There has been so much talk here lately about how NASCAR needs its own Danica Patrick. And it got me to thinking about how many women actually had competed in NASCAR.
As I did my research I came across a few names that I knew and a few that I did not know. Before there ever was a Danica Patrick, there names such as Janet Guthrie, Louisa Smith and Ethel Mobley.
Even though these women never did win a NASCAR sanctioned race, one of them did get a pole in the Busch (now the Nationwide) series, one did get a top 5 finish and a top 10 finish.
Some of these ladies went on to be have very successful careers in other forms of racing, just not in NASCAR.
So in honor these women in NASCAR, I am going to try and pay a proper tribute to them over the next few blogs. I hope that you enjoy these tributes and maybe you will learn something new about the sport that we all enjoy.
Sara Christian
Do you know who the first woman to compete in NASCAR was? Well I thought I did until I did alittle digging. I always thought that Janet Guthrie was the first woman. Well I was wrong.
Sara Christian gets that honor. She was the first woman to ever drive in NASCAR.
Sara Christian was born in 1918 in Dahlonega, GA. She was married to Frank Christian. It was a car owned by her husband Frank, that she qualified in her first race.
Sara qualified in the first ever NASCAR sanctioned race in Charlotte, NC, at the Charlotte Speedway, on June 19, 1949. She qualified 13th in a Ford with the number #71 on it. This was the first pure stock race.
This race was held before the famous Duel on the Beach at Daytona Beach Road Course, in Daytona Beach, Fla.
There were 33 cars in the field that day. Sara began the race in 13th. At some point in the race, Sara turned her car over to Bob Flock who was out of the race, due to an expired engine. Flock drove the Christian #71 Ford to a 14th place finish, when it developed an overheating issue.
On July 10, 1949 Sara was in Daytona Beach to compete in the Daytona Beach road course. This would be Sara's second race. Sara's car number for this race was the number 17. She finished 18th in this race.
This race had several historical points in it. First and foremost it was the race that really got NASCAR started. There were only 28 cars in the field that day. Two of those cars were driven by Sara and her husband Frank. Making them the only married couple to ever compete against each other in NASCAR history. Frank finished sixth in this race.
This race also showcased two other female drivers: Ethel Mobley and Louisa Smith. Making it the first time three women ever competed in a NASCAR sanctioned race.
Sara's fourth race came at Langhorn Speedway. Sara became the first woman to earn a Top 10 finish. Sara finished sixth that day.
An interesting tidbit about this race was, that the race winner, Curtis Turner, invited Sara into Victory Lane with him.
Also making the field that day, was Ethel Mobley and Louisa Smith. This would be the last time three women would compete in the same race in NASCAR.
Sara's fifth race was at Heidelberg Raceway in Pittsburg, PA. She finished fifth in this race. It would mark the only time a woman would finish in the Top 5 in a NASCAR race.
In 1949, Sara raced in six of the eight events held. She finished 13th in the points standings.
Sara competed in only one event in 1950. The race was held at Hamburg Speedway, Hamburg, NY. She finished 14th that day. This would be her final race. She retired from racing after this race.
She died in 1980 of natural causes. She would have been 62 years old.
Special Achievements by Sara Christian:
In 1949 she was named the 1949 United States Driver Association Woman Driver of the Year.
She was inducted into the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Her career conisted of 7 races over two years. One top 5 finish and two top 10s.
