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 born December 29, 1960 in Jacksonville, Florida. Patty was born into racing, her father was a road racer. Even though that racing blood was in her blood, she didn't show interest in racing until she received her driver's license at 16. She started racing road courses in the IMSA Series. She was welcomed into the Busch series in 1986 with her win in the qualifying race, this was the best NASCAR Busch Series finish for a woman. In 1990, Moise married Elton Sawyer, another Busch Series driver. Patty last raced in the Busch Series in 1998 when she made 19 starts in a Ford Taurus.
You can't get this one off those machines. Tammy Jo Kirk. She was born on May 6, 1962 in Dalton, Georgia. Right away, Tammy Jo was up on wheels. As early as nine, she was racing on motorcycles in motocross and flat-track competition. Then, nine years later, there she was again, switching to oval dirt track racing. She become the first female rider to gain expert status. On her motorcycle, she made history in 1986 as she won a Class C flat track race in Knoxville Tennessee. She retired from motorcycle racing in 1991 and moved on to those big machines we all know and love, the late model cars. Kirk won the Snowball Derby in Pensacola Florida in 1994. Also in 1994, she was named the Most Popular Driver in NASCAR's Slim Jim All Pro Series. In 1996, she was the fist woman to win two Busch Pole Awards in the series. She became to first female driver to compete in the NASCAR Craftman Truck Series in 1997, qualifying for the Chevy Trucks Challege at Walt Disney World Speedway. At 38, she finished 20th in the final NCTS championship standings and seventh among 29 Cintas Rookie of the Year candidates.
She is one little firecracker. Shawna Robinson was born November 20, 1964 in Des Moines, Iowa. As soon as she was able, she hopped on anything with wheels, or skies! Shawna drove anything from snowmobiles to diesel trucks competitively. In 1988, she made her NASCAR debut finishing third in the Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway. She was the first woman ever to win a NASCAR Touring event when she won at New Asheville Speedway in 1988, only her rookie season. Also, in her debut year, she won her first race in now the Goody's Dash Series. She also won the Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series Most Popular Driver Award and Rookie of the Year honors. In 1989, she was also honored with the Most Popular Driver award, being the only the second driver to win the award in consecutive years. In her first two years in NASCAR, Shawna started all 30 races in the series, won three of them and finishing in the top 10 21 times. Once in the Busch Series, she became the first and only woman ever to win the pole position in the NASCAR Busch Series. Her best finish in the Busch Series was 10th in 1995. She shortly retired for her first pregnancy, marriage, and was still involved in NASCAR. She returned in 2000 to the ARCA RE/MAX Series, where she finished in the top-10 in points. In 2002, Robinson made seven Winston Cup starts. Her best finish was 24th at the Daytona 500 in February 2002.
These women are inspiring to everyone. Competing in a man's sport in a man's world is definitely not easy. These women stepped up the the plate, or the track I should say, and showed that they could hold their own. They are the real Women of NASCAR