::Leilani Munter.com::

This is a place for me to express my thoughts on racing, the environment, science, politics, and whatever else might cross my wandering mind. It will be an overflow of random ideas, reflections, notes and quotes to be enjoyed by those of you who take the time to read it. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you down the road...

Peace,

6.28.06 little ole me trading paint with the big boys

Lady and gentlemen, start your engines. They were words that echo in my mind, words that everytime I hear, I get a little smile. But hearing them last night and knowing that firing up in front of me were two Nextel Cup Champions was an unforgettable feeling. Everyone has a list of goals, in their mind or on paper, of things they would like to do before they die. Scuba diving license. Check. Trip to New Zealand. Check. Race two Nextel Cup Champions. Check. Last night I had the honor of racing against the best of the best at Madison International Speedway. Among the field were Nextel Cup Champions Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth, three time track champion Bobby Wilberg, Rich Bickle and Travis Sauter. 50 cars showed up for 29 spots and only the top 18 of the 50 got in the race by qualifying. I had to take a provisional but I was in good company with Tony Stewart and Rich Bickle taking provisionals as well. I learned so much in this race and my lap times improved a lot from qualifying and practice (which I missed most of, you can read why here), at the end of the 100 lap feature, I was turning times only 3 tenths of a second off of two time Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart's best lap time. Matt Kenseth finished second by a straightaway and Tony Stewart finished 8th. I know that the way to become the best is to race the best, and the best in the business were racing with me last night. It was an awesome step for me. I finished 25th of 30 of the toughest short track drivers in the country, along with a couple of Nextel Cup Champs. What an awesome night, a race I will never forget.

ESPN was following our team throughout this race for a two hour documentary about NASCAR that will air next year, so keep an eye out for me. I'm the short one in the Konica Minolta racing suit.

6.21.06 don't mess with texas

I am sitting on a plane waiting to take off from the Charlotte airport, watching the sunset behind the trees next to the runway. My life has become a seamless blur of airports, hotels, rentals cars, racetracks, appearances, interviews, workout routines, emails and long distance phone calls. I have had to make some changes to my lifestyle, I am much more organized these days with my laptop computer under my arm and PDA in my pocket. I am not joking when I say I need to look at my PDA just to figure out where I am going to be each week. It is overwhelming, but also the best time I have ever had in my life. I am working out regularly, either swimming or weights or my morning hot yoga class, where I spend an hour an a half doing yoga in a room heated up to 100 degrees. If you have never done yoga, it is a workout you will never forget. You will suddenly become aware of muscles you didn't even know you had until you are too sore to move them! I'm replacing diet soda with water. I am staying away from fast foods, though that can sometimes be difficult on the road. I am taking my health seriously, treating my body as a temple with respect and careful thought going into what I decide to put into it. I feel good. I feel like I am better prepared for the challenges that lay ahead for me.

I am only 5 races in to my 30 race schedule with SS Racing and I have had my highs and lows. I am knocking the dust off my short track racing shoes! I feel like I am in short track boot camp and although I know in the end it will make me a much better driver, it can be frustrating to not run up front. I know I am learning everytime I get out on the track and that's what this season is all about. I have a great team behind me and my crew chief Deon Deneau has got to be best Canadian export since Jim Carrey. He is so smart with race cars and I thank him for his patience with me as I learn. My last race was a nice boost for the team-- I had a great run at Texas Motor Speedway and setting a new record for the history books in the process is just the icing on cake! I also have to thank Thad Felton, Doug Lege, and John King for giving me a great race car in Texas and Kiwi for being there for me through it all.

I want to thank everyone for the nice messages you have sent to me-- whether it's through my myspace account, the forum, or by snail mail to my PO Box-- I have read them all and I apologize that I don't have enough time to answer each message personally. I am flooded with letters of encouragement from all over the world, and I can't thank you all enough for the support, it means the world to me and I often sit down and read your letters, they keep me going when the going gets tough and for that I thank you.

Peace, Leilani

PS. Interesting CNN article about global warming-- the best part is this quote "lawmakers argue saving the planet could ruin our economy." Good question, which is more important? Our earth or our economy? Hmmm.... let me think about that for a bit. Also one of the most important environmental decisions is in the hands of the Supreme Court, let's hope they handle it with care. If these types of things interest you as they do me, check out what these people are working on: Changing World Technology

6.04.06 vince welnick 1951 - 2006

We lost a dear friend this weekend. Vince Welnick, the last keyboardist for the Grateful Dead, passed away on June 2, 2006.

My older sister Natascha is married to Grateful Dead singer and guitarist Bob Weir. I ran a tribute to Vince Welnick on my No. 57 Konica Minolta race car at Southern National Speedway on Saturday.

We will miss you Vince. Thanks for all the music. May the four winds blow you safely home.

Leilani

5.27.06 ladies we still have a long way to go

Today I was signing autographs at Illiana Speedway in Indiana, where I was running my 3rd of 30 races I have scheduled this year with SS Racing. When a race fan asked me who I would be pulling for to win the Indy 500 I answered that I would be cheering for my fellow Hostess Race Diva Danica Patrick, of course. Another race driver that overheard my comment sarcastically remarked, "Yeah right, she'll win it."

