Pink Jumpsuits, a Limo, and the Wildest Race in America

Summary

Podcast Summary: What It Was Like

Episode: "Pink Jumpsuits, a Limo, and the Wildest Race in America"

Host: Julian Morgans
Guest: Judy Stropus
Release Date: April 18, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the story of the 1972 all-female Cannonball Run team—three women who attempted the notorious coast-to-coast outlaw car race in a Cadillac limousine. Wearing pink jumpsuits and sponsored by a bra company, they became one of the most legendary (yet ill-fated) teams in the race’s wild history. Host Julian Morgans interviews Judy Stropus, one of the team members, to discover what it was really like to be on that infamous journey—behind the outlandish visuals, movie adaptations, and urban legends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Cannonball Run

[01:53 - 03:48]

• Julian explains the essence of the Cannonball Run: an illegal, unsanctioned, coast-to-coast car race from New York to Los Angeles where the only rule is to arrive as quickly as possible—breaking speed limits and dodging police along the way.
• The original race ran from the early 1970s until 1979 but remains a legendary underground challenge.
• The current record is 25 hours, 39 minutes.

2. Judy’s Racing Background & Team Assembly

[03:52 - 05:22]

• Judy immigrated from Lithuania, entered the racing world through timing races in the 1960s, and earned respect in the male-dominated motorsport scene due to her technical skill and memory.
• Quote [04:05 | Judy]: “What I love about it is the camaraderie of everyone who was a part of Race Weekend…to have the respect, especially as a woman in a man’s sport.”

[07:40 - 09:05]

• Inspired by the Cannonball Run’s lawless fun, Judy and two other women (Donna Mae Mims, Peggy Nemchik) assembled a team.
• They secured last-minute sponsorship from the Right Bra Company at a cocktail party; their outfit included a patch over the right breast.

On Team Members

• Donna Mae Mims: A nationally-winning racecar driver, “sort of a mini Dolly Parton…excellent race car driver.” [09:10]
• Peggy Nemchik: Racing novice, joined via her husband who was in another team; lacked necessary experience, which later proved problematic.

3. The Vehicle: Iconic Looks, Unorthodox Choices

[07:55 - 08:46]

• Vehicle: Black Cadillac limousine, branded with Right Bra decals and pink jumpsuit-uniformed crew—a spectacle among gritty competitors.

4. The Start: Secrecy & Tactics

[11:19 - 11:53]

• The Cannonball began discreetly from a New York garage; participants kept the event secret to avoid police attention.
• Quote [11:55 | Judy]: “My mother was only concerned that I could pay my mortgage…‘Can you pay your mortgage?’”
  (on her mother’s nonchalant attitude toward her daughter’s risky activities)

[12:31 - 14:01]

• Creativity was key: Some teams dressed their vehicles as ambulances or priest transports; others installed extra gas tanks; one even enlisted a chef.

5. The Race: Adrenaline, Mishaps, and Challenges

[17:31 - 20:44]

• Constant rotation: Two awake (driver & tabulator), third sleeps.
• The team kept adrenaline high—music discouraged to avoid distraction; speeds often exceeded 100mph (160km/h).
• Quote [18:05 | Judy]: “It would be too much of a distraction. You had to be on point all the time…over 100 miles an hour most of the time.”

Encounters with Police

• Stopped in a snowstorm after passing a police officer, but managed to talk their way out with charm; fined and released, then stopped again within 20 minutes in another county.

The Ring Road Incident

[19:41 - 20:03]

• Attempting to avoid snowstorms by going south, the team accidentally circled Atlanta twice due to a navigational error.

Car Issues and Comfort

• The limousine’s heat failed, tires went square, and the vehicle began to rattle; driving became cold and uncomfortable.

Focus and Seriousness

[21:06 | Judy]: “You had to be serious because you were trying to accomplish something, and you were trying to do it safely…Don’t run out of gas. Don’t crash. Don’t get stopped by the police yet. There was a lot of concentration going on.”

6. The Crash: Exhaustion & Aftermath

[21:54 - 24:14]

• Peggy fell asleep at the wheel near El Paso while Judy navigated; after a failed attempt to wake her, Peggy panicked, braked, and crashed the car—rolling it but landing on its wheels.
• No injuries, but race ended.
• After calling their sponsor, they discovered the limo was rented; the sponsor ended up buying it post-crash to save face.

