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Adrienne "AJ" Janic, co-host of the hot rod reality show "Overhaulin" is another shining example of women rocking it in the automotive industry. Unlike some reality television hosts, Adrienne Janic wasn't necessarily looking for a career in cars, but now she's got the resto bug. Adrienne "AJ" Janic grew up in Whittier, California. Never heard of it? Not surprising. Nestled within Los Angeles County, this town is home to fewer than 90,000 people. Her father hails from Serbia, and worked hard in his career as an aerospace engineer. Her mother, a registered nurse, was born in Mexico. AJ found that while she enjoyed school and graduated at the top of her class, college wasn't her calling. Instead, she thought about joining the Air Force. But, before she could officially enlist, she was discovered by a talent scout while grocery shopping. If all of this sounds like Hollywood fantasy, the TV host insists that it wasn't all easy riding. She had to quickly learn to handle harsh rejection and constant critique. Eventually, she realized that she wanted to entertain more than appear, and set her sights on a film career. Fans of the tv show "Overhaulin" identify with her, due to her authentic outlook and realistic attitude. Well, that, and she's really, really, REALLY pretty. As she auditioned time and time again, one lesson that Adrienne Janic learned on the road to stardom was to always be true to herself. As an example, she points to her audition for Fanta. She wasn't prepared for the singing and dancing that were required, so she went all in and improvised a combination cheer squad performance with a Britney Spears impression, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Much to her surprise, she was instantly contacted with a call back, leading to a two year career as one of the Fantanas. AJ's perseverance is demonstrated in her IMDB filmography, with a diverse portfolio of acting credits that defy "pretty girl" typecasting. She has several television roles to her name, including appearances as Dr. Vivian on "House" and roles in "Kitchen Confidential" and "Complete Savages." She's appeared in films such as "Diary of a Sex Addict," "Cattle Call" and "Stiletto." In 2004, AJ's husband Bud Brutsman began producing "Overhaulin," then on TLC. She understood she would be helping prank unsuspecting people, much like she had done on "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment." Instead, she began a part of a crew of talented automotive restorers, changing the world one hot rod at a time. Before the TV series, AJ wasn't exactly a gear head, but she could hold her own in a 1990 Toyota Corolla. As her time on the series progressed, she learned how to operate a slew of new tools, and participate in some of the coolest vehicular makeovers on television. Accompanied by host Chip Foose, AJ has confirmed that "Overhaulin" was a complete learning experience, but she's fully enjoying the fruits of her education. She's invested in a '68 Firebird as an homage to the '68 GTO her father drove when she was a child. Since her time on "Overhaulin," AJ hasn't veered far from the fast lane. She appeared on "Hot Import Nights," and co-hosted Motortrend's "Competition Ready" TV show, which followed restomods on the road from rust to reward. Fans of automotive reality shows can catch up with "Overhaulin" on Motortrend, along with the first season of "Competition Ready." Adrienne "AJ" Janic continues to appear where the hot rods are, regularly posting pictures on social media of some of the souped-up muscle cars she encounters as a TV personality. Fans will be glad to hear she still hangs out at SEMA, appearing on the show's YouTube account and likely getting inspiration for her own budding car collection.

