Janet Guthrie was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1960 with a degree in physics. After college, she worked as an aerospace engineer and flight instructor
Guthrie joined Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, New York, as a research and development engineer, working on programs that were precursors to Project Apollo. In 1964, she applied for the first Scientist-Astronaut program, and got through the first round of eliminations. She treasures a letter from astronaut Deke Slayton, a memento of that attempt.
Meanwhile, Guthrie had purchased a Jaguar XK 120 coupe, and began competing in gymkhanas, field trials and hill climbs. This led to the purchase of a Jaguar XK 140 for competition in Sports Car Club of America races. Her career in physics slowly yielded to the allure of sports car racing, and by 1972 she was involved in racing on a full-time basis. Along the way, she posted two class victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
By the early 1970s, her interest in sports car racing led her to devote herself full-time to the sport. In 1976, she was the first woman to compete in a National Association of Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) Winston Cup superspeedway race. The following year, she broke the gender barrier again, becoming the first female driver in the Daytona 500, where she finished in 12th place.
Also in 1977, Guthrie became the first female driver ever to qualify for and compete in the Indianapolis 500. Unfortunately for Guthrie, she was forced to drop out on lap 27 due to mechanical problems. However, she was back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1978, where she finished the 500-mile race in ninth place. Guthrie’s record stood among female drivers until 2005.
http://bagofgrab.typepad.com/blog/2010/05/food-fun-fridaythe-indianapolis-500.html
in 2010, 4 women were on the starting line for the Indy 500.
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