Content deleted Content added
Citation bot (talk | contribs) Alter: template type. Add: newspaper, date. Removed parameters. Some additions/deletions were parameter name changes. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Abductive | Category:American women environmentalists | #UCB_Category 114/232 |
m Disambiguating links to General Tire 150 (link changed to General Tire 150 (Charlotte); link changed to General Tire 150 (Charlotte)) using DisamAssist. |
||
(15 intermediate revisions by 12 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{short description|American racing driver and environmental activist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox racing driver <!-- See Template:Infobox racing driver for more information -->
| name = Leilani Münter
Line 23 ⟶ 24:
}}
'''Leilani Maaja Münter''' (born February 18, 1974) is an American former professional [[stock car racing]] driver and environmental activist. She last competed in the [[ARCA Menards Series]], and previously drove in the Firestone Indy Lights, the development league of [[IndyCar Series|IndyCar
==Early life and education==
Münter is the child of a Japanese-
Prior to becoming a race car driver, Münter earned a bachelor's degree in biology, specializing in ecology, behavior, and evolution from the [[University of California, San Diego]]. During her college years, Münter was also a volunteer at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. She is an almost lifelong vegetarian and became [[Veganism|vegan]] in 2011.<ref name="MW1" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Cardwell|first1=Diane|title=From Tesla, a New Car Smell That Vegans Can Get Behind|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/automobiles/from-tesla-a-new-car-smell-that-vegans-can-get-behind.html?smid=tw-nytimesbusiness&smtyp=cur&_r=3|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=
==Racing career==
Line 35 ⟶ 36:
[[Image:LeilaniPitsKentucky.jpg|thumb|200px|Münter during practice at [[Kentucky Speedway]] in 2007]]
In 2007 Münter became the fourth woman in history to compete in the [[Indy Pro Series]],<ref name="SI1">{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1009/nascar.minority.drivers/content.10.html |title=Leilani Munter Interview |publisher=Sports Illustrated}}</ref> the development league of [[IndyCar Series|IndyCar]]. In May, Münter passed her Indy Pro Series rookie test at Kentucky Speedway. In August she signed a deal with three-time championship team Sam Schmidt Motorsports. She qualified fifth for her debut at Kentucky Speedway on August 11. She had trouble on a restart and dropped to thirteenth but raced her way back to the front of the field. She passed five cars in a lap and a half and turned in the fifth-fastest lap of the race with a speed of 192.399 mph. She was about to pass for fourth place when she was involved in a multi-car accident. Four-time Indy 500 champion [[Rick Mears]], IndyCar driver [[Jaques Lazier]], and many others in the IndyCar community spoke highly of Münter after her debut.<ref name="Testimonials">{{cite web |url=
She got back in a stock car in December 2008, testing an ARCA car at [[Daytona International Speedway]] for NASCAR [[Sprint Cup Series]] driver [[James Hylton]]. In December 2009, she returned to ARCA testing at Daytona, driving the No. 59 [[NextEra Energy Resources]] Dodge for Mark Gibson Racing. In the final practice, Münter posted the seventh quickest lap with a speed of 181.77 mph, just 69 one-thousandths of a second behind [[Danica Patrick]], who posted the fifth quickest time of the final practice. The two female drivers had previously worked together off the racetrack, in an ad campaign together in 2006 and 2007 for Hostess.
Line 41 ⟶ 42:
In the February 2010 [[ARCA Racing Series]] race at [[Daytona International Speedway]], Münter was one of only three women to qualify for the race on speed alongside [[Danica Patrick]] and [[Alli Owens]]. She failed to finish the race, becoming collected in a ten-car accident.<ref name="Arca1">{{cite web|url=http://www.arcaracing.com/events/1964464#race_results |title=2010 ARCA Daytona Results |publisher=ARCA}}</ref>
In 2012, Münter drove in the [[ARCA Racing Series]], driving for Tony Marks Racing in the season-opening 200 mile event at [[Daytona International Speedway]], driving a car sponsored by donations from fans and carrying an ocean awareness paint scheme, featuring ''[[The Cove (film)|The Cove]].'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arcaracing.com/news.php?contentid=12235|title=Münter, Tony Marks Racing Together for Daytona|date=February 8, 2012|publisher=Automobile Racing Club of America|
In 2014, Münter began racing in ARCA with [[Venturini Motorsports]]. She ran Daytona in the No. 55 Go 100% Renewable Energy racecar, where she was wrecked by a spinning car on lap 28 and finished the race in 28th place. Her second race of 2014 was her first race at Talladega Superspeedway where she finished 14th in the No. 55 [[Blackfish (film)]] race car sponsored by activist and creator of [[The Simpsons]] TV show, [[Sam Simon]].<ref name="Blackfish">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxKKUUWx7PQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/LxKKUUWx7PQ |archive-date=
