…And Emmy-nominated pit reporter Kristen Beat has this storytelling thing nailed, too, covering everything from NASCAR to Supercross to American Flat Track for NBC Sports, FOX Sports 1 and FUEL TV

Words by Joy Burgess

Photos courtesy of Kristen Beat, American Flat Track, Kristen Lassen, and Scott Hunter

Modern motorcycling is made up of many different types. You’ve got riders, builders, racers, adventurers, enthusiasts, creatives, rebels, engineers, organizers and, of course, storytellers.

Everyone plays an integral part in our eclectic motorcycle family, but it’s the storytellers who get to expose the very heartbeat of the industry.

For Kristen Beat, pit reporter for NBC Sports and Fox Sports 1, storytelling on TV is a chance to peel back the layers and expose the inspiring human stories about the racers behind the bikes.

“It’s so funny,” Kristen told Woman Rider. “I never would have seen myself in front of a camera.”

But when she got talked into covering a freestyle motocross event for FUEL TV while doing an internship for Wasserman Media Group, she fell in love, not only with digging into the stories of racers, but also with helping them tell their stories to the world. 

“I thought I could have a bigger impact and make the sport better if I told stories,” she said. “And I love it, too!”

Kristen Beat and Jared Mees American Flat Track
Kristen Beat interviews American Flat Track, Factory Indian SuperTwins rider Jared Mees for NBC Sports.

Since that first freestyle motocross event she covered for FUEL TV, Kristen’s had the chance to cover stick-and-ball sports like College Football and NHL Hockey, but she fell in love with the family feel of motorsports, covering NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series, AMA Arenacross, AMA Endurocross, Supercross and American Flat Track. 

And while she’s constantly hustling to go beyond the mechanics of motorsports to get to the heart of the story, she’s also determined to provide other women in broadcast journalism with help and support she never had in effort to make their journey easier.   

Growing Up in Motorsports

For as long as she can remember, Kristen’s been around and involved in motorsports. “I grew up riding 50s,” she said, “and I’ve always been involved in two- and four-wheel motorsports. We were always on motorcycles when I was growing up. My dad was a weekend-warrior racing sprint cars and motorcycles, and my mom was a photographer, taking pictures of everything.”

Kristen Beat on 50s

“Naturally,” she continued, “growing up I gravitated towards racing. My brother was so good at racing and pursued a career as a Supercross rider, but after some injuries he went four-wheel racing instead.”

In high school, she drifted away from riding for a bit, although she loved documenting it with her camera. “I’m not super athletic or skilled,” she mentioned, “but my love for photography came into play and I loved using that to document the sport.” 

Kristen Beat as a child

Stepping in Front of the Camera

While Kristen had a love for being behind the camera, she never dreamed she’d be the one in front of one a few years later. She studied pre-law, psychology and communications in college, planning to go to law school with the goal of pursuing sports management.

“I wanted to pursue sports management to help protect riders,” Kristen said. “I was familiar with other sports like football where they have many amenities for athletes to protect them when their career is over. When my brother got hurt, he was lost for a bit and wasn’t sure where he’d go next. After seeing how other sports protect athletes, I felt there needed to be something similar for Supercross and motocross athletes. I wanted to help manage athletes in a way I knew I could protect them, since managers in sports often fail to think about wise investments like having a house or preparing for the future. I’ve seen riders fall victim to not having the right guidance, and I wanted to help them and make an impact.”

Kristen Beat reporter

Reaching towards that goal, Kristen interned for Wasserman Media Group – an outfit that managed motorsports racer and stunt performer Travis Pastrana and factory Honda Supercross rider Ken Roczen – which had a connection to action sports network FUEL TV. “I’d been writing articles for them,” Kristen remembers, “and one day they gave me a call saying, ‘We have someone sick, can you come out and cover a freestyle motocross event?’”

“I said, ‘Absolutely not!’” she continued. “I didn’t think I could do that! That was back in 2010; I was an awkward 19-year-old at the time. But I got talked into it and I got out there and started talking to these athletes and started getting to know their stories – I’m always intrigued by their stories – and really enjoyed it. Back in the office the next day, FUEL TV called me and asked if I’d do more work for them. It paid well, so I said, ‘Yes!’”

Kristen Beat Supercross

That was the point when she fell in love with storytelling, learning more than simply asking questions, but how she could tell a story that people at home would identify with. “I knew the stories,” she said, “but I had to learn to tell the stories. I just fell in love with it so quickly, but then I was left with a hard decision…do I want to pursue law or do broadcast journalism?”

It all came down to how she could best help people. “I felt that as a sports manager I could only help a few,” she told us, “but by doing broadcast journalism I could impact more people, help bring more people in and grow the sport. I thought I could have a bigger impact and make the sport better if I told stories, and I love it, too!”

