Getting into NASCAR is no easy task for women even in the present day and age. So just imagine how tough it might have been for aspiring female racers back in the 1970s. Well, that’s when a certain Janet Guthrie shattered the stereotypes and battled through all kinds of discrimination to race in the Cup Series. She was even looked down upon because of her gender by Richard Petty but she never let go of her dream until it became financially unfeasible.

Today, there are more women in the sport than in the 20th century. The likes of Danica Patrick built the stage in the 2000s for racers like Hailie Deegan, Jade Avedisian, and Toni Breidinger. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that they have all, in some way, been inspired by Guthrie’s story. She does not consider herself to be a pioneer, just a race car driver who happens to be female.

How did Richard Petty ridicule a NASCAR legend for being a woman?

Currently, Janet Guthrie gets her fix of racing action from the comfort of her home thanks to National Speed Sport News. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the future Hall of Famer’s health has deteriorated and doctors have said that she requires an oxygen tank 24/7. But the gritty motorsports athlete refuses to use one whenever she goes out of the house.

Her career in the NASCAR Cup Series spanned from 1976-1980. Guthrie etched her name into the history books by becoming the first woman to race in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. She earned 5 top-10 finishes in her career and a commendable P11 finish in the 1980 Daytona 500 with Osterlund Racing, the team that gave Dale Earnhardt his first Cup Series title.

It isn’t a surprise that she was subjected to a lot of discrimination for being a race car driver. Eminent personalities in NASCAR mocked Janet Guthrie, including seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty. In her book titled “Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle”, she wrote about the experience.

“When I shook hands with Richard Petty I thought I’d get frostbite. Later, he would be quoted as saying of me: ‘She’s no lady. If she was she’d be at home. There’s a lot of differences in being a lady and being a woman’,” she had written. Certainly not a good look for a man fans consider to be an ambassador-like figure for NASCAR.

Guthrie firmly believes that she would have become the NASCAR Cup Series champion had she received enough sponsorship money. It is difficult to make it in motorsports without the proper finances. And back then, companies were not keen on partnering with female racers.

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Janet Guthrie beat several Cup Series champions at Daytona

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However, she never gave up on her dream and did what she loved for as long as possible. Janet Guthrie shares the highest finish in a Cup Series race with Danica Patrick as she came P6 at Bristol in 1977. When she finished P11 in the 1980 Daytona 500, the NASCAR legend beat racers like Bill Elliott, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Richard Childress, and Richard Petty himself.

“I can confidently assert that had I been able to continue, I would have won in NASCAR. I’d led a NASCAR race, I’d run with the leaders on several occasions. I drove enough races to be confident that it was going to happen. But without the sponsorship, it doesn’t,” she said as per WRTV.

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The sad part about sports is that you are never sure about the what-ifs. Maybe Janet Guthrie would have won the Cup Series had she received the right amount of support, both on the racing side of things and financially. But in a society that never took her seriously at the time, she certainly made her mark.