It’s Women’s History Month, and today we’re celebrating great women in Automotive Racing History! Join us in learning more about these groundbreaking drivers and their wonderful accomplishments.
Ann Chester participated in two Grand National Races in 1950. She drove in the Vernon and Hamburg rounds but didn’t finish them due to her PLymouth’s engine failing at Vernon and a crash at Hamburg. However, even her limited participation was notable as it was 1 of 3 occasions where women have raced in a top-tier NASCAR race.
Fifi Scott hailed from West Sacramento California, just like Chester, Scott was one of the earliest women drivers to participate in the NASCAR circuit. Although she only entered into 2 races, she made her mark on the heavily male-dominated industry. Thus paving the way for women racers in the future!
Bonnie West is presumed to be the first woman to win a NASCAR Late Model Race in 1975. She was the biggest female rival driver to the famed Diane Teel, and the two competed against one another in a match at Langley Speedway in Virginia in 1977 Sadly, her career met an untimely demise very early on after she and her husband were convicted and sent to jail for 5 years due to car theft related charges.
Diane Teel began her racing career in 1976, when her husband Donald Teel, a NASCAR Crew Chief worked with Joe Carver to enter her into a local race to promote a local automotive store. In 1977, she leveled up into the Limited Sportsman Racing Division, and had 16 top-ten finishes in 19 races, and half of them were Top 5 spots! She also was considered one of the most successful drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 1982 and 1983, and the first woman to win an official NASCAR-sanctioned event!
Janet Guthrie was the first woman to race on a superspeedway in the 1976 World600, She first attempted to enter the Indianapolis 500 in 1976, but didn’t qualify at the time. Later she ended up qualifying in and competing for the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 in 1977. She continued racing from 1977 through 1980! She earned Top 10 starting positions and Top 10 Finishes in Indy-Car and NASCAR Cup racing. In addition to her racing chops, she was also a former flight instructor and an aerospace engineer! You can check out her driver’s suit and helmet on display at the Smithsonian Institution. In 2006 Guthrie was also inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. You can get a copy of her autobiography here!
Shawna Robinson was one of 16 women who competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and 1 of 3 women to race in the Daytona 500 event. Robinson began racing Semi-Tractors in 1983, with 30 victories, and in 1984 she became the GATR Truck Series Rookie of the Year. In 1988, Robinson emerged into the stock car racing circuit becoming the first woman to win a top level NASCAR sanctioned race in Third Place. In 1994 she earned pole position in the NASCAR Busch Series. After a brief break from 1995 through 1999, in which she ran an interior decorating business and started a family, she eventually returned to racing in the ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series. NASCAR welcomed her back in 2001 in the Winston Cup Series, and she continued racing until 2005 when she retired. Robinson continued on running her interior design and furniture business while continuing to spend time with her family. She is also a Stage 3 Breast Cancer survivor, which is in remission as of 2015.
Arlene Pittman began her racing career at the young age of just fifteen in 1985. Thanks to her determination and racing chops, she worked her way up the ranks in the local circuit with a top local championship win in 1999! She switched from stock cars to truck racing in 2000, leading to her competing in multiple Truck races at the professional level. In addition, she competed in NASCAR’s Goody’s Dash Series as a race car driver, coming in 15th out of 68 competitors. Sadly, she suffered a career-ending accident just a few years later, leading her to retire early in 2003. She’s still an active participant in the industry though, and now manages her own race track and managing PR in the motorsports field.
Kelly Sutton is another woman who began in stock car racing and the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series. She went on to race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 2003 to 2007. Sutton has also raced for her family team, Sutton Racing! She has also received recognition for being the only NASCAR driver to date who has actively competed with Multiple Sclerosis. Thanks for representing the disability and chronic illness community, Kelly!
Danica Patrick got bit by the racing bug as a kiddo, when she began Go Kart racing at the age of 10, winning the World Karting Association Grand National Championship thrice over. In 1998 she dropped out of high school to move to the UK where she competed in the Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford events. After returning to the US, she competed 5 times in the Barber Dodge Pro Series for Rahal Letterman Racing. From 2003 to 2004 she raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series, where she was 3rd overall and was the first woman to win pole position in the series. In 2005, she won three pole positions in the IndyCar Series, and was awarded Rookie of the Year for the ‘05 Indianapolis 500 and the ‘05 IndyCar Series! Patrick sped into the stock car racing circuit in 2010 for the NASCAR Nationwide Series/Xfinity Series, winning 4th place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in ‘11. Following in Shawna Robinson’s tracks, she placed 10th in the 20212 season, becoming the 2nd woman to receive a pole position in the Nationwide Series. In 2015, she also topped Janet Guthrie’s record for highest number of Top 10 finishes by a woman in the Spring Cup series. Danica Patrick dropped to part time racing in 2017, and officially retired in 2018 after racing in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500.
Cheers to the next great generation of women in racing.
May you continue to break records and break boundaries!
