Janet Guthrie

Janet Guthrie (born March 7, 1938) is an American former racing driver. She is the first female to qualify and race in either the Indianapolis 500, or the Daytona 500, both of which she competed in during 1977. She had first attempted to enter the Indianapolis 500 in 1976 but failed to qualify. She raced in three Indianapolis 500s: 1977 through 1979. She is also the first woman to lead a lap in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

Guthrie was originally an aerospace engineer, and after graduating from the University of Michigan with a physics degree in 1960, she worked with Republic Aviation. She got the 2024 NASCAR Landmark award on January 19, 2024.

Racing career

Guthrie began racing in 1963 on the SCCA circuit in a Jaguar XK140 and by 1972, she was racing on a full-time basis. Her sportscar racing career included two class wins in the famed 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race.

Guthrie qualified for and competed in the 1977 Indianapolis 500, in a car entered by Rolla Vollstedt, but finished 29th with engine troubles. She would compete in two more Indianapolis 500s, finishing ninth in the 1978 race while driving with a fractured wrist (injured in a charity tennis event two days earlier) she hid from race officials. Overall, she competed in 11 Indy car events with a best finish of fifth. During her unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 1976 race, many of the drivers in the male-dominated sport stated that the reason she did not qualify was mainly due to her sex. She was unable to obtain funding through corporate sponsorship, and was forced into retirement.

Nevertheless, Guthrie's place in history was secure. In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Guthrie's name and picture. Guthrie's helmet and race suit can be found in the Smithsonian Institution and she was one of the first elected to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on April 27, 2006. Her 2005 autobiography, Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle, has received critical praise from such publications as Sports Illustrated.

Battling sexism in motorsports In a groundbreaking interview with Tracy Dodds for the Los Angeles Times in 1987, Guthrie lamented the lack of corporate sponsorships for female drivers: Guthrie herself initially said she was hesitant to address sexism in motorsports, but her mindset changed after she qualified for her first Indianapolis 500 in 1977 and was part of the downtown parade. As Guthrie described, “There were these guys who had little girls on their shoulders and were sort of waving these little girls as if I represented hope for the future." The petition called on Saudi King Abdullah to sponsor a Saudi Women's Grand Prix. The project was the idea of human rights activist David Keyes. for her achievements in motorsports. She is the 5th woman to be inducted.

Personal life Guthrie was born in Iowa City, Iowa to Jean Ruth Guthrie (née Midkiff) and William Lain Guthrie, both pilots.

Guthrie married Warren Levine, a charter airline pilot, in 1989. He died on December 30, 2006, of a sudden heart attack.

Awards and honors

Guthrie has been inducted into the following halls of fame: International Women's Sports Hall of Fame (1980) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2006) Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame (2006) Automotive Hall of Fame (2019) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2024) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2021)

Motorsports career results NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Pts 1976 Lynda Ferreri 68 Chevy RSD DAY CAR RCH BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT15 RSD MCH DAY15 NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV33 MAR NWS CLT22 CAR ATL ONT20 N/A - 1977 RSD DAY12 RCH12 CAR ATL30 NWS DAR BRI11 MAR TAL32 NSV DOV CLT RSD MCH26 DAY40 NSV32 POC11 TAL34 MCH10 BRI6 DAR16 RCH12 DOV11 MAR NWS CLT9 CAR9 ATL16 ONT24 23rd 2037 1978 RSD DAYDNQ RCH CAR ATL10 BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL DOV CLT NSV RSD MCH DAY11 NSV 41st 592 Buick POC31 TAL29 MCH27 BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT35 CAR ATL ONT13 1980 Osterlund Racing 82 Chevy RSD DAY11 RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT TWS RSD MCH DAY NSV 69th 209 McClure Motors 57 Ford POC28 TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT CAR ATL ONT

American open–wheel racing results

Indianapolis 500

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish 1976 Coyote Foyt No qualifying attempt 1977 Lightning Offenhauser 26th 29th 1978 Wildcat DGS 15th 9th 1979 Lola Cosworth 14th 34th 1980 Lightning Cosworth Did not qualify