Heather Misako

Heather Misako in 2008 during a commercial for Formula One on Speed.

Muir Beach, CA, United States

**Imai Heather Misako** (born 22nd May 1971) is an American motorsport broadcaster for Speed and a former racing driver.

She spent most of her racing career in CART (1989-1996, 1998-2000, 2006) with Hemelgarn Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Team Rahal. In 1997 she was hired by Ford in Formula One after the untimely death of Jasper Saetern at the Australian Grand Prix for a single season before returning to CART the following year. In 2006 she retired from racing after participating in the 90th Indianapolis 500.

## Early Years

Born in Muir Beach California, 18 miles out from San Francisco, Imai Heather Misako is a third generation Japanese-American. Growing up around the San Francisco area, she often refers to the bigger city as her home and currently lives there.

As a child, Heather made friends with the son of NASCAR driver Raymond Morrow and developed an interest in racing by proximity. With her parents blessing, she and her friend both competed in local racing events and eventually she began to preform exceedingly well and made a name for herself. With prior momentum built and no other plans for herself in life at a young age she dedicated herself to racing.

## Racing Career

### CART

#### Hemelgarn Racing (1989-1992)

At the young age of 18 years old Heather Misako would sign with Hemelgarn Racing and it took her almost the entire season to come to grips with the car, but she managed to keep her seat in 1990 due in part to her flashes of greatness and a lack of appealing alternatives in the market. The 1990 season would see her do far better including a streak of four top ten finishes at the first four races of the season. Then in 1992 after battling with Chuck Dingley she would almost manage a win but ultimately would be beat by her opponent, finishing 2nd at Road America in the Texaco/Havoline 200. Her performance would impress many but most importantly Chip Ganassi, who offered her a contract soon after.

#### Chip Ganassi Racing (1992-1996)

In the middle of the 1992 season Chip Ganassi called Misako prior to the Pioneer Electronics 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to ask her if she would be interested in joining his team for the rest of the season after injury to one of his drivers left a seat open for the rest of the season. A few days later she would have her contract bought out by Ganassi and it started a partnership that would last longer than either party expected.

1993 was a good year for Misako as she got her season off to a great start by winning the third race of the season at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. With strong performances through the rest of the year she secured herself a longer deal with Chip Ganassi that would run until 1997.

The next year would be a frustrating one for Misako in her second full year at Chip Ganassi, only winning a single race at the Grand Prix of Portland but losing quite a few within the last few laps. Jasper Saetern, a Formula One driver and a guest of Chip Ganassi's, was in attendance at the 1994 Grand Prix of Portland. She would go on to replace Sætern after his untimely death in 1997. At the time it was rumored he was interested in joining CART after his contract expired, though this never came to fruition.

Her best year to date in CART was the 1995 season, in which she was an active participant in the championship fight, with two race wins at Nazareth Speedway and the Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca. Ultimately she would place fourth in the championship. The next year would look to be even stronger for her as in the first four races she managed to win once and take home two other podium finishes. The fifth race of the season would be the end of her season, ultimately finishing the 1996 championship in 11th.

At the Milwaukee Mile in 1996 Heather would crash out and be injured for the first time in her career due to a major leg fracture in her left leg. Unsure of how she would preform and with a contract set to expire in 1997, Chip Ganassi paid Misako to stay out of CART for one year in order for Ganassi to field some of the new talent making names for themselves. For the rest of the 1996 season, Misako would become a broadcaster for all CART events to good public reception due to her insider knowledge of how the car preformed and the stories she would tell about the other drivers.

### Formula One

#### Ford (1997)

With nothing to do in 1997, Heather had originally planned on being a veterinarian full-time for a year until a seat offer arrived. After the 1997 Australian Grand Prix and with the death of Ford Grand Prix driver and acquaintance Jasper Saetern, the Ford Grand Prix team boss Günther Steiner reached out to Misako about driving for the rest of the season in their car on a race-by-race contract. She accepted, albeit with apparent hesitation and concern over the amount of fatalities within the recent years. Prior to her first race she admitted that she knew next to nothing about Formula One but that she was prepared to learn and that she was hopeful that her time in Formula One would be good for the rehabilitation of her skills and push her to new boundaries.

