Indianapolis 500 women drivers
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008Indianapolis 500 women drivers
Janet Guthrie is the first woman to earn a starting spot in the Indianapolis 500 (1977) and the Daytona 500 (1977), where she was Top Rookie. Her ninth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 (1978), with a team she formed and managed herself, was the best by a woman until 2005. she set fastest time of the day at Indianapolis on may 7 and may 22, 1977.
In her brief career at the top levels of racing, she earned top-ten starting positions and posted top-ten finishes in both Indy-car Championship racing and in NASCAR Cup racing. Her fifth-place Indy-car finish at Milwaukee in 1979 was the best by a woman for 21 years. Her sixth-place NASCAR Cup finish at Bristol in 1977 remains the best by a woman in NASCAR’s superspeedway era. She is the only woman to lead a Cup race. She was Top Rookie in five NASCAR Cup races.