==Media==
[[File:LeilaniMunter.jpg|thumb
''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' named Münter one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world.<ref name="SI2">{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0805/top.women.drivers.new/content.7.html |title= Top Female Drivers |publisher=Sports Illustrated}}</ref> [[Glamour Magazine]] named her an "Eco Hero."<ref name="Glamour">{{cite web|url=http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2009/03/meet-your-70-eco-heroes?currentPage=4 |title= Meet Your 70 Eco Heroes |date=
She once worked as a stand-in photo double for [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]].{{When|date=January 2020}}<ref>[
===Documentary film===
Münter is a volunteer for [[Ric O'Barry]] and his non-profit organization Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project. Ric O'Barry was featured in the Academy Award-winning film [[The Cove (film)]] and Münter began working for Ric after seeing the film. This led to Münter participating in the next [[Oceanic Preservation Society]] film, the 2015 documentary [[Racing Extinction]]<ref name="Racing Extinction">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwxyrLUdcss |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/MwxyrLUdcss |archive-date=
==Activism==
[[File:LeilaniCloseUp.jpg|thumb|Münter in 2007]]▼
===Environmental activism===
Münter is well known for speaking on environmental issues. She blogs in the green section of the [[Huffington Post]] and became the first Ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation in 2008 and went to Capitol Hill to lobby for environmental legislation.<ref name="WP">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/05/AR2008030503152.html |title= Race Car Driver Aims to Put Brakes on Global Warming |newspaper=Washington Post | first=Linton |last=Weeks |date=March 6, 2008}}</ref> In 2010, she was named by Discovery Channel's Planet Green Network as the #1 Eco Athlete in the world, beating out [[Lance Armstrong]] for the top spot.<ref name="Discovery">{{cite web|url=http://video.planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/planet-100-top-5-eco-athletes.html |title=Planet 100: Top Five Eco Athletes |publisher=Discovery Planet Green |url-status=dead |
▲[[File:LeilaniCloseUp.jpg|thumb|left|Münter in 2007]]
In March 2008, Münter went to Capitol Hill with the [[National Wildlife Federation]] to speak with members of Congress on behalf of the Climate Security Act.<ref name="UCSD">{{cite web |url=http://alumni.ucsd.edu/s/1170/PageB.aspx?sid=1170&gid=1&pgid=924 |title=
Münter graduated from the [[University of California, San Diego]] where she earned a bachelor's degree in [[Biology]] specializing in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution.<ref name="UCSD"/> She is also a long time [[vegetarian]].<ref name="MW1">{{cite web|url=http://www.midweek.com/content/story/theweekend_coverstory/leilani_munter/ |title=Leilani Munter - Environmentalist-Vegetarian Race Car Driver | Weekend Cover Story |publisher=Midweek.com |date=December 5, 2008
In February 2009 Münter climbed to the top of a wind turbine at Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Abilene, Texas and autographed one of the blades. The turbine was consequently nicknamed "Leilani" by its owner, [[NextEra Energy Resources]].<ref name="NextEra1">{{cite web|url=http://vegetarianstar.com/2009/06/30/leilani-munter-one-ups-stephen-colbert-with-wind-turbine/ |title= Leilani Munter One Ups Stephen Colbert |publisher=Vegetarian Star}}</ref> Later that same year, Münter signed a solar panel at NextEra Energy's SEGS in the Mojave Desert, the largest solar thermal energy center in the world.<ref name="NextEra2">{{cite web|url=http://leilanimunter.com/09-11.06.htm |title=Leilani Munter One Ups Stephen Colbert |publisher=Leilani Munter Release, NextEra Energy Video Link |url-status=dead |
In May 2009 Münter went to Norway to participate in the zero-emission Viking Rally, driving a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Ford Focus.<ref name="VikingRally">{{cite web|url=http://green.autoblog.com/2009/05/12/evs-24-viking-rally-rolls-out-with-royalty-and-race-car-drivers/ |title= Viking Rally Rolls Out With Royalty and Race Car Drivers |publisher=AutoBlogGreen}}</ref> Münter finished second in the hill-climb, just behind World Rally driver Hennig Solberg. Münter drank the water from the exhaust of the vehicle at the 24th annual Electric, Fuel Cell and Hybrid Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition in Stavanger, Norway.<ref name="VikingRally2">{{cite web|url=http://leilanimunter.com/09-5.12.htm |title=Viking Rally Updates from Norway |url-status=dead |
Münter was one of the first celebrity activists to visit the [[BP Oil Spill]];<ref name="FoxNews">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnp41Zofeyo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/Tnp41Zofeyo |archive-date=
