Spotlight on Stephanie Drifts
For most drivers, sliding sideways at high speeds will most likely mean a messy accident, higher insurance rates and maybe a quick jaunt to the emergency room. That is because most of us are regular non-commercial licensed drivers, using our vehicles for day-to-day life reasons. Groceries, school drop off, commuting for work, pickleball tournaments… You get the idea.
Some people in the automotive industry do this intentionally. They are able to create the perfect conditions between their car and the road to purposefully oversteer, lose traction and glide with precision and control. They are rare, skilled and very brave. They are drift drivers.
For our incredibly talented, multi-faceted guest, forcing a car into a controlled slide at high speeds is her job. She is Pro-Am drift driver, self-taught mechanic and popular influencer, Stephanie Rodriquez. She is more commonly known as Stephanie Drifts.
Stephanie Drifts is an up-and-coming drift driver in the racing circuit. When she's not drifting, she is scouring junkyards for car parts, attempting high-level fixes on her cars and creating intriguing, inspiring content of these experiences for her followers and fans. Stephanie has made a name for herself in the industry, learning new things, diving into the unknown and discovering more about herself and her purpose along the way.
Car Talk was lucky to grab a few hours of her time. And Stephanie was nice enough to answer our questions and let us into her world for a short while.
Car Talk: How long have you been drifting and why did you start?
Stephanie Drifts: I have been drifting consistently for about 4 years. I remember watching friends doing donuts for the first time and it caught my attention right away. Shortly after, I sold my 1989 Honda Prelude and bought my 1991 Nissan 240sx. Drifting was something I just wanted to try, but I never thought I would fall completely in love with it or that it would teach me everything I know about cars.
Car Talk: How did you get started as a drift driver?
Stephanie Drifts: When I bought my 240sx, I started going out to grassroots drift events at my local track. It took a very long time for me to get comfortable with drifting because I have never had any formal training. I would watch other people drift, ask questions and even watch videos on it. There is still a lot that I am constantly learning with the sport of drifting, every time I go to the track!
Car Talk: How did you get started as a content creator?
Stephanie Drifts: I have been posting about my cars and my journey since the start. I think that certain social media apps really helped me get more creative with my videos and inspired me to share my journey in more ways.
Car Talk: What led you to a career as an automotive personality and content creator?
Stephanie Drifts: I have always tried documenting my process with my cars because to me, it has been my form of a diary. There are times where I feel like I have not made much progress on my cars or that I am not going fast enough and it has been my own footage that has made me realize how far I’ve come. When I began sharing that with the world, I never thought this would become my career. It kind of just happened.
Car Talk: What led you to fixing your own cars?
Stephanie Drifts: When I began drifting I knew nothing about cars. It was really frustrating to not know anything because it made it harder to understand the concept of certain things. I wanted to be able to go to the track on my own and not rely on anyone to do so. I began fixing everything and anything that broke on my car. I would have guidance from friends, the Internet and I would also record myself to be able to refer back to my videos when I had to do the job again.
Car Talk: How did you learn this?
Stephanie Drifts: I have watched a tutorial on almost everything I have done to my cars and have mostly learned by just doing it. I’ve never been afraid to ruin things… (I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing!) But because of this I keep going when I need to figure things out. I used to get upset when my car would have issues or break at the track but then I quickly realized that when that would happen, it was an opportunity to learn something new!
Car Talk: Tell our readers about Drifting. Why do you love it? Where do you see yourself in the motorsport of Drifting?
Stephanie Drifts: Drifting makes me so happy. It always has. It has been a challenge for me that I constantly strive to improve upon. Drifting has taught me about cars, it has taught me patience and it has taught me passion. I hope that through my journey I am able to inspire others to just go for anything they want to try in life.
Having no experience with cars and being a female in a male dominated sport was scary at first but I am glad it didn’t stop me from pursuing it. If I can do it I think anyone can too and there is no excuse. The only thing that can hold you back from chasing your dreams is you. You have to believe in yourself and never stop believing in yourself.
Car Talk: Tell us about any defining moments in your life that helped you on your path?
Stephanie Drifts: For a long time I think my mom wasn’t too thrilled about me drifting. She always feared that I would get hurt and thought that this was a waste of time and money. As time passed, she started to see that this was something that truly brought me so much joy and that I also could potentially make a career out of. My mom would see me stay up late prepping my car for drift events, she watched me pull out my transmissions and I’ll never forget her face the first time I painted my car. Having my mom finally believe in me has been the best part of this whole journey. She has witnessed me getting to do some really cool things and getting to work with some really cool companies.
