Afton Swanson
Up until now I have done dirt track and circle track women, this week I am talking to a drag racer. If you know me I love all forms of racing so I am excited about this. My guest this week is Afton Swanson and she hails from Iowa. Afton got started in racing Jr. Dragsters in 2000, "my dad’s house was 8 miles from Humboldt County Dragway (now called North Iowa Dragway). He wanted us to have something fun to do together on the weekends I spent with him."
A lot of other women got their start in Jr's as well, everyone knows Erica Enders story from the Disney movie Right on Track. I asked Afton why she chose drag racing over any other form, " The Humboldt drag strip was close to my house, so this was the most accessible racing to get into. I wanted to race motocross but my dad thought it was too dangerous, so I stuck to drag racing." I don't know if that was such a bad thing. I then asked her why she thought women do better in the NHRA than in NASCAR or any other series, her answer was spot on. She says, " Women have been involved in professional drag racing for over 50 years, starting with Shirley Muldowney. Other motor sports have been slow to open their ranks to women, so you don’t see many of them competing at the highest levels. The ones who do make it are treated like an oddity and it seems like the success of all women is based off of the performance of one, or just a few individuals. People have been bashing Danica Patrick for years because she hasn’t won a race in NASCAR. This could cause fans, sponsors, and race teams to not be as receptive to more females because the one that did get in didn’t perform well enough, in their eyes." When I asked if she felt if women were more welcome in drag racing than others she replied, " Yes, mainly due to the hardwork of Shirley Muldowney in the 1960s. She had to stand her ground just to be able to compete, and it’s a good thing she did because the NHRA would be a lot smaller if there were no female
competitors. It is also great for women to see other women not just competing, but winning at a high level. Erica Enders is the only female competing in Pro Stock, but she just won her third world championship. Women are not given any special rules or exceptions, they are competing head-to-head with men and winning, which is inspiring!" I could not agree more, how would it not be inspiring to other women. It is human nature to go where we can do well and women are doing amazing in the drag racing world.
I then discussed sponsorship and being a woman. Was it hard for her to get sponsors in a competitive series such as NHRA? " This is one area that I think being a female may be advantageous. Since women are still in the minority in motor sports, our presence stands out, even if we don’t mean to. It’s kind of like when you meet a group of people, and one of them is 8 inches taller than everyone else. It takes you off guard and you’re more likely to remember that person compared to everyone else in the group. (“Did you see that tall
guy? He’s gotta be 6’10!” / “Did you see that blonde girl in the staging lanes? She actually drives one of the cars!”) Sponsors want to associate themselves with people who fans will remember, so being different from the majority of other racers is a good thing." I never thought about it that way, I guess we do have the upper hand when it comes to standing out in a crowd of all men drivers.
We then talked about role models and women she looked up to. Afton explained who and why, " Shirley Muldowney for her determination and not giving up in a time when gender equality was nowhere near where it is today. Also, Erica Enders for working her way to the top. It took her years to finally win her first race in Pro Stock, and during this time some of the “big shots” in the category tried to push her out, but she finally broke through and went on to win 3 world championships (more than most of those “big shots” who said she didn’t belong in the class)." I remember Shirley Muldowney when I was little and thought she was awesome and the coolest. I also remember watching Erica Enders come up through the ranks and kicking butt. She still is to this day, along with other amazing women in the NHRA.
We then discussed women owning teams that are elite or series. She was honest and just like the rest of the women so far had this to say, " I think anyone with the knowledge and understanding of the sport can own teams or series. Professional teams and series are essentially businesses, so having that background is very important. As a driver, I would
rather drive for a female team owner with industry knowledge and business prowess than a male team owner who only wanted the job because he likes cars." I can honestly say I agree with that statement and that would go either way. Having the business knowledge and love of the sport are key. I than asked her about women and respect in the sport, " In my experience, 90% of the people I’ve encountered have shown me respect and treated me
fairly. There are still people out there, mainly in the older generations, who look down and think that women do not belong in race cars. I don’t let it bother me though, because these people are retiring and their hate and negativity is leaving our sport along with them. Most racers nowadays have been racing alongside women their whole lives, so they don’t see an issue with it." I think this is a great thing, if women can race a car of any type they deserve the seat.
