Driver Jennifer Jo Cobb poses for a photo during at Clutch Studios on January 19, 2022, in Concord, North Carolina. 5. Since then, only 15 pit crew members have been women, according to NASCAR. The history of NASCAR started in December 1947. These women have made history in their field and continue to do so. However, Patrick would finish the race at 38th place after figuring in a crash. She finished 5th, the highest finish for a female, in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series in 2020, Daytona. 25 Toyota Camry.. She was the female driver with the most wins in United States Auto Club (USAC) history with 19. Patrick would record a major milestone by clinching the pole position in the 2012 DRIVE4COPD 300, being the first female driver to clinch it since Shawna Robinson. In 2019, Manami Kobayashi became the third woman to win a race in a NASCAR touring series race. Interestingly, the 1949 Daytona NASCAR event was the first to feature three female racers - Christian, Mobley and Smith - while the same three drivers also raced at Langhorne in 1949, the last NASCAR race with three female drivers. Baker was named one of the 50 Greatest NASCAR Drivers. 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? [17] In 2012, Patrick would eventually race part-time in the Sprint Cup Series. She received the most popular driver award in THE 2021 and 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Her 2022 racing stats: 31.00 average starts and 32.00 average finish while not finishing once in pole position. NASCAR did not respond to a request for comment about Armstrong's comments. In 2013, Patrick became the first woman in Sprint Cup history to race full-time in the series. She signed with Black Cat Racing the same year but ended her tenure during Speedweeks. Robinson also took home Rookie of the Year and Most Popular Driver honors. Amber Balcaen became the first Canadian woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the U.S. in 2016. With NASCAR looking to boost the exposure of female racers, Brittney Zamora is one of the first to stand out. "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. The adrenaline and skill of driving at high speeds resides in the . While Bobby Norfleet fought discrimination and disinterested sponsors on the track, he enjoyed inspiring his daughter Tia at home in Suffolk, Virginia. She recently competed in the 2022 Baptist Health 200 (Homestead). 107 women have qualified for and started at least one race in one of NASCARs touring series, including 16 at NASCARs premier level. Brehanna Daniels says she thinks about how much her life has changed in just five years. We don't have to look far to find NASCAR's first ever female driver, because the very first race in June 1949 at Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina happened to have one in it. In 1955, Wood finished third overall in the Class 4 (Unlimited Displacement) category for U.S. Stock Production Passenger Cars. Brittney Zamora, The First Woman To Win 100-Lap Pro Late Model Feature Race (Source: ENEOS). She used to drive as a full-timer at Bill McAnally Racing in the ARCA West and part-time in ARCA East. Toni Breidinger is the first Arab-American female driver in NASCAR history. So, what's the deal with Tia Norfleet, and why haven't we seen her tearing up any tracks? In 2015, Patrick tied Janet Guthrie for most top ten finishes for a woman with a seventh place finish at Martinsville. Who are the most beautiful and talented female racing drivers 10. She would break the record weeks later and she would finish the season as the first woman to make 100 starts in NASCARs Cup series. In 2003, she bagged the Knoxville award for Best Rookie. You Can Also Read About Romain Grosjean Bio: Crash, Wife, IndyCar & Net Worth>>. #10-Danica Patrick made NASCAR history today during Coors Light Pole qualifying for the Daytona 500, becoming the first female driver to win a pole at NASCAR's top level - the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. [26] In 2016, a record 18 different women started a race in one of NASCAR's touring series. You don't see that every day in NASCAR. "NASCAR hasn't had very much success with the African American community at large because of NASCAR's association with the Confederate flag," Armstrong said. Born and raised in Beloit, Wisconsin, her go-karting fascination started at the age of ten, and it only started to grow further. Chevrolet. How many women have competed in the NASCAR cup: 16 Female Drivers - Full list here. Some of her other awards are the 2005 Indianapolis 500 Rookie and the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series. Two year later, Patrick would earn the pole at the 2012 DRIVE4COPD 300, becoming the first female driver since Shawna Robinson to clinch it. . Starting with her love for go-karting at the tender age of 8, she later progressed to competing in legends cars. Patricia Moise-Sawyer, A Former NASCAR Driver (Source: Twitter). They are basically second class citizens and the men will never let them race in the big time. Lella Lombardi (1 / 1977) Then in 2015, Long joined Obika Racing. After no female raced in a decade, Janet Guthrie became the first woman driver to race in a superspeedway when she started the 1976 World 600, finishing in 15th place and ahead of Dale Earnhardt. Deegan debuted in 2018 through NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and has 18 races in her bag in just under three years. [3], Six female drivers: Deegan, Kirk, Patrick, Robinson, Mara Reyes, and Brittney Zamora have won poles. Hailie Deegan, the daughter of Motocross and X Games icon Brian Deegan, is a three-time winner in what is now called the ARCA Menards Series West and was the first female driver to ever win races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. Erin Mary Crocker Evernham gave birth to a daughter, Cate Susan Evernham, on July 25, 2015. She won the Snowball Derby in 1994. After a 7th place finish in Martinsville a year later, Patrick tied Guthrie for most Top 10 finishes by a female NASCAR driver. 