Lindsay Brewer is revved up and ready for her first big comeback race. The 23-year-old race car driver, who has been touted by some as “the future of IndyCar,” will take the track this weekend at Sonoma Raceway for TC America’s 2021 kickoff race.
As one of the few women driving in a very male-dominated sport, Brewer says she’s fueled purely by her love of racing, and hopes to inspire other young women and girls to suit up and hit the gas.
“I love seeing women in motorsports,” Brewer says, “and the more girls you see getting into race cars, the more it will become the norm.”
Brewer started racing at the age 11, and she says it all started when her father took her to a friend’s birthday party. The event ended up being Brewer’s first ever spin in a go-kart.
“It was at the kind of go-kart track, where everyone goes for fun. I raced with the other kids at the party, but when I saw faster karts that you could own, I said to my dad, ‘I really want to drive one.’”
That moment led a more serious, long-term interest. Brewer, who was raised in Colorado, adds that her upbringing within winter sports culture helped stoke her fire to take up speed.
“I grew up snowmobiling, four-wheeling, and that made me want to see how fast I could go.”
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Once Brewer got her first racing-caliber go-kart she was all in. In her first year competing she won a regional championship, and then placed top ten in national go-kart competitions and Formula 4 races over the next four years. Shortly after turning 15, Brewer moved onto six-gear shifter karts, and eventually road cars, racing in and winning the Legends Semi-Pro championship back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. Brewer’s last competitive race was in 2019, when she took 3rd place in the finale of the Saleen Cup GT Series.
At Sonoma this weekend, she’ll drive the No. 29 Honda TC Type R, a custom built race car by Honda Performance Division (HPD), with sponsorship from Clubhouse Media and Skip Barber Racing. Up to now, Brewer has trained with Skip Barber Racing School, an outfit that produced competitors such as Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon and Danica Patrick.
The TC America Series is the USA’s premier touring car racing series. Its seven 2021 races will take place at legendary venues that include Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen and Road America. TC America’s 2020 season was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
A week ago, I spoke with Brewer at length via video call, and she talked about the upcoming season as well as her racing history and what inspires her.
Andy Frye: You had an impressive career karting, but obviously racing road cars is a different animal. Tell us about the transition.
Lindsay Brewer: The natural progression from karting is that a lot of us tend to go to open-wheel (racing). The first thing I did when I got out of karting was go to the Skip Barber Racing School. And I’m actually working with Skip Barber now (professionally). They have a great program with instructors that teach you all about racing and cars.
Early on, I did a lot of open-wheel testing and then went onto legend cars, these cool, funny little cars with a closed co*ckpit. I started racing those my freshman year of college. But then I took time off for college, a three-year break from full-time racing, and this is my first full year back.
AF: Motorsports is very entrepreneurial, and sponsors are essential in order to race. How did you build your repertoire and make it work?
Brewer: Yeah. My family has never been in motorsports and anyone who has ever been in motorsports knows how you have to find sponsorship, how expensive and political the sport can be. You really have to build connections.
It’s crazy how much (sponsorship) matters. For me, I’ve had to use my personality. As a girl in racing, there’s good and bad that goes with that. I’ve definitely focused on growing my social media presence and that has been helpful, because you can get your name out there and work with brands, and that’s been a big part of it. Having Clubhouse as a main racing sponsor is helpful and I’m excited about that.
AF: How did your social media following blow up? You have over a million Instagram followers, and you said the good comes with the bad.
Brewer: Some of it was just organic. When I took time off racing to go to college at San Diego State, it was just a lot of pictures of me and my friends at the beach, being in college, and that’s, I guess, how my following started to amass. Then I’d get reposted on Barstool and TFM [Total Frat Move], and a lot of men follow those. Some times from that you get derogatory comments, so, it’s a struggle there.
I raced long before I was considered an “Instagram model” or anything like that, and a lot of people may not have seen that side of me because of that break I took from racing. During high school I think I was known just as Lindsay Brewer who raced race cars. Some of that felt like it got washed away, and there’s some backlash from guys and commenters saying stuff like “she’s just another dumb blonde” or people saying I’m just trying to “gain clout” on social media. But the more I post photos from racing, I think, the more my following is made up of people who care about my passion.
AF: Driver Samantha Tan said that unless she’s in her fire suit, no one assumes she’s a race car driver. Is it a challenge getting taken seriously in this male-dominated sport?
Brewer: When I say that I’m a race car driver, people say “What?” No one believes me, especially when I’m off track. No one would suspect a girl would be a race car driver, and even sometimes on track, it’s assumed that I must be a promo girl. It does bother me, but I think respect comes with results. And this year I’ll have the chance to show my skill.
It’s kind of cool when people underestimate you. Because you can show them what’s up.
AF: How do you describe the cars that you drive and your driving style?
Brewer: I always wanted to do open wheel racing, so I’m looking forward to IndyCar. But I raced legend cars in the Saleen Cup and really liked it. I tend to prefer road courses instead of just racing the ovals, and for me, I love technical driving. Not only the speed, but I love a track that is technical, having to use skills and handling, not just speed. I’d say my style is technical, flowy, aggressive for sure.
I did a stock car test one time out at Irwindale and it just wasn’t for me. I’m up for whatever kind of racing I can do, but I like racing where you show off your turning skills.
March 7 will be the first time I’ve ever raced at Sonoma. The TC cars are front-wheel drive, and I came up driving rear-wheel drive cars, so it’s a very different dynamic. But I’ve been practicing a ton at Circuit of the Americas in Texas, which is where we’ve been based. I’m excited and feeling really confident going into it.
AF: What athletes or drivers influenced you growing up and now?
Brewer: The athletes that really inspire me are ones like Lewis Hamilton. He’s done such a great job pushing through adversity. And winning seven world titles—that’s crazy. And I love Danica Patrick. She’s really pushed through and become the first female driver in the industry to really be known and show what we can do. And, honestly, Kobe Bryant has always been an inspiration to me. So it was tough when we lost him. Being such a positive spirit with such good sportsmanship was big to me.
AF: What’s your mental prep look like? And how do you stay “in the race” at all times?
Brewer: Mentality is a big part of it. If you’re upset after one stage or a bad practice it can ruin your entire race. If you make a mistake on a corner or some part of the track you need to calm yourself, and always look forward.
Read Frye’s interviews with drivers Samantha Tan, Hailie Deegan and Natalie Decker.