The [[Environmental Protection Agency]] tapped Leilani to record a "Pick 5 for the Environment" public service announcement in 2010.<ref name="EPA">{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2011/07/15/news/economy/nascar_epa_leilani_munter_psa/ |title= EPA Enlists NASCAR Star Leilani Munter |publisher=CNN Money | first=Ben |last=Rooney |date=July 15, 2011}}</ref>
In 2013, she purchased an electric [[Tesla Model S]] car, became an advocate for [[electric car]]s, and wrote a blog post for the ''[[Huffington Post]]'' titled "Why We Need to Fight for Tesla" in response to state legislators introducing a bill to ban Tesla sales in North Carolina.<ref name="HuffPo Tesla">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/leilani-munter/tesla-north-carolina_b_3327721.html |title=Why We Need to Fight for Tesla |publisher=Huffington Post | first=Leilani |last=Münter |date=May 23, 2013}}</ref> She also wrote an article in 2014 about the media attention around [[Plug-in electric vehicle fire incidents#Tesla Model S, 3, X, and Y|Tesla fires]].<ref name="Oil vs Electric">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/leilani-munter/its-on-oil-vs-electric_b_4423011.html |title=It's On: Oil vs. Electric |date=
===Animal activism===
In 2010, Münter became involved in protests against the hunting of dolphins in Taiji, Japan and became a volunteer for [[Save Japan Dolphins]]. On September 2, 2010, Münter visited Tokyo with dolphin activist [[Ric O'Barry]] to deliver a petition asking for the hunting of dolphins to be stopped. She returned to Taiji, Japan again for two weeks in October 2010 and documented two dolphin hunts while she was there.<ref name="Treehugger">{{cite web|url=http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/leilani-munters-shocking-footage-from-the-taiji-dolphin-slaughter.html |title= Leilani Munter's Shocking Footage from the Taiji Dolphin Slaughter |publisher=Discovery Treehugger}}</ref> Münter recorded a video from Taiji for the project [[One Day on Earth]] on October 10, 2010.<ref name="TenTenTen">{{cite web|url=http://vimeo.com/16725592#at=0 |title= Save Japan Dolphins 10-10-10 |publisher=10-10-10 Global Film Project}}</ref> She returned to Taiji in September 2011 with O'Barry; the effects of [[Typhoon Talas (2011)|Typhoon Talas]] led her to report on Huffington Post that she understood [[water stress]] issues around the world in a much deeper way than before.<ref name="CoveContinues">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/leilani-munter/dolphin-taiji-cove_b_963274.html |title= The Cove Continues |publisher=Huffington Post | first=Leilani |last=Münter |date=September 14, 2011}}</ref> She recorded the first dolphin hunt of the 2011/2012 hunting season on September 7, 2011.<ref name="SJD">{{cite web |url=http://savejapandolphins.org/blog/post/dolphin-slaughter-begins-again-in-taiji |title=
On January 3, 2012, Münter announced that she was raising funds to drive a "[[The Cove (film)|The Cove]]" themed race car at Daytona International Speedway on February 18 to draw attention to dolphin captivity and killings. Her left rear tire blew early in the race and she wrote about the event on the Huffington Post.<ref name="Daytona2012">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/leilani-munter/leilani-munter-race-car-the-cove_b_1340167.html |title= Like Taiji's Cove, Daytona Breaks My Heart, Again |publisher=Huffington Post | first=Leilani |last=Münter |date=March 15, 2012}}</ref> In April 2012, she spoke on the National Mall in Washington DC on Earth Day.<ref name="EarthDay1">{{cite web|url=http://www.arcaracing.com/news.php?contentid=12681 |title= Leilani to Speak on National Mall |publisher=ARCA Racing}}</ref> She was also featured on MSN Causes on Earth Day 2012.<ref name="EarthDay2">{{cite web|url=http://archive.causes.msn.com/earth_day/ |title=Leilani Munter: Saving My Corner of the Planet |publisher=MSN |url-status=dead |
In 2014, Münter began driving a race car modeled after an orca whale at the Talladega Speedway with a ''[[Blackfish (film)|Blackfish]]'' theme to raise awareness about the controversial 2013 documentary criticizing [[Seaworld]] for placing orca whales in captivity. She raised $7,500 for the car through crowd-funding and had the remaining $107,500 given to her by ''[[The Simpsons]]'' co-creator [[Sam Simon]], who was also an [[animal rights]] activist.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jensen|first=Tom|title=Leilani Munter brings star power to Talladega Superspeedway|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/shake-and-bake/leilani-munter-brings-star-power-to-talladega-superspeedway-050314|work=Fox Sports|access-date=May 7, 2014
== Personal life ==
On March 17, 2009, Münter married Craig Davidson, an engineer, in a seaside wedding on New Zealand's Cathedral Cove beach.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}} Her personal car is an electric [[Tesla Model S]], which she charges with solar panels on the roof of her home.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://electrek.co/2016/10/05/experienced-race-car-driver-and-tesla-owner-leilani-munter-joins-the-all-tesla-championship-electric-gt/|title=Experienced race car driver and Tesla owner Leilani Münter joins the all-Tesla championship: Electric GT|last=Lambert|first=Fred|date=October 5, 2016