Legendary Porta Potty Incident

[24:14 | Judy]:

• The limo had a porta potty for efficiency, but it was never used. When the car rolled, its chemical contents exploded but didn’t soil anyone (contrary to urban legend).
• Quote [24:14 | Judy]: “There’s an urban legend about the fact that it was more than just chemicals… but the fact is, we never did use it.”

7. From Infamous to Iconic: Fact, Film & Legacy

[24:37 - 26:37]

• The women’s story achieved mythic status primarily because of the film "The Cannonball Run," loosely inspired by their entry but exaggerated all aspects for Hollywood.
• The real Judy is blunt and modest, dismissing much of the legend:
  [25:59 | Judy]: “It was not fun. I take full blame for the crash...It's funny how this story has made it this long and 50 years later, we're still talking about it. And it's something I really would like to forget.”
• Resurgence of interest comes from internet culture and love for weird, unlikely stories.

8. Reflections, Lessons & The Present

[28:12 - 29:43]

• Judy reflects on the experience:
  • “What seems like will be fun isn’t always fun. When you take on a pretty big challenge…don't expect it to be fun because it doesn't always turn out to be fun.”
• Judy remains engaged in racing, now in PR, maintaining friendships and respect garnered in her long motorsport career.
• Quote [29:38 | Judy]: “I am fucking lucky to be in this position that I'm in.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Respect and Women in Racing:
  [04:05 | Judy]: “I always had the respect because of my ability to do something that was of value to them.”

• On Being Outlandish:
  [09:10 | Julian]: “It’s sort of a mini Dolly Parton if you’re familiar…wacky blonde, but very smart and an excellent race car driver.”

• On Mother’s Priorities:
  [11:55 | Judy]: “Can you pay your mortgage? Good.”

• On the Legend’s Longevity:
  [26:37 | Judy]: “Who knew that it would take on a life of its own 50 years later?”

• On Luck and Gratitude:
  [29:38 | Judy]: “I am fucking lucky to be in this position that I'm in.”

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Key Timestamps

• 03:48 – Judy joins the show and describes her entry into racing
• 07:40 – How the team formed and secured their sponsor (Right Bra Company)
• 11:19 – The Cannonball Race starts; secrecy emphasized
• 12:56 – Notable teams and creative tactics described
• 17:31 – Race underway; inside their strategy, discomfort, and risks
• 18:36 – Police stops, flirtation, and fines
• 19:41 – The Atlanta ring-road debacle
• 21:54 – The El Paso crash: exhaustion’s role
• 24:14 – The infamous porta potty spill explained
• 25:59 – Judy’s view on the story’s rise to legend
• 28:21 – Life lessons: “What seems fun isn’t always fun”
• 29:38 – Judy on her good fortune and gratitude

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Tone and Takeaways

• The tone is matter-of-fact, occasionally deadpan, frequently self-deprecating—not romanticizing the legend, but grounded in the reality of what was a cold, exhausting, ill-fated, and only-in-retrospect extraordinary road trip.
• Judy’s enduring reputation comes from her career—not the crash—but the Cannonball Run added an unlikely chapter that internet folklore and Hollywood have immortalized.
• Ultimately, the story is a mix of bold risk-taking, mid-century gender roles, friendship, mishap, and the strange afterlife of cult legends.

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For more deep dives into wild real-life stories, check out the show’s extra episodes and their social media.

Transcript

[Mom]

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[Julian Morgans]

Really? I can get super specific with dealer listings and see cars based on my budget.

[Mom]

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[Judy Stropus]

Subaru. So I ran the 1972 Cannonball Run with two other women in a Cadillac limousine. And 50 years later, we're still talking about it. And it's something I really would like to forget.

[Julian Morgans]

Why would you like to forget it?

[Judy Stropus]

Because I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever done.

[Julian Morgans]

Hey, I'm Julian Morgans and you're listening to what It Was like, the show that asks people who have lived through big, dramatic events what it was like.

[Judy Stropus]

Foreign.

