At that point, I figured that the small talk about fruit has gone on too long and quickly moved onto more pressing questions. Inquiries every man wants to know, especially about a woman who has the potential to dominate a sport, once thought to be made only for men. Besides, all the talk about melons was making me the "H" word, and it wasn't "hungry."
Do you usually eat with your clothes on? (Yes, it's a stupid and inappropriate question, but if I didn't ask, who will?)
"Yes, at home I always wear my pajamas. For one thing, I have two male roommates."
Do they ever try to hit on you?
(This was a question stemming from my experiences with having a female roommate. I tried flirting with her from the day she moved in until the day she asked the judge to put a restraining order against me.)
"No, they are older and both are my friends."
What do you look for in guys? (I was hoping she would say, "I love a strong Filipino man with dark eyes who has a passion for pink soup ladles and mariachi bands. Uh, kinda like me.)
"I like honest guys. I hate it when guys try to impress me. I just want them to be honest. I like guys who are taller than me, but that's not hard to find because I'm short. I want him to be only a non-smoker. If he's a drinker, that's okay. But if all he wants to do is drink, I'm not really into that. He has to have dark brown hair and blue or brown eyes. I also like it when guys know more about cars than I do."
Do you know how to change your own oil? (Yes, it's an indirectly misogynistic question; I sure as hell wouldn't ask this to a male drag racer.)
"Nope. My dad is a mechanic, so I never had to worry about any of that. I do have an idea of how it works, but I've never done it myself."
Why do you like drag racing so much? (To be honest, I didn't know drag racing still existed.)
"I love drag racing! It is all I want to do and all that I think about. I am the happiest person alive when I'm in my drag car."
When you stage, waiting for the tree to turn green, what goes through your mind? (Personally, I would be making sure I was in first gear and not in neutral.)
"I don't really think about much when I race. I have been down the quarter-mile, hundreds, even thousands of times. To me, the more I think, the more I make mistakes. Racing is very natural to me."
Real or fake? (This was actually the first question on my list, but I needed a little bit of warming up to ask it. Take note of that, future journalists!)
"Real!" Wow! (Yes, I was really surprised!)
Do you even know what I'm talking about? I could've been asking about your hair color.
"My hair color is real, too, but I assumed you were talking about my boobs."
I stopped my line of questioning simply because that's really all I wanted to know. Leading up to that last question though, I found out a lot about Julie Stepan: her devotion to drag racing, natural talent as a race car driver, and accomplishments that transcend those of most 21-year-olds, male or female. All of which made me a big fan of Julie and a born-again fan of drag racing.
'06 Chevy Cobalt
Fast Facts
Owner Marty Ladwig Driver Julie StepanHometown San Antonio, TexasDaily Grind Professional Race Car DriverPower est 350 @ 9500 RPM, 10.52 @128 mph at 1900 lbs
Under The Hood Chevy ECOTEC 2.4L engine; 15:1 compression ratio; blueprinted crack, rods, and pistons; Roush Ladwig custom grind camshafts; Carillo H-Beam connecting rods; JE Pistons; Total Seal piston rings; Ported (CNC) ports hand finished; Roush competition engines head modification; Ferrea valves; Roush valve springs; Kinsler intake manifold; Fast XFI fuel injection; Bosch fuel injectors; Weldon fuel regulator and fuel pump; Kinsler throttle body; Borla exhaust tip; GM Racing cam gears; MSD Ignition; NGK spark plugs; MSD spark plug wires; Roush custom aluminum oil pan and exhaust air box