Black Women's History Month: NASCAR's Brehanna Daniels
Black Women’s History Month: Brehanna Daniels Is Changing Lanes & Making History: Meet NASCAR’s First Black Woman Pit Crew Star [Exclusive]
For Black Women’s History Month, we are spotlighting Brehanna Daniels. The 31-year-old is Black history personified as the first Black female NASCAR tire changer and Cup Series pit crew member.
Prior to breaking barriers within the leading professional motorsports organization, Daniels, says NASCAR wasn’t really on her radar, but she did have an affinity for sports.
“It’s definitely been a journey,” she tells MadameNoire. “The word NASCAR never came out of my mouth until I got to high school. I didn’t have a background in racing, none of that. I mean, I did drive go-karts when I was younger, but that’s just something that my parents got me and my brother in just for us to have fun. We didn’t think anything about racing on that level.
“I was more of a basketball player, but growing up, I played basketball, ran track, played field hockey, played soccer, and the opportunity was brought to my attention when I was in college at Norfolk State University (NSU),” she adds. “That’s when I learned that there was a NASCAR pit crew.”
In 2016, Daniels became the first Black woman to work on a NASCAR national series pit crew. She joined the company’s Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program in the same year and quickly climbed the ranks.
Following her national series race debut the following year, she became the first Black woman to pit a vehicle in a NASCAR Cup Series, a truly groundbreaking moment in motorsports history.
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As the Virginia Beach native continues to elevate and expand in the motorsports world, she’s partnered with Straight Talk Wireless ahead of Black Women’s History Month, a prepaid brand covered by Verizon’s 5G network. Daniels plans to bring the excitement back to the track during the Straight Talk Wireless 400™ NASCAR Cup Series race, set to return on Sunday, March 23.
Straight Talk Wireless will allow a lucky fan and three friends to attend the race where they will serve as the Honorary Starter, waving the Green Flag to kick off the race.
Additionally, the #WintoWaveSweepstakes winner will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk the pit lane and meet their favorite drivers face-to-face, circle the speedway at top speed, and participate in Victory Lane to celebrate the winner after the race concludes.
“Just being there around good people, good vibes,” is what Daniels said she’s anticipating the most for the forthcoming race. “To be honest, I wouldn’t even single out just one thing. I feel like the whole fan experience will be amazing.”
An NSU graduate, Daniels credits her historically Black college for her success as a recognizable face in the NASCAR world. She notes how her time at the university molded the mindset needed to bring her A game to the pit.
“Going to an HBCU was amazing. Having that culture, it’s really like family, you know, everybody looks after each other,” she says. “The teachers, the students, even the coaches. When I was there, my coaches made sure all the women on the basketball team, they would walk by our [class]room to make sure we were sitting in the first two rows.”
“They said, ‘Look, we know you’re paying attention if you sit in the first two rows and not in the back.’ It was like ‘None of y’all better be sitting in the back.’ Everybody really showed their support, and that they cared,” she continued. “They wanted to see us succeed because it can be easy to get distracted because there’s a lot going on.”
“We had a nice band, some of the best parties, but once you’re focused, it’s kind of hard to break that focus,” Daniels added. “I had my fair share of finding the fair ground between having fun and being able to learn everything and get better.”
Inspired by the fact that there may be a generation of young women who look like her expressing interest in working with NASCAR, whether it’s in the pit, the office, or even driving on the track, Daniels’ number one piece of advice this Black Women’s History Month is to “work hard at your craft every single day.”
“Don’t let a day go by, especially if it’s something that you really want to do,” she says. “You definitely have to water that area, and put focus in that area, and like I said, make sure it’s something that you really want to do.”
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