[Julian Morgans]

This week we're doing something super duper fun. It's something that you possibly haven't heard of, the Cannonball Run. So it's this completely illegal, unsanctioned car competition. There's no governing body and there's just one rule. You've got to drive from New York to Los Angeles by any route you want in any car, and you've just got to try to get there as fast as possible. And that means breaking the speed limit the whole way and trying to avoid the cops. Now, back in the 1970s, this was actually an official race and it ran until 1979, at which point it was disbanded as the organisers were concerned that someone was eventually going to get killed. But the competition has lived on underground, and every now and then an independent team will go out and they'll try to set a new record. Now, the current record stands at 25 hours, 39 minutes, and this was set in May of 2020. And I'm actually going to talk to the guys who set this record in this week's subscriber only episode. Are you a subscriber? If not, why not come join us? Anyway, I think it's this kind of outlaw behaviour that makes the Cannonball Run the Coolest competition in the world, at least to my way of thinking. And if you really get into the weeds, there's one team that really stands out in the history of the Cannonball Run. And that was an all female team sponsored by a BRA company who drove a black limousine across America. And they're all wearing Pink jumpsuits in 1972. And they didn't win. They didn't even finish. But for reasons that we're going to explore today, they were the most legendary team to ever enter the Cannonball Race. And we've actually tracked down one of these women. Her name is Judy Stropus, and she's here today to tell us her story. So let's do it. Here's Judy. Hey, Judy. Welcome to the show.

[Judy Stropus]

Thank you. Glad to be here. How are things in Melbourne?

[Julian Morgans]

Things in Melbourne are pretty good. I want to. Because I'm not a car guy, I'm not a racing guy, I want to get a taste of your passion. I want to understand what it's all about. Can you tell me what you love about cars?

[Judy Stropus]

Well, I kind of fell into it. I really didn't plan on it. What I love about it is the camaraderie of everyone who was a part of Race Weekend. And now for me, it'll be 60 years professionally next year. And I am so grateful for the friendships and the people I have met over that to all these famous race car drivers who are my pals. I can call on the phone any day and any moment. And to have the respect, especially as a woman in a man's sport, I always had the respect because of my ability to do something that was of value to them.

[Julian Morgans]

Judy was born in Lithuania and she moved to the United States as a child. And she actually got into racing in the late 1960s via a boyfriend. And not as a driver, but as a timekeeper. Because back then, we didn't have computers. And timing multiple cars on a circuit was pretty tricky. But Judy had a knack for it. She had a photographic memory for cars crossing lines at high speed. And she could crunch numbers really quickly. So she became known as someone who could track lap times with near perfect accuracy. And she became a bit of a hot commodity for race teams.

[Judy Stropus]

I was 31. I was working at the races. I was timing for many teams. I was in demand. So that's why I was able to take advantage of my friendships with many of the teams and drivers to get the equipment I needed to do the Cannonball.

[Julian Morgans]

The Cannonball. Now, I think we should spend a moment on the history of this thing, because the Cannonball Run is actually about 100 years old. And it actually started in the early 1900s when driving across America was really hard. This was at a time when there were no national highways, there was no fuel infrastructure, there were no street lights. Motels hadn't even been invented yet. But people were obsessed with this idea of going west. It was this old idea of American abundance, like the land would just continue forever. But it was also about proving out this new technology, the automobile. So people started trying it. They'd drive from New York to California or the other way around. And these trips took weeks. Drivers carried spare parts, they rebuilt engines on the side of roads and they hauled fuel with them. But pretty quickly it became competitive. Time started dropping. Records were being set and broken constantly. And then one guy came to define the whole thing. A driver named Irwin George Baker. His nickname was Cannonball because people said that he drove like he'd been shot out of one. And he spent his career setting endurance records, more than 140 of them. And that's really where the modern idea of the Cannonball comes from. Now Fast forward to 1971 and a journalist named Brock Yates wanted to revive the comp. He wanted to beat Cannonball Baker's time, which had stood at 53 hours for years and years. So he jumped in a van with his 14 year old son and they drove across the country in just over 4:40 hours. And then he wrote about the experience for Car and Driver magazine, which is where he worked at the time. And you know, magazines were a big deal and people got excited and suddenly the Cannonball Run was back. And the following year, Brock got the word out that he was doing it all over again. Except this time he was opening up the event for other cars to compete. And that's how in 1972, Judy heard about this and decided to.

