Celebrating Women in Motorsports for Women's History Month

March 7, 2025

Personal Reflection by Lyn St. James

Lyn St. James / THF58579

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, I recently also celebrated my 50th year in motorsports, which has enabled me to reflect on not only my career, but the careers of other women in motorsports, and to take stock of what progress has, or maybe has not, been made in these last five-plus decades. While women have been racing since the early 1900s, it wasn’t until the 1960s that women started to make some noise and show up at the track letting folks know they were to be reckoned with. The one who made the most noise and rattled the grid in drag racing was Shirley Muldowney, who was the first female racer to earn a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel drag racing license and went on to win three championships, becoming the first person to win two and then three Top Fuel titles. Yes, there were other successful women racers before Shirley, but no one had the ongoing success for many decades.

Drag Racer Shirley Muldowney, 1983 / THF624819

The next most notable female racer was Janet Guthrie, who was the first woman to race in the Indianapolis 500 (1977, '78, '79) and the first woman to compete in the NASCAR Daytona 500 (1977). Janet was an aerospace engineer who was also a pilot and started racing as an amateur in the 1960s in the Sports Car Club of America before being contacted by a car owner to attempt to race in the Indianapolis 500 in 1976. Remember the 1970s was when the women’s lib movement was getting into full swing, so some folks were looking for ways to either give women an opportunity to show their stuff, or on the contrary to set them up to fail when trying to compete in a male-dominated sport.

Janet Guthrie with Lola-Cosworth Race Car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 1978 / THF140173

So let me explain a little bit about the unique sport of auto racing. Yes, it’s male dominated because more men showed interest over time and in the early years it was a way to demonstrate vehicle dynamics and capabilities, and since it was an expensive sport, it also took men of means to have the resources to race cars. The women who raced in those early years were often married to or widowed by these men of means. Some women were successful, but it was rare. While it takes considerable physical strength to drive a race car, it is not a sport where physical strength determines the outcome of the race. Flying, equestrian events, shooting, archery, and sailing are other good examples of these sports.

When I started racing in 1974 I really had no idea what I was getting into, but I knew I liked to drive fast and was intrigued with the concept of being able to get behind the wheel (race car) and be anonymous, because it was more about that “car” won the race, rather than the driver. When I watched Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a tennis match on national television in front of 60 million people, I think that inspired me to “go for it” and try to become a race car driver.

Denise McCluggage at Bahamas Speed Weeks, November-December 1959 / 2009.158.N.591104.1

What excites me today is that there are so many women, young and old, who are showing up and racing cars, motorcycles, airplanes, sailboats, horses, and more. And they are winning again and again and sticking around to continue to learn their craft and earn the respect of competitors, fans, and industry leaders.

• There have been nine women who have raced in the Indianapolis 500 since the first 500-mile race in 1911. There have been only 796 drivers to ever compete in this historic race!
• There are more women racers competing in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) than in any other professional racing series, and 23 women have won championships, with the most being won by six-time champion Erica Enders in the Pro Stock Division.
• It is estimated that over 50% of Jr. Dragsters (between the ages of 5-17 years) are females.
• There are more women on podiums around the world than ever before.
• There are women holding leadership positions in motorsports, such as Latasha Causey, President of Phoenix Raceway; Julie Giese, CEO of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race; Connie Nyholm, CEO Virginia International Raceway; Susie Wolff, Managing Director of the F1 Academy; and Deborah Mayer, Founder of the Iron Dames and Iron Lynx race teams.
• There are many women lead engineers in motorsports, such as Angela Ashmore, Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar team; Laura Muller, Haas Racing F1 team; Hannah Schmitz, Red Bull Principal Strategy Engineer; Kate Gundlach, McLaren Racing Performance Engineer; Amelia Lewis, McLaren Racing Performance Engineer; and Leena Gade, Multimatic Engineer who was the first female lead engineer to win LeMans for Audi.
• This year Betty Skelton is being inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. Betty was an aerobatics pilot, a land speed record holder, test driver, and automotive advertising executive. She is among only five women in motorsports inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, joining Janet Guthrie, Shirley Muldowney, Denise McCluggage, and myself, and among the 25 men and women from motorsports.

Betty Skelton at Daytona Beach, 1956 / Courtesy Lyn St. James

When men and women compete together and against each other in sports at the highest level where physical strength is necessary but does not define the results, it demonstrates to the world that there are opportunities for women to compete and contribute to the benefit of making the team better, the business better, the industry better. We have much to celebrate but also plenty of work to do.

There is a saying that is so true: If you can see it, you can be it! Because of the increased participation of women in motorsports, and with the increased awareness of women in sports, in nontraditional roles, and in male-dominated fields, more young girls and women are now seeing what’s possible!

To find more information you can go to: www.womeninmotorsportsna.com.

Lyn St. James is a seven-time competitor in the Indianapolis 500 and co-founder of Women in Motorsports North America.