Shortly after, a shy little girl asked for my autograph and I asked her if she thought she might like to drive race cars when she grows up. The driver then huffed and shook his head in frustration and rolled his eyes, as if to say "don't encourage them."

While I was a bit shocked by his comments, it was only because he was saying it out loud, right to my face. I know that there are many people in the garage and in the stands that don't support the idea of women behind the wheels of their favorite race cars. I see them posting anonymously on internet forums and I know some folks will smile to my face and then turn around and talk about how I shouldn't be allowed to drive. I know that driver is only one of many people who feel this way. Richard Petty recently made it very clear how he feels about women in racing. I really like the Pettys, I pull for their team through the struggles they have had over the years, and I really admire what they have done with the Victory Junction Gang. But I have to disagree with the King on this one.

While I am still a rookie driver and have yet to have the success that Danica Patrick has had in the IRL, for a rookie driver I have had some decent runs in stock cars and I have beaten many of my male counterparts. When I raced at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time, my first speedway race, I qualified 4th out of 24 drivers, ran in the top five much of the day and finished 7th. I beat 20 drivers in my qualifying run and 17 drivers in the race. I think this proves that I deserve a place in racing as much as the next guy. I am a rookie and I know I still have a lot to learn, but I don't think that it's fair to say that just because I am a female that I will not succeed in racing. Nor is it fair to Danica Patrick and all the other women out there racing their hearts out against the boys. Best of luck to Danica at Indy tomorrow and to all my fellow lady racers out there. And to all the people who are so vocal about not wanting women in race cars, you just keep talking... and we'll keep racing.

Peace, Leilani

5.4.06 big bars, soft springs, and hard tires

I spent the last two days at Lowe's Motor Speedway covering Cup testing for NASCAR.com. Tune into Leilani Reports on Trackpass for videos from my interviews with Carl Edwards, Dale Jr, JJ Yeley, Greg Biffle, Travis Kvapil, Reed Sorensen, David Stremme, Chad Knaus, Jimmy Elledge and many more. Tires were a major problem at last October's UAW GM 500 with a total of eleven cautions caused by tire issues. Goodyear came back to the newly paved track with a much harder tire compound which presented the Cup teams with a new challenge. All the teams I talked with said the tires were hardly wearing at all and felt they "could run 100 laps without a problem" so it's a good thing that NASCAR has mandated smaller fuel cells (13 gallons vs. 22 gallons) to force the teams to pit frequently and allow them to moniter tire wear on the new hard-as-a-rock tires. Should be interesting to see how it plays out. I think we will see a lot of fuel only and two tire pit stops in this race- lots of room for strategy calls. Lots of teams were having trouble with the cars being way too tight in the center of the corner causing tire chatter. I saw lots of big bars, soft springs, and lots of shocks being changed.

Meanwhile, I am looking forward to tomorrow when I get to return to the track (this time with my race car instead of my NASCAR.com microphone!) and turn some laps giving rides with Fast Track Racing School. There is a $10 discount flyer here.

Next week I am off to Madison International Speedway to run my first event there with SS Racing on Friday May 12. I will return to Madison on June 27 and will have the honor of racing against Nextel Cup Champions Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth in the All Star Challenge. It should be a great time, last year this race sold out so get your tickets early!

In other news, Stephen Colbert delivered a much talked about speech at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, stirring the pot in Washington. You've got to admit, the man's got balls.

Peace, Leilani

4.20.06 checking in to say hi

After an intense week of testing with my new race team in Indianapolis, I headed out to New Hampshire for my first of many appearances on behalf of my sponsor Konica Minolta. I met a lot of really cool people at PC Connection-- some were race fans, some were not-- but I think I made some friends today. I had the great pleasure of firing up the motor of my race car in the parking lot in front of their office building and enticing people to leave behind their emails, conference calls, and corporate meetings to come hang out with me and talk about important things like springs, shocks, engine blocks, and why NASCAR is taking over America. Even the CEO decided to take a break from his busy day to come and say hi. What a great bunch of people up there in beautiful New Hampshire.

I flew in and out of Boston and how could I not make a stop at Fenway Park? I've never really watched much baseball, but my friend Lynne (a producer for NASCAR.com) is the biggest Red Sox fan I have ever met in my life. So when I was flipping channels a few weeks back and stumbled across a documentary about the famous Red Sox fans called The Nation, I had to sit and watch it in an effort to understand her crazy dedication for this team. Now I can say that I have a new appreciation for Red Sox fans. That's me in front of Fenway Park yesterday.

On a side note, I am a fan of famous writer who lives in New Hampshire, some of you may have heard of his little book called The Da Vinci Code. While I wait for the release of Dan Brown's next book, I look forward to seeing the Hollywood translation of Da Vinci Code, coming to theatres worldwide on May 19.

Tomorrow morning I get on a plane back to Indy for more testing, and then we will hit the track for the first of our 30 races this season. Wish me luck!

See you at the track,
#57