Written by:
Kevin Krefting
Any fan of SPEED's NASCAR RaceDay is familiar with the face of Wendy Venturini. She is a lively addition to the on air crew of John Roberts, Kenny Wallace, and Jimmy Spencer.
While her passion for racing shines through her skills with a headset and microphone, her passion for her family and life may not be as easy to detect when she's working, but don't be deceived, her family and friends are two of the most important things in her life.
"We're a tight, close bunch," she said of her family. "Racing is the only thing I know and I'm glad to continue the family tradition, it's a family affair."
"We even get together and have family dinners together," Venturini said of spending time with her family. "If we're home for a while or all our schedules kind of merge and we have time, my mom might cook us a home made meal or we'll pick a restaurant and go out to eat."
Venturini has racing in her blood. Her father, Bill Sr. is a two time ARCA series champion, and her brother, Billy, now races for his father's team, Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Re/Max series.
"My brother and I were given the same opportunities," Venturini said. "I could have been a driver, but I choose the television route."
A graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Communication Studies, psychology, and a minor in journalism, Venturini has been with SPEED for five years.
She started as a pit reporter for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and moved to NASCAR RaceDay in 2006 doing high-profiled features called The Read Deal with Wendy Venturini.
Venturini is known for her ability to get her interviewees to answer tough questions. Of the features that she has compiled, her favorite was with the late Bobby Hamilton.
"His was the most touching," she said. "His outlook on life was amazing."
While some aren't as controversial as others, Venturini said her most surprising interview was with Robert Yates.
"I asked him how his race team was and he pretty much said 'it sucks'," she said. "I was a little surprised."
Venturini said that she enjoys what she does so much that it doesn't even feel like a job, and her co-workers help that feeling.
"The people I work with are incredible," she said. "They're my home away from home. You spend ten months with a group of people, you better like them. They're not just my co-workers, they're my friends."
Venturini's busy schedule doesn't allow much luxury time for play, but when she does have time, she enjoys boating on Lake Norman with her family, interior decorating and traveling.
"It's a tradition to go to the Caribbean every year during the off season with my family," she said.
She also enjoys riding her motorcycle.
"Something I wanted to do was get my motorcycle license, so I took the class and got them."
She also enjoys watching other forms of motorsports, such as drag racing.
A little trivia for Venturini fans, she says that she is "domestically challenged."
"I got a Roomba (vacuum) for Christmas," she said. "I can turn it on, leave my house and it still gets vacuumed. It's great."
Venturini credits her parents for being the most influential people in her life. They instilled in a young Wendy that she could achieve anything she wanted as long as she worked for it.
"They're my biggest fans," she said.
She says her father taught her to be an honest person in the racing business and to never burn bridges, and she says that her mom is just "amazing."
"When it's all said and done, when RaceDay is over and racing is over, I know my family will be there to support me."
Venturini also credits a special man in the NASCAR family for influencing her to do what she wanted to do: the late Benny Parsons.
Venturini recalled a story of when she was 15-years-old and told Parsons, who was a family friend, that she wanted to make a career in television but wasn't sure that she would make it.
"He said, 'Why not? With the family you come from and knowing what you know at your age, you'll make it,'" she recalled. "Benny had a way of making people think that they were the next big thing. He was an inspiration and role model to everyone."
Another big part of her influence and motivation was that she didn't want to use her last name to get to where she is at today.
"I wanted to make a name for myself," she said, "I didn't want the Venturini name to carry me."
And made a name for herself she has.
For more information on Wendy Venturini, check out Speedtv.com or WendyVenturini.com