[Judy Stropus]

And we said, oh my God, we have to do this. This is too much fun. It sounds like a great time. Let's do it. Put together a team. And then a bunch of other crazy teams were put together.

[Julian Morgans]

Okay, let's talk about your vehicle. Can you just describe it for me?

[Judy Stropus]

Well, it was a Cadillac limousine. I believe it was black. We had decals on the outside. We were sponsored by the Right Bra company. So we had decals on the side that said right bra.

[Julian Morgans]

And can I just ask, what is the Right Bra company?

[Judy Stropus]

Well, it was a gentleman. The sponsor was obtained like a few days before the actual start of the Cannonball. I think it was a cocktail Reception. And I met this gentleman who said his mother has a company called the Right Bra Company. Can we sponsor you? I said, certainly. So they had decals made. Very quickly. We had a patch over our right breast for the Right Bra company on each of our pink outfits.

[Julian Morgans]

Were you made to, like, wear these bras for the duration of the race, or was there any sort of product placement?

[Judy Stropus]

Well, the funny part is Donna Mae Mims, at that time was almost 50 years old, and she came not wearing a bra. So she arrived and she put on the pink outfit, and she clearly, like I always joke, and she said she has perky bosoms, but she was not wearing a bra.

[Julian Morgans]

And can you tell me about the other two women? Who were they? What were they like?

[Judy Stropus]

Donna Mae Mims, hilarious, excellent race car driver, a national champion. I believe all her cars were pink, so she had think pink on the side of her car. And she's sort of a mini Dolly Parton, if you're familiar with Dolly Parton. So she had that look about her and sort of wacky blonde, but very smart and very. An excellent race car driver. Peggy Nemchik was the wife of Brad Nemchik, who was in another vehicle in the Cannonball. So Brad had come to me and said, can you include Peggy in your car so she could be at the other end, you know, with me? I said, sure. But I think that was a mistake because she really didn't have the experience, and she was very excited and didn't sleep, so she was tired and she fell asleep at the wheel.

[Julian Morgans]

We'll get to Peggy falling asleep at the wheel. But that's how Judy heard about the race and how she pulled her team together. Now, by this point, you might have picked up on something about Judy. She's a pretty straight shooter. I think interviewing her was kind of interesting because I came to this being like, wow, this story is wild. It's going to be so easy to get some interesting answers. And then I'd ask her something that I thought was truly bananas, and she'd just calmly lay it, oh, this happened. And then that happened. And, you know, there was no embellishment, just a few clean facts. And I think ultimately that's just how her brain works. You know, she's a timekeeper. She's good with numbers. I got the sense that she doesn't spend much time thinking about hypotheticals or storytelling, which is great. But it's also why I'm stepping in throughout this interview, because I think, you know, I think the story deserves a little More color, just like their look. All right, so. So Judy pulled this team together. There's three women. They're wearing pink jumpsuits, and they're driving this long black Cadillac limousine. And you can look it up in photos. It's an absolute tank of a car. Visually, it was just iconic. And then they headed to New York with around 30 other teams. That's right, 1972. There were around 30 teams competing. And they started at this one garage.

[Judy Stropus]

Each team in each car had had a specific time that they started out of the Red Bull garage in New York City. It was really quite festive, as I recall, when we took off. But we certainly couldn't have any drinks. Cause we had to go drive like crazy people out on the highway.

[Julian Morgans]

Did your friends and family come along to see you off?

[Judy Stropus]

No, because I think it was top secret. Only the participants knew about it. It was intended to be under the radar and kept quiet so that the police didn't find out what we.

[Julian Morgans]

Okay, so you didn't tell your parents what you're up to?

[Judy Stropus]

I had no real parental guidance at that point. I did whatever I wanted to do. My mother was only concerned that I could pay my mortgage. I would tell her, I'm going to jump out of an airplane. Oh, good. Can you pay your mortgage? Okay, Mom, I'm going to race cars. Is that okay? Yes. Can you pay your mortgage? I'm going to run the Cannonball Run. I don't know. I know you don't know anything about it, but. But I'm going to run a Cannonball across country at top speed. Is that all right? Oh, sure. Can you pay your mortgage? Good.

[Julian Morgans]

Solid Eastern European mother. Now, to have any chance of winning, you have to break the law, because you've got to speed almost the whole way. So to get around, the police teams got creative. Some cars were modified to look like ambulances, which gave them a reason to be spitting. Or they tried to look like unmarked police vehicles. Just anything to avoid attention.

