Rebuilding the Racer Within: Strength Beyond the Speedway
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Car
1996 IndyCar
IndyCar is a type of race car used in IndyCar racing. Saying “1996” points to a specific time period, and race cars from then were built with different rules and technology than today.
Company
Redline Synthetic Oil
Redline Synthetic Oil is a company that makes lubricants like engine oil and gear oil. They’re sponsoring the podcast in this intro segment.
Term
gear oils
Gear oil is special oil used in places like transmissions and differentials. It helps gears move smoothly and protects them from damage under heavy load.
Term
fuel additives
Fuel additives are products you mix into fuel. They’re meant to help the fuel burn more cleanly and keep parts of the fuel system from getting gunked up.
Term
motor oils
Motor oil is what keeps an engine’s moving parts from grinding against each other. It also helps cool the engine and protects it from wear.
Term
assembly lubes
Assembly lube is oil used when building an engine or gearbox. It helps protect parts right away during assembly, before the normal oil system is running.
Term
water wetter
Water wetter is an additive you put into a cooling system. The goal is to help the coolant move heat away more effectively so the engine runs cooler.
Concept
ladder board
In racing, a “ladder” means moving up step-by-step through different levels of competition. It’s like a career path: you start small and work your way to bigger, faster series.
Car
Formula Ford 1600
Formula Ford 1600 is a beginner-to-intermediate open-wheel racing class. The “1600” means the cars use a 1.6-liter engine, and it’s often where drivers learn the basics before moving up.
Car
Formula Mazda
Formula Mazda is a racing series that helps drivers move up the ranks. It’s the kind of step where teams can see how well a driver performs before bigger leagues.
Car
Indy cars
“Indy cars” are the high-level open-wheel racecars you see in IndyCar racing. Getting access to them usually means you’re being groomed for serious professional competition.
Topic
go-kart racing background
They talk about how her friends reacted when she started racing go-karts, and how that changed as she got more serious. It’s background for her racing journey.
Term
re-honed
Re-honing is when a machine shop re-smooths the inside of an engine cylinder. The goal is to help the piston rings fit and seal well again.
Term
carbon fiber work
Carbon fiber work means making or repairing parts out of carbon-fiber composite. It’s popular in race cars because it can be very light and stiff.
Concept
track feedback phrased for a mechanic
They’re talking about how to explain what you feel on track in a way a mechanic can actually use. The key is being specific about when it happens in the corner and what it feels like, so the right system gets checked.
Term
toe
Toe is an alignment adjustment that changes the direction the wheels point. If it’s off, the car can feel unstable or “loose,” and tires can wear unevenly.
Term
apex exit
“Apex exit” means the moment you’re coming out of the tightest part of a turn. It’s where the car’s balance and traction really matter, so it’s a useful time to describe what feels wrong.
Term
downforce
Downforce is the “squishing” force from the air that presses the car harder onto the road. More downforce usually helps the tires grip better in corners.
Term
wings
“Wings” here are the aerodynamic parts on a race car that help it stick to the track. Changing them can change how much grip the car has.
Concept
karting to cars
Karting and race cars feel different to drive. Moving from karts to cars usually means learning new ways to control the car and communicate what it’s doing so it can be improved.
Concept
methodical driving
“Methodical” here means driving in a careful, consistent way. Instead of just going as fast as possible, the driver focuses on doing things the same way so the team can understand what the car is doing and improve it.
Concept
IndyCar test
An IndyCar test is like a practice session, but with a purpose. The team tries to learn how the car is working and make it better—first by keeping it safe and intact, then by going faster.
Term
setup
In racing, “setup” means how the car is adjusted for the track. If the setup is “bad,” the car handles poorly, and the team changes settings to make it drive better and faster.
LIVE
Hey y'all, this is Myanna Wick, I'm the driver of a 1996 IndyCar, and this is the J.P. Emerson
Show.
Welcome to the J.P. Emerson Show, where we ride shotgun as you tell your story.
Here's your host, J.P. Emerson.
Welcome back to the J.P. Emerson Show, provided by Redline Synthetic Oil, offering technical
support and more than 100 quality products, including motor oils, gear oils, assembly lubes,
fuel additives, and water wetter to the automotive, motorcycle, marine, and industrial markets.
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Visit them at meekum.com.
Today's guest is one of the most compelling voices in racing today, not just because
of her talent, but because of the life behind it.
From a homemade go-kart track on a Colorado farm to testing her 1996 IndyCar, her journey
has been anything but ordinary.
She's overcome major health challenges, rebuilt her career from the ground up, and carries
a perspective shaped by faith, family, and fierce determination.
She's resilient, she's real, and she's here to share the story behind the driver.
It's my pleasure to welcome Mianna Wick.
How you doing, Mianna?
I'm good.
How are you?
I'm doing good.
I'm doing good.
First thing I'm going to say, before we get to tell us about yourself, which is the first
question we will normally ask is, your videos on socials are really cool.
I really enjoy seeing them, so I wanted to throw that in there because I know we're going
to get to that, but I don't know how you do them, honestly.
It takes so much time for us to do things, but you seem to crank them out on a pretty
regular basis and people seem to love them.
Well, thank you.
I really appreciate that.
The media thing has been kind of a new thing for me, so thank you.
I really appreciate that.
You're very welcome.
So let's get into it.
Tell us a little bit about yourself or anyone out there who may not have heard of you.
They're not familiar with you, what you do, or what you're all about.
