Simulation has become a vital part of modern racing. Drivers from multiple series and racing disciplines have put digital tracks and cars through their paces to familiarize themselves with the tracks they’ve never raced, or cars they’ve never tracked. As an added bonus, they don't have to put actual miles on the car, or spend the money to run it. This approach to testing and racing has garnered dozens upon dozens of opportunities for drivers who a decade or two ago wouldn't have been given a chance — like Jann Mardenborough’s real-life story of sim driver-become-racer brought to screen in the blockbuster film, “Gran Turismo.”
It’s because of simulators, drivers like Aston Martin F1 ambassador Jessica Hawkins are able to get that next drive. For Hawkins, it was brand ambassador to driver for the British GT Championship, and most recently, surprise track time with Hendrick Motorsports in a NASCAR Cup car at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Small Seats to Big Screen Feats
Hawkins is no rookie driver by any means. She started her racing career young, as a karting champion. But as is often the case for anyone in motorsport, lack of funding meant that her racing aspirations had to be put aside to work and raise funds to pay her way to her next adventure. She was able to pivot though, her skills landing her a gig as a stunt driver in the Fast & Furious Live arena show.
Racing was almost a thing of the past until she made it into the inaugural season of the W Series in 2019, and had an opportunity to race single seaters competitively. She didn’t give up on her stunt work though — she was jumping Land Rovers on the 2021 James Bond film “No Time To Die” between her stints traveling for the W Series.
Soon after, the Aston Martin F1 team invited Hawkins to join on as an ambassador — giving her an inside look at the operations of a Formula 1 team. Here she could use her experiences to share the brand and sport with a wider audience. Hawkins immediately went to work. When she wasn’t in front of the camera, she was learning about the cars and the tracks where Aston Martin competes on the F1 circuit.
In 2023, leadership at Aston Martin F1 offered Hawkins the opportunity to explore testing a current Formula 1 car. Spending significant time with their simulation team, she proved she was worthy of getting behind the wheel of their AMR21. Her prowess at the sim wheel landed her a 2024 British GT Championship ride. And the opportunities kept coming.
It’s how she found herself behind the wheel of a former NASCAR Cup car at Charlotte Motor Speedway, being coached by the man, a NASCAR Cup Champion, legend Jeff Gordon.
Track time
It was a year after Hawkins' F1 sim test that she was scheduled to be part of an Aston Martin F1 group visiting Hendrick Motorsports at the Charlotte Roval. The stop, done in collaboration with Valvoline, was en route to COTA for the Austin F1 race. It was Valvoline who proposed getting Hawkins into a NASCAR Cup car as part of the visit. Strict testing rules and a short time frame for the event meant that Hendrick had to make use of one of their older cars. That, and Hawkins would need simulator time to ensure she could handle the car, safely, on track.
Hendrick Motorsports engineers placed Hawkins on their static simulator early the morning following the NASCAR Cup race. And she wasn’t alone. Gordon was also in the static simulator, refamiliarizing himself with the car. It only took a couple of hours before everyone felt that she was comfortable enough to go down the street and take the actual NASCAR Cup car on track.
“Luckily we were both able to get into the simulator which I think is going to be a huge help of learning the track but mainly the car,” Gordon shared.“It’s just such a different car, 4-speed h-pattern transmission — the car is big and it’s heavy, but it has a lot of power and not a lot of downforce. It’s going to be a lot different.”
Gordon also recalled his own experience of stepping out of the box of NASCAR driving to test a Williams Formula 1 car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in a ride swap with Juan Pablo Montoya.
“I drove an F1 car many many years ago and the one thing that immediately stood out to me with an F1 car is that when the car has grip it tells you in the steering wheel, it just immediately gives you that sensation of, ‘Oh yeah, it’s stuck.’ These [NASCAR Cup cars], you never know whether you’re stuck or not, and so you just have to drive almost as if you’re drifting it constantly.”
That helped him to relate to the technical challenges and sensations that Hawkins would feel as she stepped into the Cup car.
“That’s a steep learning curve, but I think that it was critical for her to get in there.”
Once the car was rolled out to pit lane and the tires were set, Gordon hopped into the driver's seat with Hawkins sitting passenger for their initial track time. Gordon’s objective was to get Hawkins acclimated to the layout and what shifting and braking markers would look like. Then, it was Hawkins’ turn.
With belts tightened, the two set out on track for a couple of warm up laps.
She started pushing the car in no time at all, setting faster laps.You could hear Hawkins yelling over the radio in excitement. Eventually, track time ran out and she was called back to pit lane. And just like any enthusiastic NASCAR driver, Hawkins wasn’t shy in asking if she could do a burnout. Gordon immediately approved it over the radio. In her own triumphant way, much like a race winner, she finished her session with donuts on pit lane.
Hawkins, in all her excitement, happily shared her experience on the Hendrick simulator to actually getting into the car, saying “I felt that it was very similar, it helped me out a lot especially with the braking zones and knowing what gear to be in and knowing which way the circuit went.” Watching Gordon to get an idea of what that would feel like before she hopped behind the wheel but the other pedal was just as helpful, as well as the source of much of the fun.
“Obviously it was an adjustment, but I quite enjoyed it.”
Her one-off NASCAR session was over, but it may not be the last time she finds herself behind the wheel of an American-series car. At least, it’s one of her goals. Right now, she’s on the hunt for a seat for 2025. Yet, this particular track day opened her eyes to NASCAR, and even sports cars. And as her resume and simulation experience goes, another sim session may be all she needs to get into one.
