by Jennifer Katherine Jones

Created on: April 18, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

To most, NASCAR is known as a man's sport. Cars, mechanics, grease, exhaust, and doing dough-nuts are stereotypically a "guy thing". When it comes to cars, the usual place you would see a woman would be on top of the shinning car with a not so practical outfit for working on cars. I'm sorry boys, but a bikini is not very effective when changing your oil. However, there a many brave and competent ladies in the sport of NASCAR, and with the help of NASCAR's official website, these women will get the recognition they deserve.

First, lets talk about the "Good ol' Gal" of racing. Louise Smith was born July 31, 1916 in Barnesville Georgia. Smith is known as "the first lady of racing" and the "Good ol' Gal". Louise raced anything that had wheels, from Modifieds, to Sportsman cars, and the Grand Nationals (now NASCAR Winston Cup). In the early years of NASCAR, the founder of NASCAR used Smith to promote races from the Southeast to Canada. In Smith's career, she won 38 times from 1946-1956. Since the mid-1970s, she has sponsored many drivers like Ronnie Thomas, Bobby Wawak, and Larry Pearson. In 1999, she was inducted in to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Unfortunately Louise passed away on March 4, 2006 of cancer.

Next up is the all inspiring Janet Guthrie. She was born March 7, 1938 in Iowa City, Iowa. In 1955, Guthrie earned her pilot's license and worked as an aviation engineer and almost was brought into NASA's Scientist-Astronaut program. After graduation in 1960 from the University of Michigan, she turned to racing in 1963. She competed for 13 years in Sport Car Club of America races as well as in international endurance races. In 1976, she tried to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 but failed. This did not get her down though because in that same year, in Iowa City, she became to first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup event. She finish 15th in the Charlotte 600. In 1977, she made history becoming the first woman to earn a starting spot in the Daytona 500, she finished 12th and top rookie of the race. She tried the Indy 500 again, and succeeded. She was the first woman to compete in the Indy 500. In 1978, at Indy again, she finish ninth. In her career, she started 11 times in Indy-car events. In her last Indy-car race, the 1979 Milwaulkee 200, she finished fifth place. She was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006 and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.

This next woman was born for racing. Patty Moise

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