Yeah, my name is Mianna Wick.
My name stems from both my parents.
My mom's name is Susanna.
My dad's name used to be Mike, so they cut that and put it together and made Mianna.
I am the driver of a 1996 vintage Indy car, and I'm just truly blessed to be where I'm
at in my career.
I have to ask because the first thing people are going to say, other than the fact
that they're going to be compelled to figure out exactly how special that that name is,
is they heard 1996 Indy car.
And I can tell you that is what they heard out of that first sentence.
So how did you get into that?
Yeah, honestly, it was a godsend.
I it's so surreal that I'm even here myself.
I started out in go carts and then I traversed my way up through the ladder board and made
it to Formula Ford 1600, which is like a lower level car.
And then Formula Mazda and got picked up by a team really early on in my career.
And they actually used to work with Mario and Michael Andretti, like Newman Haas,
all the big wigs back in the 90s.
And they had access to these Indy cars.
And they're like, we want to train you to be the next thing.
So that's what happened.
So get into that.
I love the way you said back in the 90s, like it was 100 years ago.
But that's OK. We're going to let that fly.
Well, I was born in 96.
So for me, that's like a lifetime ago.
Well, sure. How how did that all come about?
But but before you get to that, how did you get into racing?
I understand, you know, there's a little go cart track out there.
You you you were doing all the things.
You know, I I'm I'm probably going to care about this.
But these aren't things that little girls are typically doing at that time.
And I want to and preface that by saying
because you said back in the 90s, that's the time I'm talking about,
because certainly little girls are certainly raising we here from them every single day.
But how did that happen?
How did that come about for you?
Yeah, it all basically stemmed from my dad.
We had actually had a short period of time
where we moved around pretty consistently.
And we were just really finding a lack of hobbies
and a way to connect in a community.
And so my dad's like, hey, we're going to build a family go cart
and we're just going to have a blast.
We're going to have a good time.
And at that point, I'm like, eh, whatever.
I was always that kid that was just like the free spirit.
Like I'll just join whoever is doing whatever
and join in the social aspect of whatever was going on.
Well, when my dad built that go cart, I was like,
you know, this is kind of fun, but it was dirt.
It was built for all the family members.
So I was like, I like this, but it wasn't my passion.
And then my dad being so mechanically inclined,
so focused on motorsports was like, no, we're going to get serious about this.
We're going to get asphalt go carts.
I'm going to build like a quarter mile track in our backyard.
And when I got involved in that, it was like a Briggs and Stratton,
which is practically like a lawnmower engine.
Sure. And I would literally stay out on the track running for hours
until my cart would run out of gas.
It was it was addictive to me. So fun.
How did at whatever age that was,
how did your friends at the time react to you being
the girl driving a go cart on a track all the time?
Were you were you one of the kids that that all your friends were like,
well, let's go over to her house or was it, you know, maybe not so much?
Yeah, it's kind of interesting because.
I was I was homeschooled my whole life,
so it wasn't the normal public school kind of interactions that you would expect.
My dad was pastoring at a church at that point.
And so we were very involved in church community.
And just we were always at the church.
So it's like, even though we had this cool thing in this cool sport at our house,
there really wasn't a lot of times that my friends really came over and rode carts.
They were always like, hey, that's cool.
But that's something like my Anna does.
It was kind of a removed situation for them.
But when I started getting more competitive, hitting the national scenes,
like I definitely had those handful of friends that were like cheering
and like the best squad.
Sure, sure.
You know, it's when I think about, you know, certainly today,
they're they're more prevalent all over the country.
But, you know, the go-karts, the dirt racers,
the, you know, the the other whatever racing, you know,
it's more prevalent everywhere and not so much in your area
of the country at the time.
Was that did you were you just happy
racing on the backyard track or were there tracks
where you can explore your competitiveness in the area?
Yeah, that's a great question.
Actually, later on in my career, I was talking to Wally Dalambeck
and one of his biggest advice points to me was to move
because you're exactly right here in the western part of the state.
Kind of middle here.
It's there's not really racing like out east.
Everybody's racing every weekend.
Everybody knows everybody.
It's a different community.
It's a different feel, not here.
But when I started, I started at 10 and then
very quickly, we started moving to wanting to get competitive
and involved in a competitive series.
And so I was 12 years old, so a two year gap there.
And we entered my first club race, which was about an hour away
of where we lived.
And it was a great track.
We went there.
A team was like, wow, excuse me.
They were like, wow, we really love everything that my Anna is doing.
Like we can't believe she just started driving, basically.
And so they're like, let's let's have you come and race for us
in the next race, which ended up being a regional race at that same track.
And I ended up taking second there.
And they're like, holy smokes.
We want you on our national team, which was also just a big thing
because, like you said, there wasn't a ton of racing.
And so to have a hometown, I mean, that's what it was for me
being an hour away, a hometown national team stationed here.
That was huge.
So they picked me up and my third race was in nationals.
And then we just kept flying from there.
Was there.
I mean, think of the best way that to ask is,
were there many girls racing at that time?
Or were you not just because of your of your talent at that level,
but at the time, were you more of the you got to see this girl race?
Yeah, yeah, it's this is so fun to me because my dad, he always said,
play the cards that you're dealt.
And obviously, one of the cards that I have is that I'm a female
and there are some negatives and there are some positives.
And he said, just play him because you have him.
And I love playing this one and just choosing to see the positives
that come from it.