Unfortunately for Misako, her time in the series would not get off to a great start with a disqualification in her first start in Brazil and the Ford team failing to bring their equipment in time for her supposed second start at Imola. In her third race she managed to outqualify teammate Stefan Scherz by a second but still started only a single position ahead of him and after a decent showing at the start of the race took too much on the throttle on lap three before crashing into a barrier and dislodging her front left wheel, effectively ending her race.

Misfortune for Misako only seemed to continue by the mid-season. At the first British Grand Prix at Silverstone since 1993, Misako had a troubled start but clawed her way up to as high as 10th by the end of the first lap from the back. Heather's race however would not end well, with a scary crash just after the halfway point when her car would spin out of control after a sudden drop from the curb into the grass unsettled the car. While mostly unharmed, the wreck would convince Misako to quietly announce her intentions to return to America for the 1998 CART season after the end of the 1997 Formula One season.

Ford would then go on to miss the Belgian Grand Prix entirely due to major financial issues, with neither driver even stepping foot in Belgium. Having recovered slightly by Monza, the team and Heather mutually agreed to only run one car for Scherz while Misako stayed in the United States. During this time she would appear as a guest commentator for CART races, starting at the Miller 200 in Mid-Ohio and ending at Laguna Seca to some success. While in the booth she would acknowledge and make light of her poor tenure in Formula One and more publicly announce her intentions to return to CART the following year. Her return to Formula One in Austria would start off great for most of her first lap, reaching a high of 10th place before getting loose just before the final corner and spinning into the fence.

In her final start, teammate Stefan Scherz would impress upon her the importance of them getting points that day to beat Ligier in the championship. With her announcement that she was finally 100% after her injury in 1996, the expectations were piled on. Qualifying two spots behind Scherz in 11th Misako would get another one of her trademark starts, instantly pushing to the outside of Stefan on the run to turn one. However she would get loose on the exit of turn two and bump into Scherz while saving her car. Then in turn three Stefan, not aware of Imai on his inside, would cut her off. Eventually Stefan too would spin the car a little further down the track. Heather would pass him once and the two wouldn't see each other again for the rest of the race. Stefan would blame Heather for the contact after the race and she would accept it, but not without calling out Stefan herself.

For the rest of the opening laps Misako would battle with Ralf Goldbach, Jan Toom, and most prominently the Ligier of Conor Byrne who she would battle for the entirety of the race starting on lap 11. In the closing laps of the race Misako would pile on the pressure to Byrne forcing a mistake that she would capitalize on, though she wouldn't lose the position there would be a few close calls. Misako would go on to comment "This was one of my favorite races ever, CART included. I am a little disappointed now that we've got something together I have to leave but at least we leave on a high note." Misako would finish in 9th while Byrne would finish in 10th. Stefan Scherz would finish in 13th meaning that Ford and Ligier would tie in the constructors championship. The advantage would be given to Ligier for having finished 8th at the British Grand Prix.

### Return to CART

#### Team Rahal & Miller Lite (1998-2000)

Upon returning to America Misako would be contacted by team owner Bobby Rahal to drive for Team Rahal in the #7 Miller Lite car after the retirement of one of their long-term drivers. Lined up alongside Christopher McNulty's #8 Shell car, Misako's season began promisingly with a finish in 9th place at Long Beach and a 3rd place finish at the Indianapolis 500. Two races later at Road America she would take a 2nd place once again for her final podium of the season. Heather would be beaten in her first season back in CART by McNulty in the championship with her 49 points granting her 11th overall. It is around this time when people began to heavily speculate that Misako had become an alcoholic after her departure from CART in 1996, with a misdemeanor for public intoxication at the end of the year. Despite this, Imai would settle herself a contract up until the end of the 2001 season.

