It's like, why wouldn't that matter? Female drivers competed at a high level all the way back to the earliest days of NASCAR. Sara Christian was the first female driver in NASCAR history. One of the most talented female race drivers, Ashley is the daughter of former national drag . [2], In 2020, Gracie Trotter became the second female driver to win in the West Series, with her victory in the race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring on September 26. She signed with Black Cat Racing the same year but ended her tenure during Speedweeks. Deegan also has a family YouTube channel called The Deegans, where she posts her everyday life and beyond. In a late model race at Motor Mile Speedway in Fairlawn, Virginia, she started a race, yet parked after one lap. In 1998, her full-time career as a racer began, and she flourished to the NASCAR Pro series by 1999. Deegan moved up from the ARCA Menards Series to the Truck Series full-time, continuing to drive for David Gilliland Racing. Danica Patrick - First Female NASCAR Driver. In 2004, NASCAR started the Drive for Diversity program, hoping to develop a more diverse driver base. However, Patrick would finish the race at 38th place after figuring in a crash. Tina also entered for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2003. As of September 30, 2018, only two women, Hailie Deegan and Shawna Robinson, have won a race in NASCARs touring series. Larson, who is half-Japanese, later apologized and said, "I wasn't raised that way.". 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. Aaron Fike, Jeremy Mayfield, Junior Johnson, and Travis Kvapil all come to mind as racers with less than squeaky clean records. Through one simple child's go-kart, a NASCAR hopeful was born. Jennifer In Driven 2 Honor Program (Source: U.S. Army). Only three have been women of color. Sara Christian's fifth-place finish in 1949 tops among the best finishes by a female race driver at a professional level. I prefer drag racing where there are lots of women drivers and they actually win races on TV. She received the most popular driver award in THE 2021 and 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. At Kentucky, Patrick became the first woman to make 100 starts in NASCAR's Cup Series. Paris Berelc is suiting up for an adult role in the new Netflix NASCAR-inspired comedy series The Crew as up-and-coming race car driver Jessie de la Cruz, who is trying to bump Jake Martin . Moving forward in her career, after concluding the 2016 NASCAR K&N, she debuted at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. She drove in the first race for the fledgling stock car association on June 19, 1949, on the dirt track at Charlotte Speedway. However, she is still a racer to watch out for who drives for a team named after Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing and rides a Number ten. She had further raced at the Xfinity Series and Road Atlanta in 1986. "Girl, you are crazy" she told ABC News about what the person she was at 17 would think about her now, a NASCAR pit crew member. You can check out her Instagram, where she keeps posting pictures of her family. Danica Patrick (191 / 2012-2018) She became the first female to compete in a NASCAR official event in 1949. There are . 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. . She started her career in 2004 through the Xfinity Series, where she made 27 total starts. Career Indianapolis 500 laps led: 29. "It's great that men and women can compete in NASCAR. The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series formed the Lady Cup, a championship system for female drivers in 2014. There are two straight-shooting, let's-take-NASCAR-seriously flicks on this list, and "The Last American Hero" is one of them. 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. Atlanta-based . From driving go-karts as a child to making history in US motor racing, Toni Breidinger has become the first Arab-American female to participate in Nascar stock car racing. Dr. Ketra Armstrong, a professor of race and inclusion in sports at the University of Michigan, told ABC News. Ethel [Flock] Mobley (2 / 1949) Amber Balcaen enters her car at the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Developmental Program in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Oct. 18, 2016. In 2019, Daniels became the first Black woman to pit in NASCAR's historic Daytona 500 race. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In 2010, IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick joined NASCAR, racing part-time in the K&N Pro Series East and the Nationwide Series. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "You see that symbol, you know that it evokes these feelings of hatred and racial denigration. The article claimed that she had faced criminal charges in her youth, which Tia has not denied. In four of the six races, she finished in the top 15. "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. Born in 1973, Cobb has been an active name in the industry. Patricia Moise-Sawyer was a NASCAR driver in the past. Interestingly enough, the press had a field day confirming that she has never competed in a NASCAR nationwide touring or ARCA-sanctioned event. Indianapolis 500 career earnings: $2,865,240. In addition, she has competed in the complete NASCAR national touring series, ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde and Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series. Breidinger hopes programs like Busch Light's will have a "snowball effect" in encouraging more brands to sponsor female drivers. She announced to run for the District position on the Cherokee County, Alabama Commission post in 2008. Below is a list of top 10 talented female race car drivers. Loving racing karts when she was 5, she started to race at the age of 8. Regardless of having the talent, she had to beg her father to buy her a go-kart when she was nine years old. 