So when when I went to nationals, I mean, even regionals,
there is not there was not a lot of women.
I mean, maybe a handful.
I'm talking five out of the whole national circuit that we would ever see.
And they there were some that were pretty competitive,
but there weren't a ton that were like, this is what I want to do.
Like I want to be the next Danica Patrick or whatever they might say.
And it's a little bit interesting because the route I have taken
is very open wheel heavy, not necessarily on the sports car route or even dirt.
And in my opinion, there's a lot more females in racing,
in those kind of corners of racing.
And so to be in this kind of niche aspect of racing
is there's even less females involved here.
Yeah, absolutely.
OK, on that same vein, I think it's cool that you were talking about.
You know, what what other things were going on at that time,
especially with at the time, you know, the young young girls racing.
And there weren't very many of them.
But also, you know, racing, of course, is let's call it an extra curricular
at the time, especially at that age.
Also, your family is very prevalent in everything that you do.
And of course, you know, it's very much a constant thread.
You reference your family and your upbringing
in most everything that I've seen of yours in one way or another.
When did the racing part become personal to you?
Not something that was I'm going on Saturday with my family to do this.
When did it become something that was more consuming
to you than just something you did?
Yeah, the second that we moved to asphalt cars.
So in that like 10 to 12 age range, that's really when I was like,
this is mine, this is my passion.
This is what I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.
Now, I'm going to jump right right ahead here to something
because this is something that struck me
and why I wanted to ask the question I just did.
When when did it become something more to you?
Because when I when I read this information about you,
this was something I thought I actually underlined it and said,
I've got to bring this up because at the time when you're 10 or 12,
you know, a young lady racing, you know, you've got different things going on.
But especially to all the ladies out there,
this is someone and I had to read this again,
who literally met her future husband when she was one.
How how did that happen?
And no, granted, you know, you probably weren't, you know,
too interested in boys or anything at the time.
But how do you look back on that now and and and say
not only was my family part of this my entire life,
but this person right here was in one way or another as well.
Yeah. Oh, this is so fun.
So actually, I really I was really into boys like I was that kid.
I was that girl that loved social stuff
and loved all the normal things that a teenage girl did.
And so even from a really young age, like I'm talking like 456
like I would tell everybody, hey, my dream car is a suburban
because someday I'm going to marry a man and I'm going to have a hundred kids
and we're going to feel that suburban up and we're going to live our life.
So even from a younger age before carding, like I loved family.
I love the idea of being a wife.
I loved the idea of everything that it stood for and how that would play out.
And so my husband and I meeting him at one years old was just another god thing
just completely placed in my life.
We had been going to the same church.
Our parents basically decided to go to the same church and they knew each other.
And they were like, let's become friends.
They did all the get togethers.
And even throughout my life, there was not a time
that we wouldn't get together at least probably once a month.
And so I was seeing my current husband now, Ryan,
at least once a month throughout all of this.
And it's funny to hear his side of the story because he's like
as you started to get more competitive in racing,
I started seeing myself distance from you.
Like he's like, you have this life that I had no idea about.
And he's like, you just weren't you weren't the same around us.
But somehow throughout all of this, God just kind of pulled us back together
when I started becoming of age that I was like, OK, let's get serious
about dating now, that kind of thing.
God was like, you've got a perfect guy here.
Your family loves him.
He's a good Christian man.
Like let's let's check this one out.
That's a I can't say enough that what a cool story that is.
I mean, especially, you know, someone who can honestly say,
I've known this person my entire life, which is certainly you.
If if and again, I have to have to transition a little here
and clarify that this this next thing I'm going to ask is is absolutely
about your racing, but you you progressed incredibly fast.
And this we are talking about racing here.
What allowed you to adapt so quickly to the the phases of racing
that you were going through, you know, you cannot say, Ryan,
he's not in the picture at the moment.
So how did that happen?
Yeah, again, that's just pure God.
Like I have had this natural talent from I believe from birth.
God, my this is a little bit funny, but my dad always used to say,
you know, you just you just have it in the studio pants.
You know, you got a good butt and that is an interesting way to put it.
But it's also so very true, like even from the very beginning,
getting into carts and all the way now driving into a vintage Indy car.
I drive by the seat of my pants and it's just I can feel things and I can.
I just know how to respond to it.
I know how to act like it's like the car and I are almost one.
And so it's it's always just been second nature to me to handle it that way.
You know, it's interesting that you said that because, you know,
we have many people on our show from professional drivers to
young people that are just starting out.
We do ask this question quite a bit when you're in the car so much,
you can feel things, you can sense things, you know,
when something's not quite right or something's handling very well.
Does that give you an advantage to convey that information in the same
type of language that let's call it a crew or a mechanic or somebody
where you can instead of saying something's wrong with the right front,
you know, and they have to investigate, you can you can narrow it down and say,
hey, I'm feeling this vibration at, you know,
5500 RPMs and I can feel it pulling slightly in this direction.
And that directs them to to more of looking for what what you're
experiencing instead of just saying things in generic terms.
Does that help you?
Yes and no, there is something completely different from feeling the car
and knowing how to react as a driver and being able to relate that to
mechanics terms.
And this is actually something that my past crew chief,
David Hoffbauer really worked a lot with me on.
And we ended up taking the Indy car before I had even sat in it and
tore it all apart.
We redid the engine, re-honed everything.
We did carbon fiber work, did work on the body work.
And then I put it back together with him side by side.
