Leilani was born and raised in Minnesota. She holds a bachelors degree in Biology specializing in
Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from the University of California San Diego. While attending college she
worked as a volunteer at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. She started racing cars in 2001 and
spent six years working her way up the NASCAR ranks. During this time Leilani also worked as a race
instructor and correspondent for NASCAR.
In 2004 she gained the attention of the racing world when she qualified 4th and finished 7th at Texas Motor Speedway in the ROMCO Super
Late Model Series. Texas would turn out to be one of Münter's favorite tracks. She returned to Texas Motor Speedway in 2006 and
set a new record when she finished 4th, the highest finish for a female driver in the history of the racetrack. By December 2006 Leilani
had raced her way from the short tracks of southern California all the way to the most iconic NASCAR track of them all, the high banks of Daytona International Speedway.
She completed her rookie ARCA test at Daytona and even though she was with a small underfunded team, she was 24th quick of
57 race cars testing at Daytona.
In 2007 Leilani received a life changing call from an IndyCar team and later that year she became the fourth woman
in history to race in the Indy Pro Series, the developmental league of IndyCar. She impressed the open wheel racing
world when she qualified 5th for her debut. Leilani was running in the top six when a multi car accident took her out
of the race. Her racing accomplishments have landed her on seven magazine covers and in the pages of Italian Vogue, Esquire,
Sports Illustrated and USA Today. She is no stranger to television either, with appearances on NBC Sports, National Geographic, and ESPN.
Leilani purchases an acre of rainforest for every race she runs to offset her carbon footprint and has been a
long time vegetarian and eco activist. She is politically active in the legistlative fight for the environment and has
made several trips to Capitol Hill to speak with Congress on behalf of climate issues. In June 2008 she spoke
at a Climate Action Rally on the steps of Capitol Hill alongside Senators Barbara Boxer, Joe Lieberman, and John Kerry.
In fall 2008, Leilani became an Ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation and landed a national ad campaign as a
Lucky Jeans model, her caption read: "Leilani Münter, Race Car Driver and Environmentalist -
Saving rainforests one race at a time." Her ads appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, In Style, W Magazine and Lucky Jeans stores across the country.
Leilani is also an accomplished public speaker and writer, currently contributing to the green section of the Huffington Post,
rated the most influential blog in the world by the Guardian and topping Time Magazine's blog index.
Many media outlets find it interesting that Leilani once worked as a photo double for actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and that her older sister
Natascha is married to Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. Her hobbies include scuba diving and snowboarding.
Leilani once worked as a photo double/stunt driver for actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Leilani's sister Natascha is married to Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir.
Leilani is a vegetarian.
Leilani has three older sisters: Svenja, Nicolette, and Natascha.
Leilani's mother was born in Hawaii and her father was born in Germany.
Leilani volunteered for a wildlife rehabilitation center while attending college.
Leilani has a cat named Pushkin and a saltwater reef tank.
Leilani did stunts in Scorpion King & worked on Traffic, Ocean's Eleven & Almost Famous.
Fav Movies: Napoleon Dynamite, Officespace, and An Inconvenient Truth.
Fav TV shows: Discovery, Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Colbert Report, Flight of the Conchords
Favorite Hollywood moment: I did a rehearsal with one of my favorite actors, Christopher Walken.
Heroes: Kurt Vonnegut, John Lennon, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Albert Einstein,
Douglas Adams, Tom Robbins, Steve Jobs, Stephen Hawking and Leonardo DaVinci.
"I realize that being a race car driver, I am not in an environmentally friendly sport. That is why I
am doing everything I can to reduce my carbon footprint such as using renewable energy,
recycling, and adopting tropical rainforest for every race I run. As citizens of Earth, we all need
to work together to take care of our world. So far, we have not been doing a very good job of
that. The situation is dire and requires our urgent attention. Now is the time to make a change.