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. She competed in NASCAR's first-ever Cup Series race on June 19, 1949 at Charlotte Speedway. an office employee by day and a sports storyteller by night. 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. Plan a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and purchase tickets at NASCARHall.com/tickets. Don't miss a story! Her awards include Quarter Midgets of the American Female Driver of the year continuously from 1993 to 1995. She married fellow short track driver and Kyle Busch Motorsports engineer Hunter Robbins. The following is a list of female NASCAR drivers who have participated in a national or regional touring series race since the organization's inception in 1949, along with statistical totals for their NASCAR careers. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. The most popular female racer is Danica Patrick who retired early in 2018. Born in Ontario, she got her degree in Mechanical Engineering. 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. Tia Norfleet is the daughter of NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet. Although, now retired, Danica has successfully won 191 races in seven years of her career. She joined NASCAR in 2016 as part of the organization's "Drive for Diversity" program. She made her . ( 1981-08-24) 24 August 1981 (age 41) Pauline Mayman born 26 May 1928, died 1989 (aged 60-61) Sally Miall born 18 December 1918, died 6 October 2010 (aged 91) Sarah Moore born. She made her debut with the Xfinity series, made 10 starts, and finished 72nd in 2004. . 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. Most successful female NASCAR driver of all time; Most successful female in open-wheel racing . 16 will . Born and raised in Beloit, Wisconsin, her go-karting fascination started at the age of ten, and it only started to grow further. 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. 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. The E2 Northeast Motorsports team became the first multicultural team to race competitively in NASCAR, with four black and Latino drivers two in the camping world truck series and two in . . The sister of early NASCAR racers Tim (Class of 2014), Bob and Fonty Flock, Ethel Mobley Flock competed in two NASCAR races in 1949, posting a best finish of 11th on the Daytona Beach-Road Course in July. Since then, only 15 pit crew members have been women, according to . Both Bobby and Tia fondly remember how he added a little extra power her to her Barbie car when she was just a small tyke, which led to her love of zooming around at top speed. 99. 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. How NHL Chooses Their International Recruits, Australias horse racing jewels to go ahead as planned. During her NASCAR Xfinity Series career, she finished once in the pole position and once in the top ten. Having a taste of the first race, Sara competed in five more competitions in 1949, finishing sixth and . Female NASCAR drivers are proof that stereotypes are often distorted. Patrick's racing career began with go-karts in her hometown of Beloit, Wisconsin, at age 10. The following year, Guthrie became the first female racer to qualify for the Daytona 500, where she finished 12th, and the Indianapolis 500. She got the title of the first female driver who won with number one in 2013 racing series. (WKMG 2021) In 2019, she became the . People tend to assume women are lacking physically and have no road sense of direction. Named for the type of gasoline her father used in his taxi, Ethel Flock Mobley competed in more than 100 Modified stock car races in her career. Angela Cope Inside Her Truck (Source: Wikipedia). A former NASCAR driver, Danica is one of the most successful women in open-wheel race history. 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. Spire Motorsports. She has competed in one NASCAR-sanctioned event. In 2019, Daniels became the first Black woman to pit in NASCAR's historic Daytona 500 race. These women have made history in their field and continue to do so. Deegan grew up competing in off-road racing but made the switch to stock car racing in 2016. 7. "I feel like for the first time since I've been involved, a lot of those things are starting to be addressed head on and progress is being made," Siegel said. NASCAR's program for potential stars, the K&N Pro Series, includes just one female -- 16-year-old Hailie Deegan, daughter of extreme motorcycle athlete Brian Deegan who made her K&N East debut . Shawna Robinson competed in all three NASCAR Touring series. Sara Christian was the first woman driver in NASCAR history. 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. leads a pack of cars in the Nascar Xfinity Series Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway . Alumni include NASCAR Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez. 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. Britany is a young stock car racer competing part-time at the ARCA Menards Series. Since 2009, the program has trained 75 gender and ethnically diverse candidates for NASCAR's pit crews. She's continued to set records: In 2013, she became the first female NASCAR driver to take a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole in the 2013 Daytona 500; her eighth place finish is the highest finish . Born in 1969, Tina Gordon is one of the top female NASCAR drivers in history. She was best known for competing in Modified Division races. She also drives but only part-time for the NASCAR XFINITY series, driving the #55 Toyota Camry of JP Motorsports. In 2005, she also raced in the Camping World Truck, where she made 29 starts in conclusion. Though she competed in just seven races over the course of her career, she opened the door to racing for generations of women to come. She used to drive as a full-timer at Bill McAnally Racing in the ARCA West and part-time in ARCA East. While the Drive for Diversity program is keen to celebrate progress, Siegel said that success requires much more work. A blonde among these female NASCAR drivers, she is famous for being the younger sister of Ashley Force Hood which I just mentioned. In her career in the NASCAR Xfinity series, she appeared in 15 races in just a year and 32 races in the Camping World Truck. She bagged the 2008 Indy Japan 300, the only woman in the scene. Shawna Robinson (8 / 2001-2002) Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images. At only 22, she's been helping pave the way for up-and-coming female racers. Catching Up With Shawna", "A FIRST IN EURO NASCAR HISTORY: MANAMI KOBAYASHI WINS IN ELITE CLUB DEBUT", "Gracie Trotter Makes History With Las Vegas Victory", "Trucks: Hailie Deegan returns to DGR for 2022 season - NBC Sports", "Toni Breidinger Announces Major Plans for 2022", "Motorsports pioneer Betty Skelton Erde dies at age 85", "HowStuffWorks "1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Chronology", "Patty Moise News, Stats and Info About the Racing Driver", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Shawna Robinson", "Robinson team to feature first all-female pit crew Thursday May 29, 2003 10:11 AM", "Drive for diversity: NASCAR's push to develop minority drivers moving slowly NASCAR Sporting News", "Danica Patrick wins pole position for Daytona Nationwide race", "Unofficial Results | NASCAR Nationwide Series", "NASCAR Danica Patrick to NASCAR a win-win", "TRUCKS: Johanna Long Wins Snowball Derby", "Johanna Long bests Danica Patrick at 2012 Daytona Nationwide Series race NASCAR News | FOX Sports on MSN", "Danica Patrick finishes eighth in Daytona 500", "NASCAR driver Danica Patrick will retire from the track to become a full-time entrepreneur", "Whelen Euro Series News & Notes: Valencia", "Hailie Deegan makes history with K&N Pro Series West win", "Rising NASCAR star Hailie Deegan wins again with last-lap move", "Toni Breidinger to make Truck debut with Young's Motorsports", "Natalie Decker Signs with RSS Racing for Partial Schedule in Reaume-assisted No. Moise is married to fellow NASCAR driver Elton Sawyer. NASCAR's first Arab American female driver makes her Daytona debut . 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. "Especially, you know, a little black girl like myself at that time. 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. 23 car, jointly fielded by RSS Racing, Reaume Brothers Racing,[30] and later Our Motorsports. A few weeks later she passed Guthrie for the most top ten finishes for a woman in Sprint Cup history at Bristol. Although her NASCAR career was brief, what Sara Christian accomplished has more than stood the test of time. In 2016, Patrick led a career high 30 laps and completed more circuits than all but three other drivers. A Professional Stock Car Racer, Johanna Robbins (Source: AL.com). Her love for racing began in her husbands short-track stock car. 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. Feb 21, 2018. Sara Christian was a participant in the inaugural NASCAR race at the Charlotte Speedway. Danica Patrick In 2019 Camping World 500 (Source: Wikimedia). That year, Patrick became the first woman to win the NASCAR Most Popular Nationwide Driver award. Sarah Christian was the first female NASCAR driver of all time. Lella Lombardi (1 / 1977) Born August 27, 2001, Gracie Trotter is the 2nd female to win a West Series Race. Career highlights: Shares distinction of NASCAR's second female driver with Louise Smith, made more than 100 NASCAR Modified starts. Which is pretty much the standard for most competitive sports, isn't it? Her passion for racing began at the tender age of seven, inspired by her father, Brian Deegan. The full-time Camping World Truck Series driver was vying to make her first Cup Series start and become the first female to compete in the series since Danica Patrick retired from NASCAR in 2018 . Patrick is the first female driver to win a pole in NASCAR Sprint Cup . Her victory was the first for a female NASCAR driver since Tammy Jo Kirk won in 1994. 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. In 2017, Patrick became the first female NASCAR driver to lead the prestigious Coca Cola 600. Brehanna Daniels is breaking down barriers in NASCAR. [3], Six female drivers: Deegan, Kirk, Patrick, Robinson, Mara Reyes, and Brittney Zamora have won poles. However, her biggest accomplishment, she told ABC News, was earning her sponsorship with RV product manufacturer ICON Direct last year. Shawna Robinson became the first woman to win a NASCAR Touring Series event in 1988. Janet Guthrie (33 / 1976-1980) AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series, AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series, AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series, List of female 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers, "Where Are They Now? In 2014, Danica Patrick had three top 10 finishes including 6th place in Atlanta. Erin Mary Crocket Evernham (Source: MassLive.com). Brittney Zamora. In addition to Breidinger, Decker and Balcaen, the other recipients of the inaugural sponsorship are Jennifer Jo Cobb, Melissa Fifield, Stephanie Moyer and Brittney Zamora, Busch Light said. She recently competed in the 2022 Baptist Health 200 (Homestead). Are you looking for fast and fabulous women in the racing field? 1 for the season-opening Daytona 500, the biggest race on the NASCAR schedule. Robinson is known as a competent racer who left a legacy in the male-dominated industry. The first "Strictly Stock" race was held in 1949. Dominique Van Wieringen is a Canadian stock car racer racing part-time at the ARCA Menards for Rette Jones. She retired from full-time stock car racing after the 2018 Daytona 500.[25]. 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. She was a competitive rally driver from 1965 through 1974. She also won the 2010 Snowball Derby. Brehanna Daniels says she thinks about how much her life has changed in just five years. Later, she was signed by Rev Racing in both the years 2019 and 2020. 5. Kenzie Hemric was selected in 2013 and '14. In 2010, IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick joined NASCAR, racing part-time in the K&N Pro Series East and the Nationwide Series. Hailie Deegan, born and raised in Temecula, California, is a 21 years old female NASCAR driver to have dominated the scene. With NASCAR looking to boost the exposure of female racers, Brittney Zamora is one of the first to stand out. On Monday, just ahead of the Daytona 500, Busch Light announced the creation of the Busch Light Accelerate Her Program, a $10 million commitment to sponsor every female driver 21 years or older . Although Erin never competed in the Sprint Cup, she made history as the top Female NASCAR Driver of all time. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Leilani Munter - American She has run 15 races in the Xfinity Series and 32 races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In that race, Patrick became the first female driver to lead a lap in a Cup Series race under green-flag conditions and finished the race in eighth place. In addition, she has competed in the Indianapolis 500 nine times, the most of any woman. The NASCAR fan base is also overwhelmingly white. Patrick bagged numerous winnings for women in the auto racing field, including the IndyCar, NASCAR cup, Indianapolis 500, and Daytona 500. Dominique won Super Late Model Track Champion in 2012 Springport Motor Speedway Outlaw. Throughout his racing career, Bobby dealt with discrimination on and off the track. Natalie Decker stands by her truck during qualifying for the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Corrigan Oil 200 in Brooklyn, Mich., Aug. 10, 2019. Similarly, her determination to become a NASCAR racer built up since she was a kid and racing behind the wheels of a go-kart. at Langhorne Speedway in 1949. More power to them! Robinson and NASCAR Truck Series driver Jennifer Jo Cobb competed in the 16th installment of The Amazing Race but did not win the contest. With a resume full of firsts, Janet Guthrie truly broke barriers in her racing career. She debuted for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010 AAA Insurance 200 (IRP) and her last race for this series was in 2011 Winstar World Casino 350k (Texas). California-native Breidinger, 21, made her debut in . Patrick removed the implants after having them for seven years. Then in 2015, Long joined Obika Racing. In 1978, Guthrie finished ninth in the Indianapolis 500, while in 1980, she was 11th in the Daytona 500. At Chicagoland Speedway last June, Venturini Motorsports made history by fielding three female drivers in the same event in Natalie Decker, Leilani Munter and Toni Breidinger. Then in 2018, Trotter was chosen as one of the 12 racers for NASCARS Drive for Diversity. She was listed as one of the drivers for the #15 truck for Billy Ballew Motorsports as a teammate to Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck. 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. At age 16, after national success in go-karts, Patrick left high school to race Formula Fords and Vauxhalls in the United Kingdom. Stock Car Racing Driver And Victorias Secret Model, Toni Breidinger (Source: New York Post). [3], 2021 saw a number of milestones for female drivers. In 2012, she became the youngest woman to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. You Can Also Read About Romain Grosjean Bio: Crash, Wife, IndyCar & Net Worth>>. At the age of 12, she progressed to legends car races. Her 2022 racing stats: 31.00 average starts and 32.00 average finish while not finishing once in pole position. She made her debut at the Daytona International Speedway. [23] In 2014, Patrick became the first woman to race in the 2014 Sprint Unlimited. 1986 saw the first woman lead in a Busch Series Race in Patty Moise. A heavy right foot and the power of a Chrysler Hemi engine helped Vicki Wood set speed records on Daytona Beach in the mid-1950s. 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. She participated in five Winston Cup races between 1987 and 1989 and 133 . Outside car racing, Patrick is the first woman to host the ESPYs, hosting the latest edition of ESPNs annual award show. Darius Days Bio: Family, Contracts And Net Worth, Gus Johnson Bio: Family, Documentary & Net Worth, Mike Conley Net Worth: Charity & Endorsements, Shaun Livingston Bio: Injuries, NBA Championships, Net Worth & Kids, Romain Grosjean Bio: Crash, Wife, IndyCar & Net Worth>>. In 1988, Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series (later the Goody's Dash Series) driver Shawna Robinson became the first woman to win a NASCAR Touring Series event, also earning "Rookie of the Year" and "Most Popular Driver" honors. 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. Get to Know These Top Female Drivers. Sara Christian. In 2007, she earned the title of the first female driver winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway.