In life, to find a passion that holds true over the years can be quite quite the accomplishment. After all, some last for a lifetime while others tend to come and go.

For young motorsports journalist Kaitlyn Vincie, the Christopher Newport University graduate has been able to combine her love of racing and writing into a true labor of love, pursuing a career in the motorsports world.

Determined to find her big break in the stock car racing scene as journalist and media personality, the ambitious 23-year-old took matters into her own hands by creating "Hot for NASCAR," covering the week's news stories in an informative and entertaning manner.

Now you may ask, how knowledgable and passionate is Kaitlyn Vincie about stock car racing?

Well, let's put it this way - per her Facebook fan page, when she worked on a senior dissertation about women in NASCAR and the gender disapirites existing in a male-dominated workplace, her final report came out to be 73 pages!  Try writing about something you love or are interested in about half that length.

Diligent and steadfast, Vincie, like any prospective racers looking to make the grade into the sport, wants to earn her way in NASCAR through hard work and perseverance. While the world may dictate for words through texts or visuals, the Virginian takes it to the next level with her intellect and by being authentic.

I interviewed Vincie on Thursday evening, who probably gave me the most detailed one-on-one conversation I've had in some time!  Clearly, she knows her racing, as all of you will find out after reading this piece!  Witty, charming, and honest, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind on some things, particularly with one aspect of Sprint Cup racing.

So ladies and gentlemen, let's go racing and get "In the Driver's Seat with Kaitlyn Vincie, Motorsports Journalist of Hot for NASCAR!"

 

Rob Tiongson :  For the readers here at The Podium Finish who may not know about you, tell us a little about yourself...how'd you get into the sport?

Kaitlyn Vincie :  Well, the first time I had pit passes to a race is really when I fell in love with it. I always knew i wanted to work in sports broadcasting, but it wasn't until after having garage passes at the All-Star race, which was then Lowe's Motor Speedway, did I narrow that focus on sports journalism to JUST sports journalism for motorsports aka NASCAR.

From there I just did everything i could to involve myself in the sport while still in college.

RT :  That's pretty cool, sort of like love at first sight then for you with the sport, eh?

KV :  Pretty much!

 

RT :  What were some of the first opportunities you took up in motorsports after your experience at Charlotte?

KV :  First, I got an internship for the summer after my junior year of college with Camp & Associates in Concord, NC.  So basically, I packed everything up and relocated to NC to start a PR internship with USARacing which was formerly Hooters Pro Cup Series.

Then when I came back to college, I went to my university paper and said I noticed that no one was writing about NASCAR and asked if I could do it for free, of course they said yes.  

So then, I became the on campus NASCAR columnist for two and a half years. I also did two other internships while in college.

One was with my athletic communications department and the other with a local news station called WTKR News Channel 3 in Norfolk, the CBS affiliate.

While I was there, I got to do a satellite interview with Jeff Burton before the 2010 Daytona 500 - an awesome experience for an intern!

 

RT :  That had to be quite the deal for you, after those years of working and plugging away...going from the local short tracks to interviewing a Cup star. Did you almost feel like it was a dream?

KV :  It did a little bit, but I want to interview a lot more Cup drivers than that. So I'm hoping it's just the start essentially, then after graduation, I went on to become a pit reporter and television personality for Langley Speedway: Where Legends Are Born, which was a huge resume builder and a great learning experience.

 

RT :  Sounds like a very hands on experience for you, not only being at the track, but learning the technical and producing aspects of the racing media industry for you, yea?

KV :  Yes it was, because not only did we film driver interview before, during, and after qualifying, practice sessions, and races, but we also filmed at a studio off location, where we did "techisodes" that focused on the functioning of race cars and taught fans different things on the engineering and mechanical side that they might not have been familiar with previously.

 

RT :  Did it not only make you learn the nuances of the media, but did it give you a greater appreciation of what goes on with racing? 

KV :  It certainly did because I learned a lot myself in the process!

 

RT :  Ever feel the urge to get behind the wheel of a stock car and try to hammer it for a few laps?

KV :  Well, I actually was in the passenger seat of a stock car and it was one of the craziest/most rewarding experiences of my life! 

It allowed me to gain even more respect for race car drivers than I already had!  They are truly some talented athletes, and there is no way I could get out there and drive at those speeds with 42 other cars around me nose to rear every weekend!

RT :  That's a good point you mention there...seems like stock car racing, and in general, motorsports requires such a discipline and physical/mental mindset.  

Being that you're involved in the sport, what's your take on how much the coverage has changed over the years with racing, especially with how the sport's blossomed into this social media spectacle?

