We’re in a day and age in which NASCAR women grace the covers of magazines. Go back just a decade ago and that would have been unheard of because the industry was dominated by men. In fact, it still is, but there are a bunch of women that are keeping those men on the corners of their seats.
Some amazing race car women have distinguished themselves as excellent drivers. In fact, there are 109 women who have qualified and competed in NASCAR races in recent years, including 16 who competed at the premier level. As of 2018, Shawna Robinson and Hailie Deegan were the only women to have ever won a NASCAR touring series race and Robinson has actually won three times, between 1988 – 1989. She is, therefore, one of the most famous NASCAR women drivers.
Deegan won the K&N pro series between 2018 -2019. There are five female drivers namely Deegan, Danica Patrick, Robinson, Tammy Jo Kirk and Mara Reyes who have ever won poles. Very few women have ever contested in a full season of the NASCAR touring series, although this is slowly changing.
What Is The History Of Women In NASCAR
NASCAR has had different levels of female participation throughout its history since its inception in 1949. Sara Christian was the first woman to compete in the NASCAR race in Charlotte Speedway, and she worked with Bob Flock to finish the race.
No woman raced in NASCAR after that, and it wasn’t until the 1976 World championship that Janet Guthrie finished in the 15th position ahead of Dale Earnhardt.
Here are some of the most famous women competitors in NASCAR history
Angela & Amber Cope
Angela and her sister Amber are twins who have been competing in NASCAR races since 2010. They have made a career in this field and have become very famous in it. By the age of 15, Angela had already stepped into the world of racing before her sister even got her driving license.
In 1995, Angela finished first in the Tri-cities Gold cup and then in 1998, together with her sister they won the PSGKA Gold Cup. Three years later, Angela won first place at the Go-Karts. From there Angela kept participating in several races and eventually became a professional racer.
Cyndie Allemann
Allemann is a famous Swiss racer who was born in 1986. She started her career karting and then she was later on chosen as a racing driver. She won the Renault Speed Trophy in 2004. The next year, she went to a German championship and finished 12th. She also won the Formel 3 cup in 2006.
She became a part of the Formula 3 Euro series but, she was not able to win in any race and failed to stand. She, however, became famous when she participated in the Firestone Indy Lights series that were held in 2008. Later on, she was one of the drivers in the Super GT series that was held in 2012. She also won an award for being the first-ever driver to compete in the GT series.
Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick is extremely famous for flying free on the tracks with her supercar among all the girl race car drivers. She is originally from Beloit, Wisconsin and is a professional NASCAR driver. She got her breakthrough in the Sprint Cup series that was held in 2012, where she managed 90 starts and a pole position. The following year, she finished up and got the 27th place position.
She participated in the Indy Car series in 2005 and won as the rookie of the year. From there, she constantly won the IndyCar series from 2005-2010 which made her extremely popular.
Madalena Antas
Madalena Antas has a great passion for race car driving and is extremely famous for it. She is one of the most beautiful drivers and loves to ride her car at more than 120 mph. She is sort of a superhero in Portugal where she comes from as she is known to be wild and sizzles in her sports cars. Her racing talent has won her numerous accolades and she continues to make moves on the racing tracks.
Maryeve Dufault
Maryeve became famous after she won first place in Quebec as Miss Hawaiian international in 2000. That is when she was introduced to the public. She is also popular for being one of the best NASCAR women drivers in the sport and not to mention her modeling, magazine and TV appearances over the years.
Dufault is a Canadian born in 1982. She has impeccable racing skills and has participated in the BMW Renault NASCAR competition and has also participated in many more races that have made her world-famous. She has also made appearances in TV shows such as Relative Strangers and Fast girl.
What Is The Future Of Women In NASCAR?
Being a male-dominated sport has not deterred women from making the waves in NASCAR rallies. And since they won’t be deterred their perserverance has resulted in more women joining NASCAR. The need for speed is not a characteristic unique to men, these days NASCAR women are taking over top spots and the future looms great.
