Born and raised in Iowa, now retired, Robinson started her career for the Spring Cup Series in 1995. Below is the list of 10 best female NASCAR drivers of all time to have achieved the seeming inconceivable. Later that year, she announced that she would be retiring from full-time racing at the end of the 2017 season. Her victory was the first for a female NASCAR driver since Tammy Jo Kirk won in 1994. Robinson and NASCAR Truck Series driver Jennifer Jo Cobb competed in the 16th installment of The Amazing Race but did not win the contest. "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. Although, now retired, Danica has successfully won 191 races in seven years of her career. Similarly, her determination to become a NASCAR racer built up since she was a kid and racing behind the wheels of a go-kart. She began drag racing and hitting the short track circuit for late model racing, with several top-15 finishes to her name. Her love for racing began in her husbands short-track stock car. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. In 1994, Robinson became the first woman to clinch pole position in one of the major series, topping the qualifying race for the Xfinity series Busch Light 300 series at the Atlanta Speedway on March 12, 1994. She's continued to set records: In 2013, she became the first female NASCAR driver to take a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole in the 2013 Daytona 500; her eighth place finish is the highest finish . Another female racer, Louise Smith raced 11 times in the Cup Series between 1949 and 1952, with a best finish of 16 th at Langhorne Speedway in 1949. Born in 1973, Cobb has been an active name in the industry. But it was in 2010, and she earned a total of one start achieving her record of World Truck Series at the Camping World Truck, where she finished in 111th place. [17][21], In 2012, Danica Patrick was voted NASCAR's Most Popular Nationwide Driver, becoming the first woman to receive that award in NASCAR's top three divisions. The last time a woman drove in the Daytona 500 -- the kickoff to the premier racing series -- was 2018, with trailblazer Danica Patrick. Later, she was signed by Rev Racing in both the years 2019 and 2020. Robinson Signing Autographs For Her Fans (Source: ESPN). [24] Patrick opened 2017 season with a fourth place finish in the Advance Auto Parts Clash (an exhibition race for previous pole winners). She competed in over 100 NASCAR racing events. (WKMG 2021) In 2019, she became the . [5], NASCAR has seen varying levels of participation by female drivers throughout its ranks since the sanctioning body's inception in 1949. The full-time Camping World Truck Series driver was vying to make her first Cup Series start and become the first female to compete in the series since Danica Patrick retired from NASCAR in 2018 . The article claimed that she had faced criminal charges in her youth, which Tia has not denied. On top of funding, gaining respect in the sport as a woman is another obstacle, she and Breidinger said. Tammy Jo Kirk had 37 Top 10 finishes and two poles in the All Pro Series before becoming the first woman to start at the Camping World Truck Series. The adrenaline and skill of driving at high speeds resides in the . Aaron Fike, Jeremy Mayfield, Junior Johnson, and Travis Kvapil all come to mind as racers with less than squeaky clean records. She also became the first woman to win the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour race in 2013 (Lucas Oil). 99. Women began to compete more frequently throughout NASCAR's lower series over the course of the 1990s. Canadian Stock Car Racing Driver, Dominique Van Wieringen (Source: Instagram). Through one simple child's go-kart, a NASCAR hopeful was born. These female racers are setting an example for the females of the next generation. She started racing by driving road course races at the age of 16 in the IMSA series. At Talladega she became the first woman to lead laps there. It wasn't until 2012, 64 years after NASCAR was founded, that it signed its first female pit crew member, Christmas Abbott. The history of NASCAR started in December 1947. Then in 2018, Trotter was chosen as one of the 12 racers for NASCARS Drive for Diversity. Patricia Moise-Sawyer, A Former NASCAR Driver (Source: Twitter). Her last race for NASCAR Xfinity Series was in the 2006 AT&T 250 (Milwaukee). 