[Judy Stropus]

The other vehicles had some crazy things going on. The one with Pam Yates, she was the patient in the back on a gurney in an ambulance. And I think that was the one Brock Yates was driving. They told the police when they were stopped that she can't fly, that they were taking her to Los Angeles to a special hospital. They got away with that. And then another motorhome, Bill Broderick was running. He had a bunch of people in there, and they had a chef that was cooking delicious meals for them across country while they were running. Another one had a Gas tank, an extra gas tank so that they didn't have to stop for fuel. But that was so dangerous. And there was another one. It was a group of guys at Mercedes, I think, who were dressed as priests and they were going cross country to some convention or meeting or something. They probably got away with it as well. It was just great stories.

[Julian Morgans]

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[Mom]

Are you really buying a car online on autotrader right now?

[Julian Morgans]

Really? I can get super specific with dealer listings and see cars based on my budget.

[Mom]

You can really have it delivered or pick it up. I think kid is walking up the slide.

[Julian Morgans]

Really? Autotrader, buy your car online.

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[Julian Morgans]

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[Judy Stropus]

Well, that's cool.

[Carvana Customer]

No, you don't understand. It went perfectly. Real offer down to the penny. They're picking it up tomorrow. Nothing went wrong.

[Judy Stropus]

So what's the problem?

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[Judy Stropus]

Maybe there's no catch.

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[Judy Stropus]

Wow.

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[Judy Stropus]

I think it's laminate.

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[Julian Morgans]

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[Julian Morgans]

One by one, the cars roared out of this garage in New York and they started the race. And Judy says that once they were out of the city and heading west, it occurred to them that actually this might be kind of uncomfortable and really not that much fun.

[Judy Stropus]

I think we were always on adrenaline, but I don't think we were ever comfortable.

[Julian Morgans]

I mean, did you have like a rotation? Was it one person's turn to drive while two people slept or something like that?

[Judy Stropus]

Two people always awake, one doing the tabulation and one sleeping, one driving.

[Julian Morgans]

Okay. Did you play music?

[Judy Stropus]

Oh, I don't know. I don't remember. If it were up to me, I would say no. I don't even play music now. It would be too much of a distraction. You had to be on point all the time because you're driving over 100 miles an hour most of the time.

[Julian Morgans]

Now, keep in mind that 100 miles an hour is actually 160 kilometers an hour. Just for our listeners here in Australia, this is pretty fast, and it's particularly fast in a limousine, which is the kind of thing that attracts attention.

[Judy Stropus]

We ended up in a little bit of a snowstorm and I couldn't see very well. So I think I unknowingly, I passed the policeman on the right side and that's when he pulled us over. So I think we thought we were smart enough, we were going to avoid it, but we got stopped according To

[Julian Morgans]

Judy, this officer seemed more amused than anything else, and they managed to talk their way out of it.

[Judy Stropus]

We flirted with the police, and he was very polite and very nice, but he took us to the local gendarmerie and where we had to pay our ticket. And then we got back in the car and got stopped within 20 minutes again. But we were luckily in another county, so it wasn't the same police and the same police station. So I believe we were able to pay our fine right there, and we were off on our way.

[Julian Morgans]

They carried on, and then they hit a snowstorm in the middle of the country. Now, most teams decided to push through, but Judy and her group, they. They tried something smarter. They diverted south, hoping to avoid it, which accidentally got them stuck on a ring road.

[Judy Stropus]

I was sleeping at that time, and Donna Mae was driving, and we got onto i285, which is the bypass around the city of Atlanta. But she didn't realize that we had to get off. When I woke up, I said, I think I've seen this place before that we're passing, and then realized that she had gone around a couple of times.

[Julian Morgans]

So was she a bit sheepish, maybe?

[Judy Stropus]

We didn't care. We thought we had it made because we were missing all the snow in the middle of the country.

[Julian Morgans]

Do you remember the weather changing as you got further west?

[Judy Stropus]

It was perfect weather all the way to Texas. I don't remember any rain, but I do remember the vehicle starting to rattle. Like, the tires got square, and then the heat went off. So we were driving with that impairment, but we kept going, but it was cold because without the heat, we were cold.

