Heather Pupecki’s journey to becoming a race car driver later in life is unique to her, but in some ways it’s a similar story of many men and women who have chased their need for speed. Heather didn’t even realise that she harboured this ambition until she was asked an interesting question in a job interview.
“What fun career would you do if money didn’t matter?” Heather replied without hesitation, “race car driver!” The interviewers thought that was a fun answer and Heather even surprised herself. Never in her life had she thought about racing up until that point in time and she had no idea where that answer came from.
Growing up in a small-ish town in Connecticut, Heather always had a creative side and she loved art and to make things. After graduating high school, Heather ventured down to Florida to attend film school for college. There Heather studied film, focusing in the art department, in an accelerated program which was not your traditional college experience.
Once Heather graduated college, she moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a film career. There she worked on many different types of film projects in the art departments. This led Heather to working on remodels for Target and USC as those skills went hand in hand.
As she got older though, Heather started to embrace her more adventurous side, and that’s where racing comes in. In 2016, Heather found out about an experience you could do where you drive a supercar of your choice on the race track, which she thought would be a fun birthday event. Here Heather drove a Lamborghini Superleggera with Exotics Racing at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
“I had so much fun and decided to do it again in 2017. Only this time, I drove the Ferrari F430 at their Las Vegas, Nevada track. I kept this yearly tradition going and drove a NASCAR race car at the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Auto Club Speedway. Sure, those were just for fun excursions for everyone, but it did have an influence on me eventually,” Heather shared with Driven Women Magazine.
The more of those events that Heather did, the more interested she became in the race track. But it wasn’t until she got her 2015 Mazda Miata in May of 2017 that she started to think about getting her own car on the race track. But the Miata was Heather’s daily car and she didn’t have the slightest clue about how to track a regular car.
“In 2021, I did a few track days and autocross days in my Miata on my own. After that, I decided to turn it into a career. Since I kept going back to the track, why not take it to the next level? So, the next step was formal training — learning stick shift followed by attending performance driving instruction at Primo Driving School,” said Heather.
Looking back at those moments—that job interview, the race track excursions, and buying her first sports car— Heather realised all of these events were setting her up for a career in racing. Unlike many race car drivers Heather hadn’t been interested in racing in her younger days. Heather had a different path in life to go on, but she is happy that it has led her here.
In Spring of 2023 and now in her 30s, Heather joined JR Motorsports, a champion winning team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Heather continued her training with them doing driver development days at Willow Springs and car control exercises off roading in the desert. JR Motorsports currently run in the Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA) sprint racing series, Lucky Dog endurance racing series, and World Racing League (WRL) endurance racing series with their five race cars.
“It is interesting to see how I have grown and developed so many interests. I am constantly being told that I have done so much with my life. When you have many interests and you’re ambitious, you just keep going!” words expressed by Heather that would resonate with many other women as well.
Heather started with a VARA sprint race, which was a great way to officially start her career as these are 25-minute races with one driver per car. Heather’s first race was in September 2023 at Buttonwillow Raceway and she drive the team’s #33 Mazda Miata race car. With the help of her team, Heather had a successful first race weekend. This all could not have been possible without Heather’s sponsors for her first race, Life Safety Compliance, LLC, Professional Diversified Flooring, and LA Woodshop. All companies are based in Southern California that Heather has worked with in the past.
“For my first race in September, I finished 15 out of 25 in the group that Saturday. I was so happy and impressed with myself to finish in such a great place. Overall that weekend, I finished P2 in class in Saturday’s race and P1 in class in Sunday’s race.
I love the empowerment I feel when I am in the car. The more I practice my race craft, the more empowerment I feel. I love the feeling of being accomplished, being able to look back and say ‘wow I did that.’ I want to keep striving for more. I have always been the ambitious type. I’m glad I want to explore a lot in life,” Heather exuded when I asked about how she feels when she competes in races.
Starting a career in racing later in life has been a challenge for Heather as she sees so many drivers who have been doing this since they were teenagers and even some teenagers who are already racing in the bigger series.
“I may have started later than someone else, but that doesn’t mean I am behind. So, I keep focusing on me. Technically, my journey started only two years ago in 2022 when I started training. So, I am doing pretty great for only diving into this two years ago!
Being able to compete with others who have been racing for a long time is also a great feeling. Especially in my first race, most people were more skilled and have been doing this longer than I have, but I was able to compete against them and finish in a pretty good spot!” explained Heather.
Heather’s current goal is to move on up from sprint races to endurance races with her team. After a few more sprint races, Heather feels she will be ready for those endurance races. Going from a 25-minute sprint race being the only driver in the car to an 8-hour race with driver changes every two hours is a big jump and Heather wants to make sure she is ready before that happens. Ultimately, Heather’s goal is to one day drive in the Mazda MX-5 Cup because she started in a Miata, so would like to end up in a Miata.
“My next VARA race will be at Willow Springs International Raceway in March 2024. I am excited for this next race as Willow Springs is the track I have been training at the most. It’ll be a great opportunity to see my improvements from the last time I was there,” said Heather.
The many different opportunities available in motor racing is what Heather loves about the sport and that there are an endless number of cars and tracks she can drive. Each race is a new experience all on its own, so the thrill just keeps going and Heather is hoping that she will get to experience a lot more cars and tracks. And then there is the motorsport community.
“Most motorsport people I have met in person or connected with online have been encouraging and love to see me go after my dreams. Even though it is a competitive sport, having a great attitude about it makes it even better,” said Heather.
Heather has even formed a mentorship with a college student at IUPUI (Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis). They connected on social media after both taking the same racing webinar where they felt like they had the same narrative and the student wanted to ask Heather some questions about racing. After two hours of zooming, they formed a mentorship and now meet almost every six months over Zoom to share their progress and to encourage each other. Heather is honoured to help a college student advance in her career through encouragement and advice. And likewise Heather feels very lucky to have her encouragement and advice.
This mentorship is just another aspect of Heather’s very busy schedule that also includes working full-time at the Keck School of Medicine of USC in the Space Planning department where Heather works on office and academic remodel projects. In her spare time, Heather still works in the film industry where her focus is set decorating and prop making for various types of media (short films, web series, features).
“Having a full-time job and a freelance career on the side was a lot to handle already. Once I became interested in racing, I knew that I would be taking on two careers with a full-time job. Managing my time and planning ahead was the best way to tackle this life. What can I say, I have a creative side and an adventurous side!” articulated Heather.
On top of all that Heather’s hobby is running 5km events, which she likes to do to keep herself in shape and for enjoyment. Heather has three 5Ks lined up for this year and she plans on moving up to a 10km event at the end of the year. For Heather, building up endurance and stamina through running has been a great training technique that has helped with her career as race car driver as well.
From working at the Keck School of Medicine of USC to art directing in the film industry to becoming a race car driver, Heather is a multi-career woman with a driven dedication to her passions. You can follow Heather’s career progression via her website, www.heatherpupracing.com, Instagram @heatherpupracing or her Facebook page: Heather Pupecki Racing.
Photographs supplied.