03-04-2025
Meet the UNC Charlotte grad featured in new Prime Video docuseries
A UNC Charlotte grad is featured in Prime Video's " First to the Finish," a racing docuseries that premiered last week.
Why it matters: Heather Hadley, driver No. 54, filmed the series while a student last year.
The show follows two female drivers and a female team owner through the 2024 MX-5 Cup Championship season.
Zoom in: Hadley grew up in Northern California but wanted to be around racing culture during college.
"Moving to Charlotte and attending UNC Charlotte helped me in more ways than I could have ever imagined," Hadley tells Axios. "It was the best thing that could have happened to my racing career."
"I was able to work out at PitFit training gym (a gym for race car drivers), racing stores were suddenly an hour away vs. across the country, and I lived close to various racing shops like Penske, JR Motorsports and HMS. I even took classes at college with NASCAR drivers and sports car drivers who I still see at the track."
She says she found peace on campus while competing and being a full-time student. She graduated in December.
"I used to love just walking around and finding new hidden spots on campus to study. There was a time when I was taking 18 credits and my biggest stress reliever was just going on campus to study rather than at home, because you simply couldn't be upset or overwhelmed while at such a beautiful place.
"I lived off campus on Lake Norman, and some of my favorite memories away from UNC Charlotte were those days in the summer spent on the lake. We would bring the dog and go to the rope swing, or just end the day by parking at a restaurant on the lake and enjoying dinner on the water. That was something I never did growing up that I came to love very much."
Fun fact: The show also features Charlotte native and 2024 MX-5 Cup Championship Rookie of the Year Westin Workman.