I also questioned her about the role women play in racing and if she thought they were changing. Her reply, " In terms of drivers, spectators, racing companies (sponsors), and media, there are more women in these roles than ever before. In some cases, there are more women than men in those roles. But one area that needs to move faster is the series itself (NHRA in this case). Many of the current (male) leaders within NHRA have been in their positions and making the same decisions for 30+ years. The racing industry has changed dramatically in those 30 years. If NHRA wants to grow, they need leaders who represent the racers, fans, and sponsors who invest in their sport." I could not agree more with this. I believe any series with a majority of women as fans, drivers and so on need to keep up with changing demographics to grow.
The last two questions were about the love of the sport and who she wants to race and beat. Her answer to the first question sounds familiar, " The community that we’ve gained since joining the NHRA circuit in 2014 has the best group of people. Every time we go to the races we meet someone new. Besides racing, my favorite thing to do is travel, so being able to do both at the same time is the best. It is great to meet someone in Kansas, and a few weeks later see them again in Minnesota. Racers keep in touch on social media too, so if you want to travel to a new track you’ve never been to before, chances are you will come across a familiar face, no matter how far from home you are." It is all about community and family that we gain in the sport. I have friends who are family thanks to racing. As for racing and beating anyone particular, " There are people in every category that everyone wants to beat, like world champions or people with a ton of wins. These people seem to always be on their game, so it feels good when you perform better than one of the top drivers in your class. The harder it is to win, the more you have to elevate your performance. The more you have to race the big hitters, the better you become over time. My dad has never driven a race car, and I don’t think he would want to drive a dragster. He retired 7 years ago and doesn’t come to the races very often." I think that is the best answer anyone in any division could have given. If you want to beat the best, you must elevate yourself and ability to beat them.
Afton has a great career ahead of her and is an amazing woman. Hopefully we will see her beating Brittany Force, Leah Pruitt, and the other women in the NHRA for championships.
A lot of other women got their start in Jr's as well, everyone knows Erica Enders story from the Disney movie Right on Track. I asked Afton why she chose drag racing over any other form, " The Humboldt drag strip was close to my house, so this was the most accessible racing to get into. I wanted to race motocross but my dad thought it was too dangerous, so I stuck to drag racing." I don't know if that was such a bad thing. I then asked her why she thought women do better in the NHRA than in NASCAR or any other series, her answer was spot on. She says, " Women have been involved in professional drag racing for over 50 years, starting with Shirley Muldowney. Other motor sports have been slow to open their ranks to women, so you don’t see many of them competing at the highest levels. The ones who do make it are treated like an oddity and it seems like the success of all women is based off of the performance of one, or just a few individuals. People have been bashing Danica Patrick for years because she hasn’t won a race in NASCAR. This could cause fans, sponsors, and race teams to not be as receptive to more females because the one that did get in didn’t perform well enough, in their eyes." When I asked if she felt if women were more welcome in drag racing than others she replied, " Yes, mainly due to the hardwork of Shirley Muldowney in the 1960s. She had to stand her ground just to be able to compete, and it’s a good thing she did because the NHRA would be a lot smaller if there were no female
competitors. It is also great for women to see other women not just competing, but winning at a high level. Erica Enders is the only female competing in Pro Stock, but she just won her third world championship. Women are not given any special rules or exceptions, they are competing head-to-head with men and winning, which is inspiring!" I could not agree more, how would it not be inspiring to other women. It is human nature to go where we can do well and women are doing amazing in the drag racing world.
