(born
March 7 ,
1938 in
Iowa City, Iowa ) is a
Race Car driver and the first woman to qualify and compete in both the
Indianapolis 500 and the
Daytona 500 .
Guthrie was originally an
Aerospace Engineer and after graduating from the
University Of Michigan , she worked with
Republic Aviation . She began racing in 1963 on the
SCCA circuit in a Jaguar XK 140 and by
1972 , she was racing on a full-time basis.
In
1976 , Guthrie got her first big break in racing, being invited to drive at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway for team owner
Rolla Vollstedt , but failed to qualify. The same year, she was invited to compete in
NASCAR as well. She competed in the 1976
World 600 , finishing 15th, becoming the first woman to compete in a NASCAR
Winston Cup Superspeedway race. Guthrie would go on to compete in four more races that season. The following season, she competed in her first
Daytona 500 , finishing 12th when her car's engine blew two cylinders with ten laps to go. For the race, though, she still earned the honor of Top Rookie. Overall, Guthrie went on to compete in 33 races in NASCAR over four seasons, finishing as high as sixth place.
In
1977 , Guthrie qualified for and competed in the
Indianapolis 500 , but finished 29th with engine troubles. She would compete in two more Indy 500s, finishing as high as ninth in
1978 . Overall, she competed in 11
IndyCar events finishing as high as fifth.
Nevertheless, Guthrie's place in history was secure. Her helmet and race suit can be found in the
Smithsonian Institution and Guthrie was one of the first elected to the
International Women's Sports Hall Of Fame . She will be 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 in such publications as Sports Illustrated.
