Country singer Krista Marie combined two of her great passions when she sang and co-wrote “Drive It Like I Stole It,” the theme song of the coverage of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series on ESPN2. The love of music and racing have long fueled the busy lifestyle of the performer, who is also an ATV motocross racer, so she jumped at the chance to link her tune to the drag racing world.
“My manager had the people from ESPN listen to the song, and they liked it and said it would be great for the drag racing program,” said Marie. “I instantly got excited about it. Anything with motors, horsepower, speed, and high octane really turns me on. It was pretty exciting to get the invite to the races and for ESPN to use the song in 2009. I was totally stoked to do it.
“I wrote that with a good friend of mine, Chad Warrix, and David Tolliver in Nashville. We grew up in country, writing and racing dirt bikes, ATVs, and mini stock cars. We were just always around motors. One day, I said, ‘You know, let’s write a song called ‘Drive It Like I Stole It.’ The song speaks for itself.”
Marie combines her love of music and racing on the road by traveling in the Holeshot X-Press, a 70-foot rig that hauls the band gear as well as her ATVs, motorcycles, and dirt bikes. Though her life continues to get busier as she is promoting an album that is coming out this summer on Broken Bow/Holeshot Records as well as her current single “Jeep Jeep,” Marie always finds time to quench her thirst for horsepower.
“I will never, ever hang up my helmet,” said Marie. “I love racing, and I’d like to continue to find new things to race. If it has horsepower, I want to check it out. I started out with horses, went over to motorcycles, did mini stock cars for a little while, and then raced motocross. I can see myself getting bit by that NHRA bug pretty easily. My manager better keep me away!”
The time that Marie has spent at the drag races lately has her hooked on the thrill of America’s fastest motorsport. She was exposed to drag racing while living in western New York, where she was raised, and her love for it was rekindled after a trip to Memphis Motorsports Park last season.
“My first drag race was in [Englishtown] around nine years ago,” she recalled. “I saw the Top Fuel dragsters and was completely blown away. Someone told me beforehand that I would need to bring some earplugs, and I said, ‘Are you kidding me? They won’t be loud enough for that.’ Well, I got there, and sure enough, I had earplugs in for the second run. It was just so exhilarating.
“When I was watching these guys, I got the same butterflies I get when I’m racing motocross. You’re watching them just sitting there on the starting line right before so much happens in just a short amount of time. It really is amazing to watch, feel, and smell. It’s indescribable. You just have to be here to feel it.”
She is also impressed by the number of talented women in the cockpit at any NHRA event.
“It’s inspirational to see women like Ashley [Force Hood] out there doing what she does and doing it well,” said Marie. “We women have a need for speed, too. It’s good to see that we’re finally getting recognized for it. I think it’s inspiring for a lot of women. We can go out there and do it with the boys.”
Marie received a treat in Memphis last year when she sat behind the wheel of Doug Herbert’s Top Fueler during a warm-up. In awe of the raw power, she was reluctant to leave the seat of the race car.
“I’ll tell you what, I sat in the car and truly did not want to get out,” said Marie. “I just wanted them to take it off the jack stands and let me go! It was really nice of them to let me do that. What a rush.
“I’m really impressed by the drivers. They all seem really personable and nice. They were willing to answer any question. I’m really eager. It looks like they’re that way with all their fans. I’m also really impressed by the guys in the pits wrenching on these machines. They’re so quick and so good at what they do. I don’t know if people at home can really grasp what goes on in the pits, but it’s impressive.”
Marie, who will be at a handful of NHRA events this season, sees many parallels between music and drag racing.
“They really have a lot in common if you think about it,” she pointed out. “They both have the processes of teardown, setup, and traveling. The adrenaline rush you get from performing onstage in front of thousands is similar to the one you get from watching the Tree come down on the starting line. The need for speed is a universal thing, kind of like music. We all share it.”
This story is copyright 2009 National Hot Rod Association. It may not be reprinted or retransmitted in any form without the express written permission of NHRA.com.