Marsha Mason, actress and former female SCCA race driver and team owner is interviewed in Track Chic’s Women Behind the Wheels, www.TrackChic.com/wbw, this month.
United States of America (Press Release) October 13, 2007 --
Track Chic, www.TrackChic.com, is privileged to feature Ms. Mason, the petite brunette best known as “The Goodbye Girl.” Four-time Oscar nominee, and two-time winning actress of the Golden Globes, Ms. Mason is a favorite of Hollywood, Broadway and TV. She played the déclassé girlfriend of Martin Crane on NBC’s award winning comedy, “Frazier” for which she was nominated for an Emmy. She opens this month off-Broadway in ''A Feminine Ending”. Ms. Mason has also worked as a director and has written her memoir, “Journey”, published by Simon & Schuster. Surprisingly, given all those accomplishments, it is fascinating to note that Ms. Mason is Track Chic’s first Woman Behind the Wheels to compete in the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America). She also co-owned her own race team for seven years.
Theresa Earnheart, President, Track Chic, asked: When looking for a life change, what drove you to motorsports?
“Actually I always liked the idea of racing.” said Ms. Mason. “When I was in high school my best girlfriend’s father bought a little track in the suburbs and she and I would be at the track every Sunday handing out Pit Passes. It was so exciting. The guys would bring in their hot rods, funny cars and rails. I was fascinated by the drivers delicately unwrapping every single piece of the engine, and their endless tinkering with their cars. I loved all the smells, the noise, the energy, the cars themselves. The whole thing was really fascinating to me.
Years later, I was on a plane with Paul Newman from New York to California and he chatted enthusiastically about his racing at Riverside and invited me to watch. So for about a year, whenever I could, I would fly to wherever he was racing. Then one day Paul suggested that I enroll in driving school, I didn’t even know schools existed. Paul called Bob Bondurant and I took the 4-day course at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, followed by two 4-day courses at Skip Barber’s school, John Parnell’s, and my dear friend, Fitzy, at Road Atlanta.
Then I started racing at Willow Springs Raceway in California where I attended another 2-day school. One of my classmates at Bondurant School was Los Angeles lawyer Marc Staenberg. He suggested we join up and put together a Mom & Pop team, so I said okay. I bought a Mazda RX3 from another driver in the area.
So, one thing led to another and I met Mike Lewis, an SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) champion, and he suggested putting together a turn-key operation. The deal was that he would put together the car, a GT3 Mazda RX7. He would prep the car and get it ready and I would drive it ... and if I crashed it, I paid for it! We put together a bigger team and raced together for five or six years so I guess I didn’t do too badly!”
Follow Ms. Mason’s transition from the speed and competitive energy of the racetrack to the tranquil life she now cherishes at her Resting in the River Organic Farm in Track Chic's pages.
Theresa Earnheart, President, Track Chic, asked: When looking for a life change, what drove you to motorsports?
“Actually I always liked the idea of racing.” said Ms. Mason. “When I was in high school my best girlfriend’s father bought a little track in the suburbs and she and I would be at the track every Sunday handing out Pit Passes. It was so exciting. The guys would bring in their hot rods, funny cars and rails. I was fascinated by the drivers delicately unwrapping every single piece of the engine, and their endless tinkering with their cars. I loved all the smells, the noise, the energy, the cars themselves. The whole thing was really fascinating to me.
Years later, I was on a plane with Paul Newman from New York to California and he chatted enthusiastically about his racing at Riverside and invited me to watch. So for about a year, whenever I could, I would fly to wherever he was racing. Then one day Paul suggested that I enroll in driving school, I didn’t even know schools existed. Paul called Bob Bondurant and I took the 4-day course at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, followed by two 4-day courses at Skip Barber’s school, John Parnell’s, and my dear friend, Fitzy, at Road Atlanta.
Then I started racing at Willow Springs Raceway in California where I attended another 2-day school. One of my classmates at Bondurant School was Los Angeles lawyer Marc Staenberg. He suggested we join up and put together a Mom & Pop team, so I said okay. I bought a Mazda RX3 from another driver in the area.
So, one thing led to another and I met Mike Lewis, an SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) champion, and he suggested putting together a turn-key operation. The deal was that he would put together the car, a GT3 Mazda RX7. He would prep the car and get it ready and I would drive it ... and if I crashed it, I paid for it! We put together a bigger team and raced together for five or six years so I guess I didn’t do too badly!”
Follow Ms. Mason’s transition from the speed and competitive energy of the racetrack to the tranquil life she now cherishes at her Resting in the River Organic Farm in Track Chic's pages.
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