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. At Kentucky, Patrick became the first woman to make 100 starts in NASCAR's Cup Series. [18], In 2011, Snowball Derby winner Johanna Long entered the Camping World Truck Series at 19 years of age, being the youngest female driver to race in the series. Sara Christian competed in the inaugural NASCAR race at Charlotte Speedway (she had Bob Flock finish the race). What he needed, he decided, was a female driver who could handle the challenges of the track and hopefully bring more women out to the races. Christians next race was even better, as she finished fifth at Pittsburghs Heidelberg Raceway. Marie-Claude Charmasson is a lesser-known female race car driver who we think deserves more recognition. After fielding a part-time Cup team and winning their first race at Indianapolis last year, Kaulig Racing has taken the next step and will field two full-time Cup teams in 2022. That year she had three top 10 finishes with her best finish of sixth at Atlanta. Don't miss a story! Chrissy Wallace. Hailee debuted for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020 Clean Harbors 200 (Kansas) and 2022 Alsco Uniforms 302 (Las Vegas), respectively. She made history by being the first female driver to win West Series races in 2018 and 2019. Additionally, her NASCAR license has come into question. [69] 2020 was the first season of ARCA as a NASCAR-sanctioned series, so this list begins with 2020. First woman to lead a lap in Indianapolis 500. "You . Larson, who is half-Japanese, later apologized and said, "I wasn't raised that way.". As her father used to run late models, Long got her inspiration from him. A few compete in the lower levels, but they're looking for their big break. Amber Balcaen is a third generation racecar driver from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. There she made 15 starts and ended up in the 45th position. She retired from full-time competition after the 2017 season. There are two straight-shooting, let's-take-NASCAR-seriously flicks on this list, and "The Last American Hero" is one of them. In 2008 at the Camping World Truck, Jennifer made her debut and had 92 starts in total. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Before we get to know the drivers better, let us look at an overview of the list. She was also invited to NASCARs 2019 Drive for Diversity. In that first race at Charlotte in 1949, she became the first female driver to compete in NASCARs top division, qualifying 13th and finishing 14th in a Ford owned by her husband, Frank. In a race that had a starting field of 45 drivers, including a handful of Hall of Famers, Christian dazzled with a sixth-place finish. Trackhouse Racing. Sara Christians fire suit is on display in Heritage Speedway on the top floor of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. She drove the #10 Sticks N Stuff Chevy for Davis Motorsports at Talladega in 2004. Erin Mary Crocket Evernham (Source: MassLive.com). Patrick was a novelty that they let in so they could say See we have a woman driver. Hailie Deegan, American Motorsports Racing Driver (Source: The Tennessean). Patrick would record a major milestone by clinching the pole position in the 2012 DRIVE4COPD 300, being the first female driver to clinch it since Shawna Robinson. The first female to compete in a NASCAR superspeedway race, Guthrie finished 15th in the 1976 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Now at 27, Daniels is NASCAR's first Black female tire changer. Stay up to date with Hailie Deegan news, rumors, updates, analysis, social feeds, and more at FOX Sports. 82 truck. Deegan also has a family YouTube channel called The Deegans, where she posts her everyday life and beyond. 15 and No. 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. She finished 28th even though she started 42nd. Brehanna Daniels with ABC News' Faith Abubey. Jennifer Jo Cobb. NASCAR Las Vegas betting guide . Dominique won Super Late Model Track Champion in 2012 Springport Motor Speedway Outlaw. [6] In the second official race, at Daytona Beach and Road Course, Christian was joined by Ethel Mobley and Louise Smith, with Mobley finishing first out of the 3, in 11th. A blonde among these female NASCAR drivers, she is famous for being the younger sister of Ashley Force Hood which I just mentioned. Below is the list of 10 best female NASCAR drivers of all time to have achieved the seeming inconceivable. Toni Breidinger, 21, began racing in the 2021 ARCA season opener at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday. So how come you never hear of the women drivers or see them race on TV? Janet Guthries World 600 qualifying plaque is on display in Heritage Speedway at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. In 2012, she became the youngest woman to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 2013, Patrick became the first female driver to win a pole in a Cup Series race when she qualified No. [29] Trotter moved up from the West Series to the main ARCA Menards Series, where she would remain in Toyota's driver development program and drive part-time for Venturini Motorsports in the team's No. Kim Crosby, a NASCAR female driver, was born in Tallahassee in Florida on 8th December 1964. Ann Slaasted (1 / 1950) She returned to ARCA in 2021 for Youngs Motorsports on a part-time schedule. However, Patrick would finish 38th after a crash. She had further raced at the Xfinity Series and Road Atlanta in 1986. . The series exists since 2009, but was not officially affiliated with NASCAR until 2012. We shall talk about Jennifer Jo Cobb on our list of top female NASCAR drivers. . More power to them! "People were like, 'oh, she sucks,' 'what does it matter that she's Black?' 