Former Sooners cheerleader Taylor Reimer is looking at the 'bigger picture' in racing career

Taylor Reimer is not your average multi-sport athlete. The former Oklahoma Sooners cheerleader is now racing under the Toyota banner. Reimer pursued cheerleading to the highest level she could, and at this point, she’s ready to pursue a career in NASCAR.

Of course, racing isn’t something that Taylor Reimer picked up out of the blue. Reimer was a talented young racer in Oklahoma growing up. However, when pursuing her athletic career in cheer, she put racing aside for a number of years. For the last three years, she’s been focused on her racing career.

Reimer graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Health and Exercise Science. Then, she made her return to racing. Being from Oklahoma, her background is, naturally, on dirt, racing midgets.

A few quality runs in the Chili Bowl the last few seasons have helped elevate the 24-year-old racer to new levels. She now works within the Toyota program. Reimer is able to work out and talk racing with many of the other young women in the program.

Drivers like Jade Avedisian, Toni Breidiner, and Isabella Robusto have slowly started making names for themselves. Those are just some of the athletes Reimer gets to work with as part of the Toyota family.

“I think it’s really cool what Toyota is doing for females around the sport and I’m really good friends with a lot of the female drivers and I think that’s important you know because you don’t want to be put against each other,” Reimer said. “As females, there’s not a lot of us in the sport and I think it’s important that we stick together and just really try and break barriers in the sport.”

The former Division-I cheerleader is impressed with the resources Toyota has given her and her peers as well.

“It’s a little different for me because, like most people know, I’m 24 years old,” Reimer said in a recent interview with 5 GOATs. “I’m a little older than other drivers coming through the pipeline but I think it’s important for me to know that it doesn’t matter what age you are, I can make it in this sport if I truly believe in it. I’m grateful to have Toyota behind me.

“Last year moving to North Carolina and getting an opportunity to be a part of TRD and having all the resources that they give us. For example, simulator, practice, getting to train every single day, working with our nutritionist Stephanie, having therapists, like all of that I think has really helped me grow as an athlete and I feel like it’s really changed me.”

Lessons learned in the gym apply at the race track

There are not many racers who are multi-sport athletes. Usually, motorsports is something you go all-in on or you don’t do it at all. Competing at any sport at a high level usually requires all of an athlete’s focus and time.

Now, there might not be a one-to-one translation from cheer to racing. In her time at Oklahoma as a Sooner, Reimer learned many lessons that helped her transition back to motorsports.

“When I got to college in cheering, our coach was really big on, at the end of the day, whatever you do with your life, if you’re applying for a job or wherever life takes you, our coach was big on teaching us those life lessons,” the racer explained. “Because at the end of the day, no one cares if you can do a backflip years down the road. It’s what life lessons have you learned, can you work on a team well, are you able to persevere when times get tough.”

With those lessons learned, Reimer is ready now more than ever to pursue racing.

“Growing up I feel like I struggled with that at a younger age, having attitude issues and things like that,” Reimer said. “So, I think as I got older I really looked at the big picture and realized that it’s a bigger picture than what I thought it was as a younger girl.”

Competing at a high level, engaging with a team and being a team player – that’s what sports are about. Working under intense pressure for a common goal, that’s the dream.

In 2024, Taylor Reimer is changing up her schedule. She’s getting new experiences. Thanks to Toyota Racing, there is a path for her goals.

Taylor Reimer taking on new challenges in 2024

This year, things are going to be different for Reimer. She’s going to get behind the wheel of a late model. Those will primarily be in the North Carolina area. Then, she has ARCA starts planned for the dirt races on the schedule this season. Her stock car journey is formally beginning.

Right now, she’s following the program Toyota has laid out for her. It is the same style of development program other drivers are taking right now. Dirt racing develops racecraft, car control, and handling. Then, you move up to stock cars. Eventually, those cars get bigger and heavier in the ARCA ranks.

Soon, who knows where Taylor Reimer will end up? The goal is clear, NASCAR. It is where all of these drivers see themselves one day. While she has had a later start than others, Reimer is totally focused on the program.

“I’m running 25 late model races with Lee Faulk Racing, just locally in North Carolina for the most part just trying to get the experience there and try different aspects of motorsports. As a driver you want to be able to be successful in every aspect of racing so I think for me getting experience in the late model, hopefully, next year we can do more ARCA starts.

“I’ve got two ARCA races, they are the dirt ones this year. Along with that, I’m going to go back and still do some midget stuff just whenever I have an off-weekend, there’s some tracks I really enjoy racing at. I’m going to go back and do some of those as well.”

Taylor Reimer has always competed at a high level in cheer or in the race car, and that isn’t changing now.