As a sport, NASCAR has always been open to change. Since its inception, from the aspect of racing to safety to general norms in the sport, everything has undergone some degree of adaptation. However, the discussions about NASCAR being a prevalently male-dominated field continue. Even though the community has seen some female drivers like Danica Patrick and Hailie Deegan rise to the upper echelons of the sport, the stature of female racecar drivers has been a sensitive topic regardless.

A person who has taken an interest in the conversation about disparity among racing drivers is former driver Kenny Wallace. Assisting him in his exploration of the domain of interest is Kyle Petty, who has a good understanding of the actual situation, having seen some of it during the competitive days of his legendary father, Richard Petty.

Richard Petty’s words downplay Hailie Deegan

Inclusivity can be classified as one of the emotions NASCAR has embodied. Color, creed, gender, and other criteria for distinguishing between drivers have rarely been entertained in the sport. Merit has gone hand in hand with this NASCAR approach. Quality has ensured a spot for some of the sport’s best drivers in the Cup Series while upcoming talents work their way up the hierarchy.

Hailie Deegan is the most notable example of a female racecar driver living her dream. The young racing sensation has blended well into a male-dominated sport since her time at grassroots tournaments. This has equally brought her fame and recognition, which propelled her to the Craftsman Truck Series. On Kenny’s talk show, The Kenny Conversation, the scope for more women to follow Hailie Deegan’s footsteps has turned into a serious conversation.

Having witnessed the growth of NASCAR up close, Kyle Petty is reminded of a few words from his father, Richard Petty back in the day. Kyle stated, “I’m gonna say something. So, my dad did an interview, I’m gonna throw this out here. He was asked that, and he said what do you think about ladies and racing?” And, to this, “My dad’s answer was, “There are no ladies in racing.”

The percentage of women who are looking at racing as a career opportunity now has surely gone up. However, that change in mindset has taken a great deal of time to ingrain itself. Richard Petty’s words highlight the same, as Kyle further added, “The reporter that asked it said, oh you mean women in racing. To this Richard Replied, “My mother’s a lady, my mother-in-law is a lady, my wife is a lady and a lady would never drive a race car, A woman might, but a lady would never drive.”

Justifying what Richard Petty said back in the day, Kyle added, “It depends on the phrasing in the south, which way you want to go and that’s the way he looked at it.”

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It is definitely great to see that the sport has moved on from such stern stereotypes. But the change has come at a relatively slower rate, which means that it is still quite tough to make a name in NASCAR as a female driver. Kyle and Kenny talked about their protective concerns, and the named out the values and times they were born responsible for the way they approach “Lady/Woman drivers” in NASCAR.

Another event that shed light on NASCAR’s mindset as a sport back then

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The incident that Kyle Petty was reminded of was a typical case back then in the southern region. It is tough to determine whether people have moved on to a broader mindset without a consensus. Earlier in one of the moments in the episode, Kyle also took a look back at one of the vice presidents by businessman Dick Brook’s side as a representative of a sponsor.

“This is back in late 70s, maybe early 80s…and she couldn’t get in the garage area to see a car. Her company was spending hundreds and thousands of dollars!” , said Petty, beginning to recollect.

Going to the base of the matter and exposing a stereotype from the industry in general, he added,  “NASCAR didn’t allow women in the garage area. Here is a corporation that is sponsoring a car in the elite NASCAR series. And the woman who is in charge of the finances for that company can’t get in the garage area to see the car because they don’t allow women and that’s just the way the sport was,”

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Taking a deeper look at Petty’s words, one might wonder the difficulties famous female drivers have had to face just to drive for a single race in one of the nation’s best series. From not being allowed in garages to driving cars out on the asphalt and competing for accolades, the sport has come a long way, but there is still some distance to cover.