Then in 2018, Trotter was chosen as one of the 12 racers for NASCARS Drive for Diversity. Another female racer, Louise Smith raced 11 times in the Cup Series between 1949 and 1952, with a best finish of 16 th at Langhorne Speedway in 1949. Gracie Trotter (Source: Twitter) In 2007, she earned the title of the first female driver winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Daniel Suarez. She managed to grab the 55th position in the race, making her a solid contender to watch out for. In 2014, Danica Patrick had three top 10 finishes including 6th place in Atlanta. By Rachel Cormack. Danica Patrick. The first "Strictly Stock" race was held in 1949. Outside car racing, Patrick is the first woman to host the ESPYs, hosting the latest edition of ESPNs annual award show. Born and raised in Georgia, Tammy started as a racer in the Xfinity series in 2003. That year, Patrick became the first woman to win the NASCAR Most Popular Nationwide Driver award. In that first Strictly Stock season of 1949, Christian competed in six of the eight races. She returned to ARCA in 2021 for Youngs Motorsports on a part-time schedule. In Australia, Terri Sawyer[13] won the Moomba 100 NASCAR race at the Calder Park Thunderdome, Melbourne on March 3, 1991 driving a Pontiac. Tia Norfleet is the daughter of NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet. Hailing from the iconic Wallace family, Chrissy Wallace is the nice of NASCAR legends Rusty Wallace and Kenny Wallace.Her father Mike Wallace was a veteran lower series driver. Deegan, Robinson, Danica Patrick, Tammy Jo Kirk and Mara Reyes have won Poles. Although, now retired, Danica has successfully won 191 races in seven years of her career. She was also invited to NASCARs 2019 Drive for Diversity. Young's also announced that she would make her debut in the Truck Series with them in their new part-time No. While some female NASCAR drivers have transitioned or attempted to transition from open-wheel racing and sports car racing (such as Sarah Fisher, Janet Guthrie, and Danica Patrick), most have climbed the stock-car racing ladder (such as Tammy Jo Kirk, Johanna Long, and Shawna Robinson), beginning to race full-sized stock cars in their teenage years. In the NASCAR Cup Series, which began racing in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, women competed in the very first race at the old 0.75-mile Charlotte Speedway dirt track, near where Charlotte-Douglas International Airport stands today. Their No. "There's always room for improvement. [I] definitely was like, I'm never getting into NASCAR. The first Daytona 500 was held in 1959. Marian Pagan (1 / 1954) Patrick is best known for winning the 2008 Indy Japan 300 and becoming the first woman to win in an IndyCar Series race. In 2016, Amber made Canadian history when she became the 1 st Canadian female to win a NASCAR Sanctioned race in the USA. The following year, Guthrie became the first female racer to qualify for the Daytona 500, where she finished 12th, and the Indianapolis 500. Her last race was back in 1998, and she is now happily retired, leaving her legacy behind. "NASCAR racing is one of the only sports nationally where men and women can compete at the exact same level," Krystyn Stowe, head of marketing for Busch Family Brands, Anheuser-Busch InBev, told ABC News. The Busch Light Accelerate Her Program, which is being announced timed to the Daytona 500 this Sunday, marks a $10 million commitment from the brand to sponsor every female driver in NASCAR ages 21 and up over the next three years. One of the most talented female race drivers, Ashley is the daughter of former national drag . 23", "Jennifer Jo Cobb to make Cup debut at Talladega with Rick Ware Racing UPDATE", "NASCAR still searching for its Danica Patrick Racing", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Janet Guthrie", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Danica Patrick NEWS", "Patrick Follows in the Footsteps of Pioneers", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Erin Crocker", "Canadian driver, model set for Nationwide debut - Aug 17, 2011 - NASCAR.COM", "NASCAR Nationwide Team Charlotte Auto Fair", "Mara Reyes at Driver Database | Motorsport", "Gabi DiCarlo to Make Truck Series Debut at Fontana", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Alli Owens", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Deborah Renshaw", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Michelle Theriault", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Angie Wilson", "NASCAR acquires ARCA, reaffirms commitment to growth | NASCAR.com", "UNOH Grad Following Her Heart into NASCAR", "Nascar Driver Kristin Bumbera Signs With Hamilton Racing", "NASCAR Female Driver Toni Marie McCray To Take On The Boys At The Showdown At Toyota Speedway", "Catalanos Making It A True Family Night at Stafford", "Open Division Championship Season 2012 Final", "Dexwet-df1 Racing with title ambitions in all divisions in 2019", "Racing-Total presents an international lineup", "NWES 2019 ELITE-Club final results after Hockenheim", D-BOX eNASCAR International iRacing Series, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_female_NASCAR_drivers&oldid=1124996170, Articles with dead external links from December 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 December 2022, at 17:19. Similarly, her determination to become a NASCAR racer built up since she was a kid and racing behind the wheels of a go-kart. Indianapolis 500 career earnings: $2,865,240. She made her debut at the Daytona International Speedway. But it was in 2016 she changed her tracks towards asphalt races and made her asphalt professional beginning in 2017. Below is the list of 10 best female NASCAR drivers of all time to have achieved the seeming inconceivable. It's as close to a biopic as Junior Johnson (driver, and later team owner) would ever get, and it delves deep into the bad boy image of "Junior Jackson," a bootlegger turned racing impresario. Toni Breidinger, 21, who is of Lebanese descent, has become the first Arab-American female to race in Nascar. Louise Smith (1949-1956) Louise Smith, tied for second female NASCAR driver alongside Ethel, became known as "The First Lady of Racing.". She announced to run for the District position on the Cherokee County, Alabama Commission post in 2008. Instead of bolstering her career, this move has vilified her in the media, with potential sponsors less than eager to support a driver who has been accused of misrepresenting herself. However, she did not race for Youngs Motorsports as she left them to join Venturini Motorsports in July. She retired from full-time competition after the 2017 season. Janet Guthrie's second and final appearance in the Daytona 500 came in 1980 when she finished 11th in a Chevrolet fielded by team owner Rod Osterlund Chevrolet. However, due to the race not having practice and qualifying, NASCAR would not approve Cobb to compete in it with her lack of prior Cup Series experience. This isnt a rank-based list. Tia and Bobby Norfleet began a mission to bring awareness to motorsports to children of all backgrounds, especially those in underserved communities and from minority ethnic backgrounds. But it was in 2010, and she earned a total of one start achieving her record of World Truck Series at the Camping World Truck, where she finished in 111th place. Christian made seven starts in . "I feel like a lot of women drivers tend to hit a plateau at a certain point and we just can't break through to get to that top level of NASCAR," she said. A portion of the commitment will also be reserved for up-and-coming talent, the company said. Julia Landauer was the most successful within her respective series, finishing fourth in points in the K&N Pro Series West with seven top-five finishes in fourteen races. 82 truck. Sarah Christian was the first female NASCAR driver of all time. Patrick would record a major milestone by clinching the pole position in the 2012 DRIVE4COPD 300, being the first female driver to clinch it since Shawna Robinson. "I could not be more proud of what she's accomplished both as an athlete, but she's been amazing with her brand and social media and creating awareness and really getting people excited about the fact that if she can do it, there are other people that can do it," Siegel told ABC News. During college, the Norfolk State women's basketball point guard said she never once thought about NASCAR as a sport, let alone a career. . Louise Smith: The First Lady of NASCAR. Interestingly enough, the press had a field day confirming that she has never competed in a NASCAR nationwide touring or ARCA-sanctioned event. Female NASCAR Driver Stats across the three national series The three national series are: NASCAR Cup, XFINITY and Truck Series . In 2015, Patrick tied Janet Guthrie for most top ten finishes for a woman with a seventh place finish at Martinsville. She began drag racing and hitting the short track circuit for late model racing, with several top-15 finishes to her name. Her skills on the court were an easy fit for the fast-paced needs in a NASCAR pit crew. She was the first female driver selected to the NASCAR Next program, which highlighted rising young talent. Brittney Zamora, The First Woman To Win 100-Lap Pro Late Model Feature Race (Source: ENEOS). She became the first female race car driver to win a Cup Series . She also became the first winner in any ARCA-sanctioned series, because there have been no female winners in the main ARCA Menards Series as of April 2021. Kirks last race in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was the 1998 Sams Town 250 (Las Vegas), and in NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 2003 Ford 300 (Homestead). Making her Sprint Cup beginning in 1987, the Jacksonville superstar Patty Moise-Sawyer is one of the 16 best female NASCAR drivers in history. At 29 years of age, Amber has successfully utilized her racing platform to be one of motorsport's largest female influencers - Inspiring and motivating others to pursue their dreams . Christina Nielsen started racing as a teenager and now, at just 28 years old, she is the first female driver to win the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series. How NHL Chooses Their International Recruits, Australias horse racing jewels to go ahead as planned. At the 2013 Daytona 500, Patrick became the first female driver to clinch pole position and lead a green flag lap. Erin Mary Crocker Evernham gave birth to a daughter, Cate Susan Evernham, on July 25, 2015. On top of funding, gaining respect in the sport as a woman is another obstacle, she and Breidinger said. Deegan moved up from the ARCA Menards Series to the Truck Series full-time, continuing to drive for David Gilliland Racing. Through one simple child's go-kart, a NASCAR hopeful was born. She is the only woman to win an IndyCar series with her victory at the 2008 Indy Japan 300. There is no stopping to Tony Breidinger, and she became the first NASCAR driver of Arab-American heritage in the NASCAR national series. Last year, the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards honored Breidinger, the first Arab-American female driver to participate in any NASCAR national series, with its Developmental Series Driver Award. Top-Ten Finishes by a female driver in the NASCAR Cup Series: Sara Christian, Pittsburgh, 10-2-1949, 5th (out of 23 cars) . NASCAR has seen female drivers compete since the inception of its sanctioning body in 1949. Later that year, she announced that she would be retiring from full-time racing at the end of the 2017 season. Patty Moise made a record 133 Xfinity Series starts between 1986 and 1998 and Tammy Jo Kirk scored 37 top-10 finishes and two poles in what was then known as the All Pro Series, before making the first starts for a woman in the Camping World Truck Series. Danica is a successful retired NASCAR driver and the first woman to win an Indy Car Series race. Sara Christian was the first female driver in NASCAR history. Earning the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500 was a history-making event for Danica Patrick and her Stewart-Haas Racing team. In 19 Cup Series starts in 1977, Guthrie finished in the top 12 a total of 10 times, with a career-best finish of sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway. Stereotypically, womens driving skills are a standing joke, among others. At age 14, Tia Norfleet decided that she wanted to become a race car driver. Christian, Ethel Mobley and Louise Smith competed in the second official race in Daytona with Mobley finishing ahead of the other two female racers and at 11th overall. Dominique won Super Late Model Track Champion in 2012 Springport Motor Speedway Outlaw. The 21-year-old, who once only drove go-karts, said racing at Daytona is an "unreal" dream come true. They are basically second class citizens and the men will never let them race in the big time. [17][21], In 2012, Danica Patrick was voted NASCAR's Most Popular Nationwide Driver, becoming the first woman to receive that award in NASCAR's top three divisions. Sara Christians fire suit is on display in Heritage Speedway on the top floor of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.