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. Since the 20th Century, female drivers have been leaving their mark on NASCAR history. So, Courtney, of course, feels advantages of having a sister as a champion of Funny Car division and father, John Force. [22], In 2013, Patrick became the first woman in Sprint Cup history to have a full-time ride in the series (with Stewart-Haas Racing),[22] and eventually the first female driver to clinch the pole position and lead a green flag lap, both occurring at the 2013 Daytona 500, becoming the first woman to lead both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. 16 will . Why wouldn't that be talked about?," Daniels said. If you're a Black consumer, it's hard to enjoy the sports or the leisure or the activity when you're surrounded by this ambiance or this effervescence that's racially discriminating.". In 2016, she became a NASCAR Drive for Diversity team member and got awarded a Young Racer category prize. Jennifer In Driven 2 Honor Program (Source: U.S. Army). Ty Dillon. Dominique Van Wieringen is a Canadian stock car racer racing part-time at the ARCA Menards for Rette Jones. 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. leads a pack of cars in the Nascar Xfinity Series Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway . The first Daytona 500 was held in 1959. And that's difficult coming into the sport with little funding and maybe not a lot of seat time," Decker said. She joined NASCAR in 2016 as part of the organization's "Drive for Diversity" program. [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. Over the years, some of NASCAR's drivers have also been embroiled in controversies about race. Patrick removed the implants after having them for seven years. Robin McCall (2 / 1982 note: Wally Dallenbach Jr's wife) 25 cars. Get to Know These Top Female Drivers. A few weeks later she passed Guthrie for the most top ten finishes for a woman in Sprint Cup history at Bristol. Career Indianapolis 500 laps led: 29. At age 16, after national success in go-karts, Patrick left high school to race Formula Fords and Vauxhalls in the United Kingdom. To this day, she remains the only female driver to post a top five in the Cup Series. 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. We believe these NASCAR drivers are the best in their way and working their way up to the top. 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. In 2012, Patrick would eventually race part-time . 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 . In 1986, Patty Moise would become the first woman to lead in a Busch Series race.[11]. [10] In 1977, Janet Guthrie would become the first woman to lead a Winston Cup Series race under caution, at Ontario Speedway. One of her most impressive performances came in September at the challenging Langhorne Speedway, a circular 1-mile track outside of Philadelphia. Relatively few women have contested a full season in any of NASCAR's touring series, although this is increasingly common. Most successful female NASCAR driver of all time; Most successful female in open-wheel racing . Moving forward in her career, after concluding the 2016 NASCAR K&N, she debuted at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Hailing from the iconic Wallace family, Chrissy Wallace is the nice of NASCAR legends Rusty Wallace and Kenny Wallace.Her father Mike Wallace was a veteran lower series driver. She is one of the 16 women to ever participate in the NASCAR Cup Series and one of only three female drivers to race in the Daytona 500. Robinson is known as a competent racer who left a legacy in the male-dominated industry. She has established herself as one of the hottest racing drivers, as well as one of the hottest female athletes in general. She also drives but only part-time for the NASCAR XFINITY series, driving the #55 Toyota Camry of JP Motorsports. Interestingly enough, the press had a field day confirming that she has never competed in a NASCAR nationwide touring or ARCA-sanctioned event. (WKMG 2021) In 2019, she became the . NASCAR, founded in 1948, didn't have its first female pit crew member -- Christmas Abbott -- until 2012. Still, young girls, especially those who have not come from privileged white backgrounds, look up to Tia Norfleet. 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 . "It's great that men and women can compete in NASCAR. Quick Facts Toni Breidinger, the first Arab American female driver in NASCAR, returned to the ARCA Menards Series for the first time since 2018, joining Young's Motorsports to compete part-time for them as part of the Truck Series team's first foray into ARCA. Interestingly, the 1949 Daytona NASCAR event was the first to feature three female racers Christian, Mobley and Smith while the same three drivers also raced at Langhorne in 1949, the last NASCAR race with three female drivers. Danica Patrick (191 / 2012-2018) Christina Nielsen started racing as a teenager and now, at just 28 years old, she is the first female driver to win the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series.