/rooted-littlejohn-built-spartanburg-heart-stock-racing-34back-those-spartanburg-capital-racing34/29600325007/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbia-record-speedway-spasm/146339838/https://www.cottonowens.com/archives/Spartanburg_Racing.php https://apnews.com/article/sports-automobile-racing-daytona-beach-500-504f947c60e5d6409910cb15e692cee0 https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/talladega-1969-when-nascars-star-drivers-boycotted-a-race/https://teamsters174.net/how-jimmy-hoffa-tried-to-give-unions-the-green-flag-at-nascar/https://web.archive.org/web/20141216130458/http://speedzone70.tripod.com/VolII.htmlhttps://uniontrack.com/blog/labor-american-south#:~:text=Many%20Southerners%20saw%20industrialization%20and,from%20unionizing%20in%20the%20South.https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/talladega-1969-when-nascars-star-drivers-boycotted-a-race/10660205/#:~:text=Dozens%20of%20drivers%20stood%20up%20against%20NASCAR,but%20it%20didn't%20quite%20stop%20the%20show.&text=Among%20the%20many%20lower%2Dlevel%20drivers%20who%20filled,Fame%20team%20owner%20and%20then%2Ddriver%20Richard%20Childress.https://www.newspapers.com/image/1130060825/?match=1&terms=%22professional%20drivers%20association%22&_gl=1%2at79p53%2a_up%2aMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAqrG9BhAVEiwAaPu5zinarN6sTwRXIAG8BQ7n5kyw7AKyBsnsc1bFahJmRyS6Uh9Oub71ohoCHcgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds https://www.newspapers.com/image/936556509/?match=1&terms=%22professional%20drivers%20association%22&_gl=1%2at79p53%2a_up%2aMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAqrG9BhAVEiwAaPu5zinarN6sTwRXIAG8BQ7n5kyw7AKyBsnsc1bFahJmRyS6Uh9Oub71ohoCHcgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds https://www.newspapers.com/image/915999051/?match=1&terms=%22professional%20drivers%20association%22&_gl=1%2a14h13lc%2a_up%2aMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAqrG9BhAVEiwAaPu5zinarN6sTwRXIAG8BQ7n5kyw7AKyBsnsc1bFahJmRyS6Uh9Oub71ohoCHcgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
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    57 m