We need to reduce our use of fossil fuels, commit ourselves to renewable energy sources,
and conserve the biodiversity that we have on Earth before it is lost forever. Together we can
make enough noise to get the attention of the decision makers in our local and national
governments. Let's all do our part to help save our Earth for future generations to enjoy as
much as we have. It is our responsibility -- and our privilege -- to do so. "
... Leilani Münter
Leilani became the fourth woman in history to compete in the Indy Pro Series, the developmental league of IndyCar.
Leilani was 5th quick in her very first laps at Chicagoland Speedway in a practice session for the Indy Pro Series Chicagoland
100 on Sept 8, 2007.
In her first Indy Pro Series race, Leilani turned the 5th quickest lap of the race with a speed of 192.399 mph at Kentucky
Speedway on Aug 11,2007.
Leilani qualified 5th for her debut in the Indy Pro Series at Kentucky Speedway on Aug 11, 2007. She had trouble on a restart
and dropped back to 13th but dazzled the crowd by racing her way back up to the front of the field. She was about to pass for
4th place when she was collected in a multi-car accident. Four time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears, IndyCar driver Jaques
Lazier and many others in the IndyCar community spoke very highly of Münter after her debut.
Sports Illustrated named Leilani as one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world.
In her very first laps at Daytona International Raceway, Leilani was 24th quick of 59 ARCA race cars testing on Dec 16, 2006.
Leilani set the record for the highest finishing position for a female driver in the history of the 1.5 mile Texas Motor Speedway
when she finished 4th in the Konica Minolta 100 on June 10, 2006.
Leilani became the first woman to qualify in the 45 year history of the Bettenhausen Classic at Illiana Speedway in Indiana on
September 16, 2006.
Leilani set the record for the highest qualifying effort for a female stock car driver in the history of the 1.5 mile Texas Motor
Speedway when she qualified 4th for the First Convenience Bank 100 on June 12, 2004.
Leilani's television appearances include: ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Spike TV, Speed Channel and National Geographic.
She has hosted television shows on Spike TV and DIY Network. Leilani was also an on camera correspondent for Turner Sports
Interactive's NASCAR.com for three years. Her weekly "Leilani Reports" were available to over 10 million users and the website
had over one billion pageviews annually.
Leilani's print media includes: USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Italian Vogue, Esquire Magazine's "A Woman We Love",
Men's Journal, ESPN Magazine, Washington Post, and five magazine covers to date.
Leilani is also an accomplished writer. Her work has been published by Turner Sports on NASCAR.com, Corvette Quarterly
Magazine, and the Women's Sports Foundation.
Leilani's public speaking engagements include the American Heart Association, ABN-Amro Bank, and the Leadership Forum.
STARTS
WINS
POLES
TOP FIVES
TOP TENS
RUNNING
39
0
0
9
19
92%
Leilani tested Daytona International Speedway in NASCAR legend James Hylton's ARCA car in preparation for her debut in the ARCA Series at Daytona in Februay 2009.
Leilani plans to race in 2009 in the ARCA Re/Max Series and Firestone Indy Lights with her "Eco Dream Team" which would use her race car as a vehicle to call
to action the 100 million race fans in America, educating them about the environment and asking them to make positive changes to their lives.
Leilani made three trips to Capitol Hill to speak with members of Congress on behalf of environmental legislation and became a contributer to the green section of the Huffington Post, rated the most influential blog in the world. Media highlights include
Italian Vogue, the Washington Post, her second cover for Rochester Magazine, a feature in the historical Indy 500 program, and as one of the
"Lucky Few" in Lucky Brand Jeans fall ad campaign, Leilani appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, In Style, and W Magazine in addition to billboards and
Lucky Brand stores across the country. She also became an Ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation.
Signed with Championship Indy Pro team Sam Schmidt Motorsports to run Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway in the SMART Papers Dallara after an impressive performance during
her rookie test for the Indy Pro Series in May. Leilani became the fourth woman in history to compete in the Indy Pro Series in 2007. She qualified 5th for her debut at Kentucky Speedway on
Aug 11, 2007. She had trouble on a restart and dropped back to 13th but surprised and impressed many by racing her way back up to the front of the field.