And that created a much better relationship of this is what I'm feeling on
track and this is how I need to say it and present it to a mechanic.
When I'm on track, I might feel, hey, my rear end is kind of, you know,
loose, it's stepping out on me to a mechanic.
That doesn't mean much unless you can say, okay, on apex exit,
I think my, my toe is it needs adjusted or my wings need more
downforce coming into this corner.
You know, there's a million things, but to be able to relate that and say,
Hey, this is an engine issue.
This is a chassis issue or quite frankly, this is a driving issue.
Those are much different things than being able to respond as a driver on track.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I guess I can understand that for sure.
I think you make a good point.
I wonder, I wonder how your first IndyCar test developed versus when you're
doing something similar today.
If you can see the growth in both yourself and what that first test was
like for you then versus is it, I know it's never run of the mill when you're
in a race car, but is it more, okay, I'm in here, I'm doing business in the car.
You know, I understand what's going on.
What's the delta between your first time and your most recent time and what
kind of growth have you experienced in that timeframe?
So much.
And I can even express even more differentiation from karting to cars now.
When I was karting, it was fun, it was fast, it was all about speed.
It was throwing the thing around, but now it's very methodical.
The very first IndyCar test that I ever had, literally the goal was to
bring the car back in one piece.
Don't, don't, you know, crash it, don't bring it back in humble jumbles or whatever.
Now the goal is that goal, but also be fast.
And when we're working on specific things on test days, that goal changes as well.
Like some days when we were out on track, we were testing a bad setup.
Me just being able to drive as, as well as I possibly could and as fast as I
could with a bad setup.
And then there were days that we were trying to work on getting that
setup better, et cetera.
So to respond to that is it's such a, it's such an overarching question.
It's such a big question, but yes, there has been 100% change.
And I actually was talking to my husband about this yesterday of how
earlier in my career, it was fun.
It was great.
I was always very serious in my career, but it's now moved to this portion where
almost the jitters and I don't want to say excitement because I have so
much excitement going to the track every single time.
Like it's so fun and such a treat.
But also I am responding now like a professional athlete would.
Like it's serious.
There is a list of to-dos.
There's X, Y and Z when I get in the car.
And so me having the methodical and analytical brain that I do, it was very
much, it's very much cut and dry of what I need to do when on track now.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I, you know, with anyone else in any profession, but since we're talking
racing and the racing profession, it's not every day I get in a car and I race.
You know, there is a whole life going on and your racing is just a portion of that.
Personally, you've gone through some challenges.
Family wise, you went through some, some difficult times.
And these are things that, that you're very open about.
What have those instances and times taught you about a, who you are.
And also, because again, we're talking racing, how you can be better.
Yeah, I, there has been so much stuff that has shaped me into the person I am.
Just going through all the health issues and especially watching my dad go
through cancer and having to make the call to actually step aside from racing to
be with him throughout his cancer and his final years.
It really taught me that racing is what I do.
It's not who I am.
And that was a big pill to swallow to say the least.
I have been addicted to racing since I was 10 years old.
It's been what I've been about.
And honestly, it has honestly taken too much control over my life for a certain
portion of that time.
And it made me lose track of the things that really matter.
And my crew chief actually pulled me aside one day when my dad was pretty sick
and he was like, Hey, he told me some personal stories.
And he said, I want you to be able to step aside and say 10 years down the road.
I I'm going to regret X, Y and Z if I don't do it.
And he said, your dad has limited time and you can't get that back.
And he said, racing is it's fun.
It's something we do.
But there is something about being in this world that people are what
matter to me and it's not necessarily what what we get to do.
And the fun we get to have along the way as much.
I think you made an excellent, an excellent point because I was going to
bring up, you know, you saying, you know, this is what you do, not who you are.
Because life is so much bigger than an event.
You know, it's it's so much bigger than a trophy you may win.
That's ultimately going to go on a shelf every now and then it's going to get
dusted off or, you know, or forgotten about.
And, you know, there's so much more to life than
just what it is that you do, you know, for myself, personally.
For me, it's it's like who else is sharing this this life?
You know, who can I help?
Who can I do something for?
And I think I think you hit it on the head
because if we veer just slightly into
how strong you are in your faith, you know, I mean, you had mentioned, you know,
you want to be more Christlike.
And I realize this is an automotive show, guys, but, you know what?
Everybody has something that's personal to them.
And this is something that's personal to you.
Along that thought, how does that
affect or how what does that look like in your competitive world
right now, being more like that and also
also being, you know, the brute racer and, you know, and winning.
You know, it's, you know, we hear all the time, you know, hey,
you know, you step on the corridor between the lines or whatever it is.
You know, you're you're going to battle with your best friend,
but you're going to step off the court and, you know, you're going to be best
friends again. How does that? How does that affect you?
Yeah, it's been a giant learning curve.
That's for sure in life.
Like everything in my soul is so competitive.
It's like even when I drive like every day, I have major road rage
and my husband's like, calm down, you know, like it's not that big a deal.
But it's like it's just it's it's made and it's woven into who I am
and how I respond act.
But like you say, when you have something that really makes you start
thinking and wondering when the rubber meets the road,
what really matters that has completely changed everything in my life.
When and specifically when I got sick and when my dad got cancer
and I kind of had to step away from racing,
it really put me into this place where I assume a lot of athletes
get put if they can't do their sport of who am I?
If I don't have this sport, what is my identity?
And it really made me step back and realize that my identity is in Christ.
It is who I am.
