Life happens to move pretty quickly for most folks with their daily routine with work, jostling about in their commutes to and from the office job. By day's end, all their energy is consumed, with just enough to hustle to the house for dinner and bed alone or with their family.

If most of us are tired after a hard day's effort at work, just imagine how resilient, focused, and passionate stock car racer and environmentalist Leliani Münter is with what she does each day.

Most drivers are consumed by the chase of finding eternal glory with victories and championships. For the young Münter, she truly embodies the concept of living life to the fullest, pursuing her dreams as a racer, but in saving our world, one step at a time.

From her trips to Japan, which stemmed from her viewing of the documentary "The Cove," where she set out to save the lives of dolphins, to her efforts to preserving our world with alternative energies, it's safe to say that there's almost no "empty" gauge in Münter's ambitions and willpower.

When she sets her sights on the mission at hand, she succeeds with hard work and perseverance. Her support system, from her husband Craig to her immediate family, replenish her with the motivation with her efforts in making the world greener as well as in her pursuit to be the first under the checkered flag.

In the two years I've known Leilani Münter, I can honestly say that she's a very inspirational young woman who, after reading through this feature story and interview, she'll probably inject some positive vibes through her actions and words. Congenial, intellectual, and optimistic are some of the adjectives to describe the pride of Rochester, MN, who's prime to make her return to the racing arena in 2012.

Additionally, she's quite personable and gracious for the people around her as well as the experiences she's had in her life on and off the track. With the new season looming in just two months, it'll soon be back to the track to find the ultimate racing line and Victory Lane at the Daytona International Speedway.

I interviewed the sensational racing talent this week, catching up with Münter in the past year as well as what lies ahead in the near future. In an exclusive interview with The Podium Finish, Leilani Münter is also pleased to reveal the paint scheme for her 2012 ride, which is bound to be the fastest green campaign on wheels ever.

So sit back, strap your seatbelts tight one more time, cause we'll be "In the Driver's Seat with Leilani Münter, ARCA Series Racer and Environmentalist!"

Rob Tiongson :  First of all, on behalf of the readers of The Podium Finish, I’d like to say Happy Holidays to you, Craig, and your family! How were the holidays for you?  Did they seem to go by just right or too fast?

Leilani Münter :  Thank you, and Happy Holidays to you as well! I had a great holiday, I have been traveling a lot this past year and my husband has been over in New Zealand for much of the year also, so we had a quiet vegan Thanksgiving feast at home, just the two of us.

The weekend before Thanksgiving we went up to Watkins Glen, NY to host the Farm Sanctuary’s annual “Feeding of the Turkeys” where we met the turkey we adopted this year. She is a sweet bird, and she will never be anyone’s dinner, she will live out her days in peace at the Farm Sanctuary. They are a wonderful organization.

RT :  It’s hard to believe but the 2011 racing season marks your 10th anniversary in motorsports, when you started off in the Allison Legacy Series.  You’ve come a long ways since then, going from short track action to the stock car arenas. How would you describe your journey and what are your plans for this year?

LM :  What a long, strange trip it’s been!  It has been a wonderful journey and I am thankful for each and every time I’ve driven a race car over the past ten years. It’s amazing to think I have come all the way from the tiny little short tracks of Southern California all the way to racing at places like Daytona.

For 2012, we are hoping to run all ten of the televised ARCA races starting with Daytona with a very cool eco theme for next season - I am calling it my 200 mph eco education project.

My eco themed race car will be unlike any other race car that has ever hit the track. It’s going to be fun.

We are still working on signing additional partners for 2012, but we have a few on board already.

We are working only with companies who are making environmental sustainability an integral part of their corporate plan - companies that are doing their part to make the world a better place, so sometimes it can take a bit longer for us to put the program together.

 

RT :  Speedweeks 2012 is just two months away for stock car action – are you competing in the ARCA season opener and any other events at Daytona?

LM :  I don’t have confirmation on whether or not I will get the chance to race at Daytona again in 2012, I will find out soon. I have had racing deals come together at the last minute so I’m hoping the same thing happens this year.