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? She signed with Black Cat Racing the same year but ended her tenure during Speedweeks. IndyCar series driver Danica Patrick joined NASCAR in 2010. The sister of early NASCAR racers Tim (Class of 2014), Bob and Fonty Flock, Ethel Mobley Flock competed in two NASCAR races in 1949, posting a best finish of 11th on the Daytona Beach-Road Course in July. Kim Crosby, born in 1964, is 58 years old talented NASCAR female driver who has won 10 races over three years. We shall talk about Jennifer Jo Cobb on our list of top female NASCAR drivers. Her first race was at the 2003 Florida Dodge Dealers and her last was at the 2004 Infineon 200. France (Class of 2010), Wood set a female speed record at the newly opened Daytona International Speedway, where she ran a lap of more than 130 mph in a Pontiac. "NASCAR racing is one of the only sports nationally where men and women can compete at the exact same level," Krystyn Stowe, head of marketing for Busch Family Brands, Anheuser-Busch InBev, told ABC News. At age 16, after national success in go-karts, Patrick left high school to race Formula Fords and Vauxhalls in the United Kingdom. 107 women have qualified for and started at least one race in one of NASCARs touring series, including 16 at NASCARs premier level. She became the first female race car driver to win a Cup Series . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. She won the Snowball Derby in 1994. The most popular female racer is Danica Patrick who retired early in 2018. Daniels said she has had to tune out a lot of negativity. She finished 28th even though she started 42nd. At only 22, she's been helping pave the way for up-and-coming female racers. Plan a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and purchase tickets at NASCARHall.com/tickets. Brehanna Daniels says she thinks about how much her life has changed in just five years. Sarah Christian was the first female NASCAR driver of all time. The first female to compete in a NASCAR superspeedway race, Guthrie finished 15th in the 1976 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But like I said, I'm very proud of NASCAR and for all the progress it's made yeah, I love to see it," she said. Danica Patrick is the most successful woman in the history of American open wheel racing. In 2019, Daniels became the first Black woman to pit in NASCAR's historic Daytona 500 race. Kenzie Hemric was selected in 2013 and '14. He said he has faced a lot of resistance in his efforts to bring more diversity to NASCAR but says he remains committed to the mission. At age 14, Tia Norfleet decided that she wanted to become a race car driver. Top-Ten Finishes by a female driver in the NASCAR Cup Series: Sara Christian, Pittsburgh, 10-2-1949, 5th (out of 23 cars) . 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. Her No. "There's always room for improvement. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images. You don't see that every day in NASCAR. This year, at the Daytona 500, Siegel said he watched proudly when alumni of the program made up 10% of the field, including NASCAR stars like Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larsen and Daniel Suarez. . Tina also entered for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2003. Hailie Deegan, American Motorsports Racing Driver (Source: The Tennessean). 16 will . Janet Guthries World 600 qualifying plaque is on display in Heritage Speedway at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Even before she started competing in NASCAR, Zamora was a super late model racer. At Kentucky, Patrick became the first woman to make 100 starts in NASCAR's Cup Series. [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. Her skills on the court were an easy fit for the fast-paced needs in a NASCAR pit crew. She was also invited to NASCARs 2019 Drive for Diversity. Her 2022 racing stats: 31.00 average starts and 32.00 average finish while not finishing once in pole position. Julia Landauer was the most successful within her respective series, finishing fourth in points in the K&N Pro Series West with seven top-five finishes in fourteen races. [15] While the program has succeeded in launching the careers of minority drivers including NASCAR Cup Series race winner Kyle Larson, Camping World Truck Series race winner Bubba Wallace, and 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Daniel Surez, the program's early years were less effective in expanding the roster of female drivers in NASCAR's top touring series. Ethel Flock Mobley. In 1978, Guthrie finished ninth in the Indianapolis 500, while in 1980, she was 11th in the Daytona 500. A former NASCAR driver, Danica is