Cristy Lee is showing the racing world what she’s made of in a new video straight from a professional racetrack.
On Thursday, April 30, 2026 the HGTV star took to Instagram to give followers an inside look at her latest practice laps on a professional racetrack. It’s familiar territory for the Steal This House host and self-proclaimed auto enthusiast.
Cristy Lee’s Practice Run on Professional Autocross Course
In the close-up video, Lee navigates the Radford Racing School’s autocross course in Arizona. The purr of her car’s engine fills the clip, while the wind rushes through her long blonde hair as she rounds a corner and hits a bump in the road.
The post came with a caption, in which Lee raves about the autocross course. “every time I drive this course I try to improve – looking farther ahead, smoother input, using more of the track, braking later, increasing exit speed. These High Performance Driving courses offer training to drivers at many levels, you’ll learn car control, accident avoidance and safety techniques, then track driving essentials on this autocross cross,” she wrote.
“And even though I’ve raced my own car in amateur road races before on a big track, these fundamentals are the groundwork of building a better all around driver and I don’t like missing a chance to improve,” Lee added of the experience.
“oh and it’s hella fun duh.” She finished.
“Smoooooth,” One fan commented.
“And one more time, the camera loves the Cristy Lee.” Added another.
Cristy Lee’s History in Radford Racing School
Lee has been a longtime lover of automobiles, as shown by her passionate work in reality TV shows like All Girls Garage and Garage Squad. Moreso, her connection to Radford Racing School runs deep. She first began posting about her experiences at the track in 2023, when she announced she’d completed the course to receive her Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) license for car racing.
In a post from May 22, 2023, she wrote of the four-day training course, “Seat time – basically intros and agenda in the classroom, most of the time was spent behind a wheel, which was the best part.” She continued, “Skid control, accident avoidance training, car control, bulk of the time was open track on the road course, even got open track sessions in the Ligier F4.”
“Now that I’ve got my Hellcat back + a race license (novice permit) it’s time to build this car out and get to the track,” she finished. “more to come….”
Cristy Lee’s Car-Themed Wedding
Lee’s love for cars and racing is so strong that she took it down the aisle when she married her husband, John Hawkins.
On November 8, 2023, Lee married her boyfriend of eight years in a Michigan ceremony at Packard Proving Grounds. The destination was near where they lived, and also a historical landmark in motor history. The site was the home of Packard Motor Car Company in 1927 before the company moved its production to Indiana in 1956.
In a January 19, 2024 interview with People, Lee said, “We took one look at the Packard Proving Grounds and we were like, ‘This is it. This is the place. This is perfect for us.'”
She added, “It just oozed automobilia and history and had this amazing retro, eclectic car vibe. We fell in love with it on the spot.”
