Off the Cuff with Jacqueline Ross | August 2026
Greetings, Humans!
I’m not sure where the summer went, but clearly, it had plans of showing up and showing out! Congratulations to everyone who qualified and is racing at Loretta Lynn’s this week. Qualifying for and racing at such a prestigious event is a mega accomplishment. They used to say that Loretta’s was a “family vacation,” but let’s be real. At least in my opinion, that week would feel more like the biggest pressure cooker of my life! Haha! I can’t speak for everyone, but boy, oh boy, do we have stories from the Dude Ranch. We’ll save those for another column.
My years have looked a little different since my last time at the ranch in 2006. Here I am, 20 years later, pouring back into the sport I love and investing in the younger generation.
This column is coming to you from New Hampshire, where the people and the tracks are wicked awesome, the motto is “Live Free or Die”, and these riders definitely ride hard! This is my third year here, coaching alongside the Legend, Tony Lorusso, aka Uncle Tony, at his incredible facility, NHMX.
As I finished up a drill with my group of lil homies, Uncle Tony’s group started pounding out laps on the big track. Naturally, I asked my crew, “Do you guys want to go watch?” They practically levitated off the picnic table and made their way to the fence line at the top of the hill, right alongside a tabletop. We had the best viewpoint on the track.
These kids were over the moon with excitement, cheering on the big homies and clapping for them as they flew over the table and ripped around the track. They were lit! If you think the lights on your home during the holidays shine bright, I wish you could have been there to see the looks on these kids’ faces and hear the joy coming from their spirits. I stood there in awe.
Reflecting. We’ve all been that kid.
No matter what level you’re racing at, every one of us was once a beginner. Every one of us started somewhere. And every one of us was inspired by someone or something that made us want to keep going.
Maybe it was a racer we looked up to. Maybe it was a coach who believed in us before we believed in ourselves. Maybe it was simply the feeling that came along with twisting the throttle and realizing, ‘Wow, I love this!’
Whatever it was, remember it. Remember who you are. Remember where you came from. Because it only takes a second for a moment to become a memory.
Dream big,
Jacqueline
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