Last year, I had the honor of working with Operation Free, a group of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan that are fighting for clean energy and energy independence for America. We had 30,000 NASCAR fans come to our tent to talk about clean energy during my last race.

I have some great new partnerships for 2012 including pair Networks, a carbon neutral website hosting company that uses renewable energy to power their data centers.  I also have partnered with 1% For the Planet by becoming an Ambassador for them and they will be involved in our eco education project for 2012.

 

RT :  At various points last year, you kept yourself quite busy, notably visiting Japan, but these weren’t pedestrian visits.  Tell the readers of The Podium Finish briefly about your visit and what motivated you to go there with a special mission and message. 

LM :  I went to Japan after watching the Academy Award winning documentary “The Cove.”  Never before in my life (and I doubt ever again) has a movie caused me to get on a plane and fly to the other side of the world for weeks at a time, and I have been to Japan three times since watching The Cove.

It is, in my opinion, the best documentary ever made - a cinematic masterpiece. The moment the film was over, I looked at my husband and said, “We have to go to Japan.” Ten months later, there I was standing next to Ric O’Barry, the hero of the film, delivering a petition signed by 2 million people from 151 countries asking for the dolphin slaughter to end. I encourage everyone reading this to rent this film.

RT :  Some individuals can say they’re passionate about a lot of things, yet their attention and efforts into the things they work on are hardly seen.  Then there are those, like yourself, who truly walk the walk and talk the talk. 

You’re a racer, environmentalist, and clean energy activist who puts absolutely 100 percent into all you do – how are you able to invest your energy into some of the things you do?  Especially coming off experiences in Japan, you experienced some things that had to be emotionally difficult at times and quite joyful on other occasions.

LM :  Truth be told, I am very tired! (laughs) But I don’t know how to do things any other way, it is my instinct to try to do something about the bad things I see happening in the world. There is a quote in "The Cove" by director Louie Psihoyos, who says, “You are either and activist or an in-activist.” And it is in my nature, in every cell in my body, to be an activist. It is very important to me to be a part of the solution. 

It is emotionally draining, I lost 10 pounds while I was in Japan, partly because there was not much in terms of vegetarian food in the small town I was staying in, and partly I think because of the stress of what was happening. There were some scary, intense moments with the fishermen but I will go back and I will face them again and I will continue to do so until the slaughter ends.

 

RT :  NASCAR now has its top three national touring series (Cup, Nationwide, and Trucks) race with Sunoco Green E15 fuels (which has 15 percent ethanol blend).  What’s your take on this and do you see a time when ethanol and other types of clean forms of energies become the standard for our street cars?

LM :  I think it’s a great step in the right direction. People are quick to attack corn based ethanol, and their are a lot of false myths being spread about ethanol but there is a documentary called “Freedom” which explains what is fact from what is fiction. I am interviewed in the film alongside Jim Woolsey (former head of the CIA), General Wesley Clark (retired four star General of the US Army), musician Jason Mraz, politician Newt Gingrich, actress Michelle Rodriguez and many more.

What people need to realize is that corn based ethanol is a stepping stone to second generation and third generation ethanols. Those types of biofuels can literally be made from all kinds of waste materials, anything that contains cellulose. With 7 billion people on the planet, we produce a lot of garbage that could be turned into fuel. That is the future.

I think algae is another exciting source of fuel, and I think more and more, particularly after the oil tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, you are going to see these renewable fuels pop up. I am also excited about the future for electric cars.

I have test driven several of them - the Nissan Leaf, the Mitsubishi Miev and the Tesla. I did a bit of Tesla driving for the documentary “Revenge of the Electric Car,” but got pulled over right away. Living proof of the tagline on my website - just because you’re green, doesn’t mean you can’t be fast!

RT :  For some who may be reading this, tell them what kind of racer you are – do you charge aggressively to the front or bide your time, waiting for the right opportunity to come along before making your moves for the win?

LM :  It depends on how well my car is handling. At my debut in open wheel in Indy Lights, I went three wide on the outside to pass two cars coming out of turn four and my spotter, Jaques Lazier, said that the spotters in the stand by him were saying, “How did she know she could make that?!” and it was just that I had a lot of confidence in that race car.

