Sydney Sweeney, best known for acting in the TV drama Euphoria, lived out her childhood dream of becoming a professional race car driver on November 17. An avid car enthusiast, Sweeney got behind the wheel of a next-gen NASCAR vehicle for the first time at Charlotte Motorspeedway. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney joined the 27-year-old for the NASCAR Racing Experience, which allows fans to be a pro driver for a day. Sweeney, dressed from head to toe in a blue firesuit and matching helmet, shared via Instagram a slideshow of videos and pictures of the experience. In one video, she circled the track excitedly, yelling, “This is Awesome!”
It was awesome, indeed. Her followers were there for it, showing their support and reflecting on how refreshing it was to see her showcasing a talent outside of acting. The real question is whether she will return to the track anytime soon. She certainly hasn’t ruled out the possibility and thanked Blaney for Sunday’s opportunity on Instagram. “Thank you for showing me what I’ve been missing,” she posted. He replied, “Hope to see you back on the racetrack soon!” Blaney’s comment suggests much speculation about whether Sweeney is considering pursuing a career in NASCAR, but will it happen?
Where it All Started
Sweeney has always been candid about her love for cars and motorsports. She told Harper’s Bazaar during a 2022 interview that she thought she would be a race car driver when she grew up. When asked what sparked her interest in becoming a racer, she said, “My babysitters (twin sisters) when I was little used to be race car drivers, and I’d go to the track often.” This inspiration led her to create the ever-popular TikTok channel “Syd’s Garage,” where she educates women on car maintenance and restoration basics. She explained that when she first started the channel, it was to show her family the restoration of her dream car, a 1969 Ford Bronco.
However, she unexpectedly grew a following of over a million subscribers and even secured a clothing partnership with Ford. Ford joined Sweeney as part of a campaign to motivate more women to join a male-dominated automotive industry. Her campaign also aims to bring more awareness to removing the biases women face for being interested in car restoration and motorsports. Sydney Sweeney comes from a long line of car enthusiasts, one of whom is her mother. She credits her mother for inspiring her to be unafraid to become a female car connoisseur and for her stellar mechanic skills. As a teen, she was encouraged to learn a car’s mechanics on her own, aside from being taught how to change a tire.
What’s Next for Sydney Sweeney?
In addition to learning mechanics, Sweeney spent her free time offroading as a teenager, and her skills were quite impressive, according to those closest to the actress. She also learned to drive a stick and couldn’t drive an automatic until she got her license, according to rules set by her Mother. This is primarily why she credits her mother with her skills and is thankful for her support and encouragement. But will this lead her to pursue a future NASCAR Career? It looks like, for the time being, Sweeney is preparing for her upcoming role as boxing Hall of Famer Christy Martin in a biopic about her life.
Sweeney is excited to be able to portray Martin because she, too, is an advocate for gender equality in male-dominated sports. Martin overcame and brought awareness to the adversities she experienced as a woman in boxing. Sweeney has essentially done the same advocating for women in the automotive and motorsports industries with her TikTok channel “Syd’s Garage.” So, it wouldn’t be too far off the rails to assume that she will pursue a NASCAR career at some point in the future to step up her campaign.
Final Thoughts
Sydney Sweeney took to the track last weekend at Charlotte Motorspeedway, but for a different reason than most would expect. She’s trying to break the stigma surrounding women in motorsports and the automotive industry, which she strongly feels about. She documented her NASCAR Racing Experience on social media to inspire other women to step outside their comfort zones and ignore the gender discrimination that often happens in male-dominated sports. Gender equality in the automotive industry also inspired the actress to start her TikTok channel “Syd’s Garage,” and it’s apparent she’s looking to expand that.
