From Childhood Dreams to Legacy Thinking, What a Race Car Driver Taught Me About Progress

The Question That Starts It All

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

My little Zoe answer to that came after watching a movie about Shirley Muldowney.

A Childhood Dream Fueled by Speed

She was the "First Lady of Drag Racing." I remember seeing her zip down the track and imagining that one day, I'd be able to feel that speed underneath me in my own race, with the wind ripping through my hair.

Since I wasn't old enough to drive, I'd play a favorite arcade game, Pole Position. Though our family didn't own a stick shift at the time, I enjoyed shifting the gears when playing the game.  I would throw it hard like I'd seen on TV.

Years later, when I got my first car, it was a 1974 Ford Mustang II, stick shift.

There's more to that story, but I will postpone spilling everything in this post.

An Unexpected Encounter That Brought It All Back

The reason I'm sharing this at all is because I accidentally met a race car driver recently.

While at a C-Suite Network Mixer, I ran into Casey Hasten, the CEO of Success North Dallas. She had just posted that their monthly event would feature Dan Cuffe speaking about the Universal Kids Resort that is set to open in Frisco later this year. To keep the entertainment idea going, Audrey's Popcorn was also going to attend.

A Young Entrepreneur Worth Remembering

If you're unfamiliar with Audrey's Popcorn, you won't be for long. This 12 year old young woman is about to open a storefront business in Dallas and already has her popcorn inside the DFW Airport.

Audrey was five years old when she started her business. When I learned that, I was blown away. She's spoken at colleges, was welcomed to the Secretary of State's office recently, and had March 10, 2026 named Audrey's Popcorn Day in Tarrant County.

Why Every Story Deserves to Be Documented

What does any of that have to do with racing?

When I learned a little of Audrey's backstory, I shared with Casey that it could be incredible to have Audrey's story documented through film.  She's been in business for seven years already.  When she was five years old, she probably had no idea that she'd be where she's at now. Of course, I would love to be the one to hear that journey from her first hand, but that's another post all together.

I also told Casey that I'm writing a book. The goal is to get people conversing about leaving a legacy from a young age.  If we plan for our future, every day should be a reason to celebrate the life we've been given.

The Racing Connection I Didn’t See Coming

Casey was kind enough to make an introduction to Audrey's dad, Jeff, for me. We have corresponded by email several times since then.  In one of our initial conversations he shared the link to his book Winning Formula: 3 Principles to Succeed at Anything: Racing Strategies for Business.

He is a race car driver!

Lessons from Racing That Apply to Life and Business

Having just finished reading his book, I have to tell you that if you're struggling with your business at all, read the book.

Being fond of stories, I soaked up what he was teaching.  Even though I never raced, I understood the lessons.  So much so, that I'm about to create a win for giving back if the nonprofits I gift accept the offer I propose.

From Racing to Legacy

Jeff's story of pivoting from racing to helping his daughter build her extremely successful business is a lesson she obviously learned.  Anyone can, always be learning.

Jeff speaks and mentors.  You can find out more about him here:  https://jeffharrison.com/

Progress Is Still Progress

Remember, progress is progress, no matter how incremental.