MORE: About the Women In NASCAR series | Meet the Women in NASCAR
RELATED: Kelley Earnhardt Miller leads JR Motorsports with passion
Every sport needs leaders to aid in its growth, development and sustenance. NASCAR is no exception, with the sport featuring many exceptional leaders who have made racing what it is today.
As part of NASCAR.com's Women in NASCAR series, learn more about JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt Miller, as well as other female leadership figures in racing.
Martha Nemechek
Known as a NASCAR matriarch, Martha Nemechek has long been a staple in the garage.
Born in 1940, Nemechek married Joe Jr., and the couple raised four children. She came into the sport briefly in the late '80s, racing Powder Puff in the Bomber Division, including a second-place finish at the USA International Speedway -- located in Lakeland, Florida -- in 1988. Two of her sons, Joe and John, took up racing, but tragedy struck the Nemechek family in 1997 when John passed away from head injuries sustained in an accident during a Truck Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Nemechek's son Joe's U.S. Army sponsorship in 2003 gave Nemechek the perfect avenue to help others: she began to actively reach out to other families who had dealt with loss, including U.S. service members. She also donned Army fatigues and gave tours to military personnel at the track.
Nemechek's grandson, and current Truck Series driver John Hunter Nemechek , wheels the No. 8 ride -- honoring his uncle John by running the same number -- fielded by the Nemechek family-owned NEMCO Motorsports. Nemechek earned his first win of the 2016 season at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 27 and currently ranks third in the Truck Series driver standings.
RELATED: More about John Hunter
Jodi Geschickter
Jodi Geschickter is more than just a namesake in JTG (Jodi Tad Geschickter) Daugherty Racing -- she's a pioneer in NASCAR.
Along with her husband Tad, Geschickter formed a now-XFINITY Series team called ST Motorsports in 1994. They later partnered with Brad Daugherty, forming the Sprint Cup Series team JTG Daugherty Racing. For six years, Geschickter split her time between the race shop on weekdays and her job as a U.S. Airways fight attendant on weekends.
Today, the team fields the No. 47 entry of AJ Allmendinger, who earned a Chase-clinching win at Watkins Glen International in 2014. As a co-owner, Geschickter is the only active female owner of a Sprint Cup Series team.
Teresa Earnhardt
The third wife and widow of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, Teresa Earnhardt is a gifted businesswoman.
With her husband, she founded Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 1984, earning Busch Series championships in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2005 and two Truck Series titles in 1996 and 1998 as an owner. Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored the organization's first Cup win in 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Teresa Earnhardt and Chip Ganassi partnered in November 2008 to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, which fielded Jamie McMurray 's No. 1 Chevrolet that won the Daytona 500 , Brickyard 400 and Bank of America 500 in 2010.
Earnhardt and Ganassi parted ways prior to the start of the 2014 season.