She was a competitive rally driver from 1965 through 1974. Although Erin never competed in the Sprint Cup, she made history as the top Female NASCAR Driver of all time. She finished 5th, the highest finish for a female, in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series in 2020, Daytona. Brehanna Daniels is just 27 years old and changing tires on race cars -- and breaking barriers for women and people of color along the way. The 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock race at Langhorne Speedway featured three female racers, Louise Smith (from left), Sara Christian and Ethel Flock Mobley. Larson, who is half-Japanese, later apologized and said, "I wasn't raised that way.". Since 2009, the program has trained 75 gender and ethnically diverse candidates for NASCAR's pit crews. That year, the series became sanctioned by ARCA and renamed the ARCA Menards Series West, so Trotter became the first female to win in the series under the ARCA name. Earning the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500 was a history-making event for Danica Patrick and her Stewart-Haas Racing team. Since 2004, NASCAR has worked to develop female and ethnically diverse drivers through its Drive for Diversity Program. Meet Tia Norfleet, the first African-American female NASCAR driver and daughter of legendary NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet. Martinsville Speedway is the Cup Series' shortest track. She had further raced at the Xfinity Series and Road Atlanta in 1986. In 1950, Louise Smith drove her Nash in three NASCAR Cup races with sponsorship from Greenville, South Carolina, Nash dealership Leslie Motor Co. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images. In Australia, Terri Sawyer[13] won the Moomba 100 NASCAR race at the Calder Park Thunderdome, Melbourne on March 3, 1991 driving a Pontiac. [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. She is the only woman to win an IndyCar series with her victory at the 2008 Indy Japan 300. What he needed, he decided, was a female driver who could handle the challenges of the track and hopefully bring more women out to the races. As of September 30, 2018, only two women, Hailie Deegan and Shawna Robinson, have won a race in NASCARs touring series. Her last race for NASCAR Xfinity Series was in the 2006 AT&T 250 (Milwaukee). Tina Gordon On Her Phone (Source: Briefly News). Brehanna Daniels is breaking down barriers in NASCAR. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. IndyCar series driver Danica Patrick joined NASCAR in 2010. Recently, in May 2022, she opened up about her breast implant and her struggles after that. One of her most impressive performances came in September at the challenging Langhorne Speedway, a circular 1-mile track outside of Philadelphia. Her awards include Quarter Midgets of the American Female Driver of the year continuously from 1993 to 1995. In 2011, she started driving the 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. So impressed was race winner and Hall of Famer Curtis Turner (Class of 2016) that he invited her to Victory Lane to celebrate with him. Passed Indianapolis 500 driver's test: May 8, 2005. Who are the most beautiful and talented female racing drivers 10. Robin McCall (2 / 1982 note: Wally Dallenbach Jr's wife) Even before she started competing in NASCAR, Zamora was a super late model racer. 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. [32], Formerly Strictly Stock Series (1949), Grand National Series (195070), Winston Cup Series (19712003), Nextel Cup Series (200407), Sprint Cup Series (200816), and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (201719), Formerly Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series (198283), Busch Grand National Series (198494), Busch Grand National Division (19952003), Busch Series (200407), Nationwide Series (200814) and Xfinity Series (2015), Formerly SuperTruck Series by Craftsman (1995), Craftsman Truck Series (19962008), Camping World Truck Series (20092018), and Gander Outdoors Truck Series (2019). Baker was named one of the 50 Greatest NASCAR Drivers. There are few women and minorities represented across the sport. Born in 1969, Tina Gordon is one of the top female NASCAR drivers in history. Buddy Baker (1941-2015) Getty Images / ISC Archives. The top tier of NASCAR, the cup series, has had 16 Female NASCAR drivers in its history. In 2015, Patrick tied Janet Guthrie for most top ten finishes for a woman with a seventh place finish at Martinsville. Since then, only 15 pit crew members have been women, according to . 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. In 2016, Daniels was the only woman in a group of men trying out for one of the spots on a NASCAR pit crew team. In 2007, she earned the title of the first female driver winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Here is the list: Louise Smith (11 starts/from 1949-1952) Danica Patrick (191 / 2012-2018) Most successful female NASCAR driver of all time; Most successful female in open-wheel racing . 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. She would break the record weeks later and she would finish the season as the first woman to make 100 starts in NASCARs Cup series. Later that year, she announced that she would be retiring from full-time racing at the end of the 2017 season. The First African-American Female NASCAR Driver. At age 14, Tia Norfleet decided that she wanted to become a race car driver. Now at 27, Daniels is NASCAR's first Black female tire changer. 107 women have qualified for and started at least one race in one of NASCARs touring series, including 16 at NASCARs premier level. In addition, she has competed in the Indianapolis 500 nine times, the most of any woman. Top-Ten Finishes by a female driver in the NASCAR Cup Series: Sara Christian, Pittsburgh, 10-2-1949, 5th (out of 23 cars) . First woman to lead a lap in Indianapolis 500. They are basically second class citizens and the men will never let them race in the big time. In 2019, Kobayashi won in her one and only start in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (in the Elite Club Division). [3], 2021 saw a number of milestones for female drivers. At the 2013 Daytona 500, Patrick became the first female driver to clinch pole position and lead a green flag lap. 23 car, jointly fielded by RSS Racing, Reaume Brothers Racing,[30] and later Our Motorsports. For the last twelve years, Siegel and his team have worked to recruit, train and support minorities like Daniels to increase diversity in all areas of NASCAR. Chevrolet. 5. She returned to ARCA in 2021 for Youngs Motorsports on a part-time schedule. She announced to run for the District position on the Cherokee County, Alabama Commission post in 2008. 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. Then in 2018, Trotter was chosen as one of the 12 racers for NASCARS Drive for Diversity. She drove an Audi R8 LMS in the 2012 Super GT season, becoming the first female driver in the series. The series exists since 2009, but was not officially affiliated with NASCAR until 2012. Then in 2015, Long joined Obika Racing. She joined NASCAR in 2016 as part of the organization's "Drive for Diversity" program. In June 2020, Wallace, another NASCAR driver who also broke racial barriers in the sport, spoke out about racism after one of his crew members reported what looked like a noose hanging in the team's garage stall. [10] In 1977, Janet Guthrie would become the first woman to lead a Winston Cup Series race under caution, at Ontario Speedway. But I think that inequality is still there and it kind of stems off of the fact that we are lacking on funding," Toni Breidinger, 22, who is competing in the ARCA Menards Series this season, told ABC News. Natalie Decker, 24, who is competing one level below the Cup Series in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, told ABC News she has looked for sponsorships since she started racing at the age of 9 to help fund the expensive sport. In 2018, Hailie Deegan became the first female driver to win a NASCAR touring series race in roughly three decades, winning in the K&N Pro Series West in the series' race at Meridian Speedway. In 2016, Patrick led a career high 30 laps and completed more circuits than all but three other drivers. Making her Sprint Cup beginning in 1987, the Jacksonville superstar Patty Moise-Sawyer is one of the 16 best female NASCAR drivers in history. Ann Chester (2 / 1950) She made her debut in NASCAR Xfinity Series in the 2011 Iowa John Deere Dealers 250 (Iowa) and her last race was in the 2018 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead). Mistakes are made, words are misinterpreted, and tempers flare. Having a taste of the first race, Sara competed in five more competitions in 1949, finishing sixth and . Louise Smith: The First Lady of NASCAR. Born and raised in Georgia, Tammy started as a racer in the Xfinity series in 2003. In 2017, Patrick became the first female NASCAR driver to lead the prestigious Coca Cola 600. The Canadian racer bagged her first win at the Spartan Speedway in Mason. No. Patty Moise (5 / 1987-1989 note: Elton Sawyer's wife, plus ran 2 Winston Open's) Then in 2009, she debuted in NASCAR races, namely ASA Late Model Series, ARCA, and more. It wasn't until 2012, 64 years after NASCAR was founded, that it signed its first female pit crew member, Christmas Abbott. Shawna Robinson became the first woman to win a NASCAR Touring Series event in 1988. Patrick was a novelty that they let in so they could say See we have a woman driver. 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. Lella Lombardi (1 / 1977) Although she hasnt participated in the Sprint Cut Series, she is someone to keep an eye on. "You see that symbol, you know that it evokes these feelings of hatred and racial denigration. Sara Christian's fifth-place finish in 1949 tops among the best finishes by a female race driver at a professional level. Wedding, Kids & Girlfriends. Ann Slaasted (1 / 1950) Moreover, she finished in 29th position back in 2011, which is also her best. The Last American Hero. 25 cars. At the 2013 Daytona 500, Patrick became the first female driver to clinch pole position and lead a green flag lap. Kim Crosby, born in 1964, is 58 years old talented NASCAR female driver who has won 10 races over three years. Dominique won Super Late Model Track Champion in 2012 Springport Motor Speedway Outlaw. She drove the #10 Sticks N Stuff Chevy for Davis Motorsports at Talladega in 2004. Goldie Parsons (1 / 1965) First Female to win Pole Position at Daytona 500: Danica Patrick: In 2013 Danica Patrick put in the fastest qualification lap to win pole position at the Daytona 500. Later, she was signed by Rev Racing in both the years 2019 and 2020. In 2012, Patrick would eventually race part-time . Tammy Jo Kirk had 37 Top 10 finishes and two poles in the All Pro Series before becoming the first woman to start at the Camping World Truck Series. Here are the Female Drivers with the most stars across the three National Series (Cup, NXS, Truck): Johanna Long Robbins was the winner of the 2010 Snowball Derby at the Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. Her No. an office employee by day and a sports storyteller by night. Chrissy Wallace. So how come you never hear of the women drivers or see them race on TV? NASCAR's first Arab American female driver makes her Daytona debut . [27] She followed this up by winning two more races in 2019, which came at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track[28] and at Colorado National Speedway. Interestingly enough, the press had a field day confirming that she has never competed in a NASCAR nationwide touring or ARCA-sanctioned event. Jennifer Jo Cobb currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and drives the #10 Chevrolet Silverado for her own JJC Racing. In a little over a decade, more than 60 of NASCAR's women and minority drivers have come through the Drive for Diversity program, he said. Robinson and NASCAR Truck Series driver Jennifer Jo Cobb competed in the 16th installment of The Amazing Race but did not win the contest. Sara Christian competed in the inaugural NASCAR race at Charlotte Speedway (she had Bob Flock finish the race). However, she did not race for Youngs Motorsports as she left them to join Venturini Motorsports in July. [2] Trotter won a race in the renamed ARCA Menards Series West in 2020, becoming the second female winner in the West Series, as well as the first winner in the series under the ARCA banner. In the 1940s, racing promoter Bill France, Sr. was looking for ways to attract more women to the sport. Ty Dillon. She used to drive as a full-timer at Bill McAnally Racing in the ARCA West and part-time in ARCA East. Through one simple child's go-kart, a NASCAR hopeful was born. Through one simple child's go-kart, a NASCAR hopeful was born. "You . Hailie Deegan, born and raised in Temecula, California, is a 21 years old female NASCAR driver to have dominated the scene. #10-Danica Patrick made NASCAR history today during Coors Light Pole qualifying for the Daytona 500, becoming the first female driver to win a pole at NASCAR's top level - the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In that first race at Charlotte in 1949, she became the first female driver to compete in NASCARs top division, qualifying 13th and finishing 14th in a Ford owned by her husband, Frank. Daniels said she has had to tune out a lot of negativity. Born and raised in Washington, Angela Cope is one of this times most famous NASCAR drivers. Despite competing on only six of eight races, Christian finished 13th in points in 1949, her only full season of competition. At Talladega she became the first woman to lead laps there. Interestingly, the 1949 Daytona NASCAR event was the first to feature three female racers - Christian, Mobley and Smith - while the same three drivers also raced at Langhorne in 1949, the last NASCAR race with three female drivers. Brian Cleary/NASCAR via Getty Images, FILE, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Brittney Zamora, The First Woman To Win 100-Lap Pro Late Model Feature Race (Source: ENEOS). 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). Before starting her career as a racer, she was a principal of a Louisiana Middle School, where she ended her tenure in 2004, leading to her first race in 2004 at Aarons 312. NASCAR did not respond to a request for comment about Armstrong's comments. Natalie Decker is a young and upcoming racer competing part-time at NASCAR Xfinity. In 1978, Guthrie finished ninth in the Indianapolis 500, while in 1980, she was 11th in the Daytona 500. You have entered an incorrect email address! Toni Breidinger is the first Arab-American female driver in NASCAR history. Toni Breidinger, 21, who is of Lebanese descent, has become the first Arab-American female to race in Nascar. A blonde among these female NASCAR drivers, she is famous for being the younger sister of Ashley Force Hood which I just mentioned. Hailee debuted for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020 Clean Harbors 200 (Kansas) and 2022 Alsco Uniforms 302 (Las Vegas), respectively. Aaron Fike, Jeremy Mayfield, Junior Johnson, and Travis Kvapil all come to mind as racers with less than squeaky clean records. Siegel himself was NASCAR's first highest-ranking Black executive. Another woman (Alina Loibnegger) finished second, in the first time ever two women finished 12 in NASCAR history. Driver Jennifer Jo Cobb poses for a photo during at Clutch Studios on January 19, 2022, in Concord, North Carolina. In 2018, Hailee started driving full-time and won the West Series Championship, making history. Also in 2020, the former K&N Pro Series East and K&N Pro Series West became the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West, respectively. She finished 8th, the highest ever finish for an woman in the Daytona 500. She was the first female driver selected to the NASCAR Next program, which highlighted rising young talent. Betty Skelton Erde wasn't technically a NASCAR driver, but she drove the pace car at Daytona in 1954, and was clocked at a speed of 105.88mph (170.40km/h) on the sand, setting a stock car speed record for women. In September, Trotter became the 4th woman to win a late model race at Hickory Motor Speedway. Before we get to know the drivers better, let us look at an overview of the list. Although diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Robinson underwent several treatments and finally became cancer-free in 2015. Patricia Moise-Sawyer is a former NASCAR driver born on 29 December, 1960 and is married to a former fellow NASCAR driver Elton Sawyer. She signed with Black Cat Racing the same year but ended her tenure during Speedweeks. In fact, Nielsen won the championship title twice: in 2016 and 2017. . The most popular female racer is Danica Patrick who retired early in 2018.
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