Janet Guthrie Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Janet Guthrie has drawn herself in her racing car. In 1961, at just 23 years old, Janet Guthrie (b. 1938) bought her first Jaguar XK 120 for racing. Three years later, she placed sixth at the Watkins Glen 500 and won two Sports Club of America races. In 1977, she 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.