Five Surprising Facts about ‘Your Mom Races Rally’
Kelly Conroy, author of Your Mom Races Rally, shows off her racecar Nessie.
Our latest book Your Mom Races Rally by Kelly Conroy is about challenging stereotypes, chasing joy and subverting expectations. It’s a true story about what it takes to reinvent yourself.
Along the journey, Conroy encounters all sorts of surprises and “A-ha!” moments that made the experience truly one of a kind. Today, on the book’s official release day, we share a few of those inside stories.
1. Conroy had never driven stick before
When we say she started from scratch, she really did start from scratch. Learning to drive a manual transmission was the first big, scary obstacle that Conroy had to overcome on her rally racing journey. It meant overcoming the fear of “sucking at something,” she writes.
2. She replaced her own springs
A stock BMW E30 is no rally car. Conroy needed to upgrade the suspension as quickly as possible. That can be dangerous. As she writes, compressed suspension springs are “like charged bombs,” and usually left to pros. But over the course of several weeks, she and her husband accomplished it together. Completing the task inspired a critical moment of awe when Conroy needed it most.
3. Written, edited and designed by women
Much more than a one-person effort, Your Mom Races Rally came together with the help and support of an extremely talented team. Conroy worked with Emma Hutner on project management, Sarah Bennett on drafts and edits, and Taylor Gmahling on cover design. This is a car book led, concepted and executed authentically from the female perspective.
4. Beginners welcome here
Conroy was expecting an uphill battle in a male-dominated landscape. What she didn’t expect was a vibrant community of women already in place, ready to welcome her with open arms. Whether it was the smiling instructors at DirtFish rally school, the badass adventurers that run the Rebelle Rally, or the inclusive ethos of the Northwest Rally Association, Conroy discovered that while motorsport has a long way to go, many in the culture are happy to lend a helping hand. “With community,” she writes, “getting better is a little easier.”
5. Fun takes precedence
There’s no greater tagline for the book than Conroy’s own car. She chose it not for speed or precision, but because the BMW E30 is rear-wheel drive. Rally is filled with all-wheel drive cars for the best possible traction and performance. But rear-wheel drive is more fun. And to Conroy, fun was the whole point. “I didn’t know what it would take,” she writes. “I just knew it was mine.”
Your Mom Races Rally
Motherhood, Motorsports and the Revolution of Fun
A Rally Racing Memoir by Kelly Conroy
Hardcover Book · Motorsports Memoir
Discover the rally racing memoir that rewrites the way we view motherhood, women’s health and the constant need to be “good.”
Kelly Conroy stepped into rally school an exhausted mother of two. She left a racecar driver. Over the next two years, Conroy ditched society’s expectations as the modern mother consumed by sleep schedules and selflessness, and entered into a new era of rediscovering fun. The result is Your Mom Races Rally, a moving memoir about putting yourself first.
Conroy had never driven stick before, let alone competed in a mud-slinging motorsport that regularly sends cars careening into trees. Over the course of two years she prioritized her own joy and sanity, even at the expense of her family’s routine, meal plan and bank account. Conroy attended rally school, wriggled across oil-stained garage floors to upgrade her 40-year old BMW nicknamed “Nessie,” and made her way to the starting line. Along the way, she discovered a vast network of women racers, off-roaders and fellow badasses cheering her on at each step.
This is a story of reclaiming and rewriting your own life. It’s about setting an example for your children by living out your dreams — not someone else’s. For all the moms missing their previous selves, wondering where she went, this is your invitation to set her free again. Follow Kelly on Instagram at @yourmomracesrally.
ISBN: 979-8-9874245-3-7
Press Coverage for Your Mom Races Rally:
Kelly Conroy on the Under the Influence podcast with Jo Piazza (Apple Podcasts)
Kelly Conroy interviewed by Pretty Girl Motorsports
Kelly Conroy interview by the Racers & Riders Newsletter
Kelly Conroy feature article in Road & Track
Kelly Conroy on the Flatirons Syndicate Motorsport Podcast
Kelly Conroy on the Be Differential Podcast (Apple Podcasts)
Book Review: “The Best Book I Read in 2025” on Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys
Frequently cited as one of the best new racing books of 2026.
About this Book: 5 Surprising Facts about Your Mom Races Rally
Your Mom Races Rally is available now wherever books are sold. Copies signed by the author are in stock here, while supplies last.
Praise for Your Mom Races Rally
"I was hooked from the moment I started reading. Kelly's writing is engaging enough to make me step away from my own race car for a bit to live in her world — complete with the same ups and downs I've been feeling. Such a relief to know I'm not the only one who feels like a doofus and it's great to celebrate her wins vicariously!" - Emme Hall, off-road racer and automotive journalist.