Diving into Broadcast Journalism

At first, storytelling was somewhat of a hobby for Kristen. She already knew she loved it, and then in 2012 NASCAR was interested and had a job opening as Miss Sprint Cup. “I didn’t go to school to be a V-lane girl,” Kristen said, “but then they told me how much it paid and said I’d get consistent reps as a sports reporter on a national level. I figured I could do it for a year, so I covered NASCAR’s Miss Sprint Cup as a live MC of sorts for a year.”

But in 2013, storytelling went from a hobby to a profession when FOX Sports 1 asked her to cover the K&N Pro Series, two regional stock car racing series that are owned and operated by NASCAR. “I was already a huge fan of the series,” she told Woman Rider, “and everything just started falling into place.”

Kristen Beat

“After covering the K&N Series,” she continued, “I got an offer from a news outlet up in Michigan where they had a morning sports reporter position open, and I covered college football, NHL hockey and other stick-and-ball sports. From there I got to cover the AMA Arenacross [which is like Supercross but on smaller and tighter, hockey-arena-type tracks -Ed.], and ever since I’ve been picking up work in motorsports.”

Kristen Beat Fox Sports 1

NBC Sports and American Flat Track

At the end of 2018 it was NASCAR productions on the phone again, but instead of covering four-wheel motorsports, there was an opportunity available in American Flat Track. “I got a call from a producer at NASCAR productions,” Kristen remembers, “asking me if I had an interested in flat track. Well, funny thing, my dad raced flat track at legendary Ascot Park in Southern California before it closed. He’d dabbled in flat track a bit and I’d covered knobby motorsports, but I’d never covered flat track.”

“I was definitely interested,” she continued, “and a day later American Flat Track had me on the phone asking me if I was interested. I said yes, I’d enjoy covering it. I had to get the green light from NBC Sports – I’d always worked for FOX Sports 1 and had to be sure that everyone was okay with me working for both. I’d heard such good things about flat track, but what turned me onto the sport is how grounded it is. Everyone in this sport has a story, it’s good racing, and I was attracted to the series.”

Kristen Beat American Flat Track pit reporter

While she’d been slated to cover NHL hockey for a few games, she dropped those and decided she’d do the full AFT schedule for 2019, and it worked out perfectly. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” she said, “and it’s been such a cool year. Really, it was my second year when stories really began to come to the surface. In my first year, people were more cautious with me. They thought I was from hockey or baseball and didn’t really think I knew that much about racing. But then in the second year I was able to encourage the paddock to open up and trust me with their stories. I was finally able to peel back the layers in 2020.”

When we asked her about some of her favorite races and stories while covering flat track, she didn’t disappoint. “For races, Volusia 1 in 2020 was A-MA-ZING [this author concurs, and it’s been heralded by flat track fans, both new and old, as one of the best races of all time – Ed]! Also, [privateer SuperTwins racer] Jeffrey Carver’s first win this season was so good. I cried. It was such a big moment.”

Kristen Beat and Jeffrey Carver
Chatting with AFT privateer racer Jeffrey Carver trackside.

“For my favorite stories,” she went on, “I have to go back to 2019 for one. Bronson Bauman [younger brother to 2019 and 2020 SuperTwins Champion Briar Bauman and, at the time, a part of the Factory Indian Team] told me he wanted to prove that he belonged. I’d been talking to him for half the season and he wasn’t opening up, but then he told me, ‘My goal is to prove I belong on the Indian team. I’m not like my brother, but I’m going to be.’ My favorite thing is when people tell me what’s going on inside their head.”

“Then there was Sammy Halbert [riding the Coolbeth-Nila Racing Indian FTR750 in the SuperTwins class] in 2020,” Kristen recalled. “I always do conference calls in the week; I never wait until the racing weekend to get all my notes, and I usually get lots of good stuff in those conference calls. I got Sammy on a call, and he told me, ‘I’ve always been a top-three rider, and my confidence is shook because I haven’t been there, but I want to take back what’s mine.’ I was like, YEAH! That was a drop-the-mic quote. You don’t expect it, but when you peel those layers back and it becomes real, you get to tell that story. For Sammy, ‘that’s mine, the podium is mine,’ and then he got there!”

“I’m just so inspired by these human stories that give flat track a heartbeat. You’re not just spilling out words, you’re spilling out someone’s life. We often get so mechanical in motorsports, but I want to talk about the blood and the heartbeat, the human on the bike. Flat track is so mentally challenging and taxing…it’s all about the mental game. It’s so mental in the moment. There’s no playbook, and it’s like you’re playing high-speed chess on the track. But there’s also heart there, and you have to expose and share that. I want people at home to get the heart of flat track, not just the mechanical part.”

Kristen Beat on AFT podium with Sammy Halbert, Brandon Robinson and Briar Bauman
Podium interviews with Briar Bauman (left), Brandon Robinson (center) and Sammy Halbert (right).

