JANET GUTHRIE - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 07/22/1985 - HFSID 42576

JANET GUTHRIE
Janet Guthrie types a letter to a fan giving them a mini biography on herself.
Typed Letter Signed: "Janet Guthrie", 1p, 8x10. No place, July 22, 1985. To American Museum of Historical Documents, Las Vegas. In part: "I started out flying planes from the time I was about 13, soloed at age 16, got a private pilot's license at 17, and a commercial and flight instructor's rating before I was out of college. Then I discovered sports cars, purchasing a seven-year-old Jaguar XK 120M coupe and soon entering it in gymkhanas, field trials ands hill climbs…My best finals at Indianapolis, out of three starts (1977,78,79), was 9th, in 1978, with a team that I formed and managed myself at the very last moment…." In 1977, Janet Guthrie (b. 1938) became the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, in a competition where women had been banned from even the repair and the refueling pits as recently as 1971. She competed in IndyCar and NASCAR races from 1976-1980, racing in 33 NASCAR races over four years (1976-1978, 1980). Guthrie finished 9th in the Indianapolis 500 in 1978. She finished 6th at the Bristol Motor Speedway in 1977, a record for a female driver in NASCAR's top tier of competition. Guthrie now shares that record with Danica Patrick, who placed 6th in the 2014 Oral-B USA 500. Two years later, Guthrie was elected to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. Her autobiography, Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle, was published in 2005. While some of her racing records have been surpassed by other female racers, most notably Danica Patrick, Guthrie will be remembered as the female racecar driver who paved the way for other women in the future. Lightly creased. Otherwise, fine condition.