"A radical reimagining of what it means for a mother to reclaim her own life. Through Kelly Conroy’s elegant, courageous unraveling of expectation, the memoir becomes a compass pointing every reader back toward the authentic selfhood they thought they’d lost." - Elizabeth Blackstock, motorsport journalist and author of Racing with Rich Energy.
“A lively look at what happens when a mother dares to embrace joy, space, and speed in a world that often expects her to slow down. Kelly Conroy’s story combines humor and honesty as she traces her unexpected journey from exhausted parent to rally driver, using the sport to reconnect with herself. The book begins with Conroy describing the weight of modern motherhood, capturing the chaos, pressure, and fierce dedication that fill her days. The opening chapters create a realistic picture of life stretched thin, not in complaint, but in understanding. Her voice is warm, insightful, and brave as she explores the internal struggles that rise and shrink under the constant demands of caregiving... This book will inspire every tired mom.” - Readers’ Favorite.
Frequently Bought Together
Building your library of the best motorsport books? This pairs perfectly with Life At Shutter Speed or Waiting for the Sun to Come Down, available now.
Free shipping on U.S. orders for a limited time.
Larry Chen: Life At Shutter Speed | The Definitive Photography Book
Life At Shutter Speed is the debut collection from Larry Chen, the preeminent automotive photographer of today’s generation. This 400-page keepsake celebrates 20 years of Chen’s work, featuring never-before-seen images and behind-the-scenes stories from his travels all over the world.
Life At Shutter Speed presents thousands of photos in vivid clarity and color, displayed in a stitch-bound hardcover measuring 14 × 11 inches for a stunning presentation. It spans the worlds of motorsport, rally and hillclimb racing, smoke-filled drifting and underground car culture that are synonymous with the author.
Inspired by his tireless mission to celebrate auto enthusiasts across the globe, as depicted in his YouTube series AutoFocus with Hoonigan and Capturing Car Culture with Hagerty, Life At Shutter Speed packs two decades of breathtaking thrills into a collector’s item that will elevate the bookshelf of any car nut. Click here to read a Q&A with Chen about the making of Life At Shutter Speed.
Available now wherever books are sold.
ISBN: 979-8-9916226-7-7
For information on our Return and Refund Policy, click here.
The Ultimate Drift Photography Coffee Table Book
Take a trip all the way back to the beginning. From his first visit to D1GP in 2005 to the meteoric rise of Formula Drift over 20 years, Life At Shutter Speed puts you on the track like no other photo book. Chen has been along for the ride for the entire growth of drifting in the United States, and pioneered the way the sport is photographed today. The book features hundreds of photos from overhead, inside the cockpit and inches from lighting up the tires. To read 5 automotive photography tips from the book, click here.
More key drifting photos:
Your favorite drivers like Vaughn Gittin Jr., Chris Forsberg and Adam LZ
Pioneers from Japan like Keiichi Tsuchiya, Daijiro Inada and Dai Yoshihara
Modern day champions James Deane, Chelsea DeNofa and Frederic Aasbo
And much more:
A masterclass in professional automotive photography, Life At Shutter Speed serves as both a time-traveling gallery of car culture and the triumphant portfolio of an entire career. A premium gift for car enthusiasts that is truly unique.
Press Coverage:
Interview with Life At Shutter Speed author Larry Chen, Smoking Tire Podcast
Interview with Life At Shutter Speed author Larry Chen, Maxim Magazine
The story behind the book featuring Larry Chen, Oh Shift YouTube Channel
"An immersive experience." - Foreword Reviews.
"Thrilling" and "jaw-dropping." - BookLife.
"Captures the excitement of racing in all its forms and in all parts of the world." - Kirkus Reviews.
Also featured in: Hagerty Drivers Club magazine, Los Angeles Times, Jay Leno’s Garage and more.
Waiting for the Sun to Come Down by automotive photographer Kevin McCauley is a mesmerizing study of light and shadow. Presented in hardcover with a jacket, this automotive coffee table book highlights hundreds of stunning cars spanning the course of a decade.
McCauley captures some of the world’s most seductive vehicles as you’ve never seen them before. His work includes dramatic staged photographs, alluring time-lapse progressions and magical smartphone images. Laid onto high-quality paper that makes color leap off the page, this array of muscle cars, vintage classics and once-in-a-lifetime exotic supercars is a must-have book for car enthusiasts of any age.
A renowned expert in the field of automotive photography, McCauley has been recognized by GQ, Esquire and the London Evening Standard as an innovator and technical specialist. Click here to read a Q&A with McCauley about the making of Waiting for the Sun to Come Down and the inspiration behind it.
Available now through CarraraBooks.com or wherever books are sold.
ISBN: 979-8-9874245-9-9
For information on our Return and Refund Policy, click here.