written by Jennifer Samardak www.fiercemotorsports.net

My first car was a 1983 Buick LeSabre with the 307 V8. I referred to it as a “couch on wheels.” That smooshy plush interior combined with a 10-year-old suspension that was designed to protect old folks’ bones when it was new, made for a floofy ride down back roads.

I spent hours shining those bumpers with Simoniz Chrome Cleaner, getting that dried orange residue under my nails, and embracing the chemical scent. I learned how to (not) slide through intersections in the snow in that car. I learned the joy of having an old, barely hanging-on carburetor and having to shove a fork in it as part of the warm-up process on cold winter mornings. I would look at that car in all its rear-wheel drive glory (I may or may not have driven up a snow-covered hill backward at one point) and my heart would fill with joy. I thought I was so weird.

Like, who feels this way about a piece of metal whose primary purpose is to get me to school and work and then back home? So weird.

What I did not know at the time was there is an entire subculture of people who feel about automobiles the way I feel about automobiles. It was the early 1990s, women in the automotive industry was not a thing, women attending trade school was not a thing, women attending tech school was not a thing. So while I wanted to spend time hanging out and working on cars, absolutely no one was going to even think to invite me. But love is strong and can make one stubborn, and so I stubborned (just made that word up, I think it’s a good one) my way through car life.

1993 saw the release of the fourth generation of the Toyota Supra turbo. It was rounded and sexy and I adored it so much that I covered my dorm room with photos from the auto show brochures. There were other cars of which I was smitten, and they too had some wall space, but that Supra……front and center. I thought I was so weird, but I couldn’t help myself. Love be that way sometimes.

So many more stories to tell but we are going to fast forward to 2015. I bought my first performance car, a 2013 Subaru WRX. I saw her photo in that dealership in Texas ad. It was love at first sight. I knew with all my heart that this was the car for me. Bought it sight unseen and had it shipped to my house. That is how sure I was.

I had no idea of the journey that we were about to take. Through this car, I found a supportive community and racecar life. I get to be in the garage where folks come over and we work on cars together. I get to spend a weekend at the racetrack legally going fast and learning how to be a better driver. And, most awesomely, I get to be part of a community and find other folks who want to be part of the community. I have gone from being the person sitting in the dark with a flashlight and rear drum parts, following the steps in a Chilton Manual to the person who is 1:1 supporting other people with learning how to do their own brakes.

True love has a habit of giving more than it takes, and while my love of cars means that a fair amount of money gets taken from my bank account, it gives me more than what any amount of dollar signs can represent.