Münter identifies herself as being [[childfree]]: a position she largely owes to helping greatly reduce her ecological impact on the planet. She further believes that the decision to refrain from having any children must be normalized in order to deal with [[human overpopulation]]. She is also a patron of [[Population Matters]] in order to spread awareness regarding the issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-population-woman/woman-motor-sports-star-takes-a-lead-in-race-against-population-growth-idUSKCN1IH2HI/|title=Woman motor sports star takes a lead in race against population growth|last=Honigsberger|first=James|date=October 5, 2018
Münter is the sister-in-law of musician [[Bob Weir]], one of the founding members of the [[Grateful Dead]].<ref name="MinnPost-Munter-Apr2016">{{cite news|url=https://www.minnpost.com/sports/2016/04/fast-and-curious-meet-nascar-driving-anti-carbon-crusading-vegetarian-rochester|title=Fast and curious: meet the NASCAR-driving, anti-carbon crusading vegetarian from Rochester|last1=Gihring|first1=Tim|date=April 5, 2016|work=[[MinnPost]]|
==Motorsports career results==
Line 137 ⟶ 138:
! style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 33rd
! style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 31
|-
! colspan="20" |{{center|{{small|Source:<ref>{{cite web|title=Leilani Münter Results|url=https://motorsportstats.com/driver/leilani-munter/results|publisher=Motorsport Stats|access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref>}}}}
|}
Line 142 ⟶ 145:
([[Template:NASCAR driver results legend|key]]) (<span style="font-size:85%">'''Bold''' – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.</span>)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
! colspan=
|-
! Year
Line 170 ⟶ 173:
! {{Tooltip|AMSC|ARCA Menards Series classification}}
! Pts
! Ref
|-
! [[2010 ARCA Racing Series|2010]]
Line 197 ⟶ 201:
! 121st
! 90
! scope="row" |<ref>{{cite web|title=Leilani Munter – 2010 ARCA Re/Max Series Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/muntele01/2010/A/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=December 12, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! [[2012 ARCA Racing Series|2012]]
Line 224 ⟶ 229:
! 146th
! 50
! scope="row" |<ref>{{cite web|title=Leilani Munter – 2012 ARCA Racing Series Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/muntele01/2012/A/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=December 12, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan=2| [[2014 ARCA Racing Series|2014]]
Line 242 ⟶ 248:
! rowspan=2| 38th
! rowspan=2| 590
! rowspan=2 scope="row" |<ref>{{cite web|title=Leilani Munter – 2014 ARCA Racing Series Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/muntele01/2014/A/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=December 12, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan=2| 66
Line 279 ⟶ 286:
! 137th
! 40
! scope="row" |<ref>{{cite web|title=Leilani Munter – 2015 ARCA Racing Series Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/muntele01/2015/A/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=December 12, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan=2| [[2017 ARCA Racing Series|2017]]
Line 290 ⟶ 298:
! rowspan=2| 75th
! rowspan=2| 225
! rowspan=2 scope="row" |<ref>{{cite web|title=Leilani Munter – 2017 ARCA Racing Series Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/muntele01/2017/A/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=December 12, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! 98
Line 320 ⟶ 329:
| style="background-color:#CFCFFF"| [[General Tire 200|TAL]]<br>{{small|22}}
| [[Menards 200|TOL]]
| style="background-color:#DFFFDF"| [[General Tire 150 (Charlotte)|CLT]]<br>{{small|20}}
| style="background-color:#EFCFFF"| [[General Tire#AnywhereIsPossible 200|POC]]<br>{{small|22}}
| style="background-color:#FFDF9F"| [[Zomongo 200|MCH]]<br>{{small|9}}
Line 337 ⟶ 346:
! 20th
! 1225
! scope="row" |<ref>{{cite web|title=Leilani Munter – 2018 ARCA Racing Series Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/muntele01/2018/A/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=December 12, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! [[2019 ARCA Menards Series|2019]]
Line 346 ⟶ 356:
| [[Music City 200|NSH]]
| [[Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 (Toledo)|TOL]]
| [[General Tire 150 (Charlotte)|CLT]]
| [[General Tire#AnywhereIsPossible 200|POC]]
| [[VizCom 200|MCH]]
Line 362 ⟶ 372:
! 67th
! 155
! scope="row" |<ref>{{cite web|title=Leilani Munter – 2019 ARCA Menards Series Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/muntele01/2019/A/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=December 12, 2022}}</ref>
|}
Line 405 ⟶ 416:
[[Category:Anti-natalists]]
[[Category:People from Cornelius, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:Arrow McLaren SP drivers]]
|