NASCAR driver Julia Landauer describes thriving in a male-dominated industry

NASCAR is evolving after years of declining attendance and TV ratings. And the $4 billion dollar global motorsports industry as a whole is getting more creative with ways to promote competitive racing sports and individual drivers.

One driver who has taken on the challenge is Julia Landauer, a 26-year-old Stanford graduate from New York City who raced her first full NASCAR season in 2016. Landauer has since built a multifaceted brand while competing in the male-dominated sport and advocating for STEM education and women’s empowerment.

NASCAR driver Julia Landauer told us about her career as a woman racecar driver in a male-dominated sport.
NASCAR driver Julia Landauer told us about her career as a woman racecar driver in a male-dominated sport.

Landauer sat down with Yahoo Finance to discuss what it’s like to be a pioneering woman in the new world of racing and what other women can do to break through in similar fields (video above).

“For any woman who wants to get into a male-dominated industry, whether it’s racing or something else, I would really advocate for trying to find male allies,” Landauer said. “The guys in your professional space who you feel can be empathetic to what you’re going through … so that if your voice isn’t loud enough for whatever reason — which I agree is unfair but sometimes happens — these male allies can be the advocates.”

WATCH MORE: The world’s longest flight lands in the U.S.

Advertisement