Dangerous Curves, The Terri O’Connell Story
A Great American Story
For anyone who’s been told you can’t, you shouldn’t, you didn’t when you actually did simply because of who you are or imagined to be … Terri O’ is out there fighting for you. Why? Because she’s lived it a hundred times over! So let’s have a frank conversation about her, her challenges and her historic accomplishments in spite of them. There are many!
Her talents are prodigious, her successes are many. She is a former model. She is a prolific author and artist. She is a general contractor, an interior designer who does the work herself. She is a first class machinist, fabricator, welder and engineer who has designed and built over fifty cutting edge winning race cars for herself and for others. She’s a producer, screenwriter, and a riveting public speaker with a life story like no other!
She is a five time national champion race driver who won those championships in cars she designed and built herself. She’s earned over 500 wins and set many track records over her career in spite of barely surviving breaking her neck twice in racing crashes. She always bounced back, even driving hurt and in pain! Her world class talent took her to the pinnacle in American Motorsport by competing in NASCAR’s Cup series.
More incredible, even unbelievable, only ninety days before her NASCAR Cup Series (NASCAR’s Premier Series) she survived a dramatic suicide attempt, was laying flat on her back on a hot sidewalk balling her eyes out 2,500 miles from home, alone – hated – broke – estranged from family and friends having a nervous breakdown. Ninety days later, she and her guardian angel had regrouped, made her way home with true grit and qualified for the Goodwrench 500, even setting second fastest time in practice, her first time in a Cup car. That’s a Hall of Fame feat, unlike any in Motorsports history. Now today, still incredibly talented and determined to win, and with the courage of a lion, she’s not done yet. I don’t know about you but to us, and fans all across America, this a very big deal, this took determination, tenacity, unbelievable courage and a sense of unyielding forgiveness for those who hurt her, this story alone is worth the price of a movie ticket. This part of her life is what beating the odds is all about.
Through the years, fans, fellow racers and team owners have boldly said she is the best they’ve ever see drive race cars, she’s known for wringing elusive speed and smoothness from her race cars!
As a world class artist, her art pieces for apparel and framing are unique, impressive and cutting edge. That led her to design and create the first exclusive apparel company for female race fans in the mid and late nineties.
Today, her designs featuring Music, Motorsports and Mojo are setting the market on fire with her latest collection! As a public speaker, her warm personality endears her to people’s hearts with her riveting ‘against all odds’ life story. She inspires everyone to never give up. She encourages them to share gifts and good fortunes and to never waste one blink in life! Her foundation, the Purple Helmet Initiative is dedicated to driving out bullying, domestic violence and assault. She’s determined to help anyone suffering the devastating consequences of these issues achieve a safe passage in their lives. This is a full force 501c3 passion project!
Her life has been unique, challenging and rewarding all in one fluid journey, she’s survived extreme health issues, death defying racing crashes and untold social prejudices that affected and derailed her career. She walked away from a million dollar career at her prime to fix her life. She’s had death threats, been bullied and endured professional blacklisting that left her broken and living in her car. She’s been assaulted and raped by a powerful Motorsports executive. She went head to head with a rich and powerful US Congressperson who was the business partner who stole her company. She was left broken and virtually homeless until she took him on and won. She went public with her extraordinary life story at incredible risk to her safety, career and future, but did so with courage of a defiant lion. In the midst of all of this craziness, she won hundreds of races, bounced back, became famous and socialized with the elite and made a first in world history comeback in Motorsports. A comeback by the way, done the hard way, she started over underfinanced, lived in a rat infested house in the middle of Iowa instead of a fancy million dollar motor coach … worked by herself sixteen hour days in a non air-conditioned shop in one hundred degree heat, and never called the media to tell them she was making world history driving the most dangerous race cars in the world. She just did the work, persevered, got her skills re-honed and won over the fans and fellow competitors. And, by mid season, she proved she still had world class driving talent.
Today, she’s more determined than ever. She doesn’t dwell in the past. She is in the best shape of her life, at 5’6”, 120 pounds, size 4, with a perfect figure, she looks thirty years younger than she is and is constantly mistaken for Stevie Nicks or even Yellowstone’s Kelly Riley (Beth).
Her gender identity, which is biologically driven and was corrected in 1994. Unlike others, her gender history isn’t a driving issue or the focus of her life … it’s just not. OMG, she used to be a boy is not who she is, it’s not the story, that’s a resounding no, that’s so Jr High gossip. In reality … the truth is, she was actually forced to live as a boy because of societal pressures in the Bible Belt. “The Focus” is what she’s overcome, all the shocking drama and adventure bonded to her determination and talents. She’s a naturally beautiful soul inside and out! She beats back sexism, ageism, gender identityism, and all other isms the naysayers can throw at her, and does with a resolve, dignity and determination that says, bring it on, I’m going to prove you wrong! She does not have a faint heart, courage lives within her!
She’s a history making, unique one of a kind, surviving human being who landed on planet earth to tear it up. She has more courage than you can imagine, shaking up the status quo and making a better place to live for everyone! Her personality endears her to most everyone she encounters, she’s as at home and comfortable with a socialite in the Hamptons, as she is with a redneck at a dirt track in Mississippi and does so without pretentiousness, but beware, she won’t put up with fakery and BS from anyone. She is one of the most “Real” people I have ever met.
Dangerous Curves, Terri O’Connell, is what true American spirit stands for, it’s a real life that involves extreme family and social dynamics, death defying professional sports, cut throat national politics driven by hard nosed and corrupt politicians and more twist and turns to challenge all the Rocky films combined, and they’re all true. This is a compelling action adventure encased in one of the biggest against the odds human interest stories in the last fifty if not one hundred years! This is a story about someone who got up off the mat time and time again, brushed herself off, regrouped, defied the odds and got back in the game, back in life and did so with confidence, defiance and true grit.
Buckle up, because this one of a kind history maker is just getting started! That’s why we’re going to make a riveting Oscar worthy feature film about her incredible and inspiring life, one of the most compelling lives in American and world history, she is the real life female Rocky and then some!
George Johnsen, CEO MammothVision – Producer of Award Winning Hollywood projects
