How ‘First to the Finish’ Inspired Both Me and My Daughter

When I was presented with the ultimate “take your daughter” to work opportunity, there was nothing stopping me from making it happen. I received an invite to spend the weekend at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix in Florida, courtesy of Mazda, attend the race, and the premiere of the first episode of Amazon Prime’s new six-part docuseries, First to the Finish.

The series showcases the inspiring journeys of three young women (two drivers and a team owner) navigating demanding careers in professional motorsports. The highlight was interviewing the featured women and bringing my 10-year-old daughter Mila along for this special and empowering experience.

First to the Finish goes behind the scenes of the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship as seen through the eyes of BSI Racing team owner Shea Holbrook, a former racer (and championship winner) who switched gears after starting a family. We follow her impressive first season at the helm of the BSI team.

That team includes driver Heather Hadley, #54, a college senior in her second year of professional racing—giving her much to juggle and prioritize. And Sally Mott, #15, the team’s rookie and recent high school graduate focused on finding lasting success in race car driving. 

All young women, taking center stage in a predominately male-gendered sport.

Teaching Passion By Example

While my job is not nearly as fast-paced as race car driving, I’ve always wanted Mila to think my job is “cool” because I’m still achieving the career goals I set for myself when I was her age. It hasn’t been easy to follow my passion and be a writer; it hasn’t always guaranteed success and for every win, I’ve also faced heartache, disappointment, and setbacks.

My parents were always supportive and allowed me to trust my instincts (such as deciding to move to New York City just days after I graduated college, sans a full-time job). I owe much of my success to pushing myself outside my comfort zone. That is what I try and emphasize to Mila as the “cool” parts of my career. 

Thanks to our weekend at the racetrack and preview of First to the Finish, Mila began to understand the hard work and dedication it takes to pursue a passion. At the kickoff event, we watched the premiere episode and Mila was transfixed. I could see the wheels turning in her mind. She’s found a passion for musical theater but hasn’t yet connected that there are no guarantees no matter how much effort and practice you put into achieving a dream.

Both Mott and Hadley discovered their love of racing when they were kids, and that really struck a chord with Mila. The first episode also highlights the ups and downs of being teammates. While Mott and Hadley are friends and support each other, they’re also competitors. A misunderstanding during a race emphasizes the importance of not taking things personally or holding onto resentment.

As a mom, I was thrilled to see such important life lessons being showcased. But not as thrilled as Mila was when I told her that were we meeting Mott, Hadley, and Holbrook the following day where she would help me interview them! Her reaction was akin to if I told her Taylor Swift would be there—that’s how much of an impact First to the Finish made with my daughter in just the premiere episode.

Breaking Barriers

First to the Finish comes in the midst of women taking the spotlight in sports. There’s the “Caitlin Clarke Effect” in women’s basketball. At the Summer Olympics in Paris, Simone Biles left a legacy for generations to come, and in the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders 2024 docuseries, they flipped the narrative, taking the attention off their booty shorts and onto their physical strength and prowess.

This series, debuting on Prime March 25 is produced by the same team behind the successful Welcome to Wrexham series, as well as Cheer.

Mila and I sat down with Holbrook, Mott, and Hadley as cars zipped around the track during practice laps, eager to hear the stories that got them to this point.

Holbrook, a mom of two and the team owner started out as a driver over 16 years ago. Looking back, she enjoyed being one of the only women on the track because it gave her a “competitive advantage.”

Becoming a parent, however, reinforced for her how incredibly important it is that women have opportunities to compete in male-dominated industries—and not just where the focus is solely on physical strength.

“It’s not just the physicality of driving a car, it’s the mental side of things as well,” Holbrook explains. “I would say it’s almost 90% mental and 10% physical depending on the car that you’re driving.”

Mila wasn’t familiar with female race car drivers, so she was curious how Mott and Hadley got into motorsports. Mott’s father had been involved in racing from a young age and coached other children. When Mott was in elementary school, he took her to a go-kart track hoping to spark interest, but she wasn’t ready.

“I was too nervous to race against the boy,” she admits. “I wish I started then, I would’ve had so much more experience—but everything happens for a reason.”

When Mott turned 15, her mindset changed.

“One day I was like, ‘Dad, that racing thing was kind of cool. You think we can do that again?’ There was no convincing needed. For him, the best thing in the world would be to coach his own kid. And, I fell in love with it,” Mott adds.  

Contrasting Paths to Racing Success

Hadley’s story is slightly different as her family had no involvement in motorsports, joking that she “stumbled into racing.” At 9 years old, her dad took her to an indoor track to simply add a sport to the list of those she was trying out. But then she won her second race!

“We kept going back and I realized racing brought me so much happiness,” says Hadley. “I spearheaded my own racing career, reaching my personal goals and achieving my dreams. My parents supported me along the way. They didn’t have any idea of a direction to go in so they let me take the reins and decide where to go.”

