NHRA And Deep Blue Launch New Initiative To Accelerate Opportunity For Women In Motorsports
For decades, women in motorsports have been underrepresented, underserved, and under-resourced, despite proving time and again that they have the talent, grit, and determination to compete at the highest level. Now, a new partnership is aiming to change that.
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has teamed up with Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment to launch 'Women of NHRA,' which is a new initiative designed to elevate the league's top-tier women racers and create more commercial and fan engagement opportunities across the sport. Deep Blue, a firm dedicated to driving commercial investment in and growth opportunities for women's sports, brings deep expertise in advertising, media, and brand partnerships. Deep Blue will work to create long-term commercial value for NHRA's women athletes and maximize their influence as marketers, leaders, and women in sport.
"The NHRA has a compelling story - its male and female drivers compete on the same circuit, the fastest driver on that circuit is a woman, female drivers manage their teams, work on their cars, are multi-hyphenate with experience ranging from electricians and engineers, understand and optimize to performance margins that drive success through tools like AI and machine learning, and beyond,' said Laura Correnti, Founder and CEO of Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment. 'Through strategy, storytelling, and activations we're working with the NHRA to drive commercial awareness of what makes it a compelling investment."
Today, the NHRA is the premier sanctioning body for drag racing in the United States and is the largest auto racing organization in the world. The organization oversees 20 national events annually and offers competitive opportunities across all levels of the sport from youth and grassroots racing to professional competition. With more than 100 member tracks nationwide and a legacy of innovation, the NHRA has a long history of gender equity. NHRA drag racing is unique in the fact that men and women have competed head-to-head on a 1,000-foot track for decades. Today, women in NHRA have amassed an impressive resume, with more than 100 women having won at an NHRA national event and athletes like two-time Top Fuel champion Brittany Force paving the way as the fastest person in NHRA history, setting a national record of 3.62-seconds at 341.59-mph.
'Women and girls are not just out here competing. They're out here actually setting records, winning races, winning championships, winning multiple championships, and racing together with the guys,' said Ida Zetterström, NHRA driver who was recently named 'Best New Talent' by NHRA's National Dragster publication. 'People don't realize how big of a turnout we have at our events, how big our TV numbers are, that we're actually competing with the guys, and that the fastest person in the world is a woman.'
Bringing Commercial Awareness And Investment To Women In Motorsports
Amid the surging growth of women's sports across all levels, NHRA and Deep Blue are ensuring that women in motorsports are part of the mainstream conversation around fandom and sponsorship. Women of NHRA aims to accelerate women in motorsports and drag racing into its next era by deepening investment in women racers, unlocking new sponsorships, and growing the sport's passionate fanbase through the visibility and influence of its women athletes.
'There's a huge piece of momentum going on right now in women's sports, and I feel like we have to tell our story because these women compete and win and dominate against men on an equal playing field and do it every day and every weekend,' said Jeffrey Young, Vice President of Marketing at the NHRA. 'I want to make sure that people know that there is a sport where it's an even playing field and the women are dominant.'
Women of NHRA will kick off at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals taking place July 25 - 27, 2025 at the Sonoma Raceway. Deep Blue and NHRA will host a VIP race-day experience that includes a brand summit on NHRA's growth trajectory, followed by exclusive trackside access with some of the sport's brightest stars.
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