1999 would not start off well for Misako after she was declared unfit to drive at the first race at Long Beach. As the report came from within Team Rahal itself, details of why she was declared as such were never shared. Due to this, Heather would begin her campaign at the 83rd running of the Indianapolis 500, a race for her that would last all of 2 laps before she crashed whilst trying to avoid an accident. She was absent from the following race at Sebring once again due to sustaining a knee fracture at the prior race. On her way to Road America her luck would turn for the worst as she would sustain a broken wrist, effectively ending her 1999 season on the spot. She would also go on to miss Michigan as a driver, but would be present at the track as a guest broadcaster for the harrowing race that would unfold. Shortly after the incident on lap 73 involving several drivers, Misako would go completely silent for the rest of the broadcast. However she apparently did not leave booth as a quiet voice could be heard asking if she was okay on lap 89.

Misako was seen after the race on a payphone requesting to meet with team owner Bobby Rahal in-person urgently, before storming off and leaving on a flight to California. Despite originally showing up for the final race at Laguna Seca, Heather would be dissuaded from competing at all after a reported heated argument with a Rahal insider in her garage very early on Friday morning. Upon leaving, she would try to contact her agent to take a sabbatical from the sport in what would eventually almost end up in court due to her attempt to breach contract. However, the matter was settled out of court and Misako's contract was cut by a year, meaning she would have to finish the following season.

With her final year in CART ahead of her, Misako finished in 10th at Long Beach and then 14th at Sebring to start her campaign in 2000. At the 84th running of the Indianapolis she would retire on lap five citing a gearbox malfunction, despite this the team found no such evidence of a problem. In a surprise turn of events Heather would win at Road America after the disqualification of the two drivers ahead of her. Misako later told her brother, CART interviewer Ren Misako, that while she was proud her hard work had finally paid off for possibly the final time, that she was not swayed to stay in CART. Misako had a history of good finishes at Road America to that point, but had never won the event prior to 2000. In her last three CART races, Misako would finish in 15th, 13th, and for her last ever race 3rd. At Laguna Seca a caution was called with twelve laps to go with Heather in 7th. Following the restart she would cut her way up the field to 4th before moving to third after making a pass at turn 9 on a car that had run out of fuel.

### Final IndyCar race

#### The 90th running of the Indianapolis 500 (2006)

In 2004 while Misako began to run races in NASCAR for a short period, rumors speculated that she was preparing for a return to IndyCar in 2005. Several sources at the time claimed that she was a "top option" for the #16 on her former team, Rahal Letterman Racing. However following her admission into rehab, the rumors were dropped.

The following year speculation became reality as though the #16 had been signed to Gabriel Martinez, the Mexican driver had been injured weeks prior to the 500 in a car accident outside of IndyCar. Rahal and Misako made the deal for her to run the 90th Indianapolis 500 in the #16 official on 17 May 2006. Misako in her return challenged a grid of many familiar drivers from both her last CART race in 2000 and when she had raced a season of Formula One in 1997. Misako qualified 23rd and admitted trepidation in racing at the track that "destroyed her passion for racing" six years prior.

Misako spent a lot of her time stuck a lap down after a caution was called during the pit cycle. Eventually Misako would gain her lap back midway through the 500, and even racing for the lead at one point. Her race nearly ended in disaster halfway through when Thomas Saetern, nephew of Jasper Saetern whom she had replaced at Ford Grand Prix in 1997 following his untimely passing, blew a tyre on the back stretch just in front of her. Had she not been going any faster, she would have been collected in a much worse accident. The final fifty laps would see Misako cruise to a 19th place finish after a race she would later describe as "grueling, stressful, intense, and cathartic."

After the race, Misako thanked several people and promised to return to broadcasting at the start of next year. In 2008 Misako joined Speed instead of ABC to broadcast Formula One races in America. She also semi-jokingly thanked the fans for "their baseless rumors two years ago that started conversations for me to race here tonight." Moments later she would actually thank them sincerely.

## NASCAR

### Busch Grand National Series race at Watkins Glen (2000)

#### Roush Racing

Following Misako's incredible win at Road America, CART took a short break for the last two weeks of June. During this time Misako received an offer from Roush Racing owner Jack Roush for a one off race in the Busch Grand National Series in his #60 Winn-Dixie Ford Taurus. Heather was reportedly initially skeptical about the offer, but after watching a driver hit into a wall at 140 miles per hour and come out not only unscathed but pumping his fists on top of his car that night, she soon accepted. Heather would qualify in 23rd for Watkins Glen and end up finishing in an impressive 8th while leading the race for six laps. Heather said that she loved the way that the car handled and that she would "absolutely want to do this [race in NASCAR] again."

### Nextel Cup Series races at Infineon, Watkins Glen, Fontana, Talladega, and Martinsville (2004)

#### Mach 1 Motorsports

Four years after her last race in CART and her 8th place finish at Watkins Glen in the Busch Series in 2000, Misako received an offer from Mach 1 Motorsports to race for five races in their #98 McDonalds Dodge Cup Series car. Misako accepted the offer and made her debut in June at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. She raced at Watkins Glen in August, California Speedway in September, then in October she raced Talladega at the start of the month and Martinsville near the end. The dates did not interfere with her broadcasting duties for ABC and ESPN, letting her continue broadcasting while racing.

At Infineon Raceway in Sonoma California, Misako showed signs of discomfort and frequently drove onto the dried grass during practice. In Saturday's qualifying session she managed a start in 28th, and in the final practice session just before the race she set a time that would have placed her 14th in qualifying. In the race itself Misako was interviewed and joked about being on "enemy territory" due to the race being broadcast on Fox Sports. She would finish the race 16th.

A few months later in New York at Watkins Glen Heather got off to a much better start in practice and qualified in 11th. She would finish in 9th while managing to lead two laps during a pit cycle, resulting in five bonus points. Rumours of Misako being available or interested in driving the #11 FedEx sponsored Cup Series car that was to debut next year were both brought about and then debunked within the same weekend.

California saw Misako suffer her first retirement in NASCAR early on after the #31 of Norman Henderson was spun from the top side. Henderson's car came down and collected several drivers. Talladega's EA Sports 500 was a similar result for her. Qualifying near the middle of the pack in 21st, Misako spent the first third of her race falling back and running near last place. After the first round of pit stops Misako soon found her way shuffling throughout the top 15, including leading a non-consecutive total of 13 laps. On lap 167 Misako got hooked by the car pushing behind her, causing her to spin and tumble through the middle of the pack in what is referred to as "the big one". Her car flipped over twice before she finally skidded to a halt. A few minutes passed before she exited, though she was cleared by doctors soon after. Her final start came in Martinsville, where she would spend most of the race just inside the top 20, ultimately finishing 18th.

## Broadcasting Career

Following Heather's racing sabbatical in 2000 she almost immediately joined ABC as a broadcaster in the booth. Revered for her time with ESPN2 in 1996 and a one off race with ABC in 1999, Misako joined the team to provide commentary as a driver analyst. The very hour her last CART race finished, Misako famously interviewed the 2000 CART champion on ABC. She made her full-time debut at the 2001 CART season opener at Long Beach in California. During the course of 2001 Misako also made appearances as a guest commentator for NASCAR on ESPN.

In 2001 and 2002 Misako was also afforded the unique opportunity to broadcast a select few Formula One races in America including the 2001 United States Grand Prix. After which she was lauded for her insight and knowledge despite her limited time in the series. The following year at the 2002 United States Grand Prix her broadcast partner Bob Jenkins mentioned that ABC had received letters from fans requesting that she be the sole commentator of Formula One races and for six laps the station obliged.

From 2001 to 2005, Misako commentated the full CART/IndyCar season alongside Bob Jenkins on ABC, as well as a few other motorsport events on ESPN.

After checking-out of rehab and taking a year off in 2006. in mid-2007, instead of returning to the world of IndyCar Misako joined the Speed network, which specializes in broadcasting motorsports in the United States. Mainly Heather only commentates for the American Broadcast of Formula One races, but occasionally she appears during various sports car and NASCAR race sessions. Since then, reviews of Misako's commentary have been more favorable than before, with Heather herself admitting that she'd regained a passion for racing that she had lost beforehand.

## Personal Life

For a long time not much was known about Misako's private life, a detail she was keenly aware of. She would normally evade personal questions in interviews by giving contradictory, convoluted, and confusing answers any time a question of the nature had been asked. However, after a few years of broadcasting CART races, Misako began to open up more before fully divulging her personal life with an autobiography released on 19 November 2007.

Misako is a licensed veterinarian who still practices during the off-season. She used to stated that she had a cat but that she couldn't share his name because she "does not have his permission", in 2005 she finally revealed that she had two cats, Yuki and Yuri.

For several years starting around 1995, it was rumored that Heather was suffering from a severe addiction to alcohol. Misako stayed silent for several years, but following the end of the 2005 IndyCar season, checked herself into a rehab facility in Seattle Washington. Spending the winter of 2005 to the beginning of summer 2006, with a break for the 2006 Indianapolis 500, in rehab, Misako spent the rest of 2006 and 2007 in Japan. It was there that she would write an autobiography detailing her life to that point, which would eventually release on 19 November 2007.

In an interview prior to the 1999 CART season Heather stated that her favorite racing driver was Stefan Van Damme because she wanted to be different than her friends, who liked American driver Chuck Dingley, as a child. After growing up, Misako said she began to appreciate him more for his racecraft and natural pace. Misako wrote in her autobiography that meeting Van Damme in 1990 had been one of the most important and influential moments in her life to that point.

Misako's parents, Kojiro and Jessie, own a veterinarian clinic in the San Francisco area and is likely the reason as to why she became a licensed veterinarian herself. It is at this clinic where she works during her spare time. Apart from her parents, her other relatives are her younger brother Ren, an independent motorsport journalist, her half-sister Hailey, and her elder sister Mitsuru, who also works at her parents veterinarian clinic. Misako was friends with Chuck Dingley, who she had been seen drinking with on multiple occasions, but she has stated the two had not talked in some years.

Following her 33rd birthday, Misako said that she was considering writing a biography, something she would actualize whilst in rehab for an on-going achohaul addiction in 2006. She had also stated on ABC during CART broadcasts that she would be interested in making sporadic racing appearances again, which she did from the summer of 2004 to 28 May 2006, the 90th Indianapolis 500. Misako had been linked to running in the 89th Indianapolis 500 in 2005. Despite never being true, it did help spark an opportunity for her to race in IndyCar for a final time the following year.

### Controversy

After Formula One's 1997 Japanese Grand Prix Misako, along with Scherz, and Morais had a drunken incident where they threw both a freezer and a television screen out of a window, alongside other damages. The group were not fined by the FIA. Armitage-Barnes, Olander, Delacroix and Parker were also seen in the group. Heather was considered to be the main perpetrator of the incidents. Misako was also spotted at the Australian Grand Prix in 1998 on the Ford pit wall, noticeably drunk despite wearing sunglasses and a hat in an attempt to hide her state.

On 11 December 1998, Imai Heather Misako was charged with a misdemeanor for public intoxication in the state of California. Following this, rumors about a possible battle with alcoholism began to circulate heavily. Misako would as usual keep tight-lipped about the situation when questioned, but a few drivers and crew members stated that they had become "seriously concerned" for her condition. Upon being asked by her own brother, she only responded by saying "I don't see how this relates to my driving Otōto (translates from Japanese to "little brother")." After the interview it was also rumored that the two did not speak to each other again until the start of the 1999 season, though the credibility of this is questionable as multiple sources have claimed different outcomes. Neither Ren nor Imai commented on the situation for several years until Heather Misako released her own autobiography in November of 2007.

Following the CART 1999 U.S. 500 at Michigan International Speedway on22 August, Heather Misako was overheard on a payphone furious at Bobby Rahal that the race continued after all that she had seen and reportedly said that she "did not want to do this anymore if this was the cost." Misako flew back to her parents home in Muir Beach, where she stayed until the last race of the 1999 CART Season. She would face backlash from some CART fans after her comments.

At the 84th running of the Indianapolis 500, Misako retired on lap five after stating over the radio that she was having gearbox issues. Upon pulling in Heather left the circuit entirely while the team worked on the car, only to find out that no such issue was present. At the time many CART fans, drivers, and even officials believe she purposefully pulled out of the race. In 2007 she would confirm that she had lied about the issue after purposefully shifting down early in an attempt to break the gearbox.

## Racing Record

**CART**

**Indianapolis 500**

**Formula One**

**Nextel Cup Series**
*Listed only are the races Misako took part in*

**Busch Grand National Series**