If you’ve ever been to a carnival, you know that the performers are no strangers to wild and dangerous stunts. But, what happens when you add motorcycles to the equation? I’ll tell you what happens, you end up with an insane performance called the Wall of Death. With a name like that, you know it’s going to keep you on your toes as a spectator. The Wall of Death is essentially a carnival sideshow that features a barrel-shaped wooden cylinder that can range from 20 to 36 feet. Inside the cylinder, stunt riders will ride motorcycles or drive go-karts continuously around the walls, making them appear to completely defy gravity. They manage to keep the motorbikes planted on the walls as the crowd watches from above. Oh, and to add a little more to the challenge, they also perform stunts while riding around the wall. They’ll ride around no handed, no handed side saddle, standing up, and include many other mindblowing tricks. Talk about an adrenaline rush. Kerri is one of the few folks that gets to ride for Luke Fox’s original Wall of Death troupe. Her previous career was in horse riding, and she claims her introduction to the Wall of Death world was purely an accident. She was laid off by her employer at the time and hit the job center to look for work. She stumbled upon the ad for the Wall of Death and decided to check it out. It was love at first sight for Kerri when she was introduced to the wall. She hasn’t left since. Cameron claims that the key to successfully riding the wall is a mixture between balance, speed, and stamina, since you will need to battle dizziness as well as the G-forces. The daredevil motorcyclist makes her tricks look easy, but I can assure you that this takes massive amounts of talent and skill to accomplish. Kerri also touches on the struggles of being a female in a male-dominated industry. Obviously, there are much fewer female riders than male, but Kerri does a fantastic job at being a positive role model for all the women in the audience. She admits that people are normally a little stunned to see her hop on the bike, but it brings joy to everyone’s faces when she unsuspectingly does circles around the wall. There’s no denying the ability that Cameron has. In fact, she’s likely got more guts than most of the guys out there, and she proves that with each and every performance. We need more people like Kerri in this world. The biker took on the challenge head first and proved to everyone that she has the skill to do this intimidating stunt. She has a very uplifting personality and does a great job showing the world what woman are capable of. Keep on blowing minds, Kerri Cameron!

We take a Rare look at one of the most produced cars of all time, the Volkwagen Beetle.

Terrible news was released this month informing the public that German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, also known as "Queen of the Nürburgring" had passed at age 51 following a long battle with cancer. Her charismatic personality could light up a room, and the world got to see that charm on many occasions being featured on the BBC show, as a Top Gear. Originally from Germany, Sabine was much more than just a pretty face. She had raw talent, and quickly made a statement on the race track before she even got involved with television. Her talent eventually led to her becoming a professional motorsports driver on both the BMW and Porsche racing teams. She spent so much time at the track that she eventually became one of the best and most famous female racing drivers in Germany. Considering recent events, it's only appropriate to look back on some of her racing accomplishments and appreciate what the racecar driver was able to do over the years. From racing to television, Sabine Schmitz undoubtedly left her impact on the world. Sabine initially got her passion for racing as she took the family car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Both of her sisters also started racing, but Sabine was the only one to truly see some success in it. For both 1996 and 1997, she won the 24-Hour race at the Nürburgring using a BMW M3, and in the following year, she took home the VLN endurance racing championship win. Close to a decade later, she switched to using a Porsche 997 for the endurance racing. One of the things that Sabine became most known for was being the fastest taxi driver on the race track. She was seen skillfully driving the BMW M5 ring taxi around the Nürburgring, and it drew lots of attention. Following this, she was essentially paid to bring people along in the taxi to show them the proper racing lines, and scare the absolute s*** out of them. Sabine had also stated that she had put down more than 20,000 laps at the track throughout her lifetime. It's understandable that she had it completely mastered. Her talent on the Nürburgring granted her success in many ways. She created her own company, Sabine Schmitz Motorsport, which offers advanced driver training, and a ring taxi service for those passengers looking for a fun time. 2011 was the last year Sabine herself drove the ring taxi. Her popularity also led to an introduction into television. She became a motorsports guest commentator at first, then transitioned to co-host German show, D Motor. Following this, she was featured on her first British program, Jeremy Clarkson: Meets the Neighbours, where she took him for a ride around the race track. I think we all know where her television career led after this. Sabine created countless memories for herself and so many others as she spent her time on Top Gear, and the Nürburgring. Her bubbly personality was perfect for television, and luckily, her spirit was perfectly captured anytime she was in front of a camera. She will be truly missed, and I wholeheartedly can say that she made a positive impact on the world. Rest in peace Sabine Schmitz.

Rare fun facts on the classic, best of a machine, the Plymouth Road Runner.

