When you’re a woman entering a male-dominated sport like racing, you expect a degree of blowback.
Lindsay Brewer has heard the talk in the paddock, has seen the dirty looks and knows her endeavors as a model and influencer have led to some not taking her seriously.
But she didn’t expect negativity to emanate from female IndyCar drivers who paved the way before her.
‘I’ve talked to a few female drivers in the past who were older and I asked for advice… and they were like, “stop posting swimwear pH๏τos, this just makes women make look so bad in the industry,”‘ she told Dailymail.com in an exclusive interview.
‘If you’re truly about feminism and women in the industry, you should allow them to be who they wanna be and not put them in that box. Like you should not say, “OK you can’t wear makeup, you have to dress a certain way, you can’t post certain things.” I think that’s honestly anti-feminist.’
While she says some have viewed her as an ‘influencer pretending to be a racecar driver’ in the USF Pro 2000 Championship – which is two tiers below IndyCar – her history in racing far predates her vast social presence of 2.1 million Instagram followers.
Brewer started go-karting at 11 years old, and built a name for herself in the youth racing world as she eventually switched to driving road cars.
While the Colorado native would later take four years off from racing to attend college, the hiatus still served her racing career. She returned from her break in 2019 with a larger social presence and a greater understanding of building her brand.
In the uber-pricey world of racing, Brewer’s lifestyle content – which includes behind-the-scenes YouTube vlogs too – helps. And now even some of her compeтιтors are asking for tips on securing sponsorships.
‘I didn’t really think that I was gonna be some sort of influencer or model in the space. Racing’s a very expensive sport,’ she said.
‘I posted swimwear pH๏τos with my friends on the beach, and of course I like doing that, I love modeling. But it just wasn’t something I’m as pᴀssionate about as racing.’
Not everyone was convinced a bleach-blonde, 112-pound influencer deserved a highly-sought spot as a professional driver. Not even one of her current engineers, he later admitted to her.
And while Brewer hasn’t quite dominated on the track of late, she’s shown herself to be a worthy compeтιтor.
In her first (partial) season of the USF Pro 2000 Championship, formerly known as the Indy Pro 2000 Championship, she finished 15th out of 20 driving for Exclusive Autosport.
This year, the results have regressed as she’s 19th of 21. But the snickers and the doubts from her compeтιтors have dissipated.
‘I think a lot of it went away once they saw how I could actually drive on the track,’ she said.
There isn’t exactly a blueprint to follow for being a driver, model and influencer.
But in terms of life on and off the track, there’s one name from the racing world she’s quick to mention as an inspiration: Danica Patrick.
Both the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race and a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, Patrick embraced the duality that Brewer strives to maintain in her own career.
And the 26-year-old sees no reason why her femininity can’t coexist with pole finishes.
‘I just hate being put in a box,’ she said.
‘I will always have my hair bleached, I’ll have my fake nails, but yet I can still be a bada** driver. I don’t wanna be put into certain categories. I still can take care of myself and look “glamorous” and girly, but still be quick on the track.’
Brewer is in small company as a female driver in the Indy ladder. She’s the only woman in her division, while Jamie Chadwick became just the second woman to drive full-time in second-tier Indy NXT in 13 years when she signed on in December.
But Brewer, who said she’s taken part in all-female track days to promote the sport amongst girls, relishes her role as an ambᴀssador of sorts.
‘I do feel a responsibility and a really big desire to be a role model for younger women,’ she said.
‘I think that’s super important. Not just in racing but just in different male dominated industries in general like in STEM, in business. Like I just think it’s important to be a role model for younger women.’
While she’d love to see more women racing beside her there are advantages to being a rarity in her sport.
Her strong social presence has helped her secure sponsorships with C4 Smart Energy and Surge Trader, while there have also been partnerships with Pirelli, Evian and RayBan.
Followers will also see her trips to locales like Ibiza and Mykonos – though Brewer insists these sort of excursions are about networking. ‘Everything I do is for my racing,’ she said.
Regardless, her status as a woman in a male-dominated field has provided obstacles as well as advantages.
And she isn’t apologizing about the perks that have come her way.
‘Some people do have a chip on their shoulder because they aren’t able – even guys in the racing industry – they aren’t able to get money to support their racing careers, and a lot of them are very talented,’ she said.
‘I try to not take it personally… some people may look at me and not like the way I’ve been able to get my sponsorship, and some people may look up to it.’