Wherever you stand on gender politics, you have to admit that the Caitlyn Jenner saga is mind-boggling. Nothing like it has ever happened in American history. Bruce was an Olympic champion, Wheaties cereal box hero, ubiquitous metaphor for #winning, husband to Kris Kardashian and—oh hell, you know the rest. But the media has ignored one of the saga's most interesting narrative threads, certainly for car nerds: Caitlyn Jenner the speed freak. Yes, she was a professional racing driver, with a remarkable story that was most definitely legit.

It goes something like this:

The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal made 25-year-old Bruce Jenner an instant American hero. Jenner won a gold medal in the decathlon, but that just kick-started his fame. He had the looks. He had the charisma. And, he had beaten the Russians! He was invited to the White House, and got his mug on Wheaties boxes. He signed endorsement deals for shoes, clothes, bicycles, weight-lifting equipment, and Minolta cameras. In short, he became rich. “I’m very fortunate,” he told People magazine in 1980. “I now no longer have to do things I don’t want to do.”