Rhonda Hartman-Smith grew up in a drag racing family and because of that she was always aware the sport could present some tough choices. Four years ago she faced one, or so it seemed.

On one side of the debate was driving a 300 mile per hour Top Fuel dragster. On the other was motherhood.

Motherhood trumps driving in Hartman-Smith’s world.

“Motherhood is something that has always been important to me … having a family,” Hartman-Smith, the mother of two young children said. “I always wanted to be there for my children and I raced for as long as I could. It just got to a point … with John and I racing … it got difficult. Her Decision to be a Mom Was A No-brainer …

Rhonda Hartman-Smith grew up in a drag racing family and because of that she was always aware the sport could present some tough choices. Four years ago she faced one, or so it seemed.

On one side of the debate was driving a 300 mile per hour Top Fuel dragster. On the other was motherhood.

Motherhood trumps driving in Hartman-Smith’s world.

“Motherhood is something that has always been important to me … having a family,” Hartman-Smith, the mother of two young children said. “I always wanted to be there for my children and I raced for as long as I could. It just got to a point … with John and I racing … it got difficult.

“We couldn’t be there for certain things like dance recitals and sporting events. It got tough on us missing those activities. It became clear when it was time to step aside.”

There were other reasons, the lack of major sponsorship and medical issues related to her father, Virgil Hartman, the team’s owner and manager.

Largely it was her motherly duties that convinced her to exit the driver's seat.

Hartman-Smith attended last weekend’s NHRA O’Reilly Midwest Nationals in support of her husband John who was driving Terry Haddock’s Top Fuel dragster. Ten year old daughter Megan made the trip while her three year old brother Dylan remained home with grandmother.

Hartman-Smith admits the visit ignited the desire to drive again and while she readily admits the fire never stopped burning, priorities made the decisions for her.

“I feel that I am in the best shape mentally and physically than I have ever been and I hope to one day to return,” Hartman-Smith confided. “I enjoy the moments that I have as a mother and wife. I’ll still be at the track when my schedule permits to support John and his efforts to stay involved in drag racing. If the right opportunity came along to get back into the driver’s seat, I'd be back in a heartbeat.”

The right opportunity for her currently is in being a mom. She’s perfectly content replacing the drag racing media tours with those like she’s experiencing today at her son’s pre-school.

“It’s muffins for Moms day,” Hartman-Smith proclaims. “I get to do lots of things with the kids now that before our schedule just didn’t allow. When you’re running an operation like we did, you wear a lot of different hats. You’re so busy doing so many things that sometimes you celebrate holidays and do things differently.

“I always want to be there for them [the kids] because those are opportunities that you can’t get back. You want to experience them growing up.”

Outside of racing, Mothers Day even takes on a different meaning.

“It’s a little more relaxing because now we don’t have to worry so much about the next race,” Hartman-Smith said.

Hartman-Smith said she draws inspiration from a fan base that never wavered in their support of her either on the track or off.

“I miss all the fans,” Hartman-Smith said. “Fans reach me on Facebook and other ways and the question is always about when we will be back. They miss us. I would definitely love to be back.”

Hartman-Smith smiles when she sees the influx of female drivers in the professional ranks and believes they have done an admirable job of representing the sport.

She adds sometimes the nature of being a mother and a drag racer aren’t always conducive.

“Unfortunately for the female racers, when you do decide to have children it's a big decision because you can't race and be pregnant, it's a big sacrifice you have to make,” Hartman-Smith explained. “There's nothing in the world cooler than having children around that bring such joy into your life.”

That’s something a 300 mile per hour run can’t deliver. 

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