Mott’s dad still coaches her and she still lives at home, making their dynamic “unique.”

“It’s rare to have someone by your side 24/7 that you’re so close to,” she explains. “Every day we work on my mentality, what I’m doing in the gym, on the simulator, how I’m making myself better or getting sponsors—there’s a fine line between coach and mentor slash my dad but we make it work.”

Earning Trust and Providing Guidance

Given the financial, travel, and risk-related concerns associated with young girls entering motorsports, I wanted to know how Holbrook reassures parents of prospective drivers. While Mott and Hadley are fortunate to have supportive parents who encourage their passion for race car driving, was that the norm?

Holbrook says it’s part of her job to make drivers’ parents feel comfortable and earn her trust. She wants parents to know their kids are in a good environment and she’ll help foster their growth on and off the track. This can be challenging, Holbrook admits, laughing that often “the kids are easier than their parents.”

The timing of our interview, however, was perfect. Holbrook had just received a message from the parent of a 13-year-old girl in their junior development program. The parent just saw the First to the Finish trailer and was compelled to praise Holbrook for her vision, and reiterate their trust in her because not everyone in the sporting industry has your child’s best interests at heart.

“I joke about being moms [to my racers], but that’s just the motherly instinct we all inherently have as women, whether you’re a parent or not,” she says. 

As a mom, I know I would find it difficult to watch Mila race around a track, worried that a crash could happen at any moment. However, Mila was captivated by the danger involved and couldn’t wait to ask Mott and Hadley her most burning question—what does it feel like when they crash their race car?

“First, I’m like, ‘Dang, that’s going to cost a lot of money,'” laughs Mott “It’s obviously not what you want your weekend to look like because you put so much effort into it. You have these high expectations and you just want to do well. And when you crash and finish at the bottom of the charts, it’s the worst feeling.” 

Inspiring the Next Generation of Female Drivers

That prompted Mila’s next question—how did it feel having cameras following them around? For Mott, it was nerve-wracking being at the iconic Daytona race track for the first time with a camera crew in her face.

“I’m sitting on the grid, my helmet on, I’m about to go on track and there’s a camera guy in my window, right in my face,” she recalls. “I was trying to meditate so what could he possibly be getting? I wasn’t even moving!” 

But ultimately, Mott believes the cameras pushed her to work harder.

Hadley says the presence of cameras was the “craziest experience ever” because she’s an introvert so it was way outside of her comfort zone.

”I definitely had some imposter syndrome but towards the end, you forget the cameras are there and the entire film crew became family,” she says.

An Unexpected Road Adventure

As we ended our interview and took photos, Mott, Holbrook, and Hadley surprised Mila with hats they signed for her to commemorate the special weekend. I was so inspired by the hard work and dedication that goes into motorsports and grateful that Mila left with new role models in Holbrook, Mott, and Hadley.

Holbrook wants those watching First to the Finish to come in with an open mind and not judge the girls’ lives, dreams, and aspirations.

“It’s an insider look at real people who have real careers and make real sacrifices on this journey,” Holbrook shared on our way out. “I want people like you with 10-year-old daughters, to watch this and say, ‘You know what? Maybe my daughter could work in motorsports. Maybe she could be a race car driver!”

As we got in the car to navigate our way out of the racetrack and back to the hotel, it struck me that this trip was just as transformative for me as it was for Mila. You see, I actually have a complicated history when it comes to driving. Just four days after graduating college, I sold my “Flintstone”-like car (it even had manual windows and locks) to pay for my move to New York City. I never expected to drive ever again. But never say never.

More than 16 years later, Mila was born and my husband and I decided we needed more space in the suburbs. I had no choice but to get back behind the wheel. I even took driving lessons—student car and all! I reluctantly forced myself to drive—but on my terms. No SUVs (even though a much more practical choice for lugging around strollers and car seats), minimal highway driving, and little to no driving at night. Over the past ten years, I’ve used the lessons from my career to push through my fears and find more confidence in where and when I drive. But big cars? No thank you, I was happy with my compact sedans.

Imagine my surprise when a Mazda CX-90 (aka the biggest car I ever drove) awaited me at the Tampa airport. It was all mine for the weekend. My first instinct was to give the car back, pay for Ubers the rest of the weekend, and hope Mila didn’t notice I was being so cowardly. I thought about how I moved to New York City with no plan and pushed myself far outside of my wildest dreams to build my career. Had I not done that, we would not be sitting in this SUV. I would not have been given the opportunity to show my daughter what it looks like when your hard work pays off.

So, I knew what I had to do. I adjusted my seat as high as it would go, loving the view I didn’t get in my small car back home and headed onto I-275. I drove like a boss all weekend long, even weaving through a maze of cars, tires, mechanics, and drivers directly behind the racetrack to proudly park my big car in the coveted paddock parking!

And when it came time to give the car back? Mila looked at me with a big smile and said, “I’m proud of you for driving this car, Mommy! This trip was so cool!”