She was about to pass for 4th place when she was collected in a multi-car accident. Four time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears, IndyCar driver Jaques Lazier,
and many others in the IndyCar community spoke very highly of Münter after her debut. Re-signed for a second year with Hostess to appear on boxes of Hostess Twinkies, Cupcakes, and Donettes as a "Hostess Race Diva" alongside
IRL's Danica Patrick and NHRA's Melanie Troxel. Media highlights include: featured in tv documentary ESPN Ultimate NASCAR: The Explosion, USA Today,
and the cover of InTune Magazine.
Set the record for the highest finishing position for a female driver in the history of the 1.5 mile Texas Motor Speedway when she finished 4th.
Also became the first woman to qualify in the 45 year history of the Bettenhausen Classic. Leilani completed her rookie test at Daytona International Speedway in the ARCA Re/Max Series (feeder series to NASCAR).
With just two runs, Leilani was 24th quick of 59 race cars testing with a lap of 177.644 mph. Raced against NASCAR Nextel Cup Champions Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth posting a time that was only 3/10 of a second off of Stewart’s quickest time.
Signed Konica Minolta Printing Solutions as her primary sponsor. Signed to appear on boxes of Hostess Twinkies, Cupcakes and Donettes as one of three "Hostess Race Divas" alongside Danica Patrick (IRL) and Melanie Troxel (NHRA).
Media highlights include: front page of FOXSports.com, and cover of Speedworld Magazine.
Began working as an instructor for Andy Hillenburg's Fast Track High Performance Driving School, giving rides and instructing at Lowe's
Motor Speedway, Nashville SuperSpeedway, Kentucky Speedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Media highlights include: television feature on NASCAR
Nation, cover of Rochester Magazine, and being one of 50 women profiled in the photography book "A Day
in the Life of the American Woman."
Debuted in the ROMCO Super Late Model Series with an impressive run. In her first super late model race and her first race at Texas Motor Speedway, Leilani was 6th fastest of 26 race cars in practice.
Leilani set the record for the highest qualifying effort for a female driver in the history of the 1.5 mile Texas Motor Speedway when she qualified 4th for the First Convenience Bank 100 on June 12, 2004.
She started 4th and finished 7th on the lead lap and closing. Leilani was sponsored by FHM Magazine. She also signed Trimspa as a sponsor for a NASCAR Elite division race at the 1.5 mile Kentucky Speedway. Signed as special correspondent with NASCAR.com. Media highlights
include: cover of Corvette Quarterly Magazine and host on Spike TV.
Signed a multi-year driver development contract with Team Bristol Motorsports, home of the 54 Busch Series race team.
After an impressive test where Leilani turned lap times just 2/10 of a second off the pole position,
Leilani debuted in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series with a 9th place finish in the Coor's Light 150 at South Boston Speedway. In the final
laps of this 150 lap race, Leilani was turning the same lap times as the leader. Two weeks later, Team Bristol Motorsports encountered financial
difficulties that forced the team to retire from competition. Media highlights include: named "The Hottest Woman in NASCAR" by FHM Magazine.
Relocated to North Carolina, worked at a racing school, tested late models. Studied race car set up, geometry, and aerodynamics
with Larry McReynolds (former Winston Cup crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Sr.). Media highlights include: featured as "A Woman We Love" by Esquire Magazine, named "America's Sexiest Race Car Driver" by Men's Journal Magazine,
cover girl for Charlotte Magazine, and an ESPN Magazine feature.
Started racing stock cars in the Allison Legacy Series where she fought for the lead for several laps in her first heat race. She spun attempting to make a pass for the lead and finished fourth. Qualified and finished seventh in main event.
Prior to her first race, Leilani attended various racing schools while earning her degree in biology from the University of California.
Media highlights include: television features on FOX Sports and NBC Sports.