I was with a great team and they had put a bullet under me. That was a perfect situation and one that every driver loves to be in, but in racing there are always going to be days when your race car isn’t handling as well and you need to take it easy.

 

RT :  While it may sound like an obvious question (or not), how much does it mean to have support, from people like your family, friends, and fans, to go out there and do the things you enjoy, such as racing at near blinding speeds to reaching out to preserve our world and its beauties?

LM :  It means everything, it makes this all possible. I have an incredible support system around me. My parents always believed in me and gave me the confidence as a young girl that I needed in order to chase my dreams.

My three big sisters are my best friends and they have been there for me every step of the way - through all my mistakes and successes,  I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without their guidance and advice. Plus they are a ton of fun to be around and I have three beautiful nieces now as well.

My husband has been my rock for the last seven years and is really supportive of my career. I couldn’t do any of this without each of them and I am a very lucky woman to have them in my life, no doubt about it.

 

RT :  It is no secret that it’s not been a consumer’s market for quite some time, making racers like yourself to be very innovative and to think outside the box in terms of marketing and getting the right people to work with you in racing. 

Do you view this as a time of endless struggles or one that has only made you stronger, wiser, and more ambitious to get ahead of your peers?

LM :  I think sponsorship has always been a struggle for racers, though it seems to have been worse these last couple of years for most.

However, I think because I am a bit different from many of the other racers out there with regards to my biology degree, my work on clean energy in DC and my active role in the environmental movement, I partner with companies the other drivers are probably not approaching.

The companies I align myself with have a message they are trying to get out there that align with my messages about the environment, energy efficiency, clean renewable energy, plant based diet, and activism. They aren’t your typical NASCAR sponsors.

In the past four years I have brought ten sponsors into racing that have never been involved in motorsports before, so I think that is proof that I am bringing a new demographic to our sport.

 

RT :  Free Association time, Leilani, and I don’t question the fact you’re a pro at this! As always, tell me the first thing or two that comes to your mind with the following:

Preferred racing line.

LM :  Sometimes on the bottom, sometimes on the top, it depends!

RT :  Dropping the hammer.

LM :  Days of Thunder.

RT :  “The Cove.”

LM :  Dolphins. Taiji. Private Space.

RT :  What motivates me everyday is…

LM :  Be the change you wish to see in the world.

RT :  Hope. 

LM :  For a better tomorrow, tomorrow. That is a joke from Stephen Colbert’s SuperPac.

RT :  Saving our world is…

LM :  ...getting off of fossil fuels and into clean renewable energy from the wind, the sun, and the ocean.

RT :  What troubles me would be…

LM :  Our lack of real movement towards clean energy solutions and policies in Washington DC.

RT :  Stock car racing.

LM :  Fenders, ARCA, NASCAR.

RT :  Victory Lane.

LM :  Daytona on Feb 18 - my birthday!

RT :  Where you see yourself years down the road…

LM :  Full time environmental activist and writer. Hopefully in Hawaii where I can snorkel and scuba dive whenever I need a break from life on land.

 

RT :  I’ve asked a couple of drivers this and I was wondering, do you have any superstitions or any particular routine that you like to do before a race? 

LM :  No superstitions, I just try to remain calm, eat my veggies and keep a clear head.

RT :  You know, I’ve always wanted to ask this, but if you win a race (which you will!), be it an ARCA event, a late model heat, or a Sprint Cup marathon, how would you celebrate it?

LM :  A bottle of champagne sounds like a very good start. :)

Author's Note :  I'd like to personally thank Leilani Münter for taking the time to let me interview her around her very busy schedule!  Also, all the great photos of Leilani (in order, from top to bottom) are courtesy of Alan Moore and Craig Davidson! Leilani also provided the computer rendition of her new No. 59 ARCA Series ride! 

If you'd like to learn more about the world's fastest environmentalist, check out her official website, "Like" her Facebook page, and follow her latest happenings on Twitter!