one of the most successful women in open-wheel race history. Tia established the "Driven to Read" literacy program, and participated in a variety of racing and charity events, including becoming a proud representative for the National African American Drug Policy Coalition and the Motorsports Institute, Inc. Danica Patricks 2013 Daytona 500 pole award is on display in Heritage Speedway at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Danica Patrick (191 / 2012-2018) The Canadian racer bagged her first win at the Spartan Speedway in Mason. At the 2013 Daytona 500, Patrick became the first female driver to clinch pole position and lead a green flag lap. Born in 1969, Tina Gordon is one of the top female NASCAR drivers in history. [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. 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 2018, Hailee started driving full-time and won the West Series Championship, making history. In 2016, Amber made Canadian history when she became the 1 st Canadian female to win a NASCAR Sanctioned race in the USA. Natalie Decker moved up from the Truck Series to the Xfinity Series, where she would run five races in the No. The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program also aims for diversity across the sport, including the crew. In her career in the NASCAR Xfinity series, she appeared in 15 races in just a year and 32 races in the Camping World Truck. It wasn't until 2012, 64 years after NASCAR was founded, that it signed its first female pit crew member, Christmas Abbott. Throughout his racing career, Bobby dealt with discrimination on and off the track. In 2019, Daniels became the first Black woman to pit in NASCAR's historic Daytona 500 race. Brittney Zamora. After a 7th place finish in Martinsville a year later, Patrick tied Guthrie for most Top 10 finishes by a female NASCAR driver. . "I think it's really becoming more intentional in addressing its past, its racist past and things that they can do better to respond to this multicultural generation in this multicultural market in which it operates.". Although diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Robinson underwent several treatments and finally became cancer-free in 2015. Top 10 Essential NASCAR Stats and Facts. Brehanna Daniels with ABC News' Faith Abubey. Her fourth-place finish was the highest ever for a female driver, besting the previous record of ninth set by Janet Guthrie in 1978. So impressed was race winner and Hall of Famer Curtis Turner (Class of 2016) that he invited her to Victory Lane to celebrate with him. He won 19 races including the 1980 Daytona 500 and was the first driver to break 200 . 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 . 20 Toyota, owned by her family. . In June 2020, Wallace, another NASCAR driver who also broke racial barriers in the sport, spoke out about racism after one of his crew members reported what looked like a noose hanging in the team's garage stall. 82 truck. Patrick's racing career began with go-karts in her hometown of Beloit, Wisconsin, at age 10. Catching Up With Shawna", "A FIRST IN EURO NASCAR HISTORY: MANAMI KOBAYASHI WINS IN ELITE CLUB DEBUT", "Gracie Trotter Makes History With Las Vegas Victory", "Trucks: Hailie Deegan returns to DGR for 2022 season - NBC Sports", "Toni Breidinger Announces Major Plans for 2022", "Motorsports pioneer Betty Skelton Erde dies at age 85", "HowStuffWorks "1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Chronology", "Patty Moise News, Stats and Info About the Racing Driver", "Racerchicks.com: Racerchicks Shawna Robinson", "Robinson team to feature first all-female pit crew Thursday May 29, 2003 10:11 AM", "Drive for diversity: NASCAR's push to develop minority drivers moving slowly NASCAR Sporting News", "Danica Patrick wins pole position for Daytona Nationwide race", "Unofficial Results | NASCAR Nationwide Series", "NASCAR Danica Patrick to NASCAR a win-win", "TRUCKS: Johanna Long Wins Snowball Derby", "Johanna Long bests Danica Patrick at 2012 Daytona Nationwide Series race NASCAR News | FOX Sports on MSN", "Danica Patrick finishes eighth in Daytona 500", "NASCAR driver Danica Patrick will retire from the track to become a full-time entrepreneur", "Whelen Euro Series News & Notes: Valencia", "Hailie Deegan makes history with K&N Pro Series West win", "Rising NASCAR star Hailie Deegan wins again with last-lap move", "Toni Breidinger to make Truck debut with Young's Motorsports", "Natalie Decker Signs with RSS Racing for Partial Schedule in Reaume-assisted No.