Dirt Track Diaries Vol 1 Sarah Heil- "Revved Up: A Journey of Love, Healing, and Racing"

My name is Sarah Heil and I've been involved in the racing community for about six years (and counting...) Some of you may know me as the girl who competes in the Ms. Motorsports pageants, the helmet painter, driver portrait artist, beekeeper, 50/50 girl or the one in the infield taking pictures. Others know me as the psychology major or the holistic health practitioner.

I know, your'e probably wondering, "How did you end up in this community?" Well, to put it short... years back, I met this really cute dude named Johnny Bangs. When I first met him, I had little knowledge about the racing world. All I knew was cars go fast! And this special NASCAR term called "drafting". I had no idea what the hell stagger, a gear shift or a spacer was. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I didn't even know what dirt racing was. I only knew about asphalt racing . Yup, I know... what a ROOKIE. Hush now, we've all been there. (wink, wink).

Now let me get back to the story. This guy Johnny told me he drove these dirt cars called Crates! As you can imagine, I was like why the F*** are you putting wheels on storage bins! And then he showed me what a "Crate" was. Not long after, he brought me to my first ever race track to watch his friend race. You guessed it... I had the wrong clothes and white shoes, no sunglasses and I was NOT prepared for the ten minutes of scrubbing dirt out of my eyes, nose and ears....I definitely did not like he dirt flavored seasoning on my french fries. I know... I know... it was a test he was making sure I was dirt material. In short, this new scene took some time to get my grounding. I came in extremely shy, incredibly nervous and the loud, fast, dirty environment was not something I was used to.

But I was madly in love with this boy and I knew that while this life was completely 180 from mine, it was something I would have to learn if I wanted to be with him. Where are my ladies at, because you know the hurdles that come with being a racers partner. But coming into this world after never knowing of it, you really don't know how hard it is to adjust until youre in it. There's the countless hours that your man will spend in the garage, the spontaneous "boo boos" from them slipping and almost jabbing a wrench into their eye, and the emotional nights when youre watching them defeated as they stare at their wrecked car after a long night of racing. I did not know what I was getting into and it took some time to learn this world and the emotional toll that came with it.

I didn't know that this community would give to me. I had no idea how involved my life was going to become and I wouldn't trade it. I slowly came out of my little shell and started to become more social. Those who know my story, know how hard this was for me. When I was a teenager, I was sexually assaulted which lead to me developing complex post traumatic stress disorder and body dysmorphia. I was paranoid and scared to be around anyone and my shell was my favorite place to be. You can imagine the difficultly I faced especially being around a large amount of people every Saturday night with. I wanted to run and hide! But I will admit over time, this world helped give me some confidence, it slowly gave me friends and then it gave me family most importantly, it gave me the love of my life.

It took me a long time to find my place in the community but when I did I met so many people who helped my businesses flourish and built up my confidence. I started taking photos in the infield, helping out at the track when they were short 50/50 girls and then I took an artistic approach and began doing the driver portraits and helmets. Three years ago I participated in my first Ms. Motorsports pageant and here I am two years later after completing my third. That brings me to why I'm here typing this blog right now. In my interview for the pageant I spoke to the judges on how I wanted to make a difference in the community, have a place where everyone can share their stories, connect and be vulnerable.

If I learned anything from this world its that each driver, crew member, fan, friend and family has a story of "WHY". Why they do this, why they come every week, what this world means to them and the stories behind each one of them. I want to bring forth those stories in a safe space, forging connection and bringing a new perspective into the community. Stories of love, trauma, illness, trial and triumph. Your stories. This is now your blog, your place to share, connect and appreciate what this world brought to you.

My "why" started with Johnny. I come every week for him. He is my life and this is his dream so I've learned this world for him. Partners of racers understand this.

Ive watched Johnny pour his heart, sweat and soul into his work. Starting from the ground up with his teammate George Gaeris. To me, Johnnys story is inspiring, a story of trial and triumph as he went from starting small and breaking his back day after day on his Crate car to achieving his dream as a modified driver and becoming a manager of a well known racing company and then owner of his own. As a parter of a racer, I get to see this and I want to bring those stories out because I know just like Johnnys', there are many great stories we don't see and many of them inspiring.

I am thankful for all the things that this community has brought me that I never would have expected. It's my turn to give back.

You can email me or contact me to have your story features. lets build this blog, lets spread the connection, inspire and share the stories!