I then discussed sponsorship and being a woman. Was it hard for her to get sponsors in a competitive series such as NHRA? " This is one area that I think being a female may be advantageous. Since women are still in the minority in motor sports, our presence stands out, even if we don’t mean to. It’s kind of like when you meet a group of people, and one of them is 8 inches taller than everyone else. It takes you off guard and you’re more likely to remember that person compared to everyone else in the group. (“Did you see that tall
guy? He’s gotta be 6’10!” / “Did you see that blonde girl in the staging lanes? She actually drives one of the cars!”) Sponsors want to associate themselves with people who fans will remember, so being different from the majority of other racers is a good thing." I never thought about it that way, I guess we do have the upper hand when it comes to standing out in a crowd of all men drivers.
We then talked about role models and women she looked up to. Afton explained who and why, " Shirley Muldowney for her determination and not giving up in a time when gender equality was nowhere near where it is today. Also, Erica Enders for working her way to the top. It took her years to finally win her first race in Pro Stock, and during this time some of the “big shots” in the category tried to push her out, but she finally broke through and went on to win 3 world championships (more than most of those “big shots” who said she didn’t belong in the class)." I remember Shirley Muldowney when I was little and thought she was awesome and the coolest. I also remember watching Erica Enders come up through the ranks and kicking butt. She still is to this day, along with other amazing women in the NHRA.
We then discussed women owning teams that are elite or series. She was honest and just like the rest of the women so far had this to say, " I think anyone with the knowledge and understanding of the sport can own teams or series. Professional teams and series are essentially businesses, so having that background is very important. As a driver, I would
rather drive for a female team owner with industry knowledge and business prowess than a male team owner who only wanted the job because he likes cars." I can honestly say I agree with that statement and that would go either way. Having the business knowledge and love of the sport are key. I than asked her about women and respect in the sport, " In my experience, 90% of the people I’ve encountered have shown me respect and treated me
fairly. There are still people out there, mainly in the older generations, who look down and think that women do not belong in race cars. I don’t let it bother me though, because these people are retiring and their hate and negativity is leaving our sport along with them. Most racers nowadays have been racing alongside women their whole lives, so they don’t see an issue with it." I think this is a great thing, if women can race a car of any type they deserve the seat.
I also questioned her about the role women play in racing and if she thought they were changing. Her reply, " In terms of drivers, spectators, racing companies (sponsors), and media, there are more women in these roles than ever before. In some cases, there are more women than men in those roles. But one area that needs to move faster is the series itself (NHRA in this case). Many of the current (male) leaders within NHRA have been in their positions and making the same decisions for 30+ years. The racing industry has changed dramatically in those 30 years. If NHRA wants to grow, they need leaders who represent the racers, fans, and sponsors who invest in their sport." I could not agree more with this. I believe any series with a majority of women as fans, drivers and so on need to keep up with changing demographics to grow.
The last two questions were about the love of the sport and who she wants to race and beat. Her answer to the first question sounds familiar, " The community that we’ve gained since joining the NHRA circuit in 2014 has the best group of people. Every time we go to the races we meet someone new. Besides racing, my favorite thing to do is travel, so being able to do both at the same time is the best. It is great to meet someone in Kansas, and a few weeks later see them again in Minnesota. Racers keep in touch on social media too, so if you want to travel to a new track you’ve never been to before, chances are you will come across a familiar face, no matter how far from home you are." It is all about community and family that we gain in the sport. I have friends who are family thanks to racing. As for racing and beating anyone particular, " There are people in every category that everyone wants to beat, like world champions or people with a ton of wins. These people seem to always be on their game, so it feels good when you perform better than one of the top drivers in your class. The harder it is to win, the more you have to elevate your performance. The more you have to race the big hitters, the better you become over time. My dad has never driven a race car, and I don’t think he would want to drive a dragster. He retired 7 years ago and doesn’t come to the races very often." I think that is the best answer anyone in any division could have given. If you want to beat the best, you must elevate yourself and ability to beat them.
Afton has a great career ahead of her and is an amazing woman. Hopefully we will see her beating Brittany Force, Leah Pruitt, and the other women in the NHRA for championships.
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