[Julian Morgans]

Why did the car start to fall apart?

[Judy Stropus]

I don't know. We never found out. So it just made it a very uncomfortable ride. But it was still going.

[Julian Morgans]

Do you remember? I mean, aside from the immediate problems of navigation, did you guys have any interesting conversations?

[Judy Stropus]

No. I mean, I don't remember any. I don't think so. I think we were just focused on doing what we had to do.

[Julian Morgans]

Yeah, it's a very. I mean, it sounds like you guys were quite a serious bunch of girls.

[Judy Stropus]

You had to be serious. You had to be serious because you were trying to accomplish something, and you were trying to do it safely, as safely as you could, as smartly as you could. Don't run out of gas. Don't crash. Don't. Don't get stopped by the police yet. There was a lot of concentration going on.

[Julian Morgans]

Did you want to win?

[Judy Stropus]

Yes. We thought we had it made. We were going south.

[Julian Morgans]

Was what? Was the prize money or was there a prize?

[Judy Stropus]

No, the prize was getting to the end and having a party. And that was it.

[Julian Morgans]

Okay. Okay. So you guys are. You're feeling good, you're making good time, and then you get towards El Paso. Can you just walk me through it?

[Judy Stropus]

Well, the car was rattling. It was cold. Peggy was driving. I was navigating, and I could see that she was dozing off or her eyelids were closing. So I just said, hold on, hold on, Peggy. I need to just finish this estimation of fuel consumption and time, and we'll be okay. And then I looked over, and her eyes were closing, and I just tapped her on the shoulder. And she just opened her eyes, panicked, slammed on the brake, and there was a little hill to the right of the highway. And went up on the hill, turned over and landed on our wheels, and everybody was okay. And there was a trucker behind us who stopped to help us, who saw us, helped us. I think he called the police. Police came over. And I know you're going to ask me about the police and what they said and what they did, and I actually don't remember. I was just happy that we were okay. And the next thing I remember, the vehicle was taken away, and we were in a hotel. And this was the funny part. We called Bobby and said, bobby, I'm afraid we crashed the Cadillac limousine you got for us. He says, oh, well, you know, I rented it for you. And that's when we first discovered that he had rented the vehicle. So what he did was he called up the rental car company and he told them, hey, guys, I really love this car. I want to buy it from you. So he ended up buying the Cadillac limousine from the rental car company to save face.

[Julian Morgans]

It's lucky he had some money.

[Judy Stropus]

Well, he was a team owner. Race car team owner. Can am team owner. You need millions to be able to be a team owner.

[Julian Morgans]

So then what happened to the car?

[Judy Stropus]

I don't know. It's probably still in El Paso somewhere. Buried in some sort of junkyard somewhere.

[Julian Morgans]

Yeah, probably got turned into a cube about 50 years ago.

[Judy Stropus]

Exactly.

[Julian Morgans]

And that's where their race ended. But there's one more detail that's become part of Cannonball folklore. Because the women had a port, a potty in the back of the limo. So theoretically, they wouldn't need to stop and use toilets. They could just go to the toilet in the back of the limo. So it seemed like a good idea. But when they crashed, this porta potty went everywhere.

[Judy Stropus]

When we rolled over in the limousine, the Porta Potty, which we never used during the entire trip, but it had chemicals in it. So Donna may explain that the chemicals got all over her when the car rolled over. So there's an urban legend about the fact that it was more than just chemicals that burst all over, but the fact is we never did use it.

[Julian Morgans]

So there you go. The Porta Potty going everywhere was actually not a big deal, according to Judy. And after that, they ditched the car, they used the rest of their cash, and they flew home via first class. They didn't win. They didn't even finish. And at the time, almost no one noticed that they'd even entered. But over the years, their story has taken on a life of its own. And that's largely thanks to a movie that was made about them or sort of lightly inspired. It's called the Cannonball Run. And to be honest, I actually haven't seen it, but I've been watching some YouTube clips and it looks very slapstick. In the film, there's these three women who are basically like something out of Charlie's Angels and they wear skin tight pink outfits the whole time. You know, it's very early 80s, there's lots of cleavage, lots of big hair, and their car gets swapped out for a Lamborghini. The whole thing isn't exactly subtle filmmaking, which I guess people on Rotten Tomatoes have responded to and given it an average score of 29%. But despite all that, or maybe because of it, the movie did something important. It made the Cannonball Run famous and it turned this failed, half forgotten team into icons. So I think that's kind of the strange contrast at the heart of this story. You know, the film is exaggerated and completely ridiculous, but the woman at the center of it, Judy, she is anything but.

