Defying gravity in hot pink: Zoey Edenholm
- RACERS
- 6 minutes ago
- 5 min read
"I know I race trucks and jump this hot pink thing through the air, but little girls can do it too." Returning behind the wheel at the iconic Long Beach Grand Prix, Zoey Edenholm shares how her journey led her to the spectacular Stadium Super Trucks, and the power of representation in younger generations.
When Zoey Edenholm first laid eyes on a go-kart, she had not initially expected to fall in love with motorsport. “I was 11 years old and my family friends were racing in go-karts,” she recalls. “I was always someone who just wanted to try everything. My mom told me to try all the sports and figure out what I love. So when someone said I should try a go-kart, I thought, that seems so dangerous and terrifying. I’ll probably hate it.”
She didn’t. In fact, it was the beginning of a journey that would see Edenholm go from karting circuits to jumping 60 feet in Stadium Super Trucks—wearing a pink race suit and driving an equally bright pink truck. Right from the start, her family was all-in.
"My mom was my mechanic growing up in karting,” Edenholm says with a smile. “She learned how to build engines and be a mechanic at the same time I was learning to drive.” Zoey and her family figured things out together, building not only performance on track but also how to make this passion a viable career.
By the time she was 14 or 15, the path ahead became clearer. “One of my team owners in karting told me, ‘You know, you can make this a career if you'd like. It just takes full dedication.’ And of course, I was like, Well, I don't want to go to college, I’d love to race cars instead.”
What followed was a crash course in more than racing: Edenholm began to understand the demands of building a career in motorsport—on and off the track. “I learned a lot about marketing and how to sell yourself to sponsors. It’s not just driving a race car, there's so much that goes behind it. And now, with the social media presence, I feel like I basically got a marketing degree and a business degree just by experience."
From 2011 to 2017, Edenholm competed both regionally and nationally in karting, amassing successes. In 2013 and 2014 she claimed the Rotax Max Champion title for the Phoenix Kart Racing Association. The following year, she would secure the title of Rotax Junior-Max Champion. Zoey then stepped up to racecars, and contested the 2019 F4 US Championship season – securing a top ten with a ninth place at the very demanding VIR. Moving her first steps in sportscars at the same time, Edenholm also collected exprience in the Saleen Cup Series, as well as in the SRO GT America.
That media-savviness eventually led her to an unexpected crossover.
“I was racing Formula 4 at Mid-Ohio and walking through the paddock when I saw the Stadium Super Trucks. Robbie Gordon, who owns the series, saw me in my pink suit and said, ‘You should come race one of these—and make your truck hot pink.’”
It was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. “I had never jumped anything before or done off-road,” she laughs, “but it was so fun. Robbie taught me how to drive it, and I just loved it."
Jumping a 1,300-kilogram truck which reaches speeds of up to 230km/h sounds like a terrifying prospect to most, but for Edenholm, it quickly became second nature. “The first time I drove the truck, Robbie said I had to be full throttle off the ramp. I was like, This is literally defying gravity. I thought you were supposed to lift!”
Instead, she hit it flat out. "You're literally waiting for the ground. This is the one track where we have a double jump", she explains of the iconic Long Beach street circuit, where she returned behind the wheel of her #21 pink truck, competing at one of the most prestigious racing events in North America in support of the IndyCar Grand Prix where the Stadium Super Trucks bring their unmistakable spectacle on the streets of the scenic Californian venue. "We hit the jump, first ramp, land, and then hit a second ramp. We launch about 60 feet in distance and we hit the second ramp at 80 miles an hour. I'd say we defy gravity pretty well."
Despite the adrenaline and high speeds, it’s the community that keeps Edenholm coming back to Long Beach every year. “The fans in Long Beach are incredible", she says. "There are always the same little girls—I watch them grow up, and it’s so rewarding. That’s basically the reason why I race: seeing these young kids come back every year so excited and supportive. They tell me, I want to be you when I grow up. That’s the most rewarding part of being a race car driver.”
That spirit of community led to another meaningful collaboration: a fashion-meets-motorsport partnership with The Grandstand Project, a woman-owned fashion brand designed for the ever-growing market of female motorsport fans. “I met Sherry [Ma] at the Las Vegas GP and she wanted to collaborate for Long Beach,” says Edenholm. “She said, ‘I have a pop-up—what do you think?’ and I was like, Absolutely yes. Let’s make it hot pink.”
The resulting collection was a hit—not just for its style, but for what it represented. “She was so lovely to work with, and we got to collab on the whole process", Edenholm continues. "I've never made clothes like that before – I've made merch, but working on something like that was such a fun and creative process. It's definitely rewarding coming here and seeing all the fans buy her merch and come back and get it signed. It's just so cute."
"I just love this Grand Prix – it's such a community aspect, I feel, since we're in downtown", Zoey adds.
"Usually we're out in a racetrack in the middle of nowhere, and now we're downtown. I love the community aspect.
Beyond sponsorships required to put on the on-track show, Edenholm is determined to stay grounded and authentic. “That’s something I really want people to know and I like to express on my social media. Under the helmet, we’re all human."
"I’m just a regular girl. I know I race trucks and jump this hot pink thing through the air, but little girls can do it too."
Through content creation—from YouTube to TikToks to Instagram Reels—Edenholm aims to reach and inspire the next generation. “I want to be the person others can look up to, the person I wish I had growing up. That’s why I love creating content and showing that this is possible."
Additional reporting: Linda Lam