It is in loving him and that we here on this earth,
we have such a blessing and such a opportunity to get to show people Christ love.
And we get to share that with others and help them, like you say,
along the way and connect with people.
I I love people.
People are my jam.
And I have learned that so deeply throughout all of this that
when the rubber meets the road, people mean more to me than what's on the track.
And so I just have to consistently remind myself of that when I get
going in the day to day to do's or get super competitive on track.
Sure, sure.
You know, there's always a time when when when you're you're
meeting someone or having a conversation with someone where
things veer one way or another.
In this case, it's a little deeper than than what we were talking about.
But of course, that's what makes you you.
But another thing that makes you you is because I've seen again,
I've seen the videos, you know, I've seen these things is
is your ability to, you know, inspire and uplift other people.
So I think I want to put you on the spot right now, if that's OK with you.
Please go for it. OK.
So let me throw these at you.
OK. It's not quite as deep.
But what makes you laugh at it every single time you hear it, see it?
What is that one thing that you just can't help but giggle about?
I'm like a chronic person for laughing at myself.
Like, I just I have this mind that works differently, I think.
And so I just I make myself lack.
I'll just be sitting doing nothing and then I'll just start busting,
like literally laughing out loud.
And it's just because some random thought that I thought or some video
I remembered or whatever.
OK. All right. All right.
I can see that.
So again, if if if we pivot a little bit here,
you're talking about what makes you laugh every single time.
So I'm going to put you even more on the spot.
Who's funnier? You or your husband?
Oh, definitely me.
Would he agree? Would he agree with that?
No. Yeah.
Not my corn. No.
OK.
Well, who thinks they're funny, but they're really not.
Oh, that could that's probably me.
There is a lot of humor out there that nobody else is laughing,
and I'm the only one laughing, but I'm fine with that, because I think it's funny.
OK. So.
What was the last song you sang out loud?
Oh, that's a great question.
I actually think it was Garden in Manhattan by Josiah Queen.
They were playing it.
Yeah, they was actually playing where we had lunch today and made me sing it.
You were singing it out loud when you were at lunch.
I know I'm not one of those who sings out in public like that,
but I heard it in public and then I sang it in private.
OK, OK.
Have you ever seen people in the car?
They're just belting it out, but they come to like a red light or a stop sign
and then they stop and they turn down the radio.
I mean, why do people do that?
I don't know. That was not my sister.
She literally was like hard corp music all the time.
Like my dad literally had to tell her, no, your music is distracting you
when you're driving, you are not driving correctly.
So turn it down.
OK.
What is one thing that you are
comically terrible at?
Comically terrible.
Expand on that a bit.
Something that other people just shake their head.
And they're like, well, here she goes again, you know, or not.
You can just tell me something you're terrible at.
That's fine.
Um, oh, man, I'm kind of OK.
Not everybody hates it, but I'm kind of really into dark humor.
So is this a touchy subject?
But I am one of those people who have lived through lots of trauma.
I've lived through lots of heartache.
And one of the ways that I've gotten through that is laughter
and literally just being able to find the positive and looking at it
glass half full and being the eternal optimist that I've always been.
And so like literally my dad passing, like, I don't know,
there'll be something and I'll be like, oh, yeah.
Oh, for instance, my husband will say, oh, you know, he'll miss speaking.
He'll say, well, we'll need to invite your dad to Thanksgiving
or to this date or whatever.
And I'll be like, that's going to be real hard because my dad's dead
and he's been dead for a while.
And like that kind of stuff just cracks me up.
But oftentimes the room is like
flat faced and I'll be like, OK, moving on. Yeah.
If if you're let's say you're out of the track or maybe just out in general,
you know, you think about a driver or crew also, actually anyone involved.
They're all everyone's an athlete in one way or another.
But when you're when you're driving, you're not just sitting in a car,
you know, making a left or making a right or hitting the gas pedal
or whatever the case may be.
But you know, there's a lot more to it than that.
What is your secret go to cheat food or junk food?
Oh, junk food.
I am a Carboholic or as my family likes to call it, a Carby Barbie.
I I love carbs.
So anything like French fries, chips, goldfish,
that's like my that's my cheat snack right there.
OK, all right.
All right, well, let's let's see how brave you are.
What's your most embarrassing moment that you're brave enough to share?
Oh, I got OK, I've got some good ones.
The probably the most embarrassing to this day.
As I mentioned earlier, my dad was a pastor at a church.
And so I was the P.K. I was very watched.
We were my family, my dad, my sister,
my mom and I were doing this kids program with the church.
And I was in it, I was performing in it.
And we were trying to do this dance move where I did a handstand.
And then somebody came up behind me and picked me up by the legs
and spun me around dot, dot, dot.
My dad was trying to.
My dad was trying to teach kids how to do this.
So literally all of my peers are sitting watching my dad and I do this.
And my dad grabs me by the legs, pulls straight up
and literally everything comes off, like not just my pants,
like my underwear, everything.
I am stark naked.
And my dad has no idea.
Like he's just going on and dancing, all this stuff.
And I'm like screaming, like, put me down.
And everybody's like, oh, please, just put her down.
And so, yeah, that I have officially been depanced by my father.
OK, pretty bad one.
See the amazing things that you learn on this show.
Yes.
So the other end of the spectrum.
And I have to imagine that there's something here
that that fills this this question.
What hill are you willing to die on something silly
that you will argue about till you're blue in the face?
What will that be?
Yes, yes.
