Janet Guthrie poses for her official qualifying picture, after qualifying 15th for the 1978 Indianapolis 500. She went on to finish in 9th position, a feat not to be bettered by another woman until this year’s running of the Brickyard classic.
Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
While many racecar drivers have earned the title of “living legend,” there are very, very few that can also lay claim to the title of “pioneer.” Janet Guthrie is one such driver. From a decade of building and racing sports cars in the SCCA, Guthrie catapulted onto the sports sections of countless newspapers in 1977 when she became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. In addition to racing on the USAC Indy car scene, Guthrie soon blazed trails in the stock car world as well, making 33 starts on the Winston Cup tour and running consistently in the top ten. Casey Annis recently sat down to talk with Guthrie not only about her historic career, but also about the unique prejudices and challenges that came with being a motorsport pioneer.
Janet Guthrie Photo: Hal Crocker
You really started racing at the grassroots level in the SCCA. What was it like having to learn everything from scratch…and not just the driving, but even prepping and working on your own car?
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