Though there have been strides over the years to diversify the male-dominated sport of auto racing, there are currently no female drivers competing at NASCAR's highest level, the Cup Series. Born and raised in Beloit, Wisconsin, her go-karting fascination started at the age of ten, and it only started to grow further. Indianapolis 500 History: Female Drivers - Indianapolis Motor Speedway [17] In 2012, Patrick would eventually race part-time in the Sprint Cup Series. [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). Career highlights: Shares distinction of NASCAR's second female driver with Louise Smith, made more than 100 NASCAR Modified starts. These female racers are setting an example for the females of the next generation. [12] In her sophomore Dash Series run, Robinson became the first woman to earn the pole position for a NASCAR touring series race. Atlanta-based . Fire up your engines! In 2015, Patrick tied Janet Guthrie for most top ten finishes for a woman with a seventh place finish at Martinsville. In the 1940s, racing promoter Bill France, Sr. was looking for ways to attract more women to the sport. She is the only woman to win an IndyCar series with her victory at the 2008 Indy Japan 300. As of 2023, Tammy is happily retired, makes her living as a motorcycle dealer, and has a net worth of $1.5 million. That was until recruiters from NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program showed up on her college campus in 2016 and introduced her to the sport. Patty Moise has a record of 133 starts for the XFINITY series from 1986-1998. "It's great that men and women can compete in NASCAR. I prefer drag racing where there are lots of women drivers and they actually win races on TV. Patty Moise (5 / 1987-1989 note: Elton Sawyer's wife, plus ran 2 Winston Open's) "Let's elevate these women and get them the opportunity and the time and the visibility that they need.". He said he has faced a lot of resistance in his efforts to bring more diversity to NASCAR but says he remains committed to the mission. Lets take a look at some of NASCARs female pioneers. At age 14, Tia Norfleet decided that she wanted to become a race car driver. Here is the list: Louise Smith (11 starts/from 1949-1952) Later, she was signed by Rev Racing in both the years 2019 and 2020. "You . "There was a time where when you think about race and sport, NASCAR would be on the not-so-positive end of the spectrum," Armstrong said. She competed in over 100 NASCAR racing events. In 2011, she delivered the commencement speech for the graduating class of Unidad of Miami Beach & the New Generation Leadership and Workforce Institute's (NGLWI). In addition, she has competed in the Indianapolis 500 nine times, the most of any woman. 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. Robinson is known as a competent racer who left a legacy in the male-dominated industry. She is the first female driver to lead a Busch Series event. In 2016, Patrick led a career high 30 laps and completed more circuits than all but three other drivers. Tia established the "Driven to Read" literacy program, and participated in a variety of racing and charity events, including becoming a proud representative for the National African American Drug Policy Coalition and the Motorsports Institute, Inc. Plan a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and purchase tickets at NASCARHall.com/tickets. In that first Strictly Stock season of 1949, Christian competed in six of the eight races. 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. NASCAR did not respond to a request for comment about Armstrong's comments. This point is hotly contested, to the point where Tia Norfleet has more or less disappeared from the limelight before her NASCAR racing career even started. It wasn't until 2012, 64 years after NASCAR was founded, that it signed its first female pit crew member, Christmas Abbott. She recently competed in the 2022 Baptist Health 200 (Homestead). Since then, only 15 pit crew members have been women, according to . 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 . At Talladega she became the first woman to lead laps there. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She made her debut at the Daytona International Speedway. Toni Breidinger makes history as Nascar's first Arab-American female driver She was born on June 25, 1997, in Eagle River, Wisconsin, U.S. Decker has competed at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series and in 2015, participated in the Drive for Diversity. This year, at the Daytona 500, Siegel said he watched proudly when alumni of the program made up 10% of the field, including NASCAR stars like Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larsen and Daniel Suarez. Robinson would later become the first female driver to clinch the pole in any of the three major series, winning qualifying for the March 12, 1994 Xfinity Series Busch Light 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Christian made seven starts in . Quick Facts Christian competed in NASCAR's first race on June 19, 1949 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It wasn't even a thought in my mind," she said. In 1954, Betty Skelton Erde drove the pace car at Daytona and set the female stock car speed record. Robinson is the first woman to win a top level NASCAR sanctioned race. Alumni include NASCAR Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez. 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. Dominique Van Wieringen is a Canadian stock car racer racing part-time at the ARCA Menards for Rette Jones. After a hiatus to start a family, Shawna Robinson returned to stock car racing in 1999, contesting a full ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series season in 2000 before returning to sporadic NASCAR-sanctioned competition over the following several seasons. Auto racing has been around for over 100 years, and the sport has been consistently dominated by men. She bagged the 2008 Indy Japan 300, the only woman in the scene. at Langhorne Speedway in 1949. Female NASCAR drivers on the challenges in competing in the male While the Drive for Diversity program is keen to celebrate progress, Siegel said that success requires much more work. Frontstretch 5: Honorable Female Driving Pioneers in NASCAR Pioneering Female Race Car Drivers - Your AAA Network Marie-Claude Charmasson. The First African-American Female NASCAR Driver. So how come you never hear of the women drivers or see them race on TV? Hailie Deegan could transform NASCAR - NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports France (Class of 2010), Wood set a female speed record at the newly opened Daytona International Speedway, where she ran a lap of more than 130 mph in a Pontiac. Date of Birth: . In 2013, Patrick became the first female driver to win a pole in a Cup Series race when she qualified No. Martinsville Speedway is the Cup Series' shortest track. Chevrolet. More power to them! Jennifer Jo Cobb. Moving forward, they will continue to pave their way in the male-dominated field. All Rights Reserved. Female NASCAR Drivers That Changed Racing - Carsforsale.com After investigating, the FBI concluded that the rope was a garage door pull rope and did not file any charges. In 2018, she won Washington State Rookie and was selected as one of the invitees to Drive for Diversity. Sara Christian was the first woman driver in NASCAR history. Christine Beckers (1 / 1977) Her net worth is alleged to be between $1 million and $5 million. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And right now, were also in the midst of a year-long observance honoring NASCARs 75th anniversary, which makes it a perfect time to recognize some notable female racers, most from the sports earliest days. an office employee by day and a sports storyteller by night. 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. Meet NASCAR's first Black woman on pit crew - WKMG Also, on October 9, 2021, she won a 100-lap Pro Late Model feature race, becoming the first woman to win a race in the tracks premier division at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. The 17-year-old became the first female driver to win a K&N Pro Series race, taking the checkered flag in . Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images. "For me to be able to learn the business skills to be able to sign million-dollar sponsors is to me the thing that I'm most proud of because I had to learn how to be a businesswoman before a race car driver to be able to be a race car driver.". Patrick didn't win a race in seven seasons, but her seven top-10 finishes are most among female drivers in NASCAR history. In fact, Nielsen won the championship title twice: in 2016 and 2017. . Ann Bunselmeyer (1 / 1950) She became the first female to compete in a NASCAR official event in 1949. Tia Norfleet - First Female African-American NASCAR Driver Sara Christians fire suit is on display in Heritage Speedway on the top floor of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Tom is the Curatorial Affairs Manager of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a veteran of more than 20 years in the NASCAR media industry. This article was last updated by Bikram Jirel on December 5, 2022. But she officially started racing in 1993 from the Xfinity Series and then made her Camping World Truck debut in 2003. Robinson and NASCAR Truck Series driver Jennifer Jo Cobb competed in the 16th installment of The Amazing Race but did not win the contest. After no female raced in a decade, Janet Guthrie became the first woman driver to race in a superspeedway when she started the 1976 World 600, finishing in 15th place and ahead of Dale Earnhardt. We don't have to look far to find NASCAR's first ever female driver, because the very first race in June 1949 at Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina happened to have one in it. Drivers say more funding is key to supporting women on the track.