Well, I'm very competitive and I'm very tight based.
So there's a lot of things that I should probably let go, but don't.
But there is this one thing that sticks out in my mind.
That's just it's ridiculous.
I should really let it go, but I won't.
So in Driver's Ed, which is forever ago,
I distinctly remember.
If you're coming up to a four way stop,
it's always who gets there first.
And if you get there at the same time,
it's the person to the right that gets to go.
OK, well, if you come up to a two way stop sign,
it's not that way.
People treated as first come, first serve,
like even if someone is coming straight
and then they're trying to turn in front of you.
If the straight person comes to the stop signs first,
they're going to go like, no, that's not the rules.
It's this is just something that I'm going to die on.
It's not the first person to come.
It's always the first person.
It's always the person going straight.
And the person turning is always supposed to yield to the alternate person.
And so many people do this wrong.
I've literally had this conversation with so many friends of mine
to the point where we have literally dug up
like Driver's Ed.
In Colorado forms to prove that I'm right here.
OK, OK, all right.
I know what you're saying is true.
I do know that that's true, especially, you know,
if you're pulling in front of somebody, you have to yield to them.
But we'll leave that go for now.
So now that we've poked a little bit of fun,
you're getting back into competitive racing.
What what does that rebuilding?
What does that process look like day to day for you?
What's a day in the life for you like currently?
Chaos, there is so many different strings attached to rebuilding.
It's like there's so many moving parts to the racing community and the racing world,
like something that a lot of people probably don't really know about.
Serious like career straight racing is how diverse you really need to be
in one person like you have to be really good at marketing.
You have to be really good at media.
You have to be a good spokesperson.
You have to be and then you have to be the athlete, you know,
you have to go to the gym and then you have to be good on the mechanical side.
So rebuilding and getting back into that has been so diverse.
It's been a lot of focus on the gym, but it's not like, you know,
like when I envision an Olympic athlete and I've actually not had a conversation
with any one of them, so I could be completely wrong.
But I envisioned that a lot of their life circles around their timed nutrition,
making the correct diets and nutritional choices that they need to,
getting in the gym and doing their whatever reactionary training or doing
mobility training, recovering all of this.
And that is going to take up hours in a day.
And then they just repeat that day after day.
For me, it's like I need to be spending those hours in the gym,
but I also need to be posting on media and I also, you know,
need to be doing all this other stuff as well as with all of my health complications.
I am still needing to be very cautious of how much sleep that I get
and making sure that my body is still recovering from past traumas.
And so honestly, my day to day looks a lot like sleeping a lot,
like genuinely, I probably spend at least 10 hours in bed every day,
if not more just trying to get the recovery that I need to and letting my mind
process everything.
And then I'm in the gym a couple hours a day at minimum
and then doing whatever recovery I need to.
And then a lot of it is media work.
I have recently signed with Pegasus Motorsports Group,
which I am so excited about Ralph Hansen Jr.
has been an incredible asset to my racing career and he has pulled me so far along.
And so right now in my career and in the rebuilding phase,
it's a lot of communication with him.
It's a lot of seeing what the next steps are
and deciding together of who needs to do what
and how we can't make the next things happen.
What part of everything that's involved has stretched you the most?
What what part of it is, you know, I need to do this, but I got to do this.
I need to take a little bit from this to do this.
What is the most difficult part for you?
Yeah, I think probably the biggest part is balancing media.
Media is a never ending nag at your shoulder,
as I'm sure every person on this planet is aware of.
But for me, it's not just a hobby.
It's what generates, you know, interviews.
It's what generate, generate sponsorship connections.
And that is so very important.
So for me, it's balancing, do I sit and do I eat my meal
without my face in my phone or do I post at the correct time?
That's, you know, algorithm likes better and whatnot.
And it's just it's that constant battle of am I am I being true to who I am as a person?
Or am I letting this career kind of overtake who that is?
Yeah, yeah, I definitely understand the point about the media.
Yes.
You know, you you've said in the past that that what you do is is more about.
The impact than the racing.
What what what does impact look like for you right now?
What is most impactful for you?
What's the most important thing that you're doing to impact the world right now?
So many things I think God can use so many different avenues
to touch people in a way that is meaningful.
However, the things that kind of stick out to me that I believe that I'm most
called to do right now is share my life and my story.
And so that means actively talking and speaking with young girls or women's
group or churches or, you know, even school communities and all sorts of that stuff.
And so I have been really diving deep down into kind of the speaking aspect
of my career to get that part rolling.
OK.
I mean, you make a great point when you're when you're talking about
speaking to I like to calm the next generation or the next next generation
because the next generation is already among.
What what one moment talking specifically about not just racing,
but will include it, but also how you approach things.
What one moment changed everything for you?
The moment that I met my team,
loophole racing is probably that that sticks out the most.
They were the most selfless team that I have ever met in the racing community.
And I love the race and community like their family.
I will do a lot for them.
And I'm also going to be honest about it, that a lot of the race
and community is pretty cutthroat.
They are they are really focused on self in my personal assessment.
And meeting loophole racing, it opened my eyes to that.
You can be amazing and incredible at what you do.
And you can still impact people and you can still love people
and literally give the shirt off your back and protect that
with everything that you have and still accomplish everything you help to accomplish.
So I would say to be more selfless in the community.
And that loophole showed that to me.
You know, first of all, you signed with a really great group of people.
I mean, I I I don't know them personally, but I certainly have heard the name quite a bit.