And then there’s KTM rider Shayna Texter, the winningest AFT Singles rider in history and the only woman to ever win in Grand National competition. “When I first met Shayna,” Kristen told us, “we instantly clicked. I think she clicks with people because she’s so approachable. Her kindness inspires me. I’m so inspired by women who choose to race, and I love seeing that Shayna’s not just racing in a women’s class.”

“I think that the common factor among women racers – I’ve looked up to racers like [motocross, off-road and endurocross racer and X Games competitor] Shelby Turner and [the first CMRC Women’s Canadian Motocross National Champion and Nitro Circus rider] Jolene Van Vugt growing up – is that they don’t see themselves as being different from the guys. They’re perfecting their craft, working their body and working to be competitive. And I think we have to teach our daughters to grow up and see themselves this way. As women, we need to think that we’re capable of doing anything we set our minds to.”  

Paving a Way for Women

Currently, there still aren’t a lot of women in motorsports broadcast journalism, so we asked Kristen what advice she has for women who might dream of working in the category or those who dream of working in some area of the powersports industry.

“As women,” she answered, “we need to live our lives with blinders on, not worrying about who’s next to us. No matter what you do, just race your race.”

“The biggest thing,” she continued, “is that kindness matters. A lot of time in sports, people get really competitive. One lesson I’ve learned is that I may have lost jobs for being kind, but I didn’t lose friendships. No matter what you do, kindness and doing the right thing will always pay off. Don’t worry about your competition. Work on being better every day.”

Kristen Beat American Flat Track

“And for girls who want to get into broadcast, do it for the right reasons. I think a lot of reporters are so worried about their own story that they forget about the story they are telling. We get to be the megaphone for the sport, making judgment calls on who to talk about and how we frame the story. If you have a heart for it and you want to make an impact, then you’ll have the heart to make the right decisions. But you really must have a genuine passion for the sport.”

During the seven years she’s been actively working in motorsports broadcast journalism, she’s vowed to help other women along the way. “It took me four years into my career to finally get someone to be gracious enough to get on the phone with me and give me some tips and advice. I didn’t have anyone who helped me in the first few years. My mission now is to help other women. I don’t want to hoard jobs or sit on things.”

Kristen Beat, Scottie Deubler and Riki Rachman
According to American Flat Track announcer and history Scottie Deubler (left), “Kristen is more than a pretty face with a microphone. She has a racing background and she’s grown up around motorsports. She does her homework, too, not just on race day, but during the week she calls the teams and riders. She’s always ready for every circumstance that comes up.” High praise!

“Every time I get a chance I’m calling women,” she added. “I’ve helped cut women’s demos and given women tips to help them out because I wish someone would have done that for me. When I can’t cover other jobs, I send my producer other women who can fill in for me. It’s all back to kindness matters. I take pride in seeing other people growing – it’s the most rewarding feeling on the planet.”

While Kristen hopes to be back covering American Flat Track in 2021, right now she’s covering the AMA Arenacross Series and preparing to start filming season three of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Crushing It. She also was just nominated for three regional Emmys, one in sports coverage for her work with Arenacross and two in entertainment for the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Crushing It show. And if that’s not enough, she’s also working on a racing-based feature film with Universal Pictures that’ll be released in 2023.

It only takes a few moments of chatting with Kristen to realize that her advice of “kindness matters” is something she lives by, and that every story she tells matters to her. It’s evident in her voice when tells stories about riders in the paddock, and it’s evident on her social media pages where she matches donations to help privateer racers.

As someone who’s watched every single American Flat Track race over the past few years, this author has seen Kristen in action. From taking a moment to chat with Indian Factory racer Jared Mees’ little girl Hayden in the paddock to capturing the emotion of Jeffrey Carver after his first win in 2020 to telling Sammy Halbert’s story of taking back what’s his – which he did in spectacular fashion that night – she’s far more than a pit reporter…she’s an epic storyteller. Peeling back the layers and spilling out the human stories that give motorsports a heartbeat.

Kristen Beat on Royal Enfield

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Having worked for NBC in the News division for 38years I know EXACTLY how tough it can and has been for reporters to get management to look past ‘another pretty face’ when hiring and actually recognize the intelligence behind that face. I’m so glad Kristen has been so successful. She is a joy and so refreshing to watch in such a male dominated sport. Kudos to writing this article and kudos to Kristen for being a mentor to other woman coming up in her industry.

  2. Thank you for this piece on Kristen. My hubby watches all the motorcycle races and, watching along, I noticed Kristen didn’t just “good race, Man” the racers, she shared their emotions and, as you said, their stories. Glad she’s where she is, she’s a genuine person, a good heart, kind and puts others before herself. An inspiration for all. And she has a beautiful smike! Thanks again.

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