A Conversation With Sarah Fisher
9/12/2007
7-Year-Old Guest Columnist Chats With IndyCar Driver
If there’s such a thing as a family-friendly racetrack, the Chicagoland Speedway is it. Convenient parking, wide-open grassy areas for picnicking and playing, and the polite and well-mannered (read: generally fully clothed and not sloppy drunk) Midwestern fans contributed to my picking the Chicagoland Indy 300 as the first race to take my daughter to.
My last experience covering a race for Mother Proof was back in May at the Indy 500. There, despite my most valiant efforts, I wasn’t able to secure an interview with any of the drivers. Apparently they were busy driving or something (the injustice of it all). This time, I decided to use a different, rather shameless tactic: A cute kid to do my dirty work for me. Sue me. Enter 7-year-old Catalin Varela, Mother Proof’s first guest columnist. Before the race, Catalin landed an email interview with IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher. Here’s how it went:
Dear Miss Sarah,
My name is Catalin (it rhymes with “jumping bean” and “giggle machine”). I am 7 years old and in second grade. I would like to do an interview with you. I hope you win the race on Sept. 9. I will be there with my mom watching. Can you please answer my questions below?
SF: Stop by and see us at the autograph session!
CV: What color is your racecar and what is your favorite color?
SF: My race car is red, white and blue, sort of like the colors for the Fourth of July. My favorite color is blue, much like the color of my first IndyCar.
CV: How young were you when you started driving racecars?
SF: My first technical racing experience came as a 5-year-old, when my parents fitted me for my first racecar — a quarter-midget. I raced quarter-midgets and go-karts until I was a teenager, progressing through the ranks. All of this experience prepared me to go 230 mph in the IndyCar Series.
CV: Is it freaky driving that fast?
SF: You really don’t think about how fast you are going. You have to stay focused on driving the car and reaching the finish line first. But sometimes I tell people it’s windy.
CV: Have you ever crashed your car?
SF: I have crashed several times. In racing, every time you crash you learn something. As a driver, you are always trying to push the envelope, and when you crash you learn from it for the next time. My worst crash was at Nazareth Speedway a few years ago.
CV: Is your racecar difficult to drive?
SF: It takes a lot of training to drive a racecar — especially on a road course. You have to be both physically and mentally fit. I train every day at home with PitFit, my trainer, and we do numerous types of workouts. Cardio interval training is important to simulate yellows and stop-and-gos. Upper-body strength is also important, so we work on that, too. We take what I learn from the season, as well, and fine-tune those small muscles that need help on the go. During races, I’m going 220 mph for 2.5 hours and must be able to keep my heart rate up to compete and win. By race’s end, I will have lost between four and seven pounds and must rehydrate to do it again the next weekend.
CV: Thank you for letting me send you an email.
SF: Thanks for your questions. They were very good.
Sincerely,
Catalin
Spending a weekend in Chicago with my daughter, bonding over a race (I know it sounds odd, but seriously, you should try it), was really quite magical. Generally speaking, there are three separate facets of my world that very rarely intersect: my professional life, my family life and my social life. This weekend, all three combined blissfully together. I was able to share some of my work experience with my daughter and see several special friends and colleagues who make far too infrequent appearances in my life.
Despite our unrelenting cheering over the sound of her car zipping by at more than 200 mph, Sarah didn’t win the race, though she did finish 12th. The highlight of race weekend for Catalin was having ”Miss Sarah” autograph her Bratz Racecar Driver doll. Come to think of it, the real highlight was probably me lifting my Bratz ban and buying the racecar driver doll in the first place (my excuse is that it’s OK because she’s not wearing stilettos and fishnets). It had nothing to do with the fact that I wanted the doll for myself. Really, it didn’t.
Comments
Sweet interview Catalin. Sounds like you had a great time in Chicago and are on your way to becoming either a fabulous journalist or race car driver yourself!
Posted by: Courtney A. E. Messenbaugh | Sep 14, 2007 5:13:09 PM
Great job Catalin. You picked a wonderful person and driver , for your interview. Thank you for sharing your experience with other IRL fans.
Posted by: Steve | Sep 16, 2007 7:59:04 AM
Thanks for the super comments. They make me feel good.
Posted by: Catalin Giggle Machine | Sep 16, 2007 4:50:41 PM
What a wonderful interview! All (older) journalists could learn something from Catlin. Thank you.
Posted by: GJ Worth | Feb 7, 2008 12:59:59 AM
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Congrats Catalin. I enjoyed reading your interview and I especially liked your question about the freakiness of going so fast. Good job landing the interview, the autograph and the Bratz Doll!
Posted by: Emily | Sep 12, 2007 11:33:39 PM