Yeah, you mentioned you mentioned the possibilities of what lies ahead for you.
Again, let's let's talk about in the car, you know, vintage Indy, Indy,
you know, in the next, you know, all those different great series.
What excites you most for yourself?
Not necessarily for anyone else for yourself about those opportunities.
And and what do you hope to obviously with what do you hope to accomplish?
Moving forward in those particular, let's call them disciplines.
That's such a tough question because people are what I am excited about.
Like even more so than racing.
So when when you ask that question, my mind instantly goes to,
well, who's going to be involved and who's going to be there?
And how can I socialize with them and how can I bless them?
But outside of that, I think that that excites me the most is just the racing life.
It is so different from a normal everyday life, you know,
waking up at whatever time, seven a.m.
or whatever to get ready for your job, you go in, you do your eight to five,
you have your lunch, you come back, you sit on the couch, you watch some TV
and you go to bed like that's not the racing community.
It's it's exciting.
It's changing every second and it's flying from this place to this place.
You get to see so many new destinations.
You get to meet so many incredible people, but you also get to do it
with that tight knit family in whatever series that you're involved in.
And I think that is probably what I am most excited about.
Just the everyday life, the the travel, the getting to be at the track,
the the smells, the feelings and just getting to be around that environment.
You know, again, we have many people that have been guests on our show and.
I don't certainly ask this all the time, but, you know, the elephant in the room
and not so much in some, again, I use the word disciplines of racing,
but particularly in yours currently is is the females in motor sports.
Do you feel any pressure or do you see any any?
I'm not going to say any particular group,
but do you feel it's more difficult for a woman like yourself in motor sports
or or do you have any tougher challenges or hurdles?
Um, maybe not physically, because the car doesn't know if a male or female is driving it,
but, um, you know, there's there's outliers that do come into play.
Do you ever feel any of that?
Yeah, all the time.
And that brings me back to kind of what my dad originally said of play the car
that you're dealt.
I mean, being a woman in this sport is so unique.
And there are more and more females being involved in it, but it is still
such a different world for a female.
And even though, like you mentioned the strength, yeah, the car doesn't know
if you're a man or a woman driving it, but there is still a fundamental biological
difference between male and females.
And so being able to play to the strengths as a woman is really key.
You're always going to have the negatives.
You're always going to have the it's it's harder to physically maneuver the cars.
It's harder to do X, Y and Z that a man can do better.
But then there's also the other side that for certain companies, having a woman
to sponsor is more attractive to them.
It's it's better for media.
You know, like there is positives and negatives to both sides.
And I think if I was a man, I think there would be positives and negatives
just the same as there are for me as a woman.
Sure, sure. Absolutely.
Again, if I jump back briefly, you've partnered with Pegasus, a company
I'm very familiar with, what what do you hope?
Your next chapter can be or will be with them.
On your side, what what what are you hoping to accomplish?
Again, other than winning races, but there's so much more to a
I'm not even going to call them a sponsorship.
I'm going to call it a partnership.
There's so much more to it.
What do you hope to to accomplish with them and also bring to them?
Yeah, it's definitely a partnership.
There is immense communication, give and take.
It's just such a different dynamic than a sponsorship would be.
And there is so many things that I want to do.
And the person I am is I love to have my actions speak more than my words.
But that being said, I have goals and I have all these dreams.
I would love to be able to be in a position to partner with a company
in the future that aligns with my morals, my faith aspects.
I mean, I have no idea what God has planned, but I know it's going to be great.
Whatever it is, but it's been a little bit honestly, difficult
building up to this point, because I've I've honestly had to turn down
sponsorships and opportunities for driving for people because they have
not aligned with my core beliefs and that has been super hard.
And just one more little notch in the road.
But teaming up with Pegasus has been so monumental because we can now
take all this data, all this, OK, this is who I want to connect with.
And we use their networks, we use my networks.
And then we just keep pursuing that further.
And there's been so many conversations about charities that we can team up
with and connections.
And I think that's probably the one that I'm most excited about
because that's not one that I've really I've not gone down that road yet.
And so to be able to make that connection and to be able to streamline
that through Pegasus is so meaningful to me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you make a good point, especially about charities.
If if I can do this, this last.
Request, if you had a billboard anywhere.
Where would it be and what would it say?
Oh, where would it be?
It would definitely not be in my hometown.
I love my hometown, but even I mean, you can even see it in the Bible
with Jesus, it's so prevalent of that.
When you're connected with your community, they don't see you the same way.
And that's not necessarily a bad way, but it's just it's you can have more impact.
I've seen the further you reach out, the more you go out.
People are more and they more like to see what the up and coming thing is
rather than your past, I would say.
Um, but probably somewhere, I don't know.
I can't even decide the location just somewhere meaningful,
somewhere probably that has a lower demographic for believers
and people who have not heard about Christ.
My a big part of my soul is just to leave no ear unheard.
Like everybody has free will.
Everybody can make their own decision, but it is part of my responsibility.
I feel to let nobody know what they're missing.
And so to me, I would probably pick a part in the world that has not had that.
And honestly, I'd probably just pick a black background with white letters
and just say something like living by faith or love people, love God or love without agenda
or, you know, something like that, that just sticks with people and gets them thinking.
Hey, am I, is there a better way to life than I am currently living?
Yeah, you know, profound and well said.
So I will say that.
So for anyone out there who would like to find you, to follow you,
to see those really good videos on socials, where is the best place to do that online
on the web, on TikTok or where can they do that?