KV :  Absolutely it has! Every driver's got a Facebook and Twitter page. Every team has a Facebook and Twitter page. Every PR person of a driver has one too! It's crazy. Twitter especially has blown up in the NASCAR scene...I get a lot of my news and updates from that, Versus TV, and websites now.

RT :  I understand you maintain a vlog on YouTube which started this season, correct? Tell me more about it, how it started up...

KV :  Well honestly, it was right after I had gone through a rigorous interview process for another job in NASCAR, and when the word came back that I in fact did not receive the position,  I knew I had to do something to keep myself in the sport without physically being at the race tracks each weekend.  

So, I started my own personal NASCAR venture that led me to my guest bedroom in my house, turning it into a "studio" for the filming of my own NASCAR show: Hot for NASCAR.

The YouTube channel turned into a Facebook fan page that then turned into my own website at http://www.hotfornascar.com.

RT :  How long have you been running your FB fan page and the vlog? Any insiders/personalities in the sport who have checked out your works?

KV :  It only started probably two months ago and I have been very pleased with how fast it has accrued viewers, followers, fans you name it -everything has increased at a great pace.

I am very happy with it, and use multiple professionals within racing have contacted me saying they have seen it and given me critiques/suggestions and support.

RT :  It has to mean a lot for you to know that something you put your all in, with a good supporting cast, has generated some unique and vast audiences not just in the States but worldwide. How do you usually prepare for your shows? 

KV :  I keep up to date with everything NASCAR through not just through the broadcasts, but Twitter, sport news sources, etc., and plan all week what things to include.  I also have a lot of input from the fans and people who view my videos, where I like to include their suggestions as well when I can.

RT :  That's good that you do...seems like it's definitely a show for the fans. 

KV :  I try to make it that way so they are just as much a part of it as me.

 

RT :  Alright Kaitlyn...we're gonna do a little segment here called Free Association. Basically...you're gonna tell me the first things that come to your mind with the following words, alright? 

KV :  Sounds good..

RT :  Winning.

KV :  Sheen.

RT :  (laughter) I knew you'd say that! Prolly an obvious one. Real racing.

KV :  Kyle Busch.

RT :  One track you absolutely want to cover a race at. As in one that...you could keep going to over and over again.

KV :  Homestead.

RT :  Integrity.

KV :  Jen Jo Cobb.

RT :  A good story in racing is... 

KV :  Trevor Bayne.

RT :  If you could change one thing about stock car racing, it'd be... 

KV :  The Chase. 

RT :  Working hard.

KV :  Translates my whole persona...that's all I do is work hard I feel like. And for free, virtually with all this NASCAR stuff, I keep telling myself it will pay off eventually.  And I think it's only a matter of time before people sit up and recognize I'm a hard working, self-motivated individual. 

 

RT :  You mentioned there when I asked about one thing you'd like to change about the sport is "The Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship." What aspect about it would you want to change?

KV :  It's just kind of dull to me.  It's silly that only the top 12 are the ones competing for the championship, as it gives it a sense of exclusivity for that 12.

I get that, but it also seems pointless to the other competitors who race each weekend, but their placement or winnings don't really matter towards the championship.

Granted, it's rare that someone outside the top 12 wins a race. I will say last year was the first season in awhile where the Chase seemed to do what it was designed to do: be exciting, instead of one where Jimmie Johnson only needs to finish 14th or better to clinch the championship - that gets old. 

Don't get me wrong, as JJ is incredibly talented, but I almost feel like the Chase was designed to instill excitement and a "frenzy to the finish" for the trophy, but for the most part, it has not achieved that goal.

 

RT :  What would you like to say to all the readers here on the blog and those in NASCAR nation?  Any shout outs you wanna give here?

KV :  Just a thank you to those people who have helped me out immensely along the way, especially to Al Pearce (Autoweek contributing motorsports writer) who has been a mentor and friend to me for years and always gone out on a ledge for me to put in a good word with whatever company I was submitting my resume to. 

He's been great, and I have learned a lot from him.  It's hard to find people like that too, especially in today's industry.

I want people to recognize that I am not just a female NASCAR writer, I am a NASCAR writer, who happens to be a female, that's all. 

 

Author's Note : Special thanks to Kaitlyn Vincie for allowing me to interview her despite a busy week! Also, I'd like to thank Paul Heath for the assist and his always steadfast support with The Podium Finish.

If you'd like to follow Kaitlyn Vincie and learn more about her works, follow her on Twitter, her Facebook fan page, and her official website!