Car Talk: Who are your idols in life, and in motorsports?
Stephanie Drifts: I don’t think I have any idols specifically in motorsports but along the way there have always been people that have inspired me. Every time I go to the track, someone, if not everyone, has contributed in some way to me becoming a better driver. Having a project car, at times, is not easy so I respect anyone who has the determination to work on a car themselves, because it definitely takes a lot of sweat, money and tears.
Car Talk: Tell us about your cars. Why did you choose them? Why are they pink? Tell us about learning to paint them yourself!
Stephanie Drifts: I have 2 cars that I currently drift with. My Nissan 240sx is the car that started it all. While that car was down, I began drifting my Toyota Corolla (AE86). They are 2 completely different chassis but I would like to say they produce an equal amount of joy for me. I have painted both of my cars pink because my mother had breast cancer a few years ago and it reminds me of that time in my life. To me, pink is more than a color and in a way, it represents the struggles we went through and have overcome together. My mother is a single mother and pink reminds me of how strong she was. I don’t recall my mother ever complaining about her situation. She just did what she had to do like a true warrior. Pink reminds me to be fearless, to be strong and it reminds me how lucky I truly am to still have her here with me.
It has been a goal of mine to be able to paint my cars so I watched tutorials, read forums and one day I just made it happen. I have painted my cars a total of 4 times now and even though the paint is far from perfect, I am proud that I can say I painted them myself. I set up my own DIY booth in my garage, wasted a ton of product along the way because of all of the mistakes I made, but that’s how I learned the little I know today.
Car Talk: What is your dream car?
Stephanie Drifts: Dream car? That’s a tough one because there are so many cars that I want and I tend to fall in love with everything I come across. I also have a habit of becoming really attached to my cars. But I think if I could buy anything at this very moment it would probably be a Nissan Skyline R32 GTR.
Car Talk: What is your dream career?
Stephanie Drifts: Being able to travel to drift at different tracks all around the world would be my absolute dream career. I don’t think there is anything better than to get paid to do something you love. I would also love to keep creating content but maybe on a bigger scale. I would love to be able to give back and make an impact in the community in a positive way!
Car Talk: What do you hope your followers and fans will take from your content and your story?
Stephanie Drifts: I hope that my followers believe that they can do whatever it is they want to do too when they watch my content. If they are in any way inspired by my story, I want it to be because they feel my love for this life through the screen. I want them to know that if you just keep pushing, you will get to where you need to be. And that you can never stop believing in yourself. NEVER. I want people to smile when they watch my content and maybe in some way, help them when they’re feeling a bit discouraged!
Car Talk: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to get into Drifting?
Stephanie Drifts: For anyone who wants to get into drifting I would suggest going to track events. At most drift events you can ask for ride alongs and see if drifting is something you actually want to try. You can ask drivers at these events how they got started and what chassis they would suggest. Everyone will have different answers but I think it will give you the knowledge you need to build the confidence to maybe get out there. There are also drift schools that offer classes to not only learn how to drift but also will provide you with a car if you don’t have one. This is great if you want to learn how to drift but don’t want to commit to building/buying a car!
Car Talk: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to get into automotive or content creation?
Stephanie Drifts: I would just say do it because you want to do it and not for anything or anyone else. Also, when you build a car, as long as you are happy with the outcome then that is the only thing that matters. Do not let anyone discourage you and do not let anyone tell you that you are not a “car enthusiast”. There is space for everyone here!
Car Talk: What challenges have you faced in your journey? How did you overcome them?
Stephanie Drifts: I think the biggest challenge I have faced in my career is figuring out how to reach out to sponsors. Drifting would be a lot harder for me to do without the help of the companies I work with. In the past, I have struggled asking for help and it has been difficult for me to get to a point where I feel like I am good enough for others to believe in me too! I believe that I am good enough now not because of my driving but because of my heart. I love drifting so much that I have pushed through even when I have felt defeated.
Car Talk: Is there anything else you want people to know about you, your mission, your career or your content?
Stephanie Drifts: I want people to know that I put so much love into everything, my cars and my content. So if you have watched, liked or left me a sweet comment, I appreciate you so much!
People often ask me how I stay motivated and it really is the love that I receive that gives me that extra push that I need.
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces