How to Meet the Women of NASCAR

Women drivers in NASCAR have been few. Slowly the sport is increasing its portfolio of female drivers as more sponsors, car owners and women are becoming used to the idea. Some feel that women don't belong in NASCAR. Meet the women who are changing that perception.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Look to Sara Christian as the first woman to drive in a NASCAR race in 1949. There are less than 20 women since then who attempted to drive with the men. In recent years, Deborah Renshaw has placed in the NASCAR truck series, along with Kelly Sutton who has a 15th place finish at Lowes Motor Speedway.
2. Credit the most successful woman NASCAR driver efforts to Shawna Robinson. In her first NASCAR race, The Charlotte/Daytona Dash, she placed third. Still in her first year, she won the New Asheville Speedway in 1988. She finished in the top 10 a total of 21 times in the 30 races of her first two seasons. She is the only woman ever to win the pole position in qualifying for the NASCAR Busch series.
3. Study up on the other notable women drivers like Janet Guthrie, an aviation engineer who was crowned the North Atlantic Road Racing Champion of 1973. Patty Moise started driving in course races right after getting her driver's license with her road racing father.
4. Take heart that NASCAR is still attracting young women drivers like Erin Crocker who drives in the Busch Truck Series. She has acknowledged that racing isn't for every kind of woman.