From its crazy color to its crazy powerful engine. We take an Alt_Driver look at the classic Plymouth Barracuda.

Motocross is one of the most exciting action sports around. Stars like Caleb Wyatt, Carey Hart, Mike Metzger, and the great Travis Pastrana have taken Motocross and supercross to new heights. Freestyle Motocross features countless amazing feats but none are as impactful as the backflip. The backflip is similar to the slamdunk in basketball. It has been around for a long time but is continuously being reinvented. The first person to ever perform a backflip on a bike was Jose Yanez in 1985. No one had ever conceived of backflipping a full sized motorcycle until the '90s. At this time freestyle Motocross was in its infancy and thriving. Casey Hart made Motocross history in the Gravity Games by attempting to backflip a 250 cc motorcycle. Hart didn't quite stick the landing but that didn't stop him from making Motocross history. Hart attempted the backflip again in 2001's X Games and suffered some serious injuries resulting in bone damage. Hart has sacrificed his body for the progression of the sport on more than one occasion. Caleb Wyatt carried the backflip torch even further in 2002 by landing the trick proving to the world that a backflip on a full sized motorcycle is possible. Casey Hart finally conquered the backflip in the FMX Best Trick during the Summer X Games of 2002. This was the same year that Mike Metzger performed two backflips in a row on a motocross bike. These events would set a trend in motion and change the sport forever. Backflips soon became routine for riders. In 2006 Travis Pastrana changed the game by performing the double backflip. It was on in the Motocross world after that. In 2008 Jim De Champ joined in on the fun by performing a front flip for Nitro Circus Live. In 2009 Cam Sinclar completed a double backflip during Redbull x Fighters. In 2015, Josh Sheehan perfected the backflip to trump all backflips. Sheehan nailed the first triple backflip on a motorbike at Pastranaland in Maryland. Jose Yanez could have never predicted what his trick would do to the world of BMX and Motocross years later. Doing a backflip on a full sized motorcycle was thought to be impossible once. In motorsports, impossible is just another "world's first" waiting to happen. We've come a long way from the wheelie. If you have a dirtbike of your own, we suggest you leave the flips to the pros.

Let's take an Al_Driver look for some rare facts on the classic and legendary Pontiac Trans Am Firebird.

Hollywood is constantly upping the ante when it comes to edgy material. What was considered pretty wild a couple decades ago can now be fairly tame in comparison. Case and point, the sexy car wash scene. In 2020, including a sexy car wash scene in a movie is about as risqué as a tube of toothpaste. But, in 1967, it was considered pretty groundbreaking. So, when Cool Hand Luke came out more than 50 years ago, seeing a hot blonde suds up a car was enough to get audiences’ eyes to bug out of their heads, Looney Tunes style. In the classic scene in question, the car-washing Lucille puts on quite the show, while Luke (Paul Newman), Dragline (George Kennedy), and the rest of the Florida prison chain gang look on in awe. It doesn’t really get much more classic than this! Now, as many of you probably, Cool Hand Luke was more than just a smut film from the late ’60s. Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, the Warner Bros. flick raked in more than $16 million at the box office and was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Actor (Paul Newman), and Best Supporting Actor (George Kennedy, who would win the award). It’s widely considered to be one of the best movies of the 20th Century. But, what many fans of the film may not know is that the woman who plays Lucille, Joy Harmon, was more than just a no-name extra. Joy Harmon Born in Flushing, New York, Joy Patricia Harmon eventually moved with her family to Connecticut, where she was eventually a Miss Connecticut contestant. She was a contestant on Groucho Marx’s You Bet Your Life, and later became a regular his subsequent show, Tell It to Groucho. With several guest starring roles on Gidget, Batman, and The Monkees, played a 30-foot-tall party girl in the movie Village of the Giants. She got out of show business in 1973, and later started a bakery, Aunt Joy’s Cakes, in Burbank, California. See more at altdriver.com