[Judy Stropus]

That is like, you know, one of the dumbest things I'd ever done in my life. And I say that often and I say that openly. It was not fun, I think, you know, by crashing and getting all the attention for that. Actually, actually we don't get. We didn't get that much attention for the crash. We got the attention because we were women. But it's funny how this story has made it this long and 50 years later, we're still talking about it. And it's something I really would like to forget.

[Julian Morgans]

Why would you like to forget it?

[Judy Stropus]

Because I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever done. It was like. I mean, I take full blame for the crash because I think Peggy was the wrong person to be on the team because she had no experience and she was too excited about doing it and not being focused. I mean, it's fun to talk about it now, but it wasn't fun doing it.

[Julian Morgans]

And how do you feel that this story has kind of resurfaced in recent years? What do you make of that?

[Judy Stropus]

I don't know. I've done several interviews about the Cannonball recently. I just think it's, you know, it's this legend. It doesn't reflect on anything to do with motorsports or automobile racing or sports car racing. This is something totally off the wal. Who knew that it would take on a life of its own 50 years later?

[Julian Morgans]

I think it's Internet culture. The Internet loves a weird story. And this is a, you know, it's a pretty weird story.

[Judy Stropus]

And the guys who are doing it now, some of them, you know, they're doing it high tech. They're very serious about just breaking the record. Not doing something that's meant to be crazy, Just trying to break the record of going cross country.

[Julian Morgans]

In your day to day life, how often do you think about the Cannonball Run or your experience in it?

[Judy Stropus]

Only when someone like you calls me and asks me to talk about it.

[Julian Morgans]

Okay. I'm curious what you learned from this experience, just in general, that what seems

[Judy Stropus]

like will be fun isn't always fun. When you take on a pretty big challenge, don't expect it to be fun because it doesn't always turn out to be fun.

[Julian Morgans]

And that's the story of the 1972 All Women Team who failed to complete the Cannonball Run and also didn't enjoy it very much at all. But Judy is still in the racing community to this day and she says that she truly, truly loves it.

[Judy Stropus]

My life is great these days, so I have a PR company. So I, I do get to go to some events every year and hang out with all the other retirees from racing. A lot of famous race car drivers, we get acknowledged now and we, we get events honoring us and, and especially the motorsports hall of fame of America. So we're never out of the limelight. It's part of that respect that was so important to me early on that I'm continuing to receive, which is, I use a term that I can't use on air. I am blanking lucky to be where I am.

[Julian Morgans]

You are, and you can swear it's okay.

[Judy Stropus]

You want me to say it. I am fucking lucky to be in this position that I'm in.

[Julian Morgans]

Yeah, well, I love that. There's nothing like getting lucky but it's even better if you know that you're lucky.

[Judy Stropus]

Yeah, I'm very fortunate. I'm very grateful, Judy.

[Julian Morgans]

I've loved this. Thank you so much.

[Judy Stropus]

Terrific. Thank you so much.

[Julian Morgans]

Thanks for listening. As I mentioned earlier, if you want to go deeper into the world of the Cannonball Run, we've got a subscriber episode where I speak to the current record holders. This is the team who during COVID drove across the United states in just 25 hours. In fact, some people in the Cannonball community think that this record will never be beaten just because it was set during that strange window in history when the roads were just all empty. But I think what makes their story fascinating wasn't just the speed. It was the planning. Because these guys, they're not reckless. They're. They're actually incredibly methodical. Surprisingly methodical. Their car was packed with technology designed to avoid the police, and they even modified it to resemble an unmarked law enforcement vehicle. So if that sounds like your kind of thing, please join me for the subscriber episode this week. Thanks for listening. I'll see you again next week. What It Was like is produced by Rachel Tuffery. This episode was edited by Ellie Dickey, who also does our research. Our cover art is by Rich Akers. Our theme music was produced by Jimmy Saunders. And this whole thing has been a super real production.

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