• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

NASCAR Pit Crew Member Brehanna Daniels Didn’t Know She’d Be a Trailblazer

Brehanna Daniels has forged new ground by becoming NASCAR’s first Black female tire changer. She says making history “never crossed my mind.”

Brehanna Daniels
Brehanna Daniels
Leo Messi
Exclusive

MLS Commissioner Don Garber Defends Messi Suspension

Messi was punished for skipping the MLS All-Star Game.
Read Now
August 1, 2025 |

Brehanna Daniels was in South Florida in mid-March as NASCAR descended on the Homestead-Miami Speedway for Sunday’s Cup Series race, the Straight Talk Wireless 400.

The first Black female tire changer in the sport—and one of the few women on a top-tier Cup Series pit crew—was working with Joey Gase’s team on his No. 53 car. Daniels is in her ninth season on the racing circuit as an independent contractor, consistently working with Gase and Casey Mears’s No. 66 car.

Daniels said she didn’t set out to be a trailblazer—but now understands her success can help guide NASCAR’s future. She spoke to Front Office Sports about how she broke into the sport, and managing short-term career promotion with building toward long-term goals. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is your day-to-day like as a tire changer?

Mondays, we usually have a drill day/film day. And then we’ll work out afterwards. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I have two practices at noon and 3 p.m. On race day, we have to report to the track when the garage opens, and then we go over to our team haulers. Sometimes there’s qualifying going on, but when there’s not, the team and I go over to the pit box and start setting up. We’ll clean the tires, glue the tires, and we’ll have a little bit of downtime before the race.

How competitive is your job? 


My profession is super competitive, especially my position being a tire changer. If I’m working on the car and—God forbid—if people see a tire rolling away from the car, they know that it was on you. So, the pressure is definitely on with tire changers. We have to make sure we move at a good pace, good speed, and to also make sure that the wheels are tight when it’s all said and done. You can’t have any loose lugnuts or wheels.

How did you decide to take the leap into NASCAR as a full-time career, especially when there were no other Black women to provide a template?

It was pretty random. I didn’t have a NASCAR background, and the only time I had seen it on television was for a split second. At Norfolk State, I was playing on the women’s basketball team and had an internship videoing/editing for games. One day, I was approached by a woman in the athletics department who told me that the NASCAR pit crew was going to be at school for a tryout. I asked her, “Why are you telling me this?” She showed me a video of a pit crew and said, “Something is telling me I should tell you this.”

I tried out in April 2016. I was the only woman there and did well enough to get invited to the national pit crew combine the next month, where there were only six women there. Someone said to me, “Women don’t make it like that.” But I didn’t care what they said. I was one of the top 10 selected to be a pit crew member.

I relocated to Charlotte in September of 2016, when I started. From September all the way to February, it was a six-month training period. Before I left, I ended up telling my friends, “I’ll probably be back after the six months, to be honest. Like, there’s no way I’m staying in NASCAR.” I only did eight races my first year. The longer I was doing it, I’m like, “Okay, this is actually pretty cool.” The more work I started getting, it started becoming more motivating, wanting to do better.

The idea of being a trailblazer and making history as the first Black woman in a NASCAR pit crew never crossed my mind until the opportunity happened.

You are one of a few women in a male-dominated sport. What are your longterm career aspirations? It was always one of my goals to be fully signed to a NASCAR team. But these teams, I don’t think they’re ready to bring a woman on full-time. I’ve been in the sport almost nine years—one of the best women they have. If they were to recruit one, it definitely would be me. But I don’t think they’re ready to take that jump yet. 

NASCAR has made significant strides, but like any sport, there is opportunity for more. It has been a mostly male environment. However, I do see this changing as more women continue to prove their capabilities and the sport continues to embrace our stories.  

How has the sport changed for women and underrepresented groups as you’ve been in it? Do you see the numbers changing?

Since I’ve joined NASCAR, you can see the difference now with more underrepresented groups being a part of the pit crews, which is a beautiful thing to see. There have been more women walking around the garage as well. There is still work to be done, especially getting more women in the pits. I feel like these big teams would have to be bold enough to finally start bringing the ladies in, but that really hasn’t happened yet. 

As you build your own profile, social media has become a big piece of it. How are you using your platforms to grow your career?

I just wanted people to know my story. And it’s crazy because some somebody asked me this: “What made you just start posting everything on social media?” And I’m like, “Well, if nobody else is going to post it, I’m going to post it. Get my story out there and make more people aware of who I am, what I have going on.”
And I feel like everybody’s been loving the journey.

Sharing my story on social media has been a great way to connect with people who might not have seen themselves represented in NASCAR. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from followers who feel inspired by my journey. 

How important is representation in the sport at large, and how can presences like yours move the sport forward?

Representation is crucial. It not only provides role models for future generations, but also helps to break down stereotypes and barriers. My presence in NASCAR shows that the sport is evolving.

What advice do you give to others that might follow in your footsteps?

Make sure that it’s really something that you want to do. Definitely do your research like I did before coming into the sport. When I first got into the sport—I think a lot of pit crew members can relate—we kind of looked up the wrong things, like pit crew fails. We were seeing people get hit by cars, it just was a hot mess. And I’m like, “Do I really want to be part of this?” And like anything else, make sure you work hard, because you can ultimately do anything that you put your mind to as long as you keep at it. If nobody believes in you, you have to believe in yourself.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Coco Gauff at New York Liberty

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Leo Messi
exclusive

MLS Commissioner Don Garber Defends Messi Suspension

Messi was punished for skipping the MLS All-Star Game.

Commanders Seal Stadium Deal As D.C. Approves $1.1B in Funding

The NFL team’s return to its prior home receives key political support.
Feb 20, 2011; Calgary, AB, Canada; Canadian hockey fans wave a flag and display a banner before the Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium. The Flames beat the Canadiens 4-0

Where Does Hockey Go After the Hockey Canada Verdict?

After the sexual assault trial, hockey is split over the path forward.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.

Cubs Land 2027 MLB All-Star Game After Lengthy Pursuit

MLB will bring the Midsummer Classic to one of baseball’s cherished ballparks.
Michael Johnson
exclusive
July 31, 2025

Grand Slam Track Misses Deadline to Pay Athletes $3 Million

The league said it would pay athletes for their Kingston meet Thursday.
August 1, 2025

Ex-NBPA Chief on WNBA CBA Challenges, NBA Stake in League

Tamika Tremaglio was a consultant for the 2020 WNBA CBA.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Jul 26, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) walks to the dugout after the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Target Field.
July 31, 2025

MLB’s Biggest Buyers in Frantic Deadline Weren’t Top Markets

Teams besides the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees dominate MLB’s trade deadline.
Happy Gilmore 2
July 31, 2025

Is ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Really About LIV vs. PGA Tour?

The movie’s main plotline may sound familiar to many golf fans.
Bristol Motor Speedway
July 31, 2025

MLB’s Long Road to Its Most Unusual Game Yet

The special-event game features a unique blending of baseball and racing.
July 31, 2025

NFL Preseason Getting Earliest Kickoff in 25 Years

The Lions and Chargers face off in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.