Yes, the best place is to go to my website, which is just www.myannawickracing.com.
And that will streamline you to all of my handles.
You can hit my YouTube up there.
You can hit my blog that I just started.
Sign up for my new newsletter that I'm actually just releasing.
You can hit Facebook.
All the things are right there.
So it just is kind of a hub where people can find what their niche is.
OK, all right.
Any supporters, mentors, people, anyone you'd like to give a shout out to right now?
Other than Ralph with Pegasus, because he has been just amazing.
And obviously the past David Hoffpauer and my dad, I would love to mention Deb Hoffpauer.
She was the wife of Dave Hoffpauer and she and I have always been friends.
She was literally a bridesmaid in my wedding.
We've been super close.
But through this time, it's been a little strained.
It's been a little bit of unknowns for us because we've lost our biggest connection
to each other, David, and being involved so much with racing together.
Like we aren't at the track all the time.
And we have been able over the past several months to really kindle that relationship
that we've had.
And she actually came to stay with me a couple of nights, not that long ago.
And it just showed how prevalent she is.
Like I have this view of racing that sometimes is too close.
I can't see the bigger picture.
I can't see the simple things.
And she has this personality that is just, we'll just contact them.
We'll just say this.
Well, why wouldn't you do this?
And to me, it's like, wow, duh.
Like why would I not?
And she's the biggest cheerleader anyone can have.
So obviously that's a huge asset.
But I would say she has been immensely impactful into my career throughout the whole time,
but more importantly throughout this rebuilding phase.
Yeah, yeah.
And we're going to give a shout out to your husband as well.
Anyone that's been around since one.
So my hat's off to you.
I could not do this without him.
He has been just an amazing support.
More than people realize being a spouse in this career is very hard.
There's a ton of unknowns and there's a lot of sacrifice.
And he has just been amazing through it all.
Good.
Good for him.
Good for him.
Meanna, A, I want to thank you for joining us.
I know, I know we didn't dig too much into, into a lot of racing, but I think,
again, just, just reading things on socials on your, on your page, et cetera.
And I did read a lot of them.
People are very interested in getting to know you and know about your racing,
but they were more excited to, to hear a little more behind the scenes and find
out more about, about yourself.
And I'm not sure we really, you know, delve too much into things that they may
not have known, but I think it's good to have the opportunity to express why you
feel a certain way or why you do things a certain way and give people an
opportunity to, to know you because, you know, for myself, especially in racing,
I personally believe that people follow the people that they like and care for,
not necessarily a team, not because they're winning.
You know, they, they want to, they want to follow and support people that are,
that are more like themselves.
And, and again, in reading the socials and the responses, you know, we did see
your post about coming on our show.
They, they were looking forward to, to getting to know more about you.
So I think that's something you take with you.
It's, you know, let people in a little bit and, you know, thought that you're not,
but let people in a little bit because they really want to be part of it with you.
Thank you so much.
And thank you again for this opportunity.
It is absolutely incredible to be able to have a place to share the bigger reason
and the story behind the fun stuff.
Absolutely.
You're more than welcome.
Well, what we will do is we will be in touch with you very soon.
We do appreciate you taking the time to, to join us and, and tell us and,
and, you know, what's going on and, and for, for folks at home, when you do get
to hear this, there was, there was a lot of, there's, there was a lot of chaos
on our side here during this, during this recording, but that's okay.
You know, little between, that'll be between, between us, but I do appreciate
you taking the time to, to agree to, to join us.
I'm so glad that people sent us messages and said, Hey, you really need
to check this, this person out.
So, because they did, because we ask all the time, Hey, who's really interesting?
Who's cool?
Who's somebody that we really should know about.
And, and you came up, I couldn't find you at first.
I was looking for the wrong last name.
But, but, but, but yeah, we, we certainly found you and we do appreciate
you taking the time to join us.
Well, thank you so much.
This has been incredible.
And I hope you get all your technology stuff figured out.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Okay.
We will talk to you again really soon.
Okay.
Thanks so much.
Sure.
Thanks for riding along with us.
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About this episode
Mianna Wick, driver of a 1996 IndyCar, traces her path from dad-built go-karts to Formula Ford 1600 and Formula Mazda, then into national-level racing and open-wheel training with access to Indy cars. The conversation turns practical: how to translate vibrations, pulling, and corner-phase issues into mechanic-friendly feedback, and how first IndyCar testing prioritized “one piece.” Between racing, faith, and rebuilding her career, she also discusses balancing media, partnerships, and turning down misaligned sponsorships.
Original notes
Mianna Wick joins The J.P. Emerson Show to share her journey from a backyard go‑kart track to driving a 1996 vintage IndyCar. She opens up about rebuilding her career with Pegasus Motorsports Group and her mission to inspire young women in motorsports. Along the way, Mianna’s humor, honesty, and grounded perspective shine through. It’s an uplifting conversation with a driver who proves that purpose runs deeper than speed.
Connect with Mianna here: [email protected]
Website: https://www.miannawickracing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miannawickracing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MiannaWick
Connect with Red Line Oil:
www.redline.com
Connect with Mecum Auctions:
www.Mecum.com
Connect with JP Emerson: www.jpemerson.com
Olivia “Liv” Harper, PR, Marketing, & Distribution Executive: www.jpemerson.com
The JP Emerson Show
Doug Sandler, JP Emerson, Turnkey Podcast Productions
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